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Can Social Skills Classes Ever Be Neuro-Affirming?
Most social skills programs are harmful, but is there a way to help ND people navigate NT social norms without making them feel bad?
Aug 20, 20243 min read
98 views

FAKE vs REAL: Communication Support
Communication support is a desperately needed thing for so many autistic people. Unfortunately, not everyone can deliver on their promises.
Jun 7, 20243 min read
143 views

FAKE vs REAL: Sensory Desensitization
Sensory desensitization sounds like something that could help, but reducing sensitivity isn’t a thing you should be trying to do TO someone.
Jun 6, 20243 min read
82 views

FAKE vs REAL: Frustration Tolerance
Building frustration tolerance sounds like a worthwhile goal. But adding more frustration is not the way to do it.
Jun 5, 20244 min read
86 views

FAKE vs REAL: Self-Regulation Skills
Self-regulation skills for kids are all the rage right now. Problem is that people think self-regulation can just be taught.
Jun 4, 20243 min read
64 views

FAKE vs REAL: Neuro-Affirming
The language of Neurodiversity is soooo hot right now. But you can’t just pop some neuro-word in place of “autism” and call it a day.
Jun 3, 20244 min read
168 views

What's with all the arguing about autism being a disability?
The first step towards understanding the problem is to realize how often we’re just talking past each other.
Apr 16, 20242 min read
39 views

Is a "lack of skills" really the problem here?
People reeaallly like to suggest better coping skills for autistic, ADHD, and otherwise ND folks. But what if the problem isn't actually us?
Mar 29, 20241 min read
50 views

MASKING MYTHS BUSTED: Autistic Masking = Acting Neurotypical
Autistic masking DOES NOT necessarily mean “pretending to be allistic/neurotypical," although you’d be forgiven for thinking it does.
Mar 19, 20242 min read
85 views

What's so bad about bedtime??
Apparently some people just go to bed and fall asleep. But if you or your child are autistic/ADHD, this probably sounds foreign to you.
Feb 15, 20244 min read
58 views

Defiance? Or something else?
Anything kids do that is anything less than “yes sir, right away sir” is often called DEFIANCE. But what if it's really the exact opposite?
Sep 22, 20233 min read
75 views

PDA: What are we lookin' for here?
Well, we don’t really know, because: -People with Intellectual Disability (ID) and non-speakers aren’t always included in what little...
May 25, 20232 min read
166 views

"But ABA doesn't work for PDA" - Umm, hang on a minute.
For one thing, we’re kinda throwing non-PDA Autistics under the bus here, even if it is unintentional. Typical autism strategies don’t...
May 17, 20232 min read
101 views

Not Everything Is PDA
Funny story. There was a post in a PDA group from someone who was wondering how to get their friend to do something. Friend was PDA, they...
Apr 24, 20234 min read
273 views

Is masking good or bad?
There are two questions I see most often in discussions about masking. One is, “What’s the big deal about masking? Doesn’t everyone have...
Feb 21, 20232 min read
290 views

Nuance Is Hard
So if you’ve read my welcome intro, perhaps you’ll remember that part where I said I would occasionally challenge even my own community?...
Jan 11, 20233 min read
94 views

Mental Health > Skills
This kinda goes with one of my ABA cartoons, but the concept goes far beyond just ABA. This is for everything - school, other therapies,...
Nov 12, 20223 min read
117 views

Things You May Be Wondering
Questions that aren't necessarily frequently asked but I'm going to answer anyway. Who is included in "neurodivergent?" The term was...
Oct 12, 20222 min read
100 views
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