Podcast Episode 0064; Season 04, Episode 28; May 18, 2021 Our daughters and I have had a fair number of neuropsych assessments. The girls both have a list of official diagnostic labels. The three of us have ADHD in common. On her ninth birthday, we began yet another neuro-psychological assessment for Leigh, our eldest…
The Autistic Me
My work has to be perfect. My grades need to be excellent. I dislike mistakes, especially my own. I am a perfectionist, and that’s not a good quality. Anyone trying to turn perfectionism into a positive isn’t really a perfectionist. I hate when people use “I’m a perfectionist” as the…
I used to consider software development one of the few careers, outside librarians and medical examiners, surely insulated from the extroverts too often in charge of human society. Then, along came various project management schemes that forced programmers to act like extroverts. This post discusses Agile software development project management…
Some of my coworkers and friends assume I like exercising. They know I’ve had gym memberships and that I exercise daily. I ride my exercise bike 16 to 20 miles most days, and sometimes 30 miles. The girls and I take a two- or three-mile walk twice a week. We…
Sock seams, shirt tags, tight watch bands, and high collars. These are a few of autistics least favorite things. The tag-less t-shirt wasn’t a new invention, since tags were added long after shirts were first made or sold, but I’m so glad they are the norm today. I cannot recall…
My grand plan to write daily fell apart on the night of April 18-19, after a losing battle with an online employment system used by a university. I spent three days preparing documents and then the HR system being used (Workday) choked while uploading my materials. The application was marked…
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is an ineffective family of “therapies” with a dark, disturbing origin, which I’ve written about several times. Notice that ABA is not named Applied Behavior Therapy. It’s not what I’d consider therapy and it isn’t really presented to parents and caregivers as therapy. Mental health therapies help…
Autistics struggle because most people have more social skills and extroverts with social skills lead most communities. By the age of six, teachers can accurately predict which students will be successful. That’s true in various nations, on several continents. Research has found, time and again, that the mastery of cultural norms…
“Never publicly discuss your job hunt,” I have been advised by colleagues with the best of intentions. I’d offer the same advice to my students, or any other job seekers. However, other autistics, their families, friends, and allies need to know what it is like for an autistic adult. The…
Podcast Episode 0063; Season 04, Episode 27; April 20, 2021 John Ordover is a man of many talents. A creative consultant, a writer, an editor, and a stand-up comic. He’s even appeared as an extra in some of my favorite television shows. John also advocates for the autistic community as the father of an…