If I were not home, our children would still require supplemental supports. Those are expensive and not fully covered by insurance. At home, I am the provider of physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, reading supports, behavioral intervention, and much more. Mothers (and fathers) knew this before the pandemic. Special…
Tag: career
“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…
Susan does a lot to help me function, but it’s unreasonable for anyone, especially me, to expect her to read and respond to whatever I am scribbling or typing. Susan is my wife, not my editor or co-author. Yes, we have worked together on the Tameri Guide for Writers, but not…
Podcast Episode 0060; Season 04, Episode 24; March 16, 2021 Productive. I want to be productive. More precisely, I want to know I am contributing to our family by producing work that earns an income. I’m one of the 85% of autistic adults with a college degree and no full-time employment. That’s our…
Once again I’m preparing for a low-paying adjunct assignment, vowing this will be the last time I work so hard for so little money. My base salary is $1900 per class. I spend a lot of time on these classes, updating existing materials and preparing new. Regardless of the term…
Podcast 0052; Season 04, Episode 16; January 5, 2021 I’ve been reflecting a lot on friendships, the connections I don’t have. Many autistics I know are more social than I am, especially online. Not every autistic is an introvert, especially in virtual communities. My autistic traits and introversion lead to personal…
Podcast 048; Season 4, Episode 12; November 17, 2020 What I’ve Learned about Teaching I’ve learned a lot about teaching over the last 30 years. Like everyone else, I’ve been learning about teaching since my first day as a student. Unfortunately, the lessons suggest that education is broken, and so…
Followers of The Autistic Me blog and podcast send along emails and direct social media messages with topic suggestions and questions. Many of these, I have answered in the past. I try to address private questions when asked, as well. What questions should I be addressing? Which topics are valuable to…
Podcast Episode 0038; Season 04, Episode 02; September 1, 2020 To my disappointment, but not surprise, the most-read blog post on The Autistic Me discusses the research on autistics making other people uncomfortable from the moment they meet us. I have taught business courses for several years. As part of…
People are uncomfortable around me. I know that since I was in kindergarten or first grade. Research suggesting people form impressions of autistics within half a second doesn’t surprise me. I’m going to prepare a podcast on this topic, because I’m realizing the pandemic has somewhat freed me from trying…