When it came to screaming, my mother had the ultimate revenge. She used the vacuum cleaner. I had an intolerance, even an auditory phobia to, and even now almost never vac… all polished floors here, sweep it, mop it, Chris vacs. Read the rest of this entry »
This month’s artwork is titled ‘Picnic’.
It is 20cm x 20cm, acrylic on wood.
It reminds me of people who are so busy they never stop to smell the roses. Or like that advertisement Read the rest of this entry »
Ego SYNtonic means “identified as part of self”. Ego DYStonic means “one has these conditions but doesn’t experience them as part of self”. Autism is not the 2D, linear, static collection of relatively homogenous stereotypes that many on both the culturalist and the curist sides proclaim. Autism is actually 3D, non linear, dynamic and is not one condition but a syndrome, an umbrella term, made up of quite different pieces, ‘fruit salad’ that collectively present as the person’s ‘autism. I first wrote about the Fruit Salad Model of Autism in 1995 in Autism, An Inside Out Approach and then expanded on this model in 2005 in The Jumbled Jigsaw. Read the rest of this entry »
Warrior by Donna Williams http://www.donnawilliams.net/Gallery/Available/index.html
In the 1950s and 60s, children with autism were deemed to have ‘infantile psychosis’ Read the rest of this entry »
I really would have hated to be called “A Non-Verbal”. Read the rest of this entry »
A large percentage of adults with Aspergers Syndrome (considered a form of ‘high functioning autism’) are employable, even if only able to manage part time work or minor self employment. Chronic underoccupation and unemployment is way too common for adults on the autism spectrum with around 80% being without paid work and most of those living on disability benefits even though a significant percentage of those people also do not identify as being ‘disabled’. Read the rest of this entry »
“In his first Christmas message in the top job, Mr Abbott urged Australians to live up to their good nature and lend a hand to those doing it tough during the holiday season. ‘We are a good and generous people,’ he said in a statement on Tuesday. He also thanked those working for charities looking after the less fortunate on Christmas Day.
So what’s wrong with that? Read the rest of this entry »
As a Taoist, I find the positives in otherwise negative experiences. Read the rest of this entry »
I went through breast cancer treatment in 2011 at the age of 47. As a person with autism the process was probably a bit different for me. Read the rest of this entry »
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 .