The Gadoodlborger is a term that denoted a person who could translate different ‘normalities’, a ‘bridgekeeper’ between different worlds. It was the highest compliment I could pay to those who understood instinctually there was no one ‘normality’ and the inherent equality in difference – what it was to be naturally and truly diversity friendly. Read the rest of this entry »
Baloombawop is a kind of Aspergia, a haven for Aspinauts, an land rich in its diversity. It is a contrary place where the most abnormal thing of all is the vehement insistence on a one-size-fits-all ‘normality’. Read the rest of this entry »
There’s is considerable overlap between Exposure Anxiety and conditions such as Pathological Demand Avoidance (first diagnosed in 2008), Oppositional Defiance Disorder (first in the literature around 2002), Avoidant Personality Disorder and Dependent Personality Disorder. Read the rest of this entry »
The concept of a tree of life is a symbol for the interconnection of all life. Read the rest of this entry »
Whilst Temple Grandin is known for her visual thinking, I was known for talking about the opposite – meaning blindness. Read the rest of this entry »
A trick of the light is an optical illusion. We see something that isn’t there, or we see something we think is one thing, then look at it from a different angle and find our perspective is changed, different. My life has been full of such illusions. Often the illusions had me convinced and I indulged and enjoyed the magic, the madness. Other times I surprised myself, finding I was so much more than the first impressions. Read the rest of this entry »
As an autism consultant one of my lecture topics as a public speaker is anxiety disorders that can present as ‘part of the autism’. Anxiety disorders can be a contributing part of one’s ‘Autism Fruit Salad’. Read the rest of this entry »
Look at the definition of Narcissistic Personality Disorder:
“Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is a Cluster B personality disorder[1] in which a person is excessively preoccupied with personal adequacy, power, prestige and vanity, mentally unable to see the destructive damage they are causing to themselves and to others in the process. It is estimated that this condition affects one percent of the population.[2][3] First formulated in 1968, NPD was historically called megalomania, and is a form of severe egocentrism.[4]”
from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissistic_personality_disorder
Once Were Warriors by Donna Williams
Haron Monis was a personality disordered person, exhibiting narcissistic personality disorder with associated pathological self righteousness, violent misogyny, and delusions of grandeur who was likely also fueled by some level of PTSD. When charged with sexual assault in March this year, he had set himself up as an expert in “astrology, numerology, meditation and black magic” services, which seems completely at odds with his vision of himself as a devout muslim of any kind whatsoever. My view is that like anyone with significant personality disorders underpinning their deranged behaviour, he was a mentally ill person. We can hate and demonise Haron Monis as much as we might any psychopath, any severely personality disordered human being in the wake of the damage done. But until we face that we are overlooking many many many personality disordered people as those with mental illness, we will not deal appropriately with those who are born, or become this way before they do these deeds.
Donna Williams is an Australian born adult with autism who was assessed as psychotic at the age of 2 in 1965, labelled disturbed in the 1970s and diagnosed as autistic in her 20s in 1991.
She acquired functional speech in late childhood and went on to become a qualified teacher with an honors degree in Sociology and a degree in Linguistics. She is the author of two international bestselling autobiographies and has 10 published books including 4 text books widely used in autism education and two books of poetry and prose.
As a screenwriter, she wrote the screenplay to “Nobody Nowhere”, the first book in her 4 book autobiographical series. That screenplay is currently under option to become a Hollywood film. She is an professional artist, singer-songwriter and published poet as well as a world renowned public speaker on autism now living with her husband in Australia. In her presentations she draws not only on her own experiences but on international experience as a professional autism consultant since 1996.
Donna’s is a speaker in demand around the world due to her unique perspective and ability to share her feelings and experiences on a very personal level. More information about her and her life’s work can be found on her website at http://www.donnawilliams.net .