Autism
My years of active addiction account for a lot of the suffering that myself, my friends, and my family experienced. The very fact that I am alive right now is some sort of miracle, yet to be explained by science. I remember trying to picture what recovery would look like,
Society
At Aucademy we often talk of a perfect Autistic homeland, affectionately dubbed Autopia. Conceptualised as a place in which all Autistics can lead peaceful and comfortable lives, it sounds like a dream come true; but what are the realities of such a place? Is such a place even possible? This
Addiction
During my years of active addiction, I had no concept of who I was beyond being a drug and alcohol user. For this reason, I felt trapped into my substance use, unable to escape the horror that I was habitually inflicting upon myself. I finally found sobriety, but was clinging
Autistic Rights
For quite some time now, the neurodiversity movement has spoken about the harmfulness of behavioural techniques. These techniques are used to prevent the outward indications of the Autistic neurotype. They are generally aimed at children, and almost always lead to significant harm being done. The use of such techniques belongs
Autistic Rights
Recently I have found myself considering the direction that my advocacy is taking. I have found myself reading extensively on "autism theory" and, on the other hand, writings by actually Autistic authors. At first I felt broken by what I had realised. Our world is built on a
Neurodiversity
This article was co-authored between David Gray-Hammond and Tanya Adkin Trigger Warning: This article contains mentions of systemic mistreatment in the mental health setting, traumatisation, references to pathologizing theories and language, mention of cultural ignorance, and discussion of mental health conditions inlcuding cluster B diagnosis and misdiagnosis. It seems to
Mental Health
I was happy to see that Autistic Inclusive Meets have restarted the #ShowUsYourMeds campaign. Campaigns like this are essential in normalising the life-saving medication that so many of us rely on day-to-day. Stigma surrounding the use of medication, in particular for the treatment of mental health issues, is still widely
Neurodiversity
For this commentary to make sense, it may be worth reading my other recent articles on the liminal nature of the neurodiversity movement and the reality of Autopia. My recent articles have all come from my recent preoccupation with creating a utopian neurocosmopolitan society, and I have used my writing
Autistic Rights
At Aucademy we have long talked about our vision of a perfect Autistic utopia, affectionately called "Autopia". The vision is of a collective living scenario, away from the pressures of a world that puts neuronormative standards and culturally accepted neurotypicality, ahead of any neurocognitive type that does not
Society
It has long been accepted that diagnosis is a privilege that many are not afforded. What is not discussed is how diagnosis itself feeds into the pathology paradigm that has surrounded Autistic people since Autism was first conceptualised. Requiring that a person be diagnosed Autistic is in and of itself
Society
Before I start, I highly recommend reading Dr. Nick Walker's book Neuroqueer Heresies alongside this blog article. In particular, the chapter on Neurocosmopolitanism. It has heavily inspired this piece, and it would not exist without it. Liminality is essentially the point of transition between two states. If one
Autistic Rights
We've seen it happen countless times in recent years. A person from a marginalised demographic (usually BIPOC, disabled, or a combination of the two) is murdered by a figure of authority. Usually the police, a teacher, or carer. They take lives with impunity. The Internet is rightly outraged.