This fall was a respite of sorts from academia while I concentrated on writing and considered my path ahead. For the last few months, I’ve been working on a mix of screen and stage projects, while also collaborating on some creative writing projects. As December ends, I’m returning to both…
The Autistic Me
Our lives continue to be normal middle-class suburban lives. We sometimes feel that there’s too much happening, but then I listen to other couples and friends and realize how rather routine and uncomplicated our daily routines are. Many of my friends and neighbors are returning to school in their 30s…
I have been away from blogging to deal with some family matters, and I honestly don’t have much to add to the autism community at this time. One of the questions that I’ve received a few times during the month, “Will you review NeuroTribes?” Although I consider Steve Silberman‘s work…
We lack diversity in the autism community. Think about what you see, online and in the media. I see upper-middle-class parents, able to afford iPads and tutors and official diagnoses. I see parents who have the resources to fight for IEPs and physical accommodations. I see self-advocacy leadership that has…
School must be better today than in the 1970s or 80s, right? Especially since we know so much about autism. Probably. Maybe. Or it is bad in different ways. As students, teachers, support staff, administrators, and others head back to campuses across the United States, I anticipate the annual questions about…
Autism advocates I admire have recently shared their burnout with online followers. These advocates are not seeking sympathy, nor are they wallowing in self-pity. Sadly, they must anticipate negative reactions before taking a break from online and real life activism. I separate online from real life because the online world…
In 2011, there were 169 posts to The Autistic Me. That number has steadily declined, by almost half every two years. For 2015, only 17 posts have been composed. The blog started in 2007 and took some time to grow. The blog activity is a feedback loop, or an incentive…
Music is important to me. It’s not quite an obsession, and I’m not a scholar by any means, but music occupies a significant part of my life. When I work at my computer or write at my desk, I like to listen to music. It’s in the background, blocking all…
In response to several queries from friends, a bit more elaboration on my plans. I applied for a number of teaching posts and have now received the standard letters proclaiming an “overwhelming number of highly qualified candidates applied” for each opening. Every two years or so, it seems I’m back…
I completed my doctorate in June 2010. It is now June 2015. Five year after earning the doctorate, there’s little to show for it. I have taught, but at my last post I was not on the tenure track and that is unlikely now. I might be a lecturer or adjunct…