There seems to be a lot of strong feelings around the autism community regarding being asked about autism. This is not just true of autistics; a lot of gay, trans and religious people seem to resent being asked what they feel are ignorant questions about their lives. But does it depend on how the question […]
Autism and other physical problems. Double diagnosis?
August 21, 2015 by
Can your child tell you when he feels ill or when he is in pain? Or let you know if he was feeling dizzy or faint? If not then you need to be aware of the symptoms and signs of the next three physical problems so that you can get professional advice and help if your […]
PDA – Pathological Demand Avoidance
August 18, 2015 by
Pathological Demand Avoidance (a part of the autism spectrum) is much better known about now than it was a few years ago, but it is still not as widely understood as it should be. The name makes it sound closer to a disease, or a mental health issue, but it isn`t – in fact it […]
How much tolerance is too much?
August 13, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Autism, and issues around autism often prove to be divisive. Whether it`s the debate over person first language, or even the argument over a cure for autism, there are a lot of different viewpoints floating around. Rarely is there one overall view that everyone can agree on. There are views held by the majority, and […]
The Spectrum – Part 7 – Girls are on the spectrum too.
August 6, 2015 by Leave a Comment
One of, if not the biggest, misconception about autism is that is it something that affects males and not females. Things have changed a bit now, but even the often quoted fact that more men have autism than women can be misleading. It is known that more men are diagnosed with autism, but it seems […]
The Spectrum – Part 6 – Diagnosis: Help or Hindrance?
August 4, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Is a diagnoses of autism a label, or a doorway to help? Some say that a diagnosis is unnecessary and pointless, whereas others make the case that they would never have got the help they needed for themselves, or their children without one. So is a diagnosis worth seeking? And if so, why? Well first […]
The Spectrum – Part 5 – How useful is the term On the Spectrum?
July 30, 2015 by Leave a Comment
The first few articles in this series looked at the use of the word spectrum, and where the term spectrum orginates from. But what are some of the pros and cons of the use of this word? Can it be helpful for people to use? Or is it something that should be avoided? This article […]
The Spectrum – Part 4 – Opportunities
July 28, 2015 by 1 Comment
Please note: the terminology used in this article is to show the type of language often used around autism, for example `mild autism`, or `low functioning`, and is not the author`s preferred choice of words, but used to illustrate a point. There has always been a debate about how much, or how little opportunity people […]
The Spectrum – Part 3 – using the phrase `on the spectrum`
July 23, 2015 by 1 Comment
It is well known that autism is a spectrum. But what isn’t talked about much is what a spectrum itself actually is, and why autism is referred to as a spectrum. It could be argued that the word spectrum is either being misused or misunderstood. The article below will look at the word`s original meaning, […]
The Spectrum – Part 2 – Is Asperger`s `Mild` Autism?
July 21, 2015 by 3 Comments
The first article in this series looked at the concepts of mild and severe autism, and addressed how challenging autism can be for anybody, no matter where they are on the spectrum. Asperger`s is often referred to as a mild form of autism, but is there really anything mild about having Asperger`s? This depends on […]
