What am I? Who am I? It’s easy to dismiss the questions as a bit silly. The “who” is a philosophical question beyond the what, yet the answers create a Venn diagram because who we are is what we are. I am a father and husband. Those are the roles…
Tag: education
Podcast Episode 0066; Season 04, Episode 30; June 18, 2021 Gary Martinez is a fitness trainer and father of Monica, a 15-year-old autistic young woman. He describes his choice to leave a “Big Box” fitness center for independent fitness training as becoming “an athlete for life” focused on Monica. Gary integrates sensory activities into Monica’s…
“What has changed since you started blogging in 2007?” The question from a Facebook follower prompted me to skim the older posts and compare them to now. What has changed over 13 years and a bit? What has remained the same? Have my attitudes changed dramatically, or only a little?…
As April approaches (today is March 30, 2021), autistic self-advocates begin our annual critiques of Autism Awareness, Autism Speaks, ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis), special education, healthcare, mental health’s DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual), accommodations, tolerance, a long list of social injustices… and our families. At least as I skim blogs…
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…
Podcast Episode 0058; Season 4, Episode 22, March 2, 2021 Catherine (“Cat”) Guimard-Payen provides life coaching to autistic women, but that’s not why I asked her to join us on The Autistic Me Podcast. Catherine is also autistic and the parent of four Neurodiverse children, two with autism and two…
Parenting comes with anxiety and stress. Those are part of the bargain when you decide to bring children into your life. Susan and I are natural worriers. We hope for the best, prepare for the worst. We have emergency kits in the cars. We keep a stocked pantry. We bought a…
Podcast 0053; Season 04, Episode 17; January 26, 2021 Autism encompasses social and physical disabilities. Traits become disabilities when they limit “normal” daily routines and life activities. My sensory sensitivities exist whether or not I interact with other people. I’m not going to cope well with bright light (including sunlight) or…
My personal traumas might seem minor, yet they are traumas that cause me a lot of misery. If I’ve had a bad experience somewhere, I relive it when I pass nearby. In Minneapolis, I struggled to walk or drive past some buildings on the university campuses. In Pittsburgh, I could…
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…