Why do I look at details first? Autism and bottom-up thinking. I walk into a restaurant, I hear the sounds of the people talking at the tables, the scratches of forks against china plates, the sounds from the kitchens too (kitchens visible to the customers are becoming increasingly popular), and the sound of the music …
Continue reading Why Details Matter: An Autistic Perspective
Media Watch I'm autistic, psychologists say,So I can't be a poet today?I've taken the timeTo compose a rhymeSo, what do you think, RFK? I shouldn't have to write this. The myth that there is a link between vaccines and autism has been thoroughly debunked. There is no connection between vaccination and autism. None at all. …
Continue reading Understanding Autism: Misinformation vs. Reality
I thrive on routine yet loathe interruptions, yet I yearn for new experiences. It’s a relentless internal battle between the frenetic distractibility and impulsiveness of ADHD colliding violently with the rigid need for order and predictability that autism demands.
Autism Acceptance and Awareness Month Today is Wednesday 2nd April 2025, Autism Awareness Day. It is also the start of Autism Acceptance Month which runs until the end of April. Photo by Alexander Grey on Pexels.com Awareness or acceptance? This month is all about autism acceptance, a vibrant movement that champions understanding and support for …
Continue reading Celebrate Neurodiversity: Wear Red for Autism
Some autistic people talk about autism as their superpower. This does not mean that I have x-ray vision, super speed, nor can I jump large buildings with a single fart. But there is some truth here. Autism diagnosis is negative. It is about looking for things we need help with, which is how it should …
An image in two parts. On the left are three plain clothed police detectives, two male and one female, on some stone stairs. On the right is Ella Maisy Purvis as Patience.
Autism First Mondays The first of the Autism First Monday blog posts, and it isn't on the first Monday. It looks like a broken resolution, but January 6 was the first Monday this month and Epiphany is not a movable feast. Autism First Mondays will be on first Mondays unless some other event comes then …
Continue reading Autism Spectrum Disorder: Beyond Labels and Deficiencies
Happy New Year! Looking back & looking forward. Historic England proudly announced the addition of two new Grade 2 listed buildings in Huddersfield in late 2024. That's two of just 17 awarded this last year. This is a wonderful achievement, and we have much to celebrate! The first is the place where I was born. …
Happy New Year Four years ago, I made a hopeful declaration that 2020 would be a year dedicated to worship. Little did I know that our world would face unprecedented challenges. Within just three months, churches were forced to close their doors worldwide, as a necessary measure to curb the spread of a new disease …
There is a difference between neurodiversity and neurodivergent: Neurodiverse is about a group of people, we are all different from each other. A single person is not neurodiverse, though neurodivergent people do refer to themselves as neurodiverse. Neurodivegent refers to people who have a brain that works significantly differentle to the norm, conditions such as …
Making an ass of myself 