Anna Kennedy wanted to interview me about bullying. I invited her to send me 6 questions. Here’s our interview. Read the rest of this entry »

Top restaurants in the Dandenong Ranges

Honey Thai, 1678 Burwood Hwy, Belgrave, 3160
(03) 9752 6244
Wonderful Thai restaurant. Been going here for years. The staff, Darren and Jasmene, have become like family, the place is a home away from home. Food is delicious, a good range, affordable and friendly service. They’re diversity friendly, can adapt to special diets. Lovely warm atmosphere and nice authentic decor. Groups catered for. Good parking and 1 min walk from Belgrave train station.

Phi Phi Vietnamese Restaurant, shop 6/21 Main St Upwey, 3158
(03) 97544808
The best Vietnamese food in the Dandenong Ranges. Lovely owners, Kim and Philip, are gentle, warm, friendly people. Service with a smile of a wonderful range of affordable, authentic traditional Vietnamese dishes. They’re diversity friendly and can adapt to special diets. The atmosphere is gentle and easy. Groups catered for. Good parking and 2 min walk from Upwey train station.

When Nobody Nowhere was about to be published in 1991, I was terrified. So I wrote to Temple Grandin as the only published autistic author before me. It was written by a ghost writer, Margaret Scariano in liason with her and titled Emergence: Labeled Autistic. It was with a therapy book publisher and not yet in mainstream Read the rest of this entry »

There are a lot of people who think I was a cute baby, and sure, I was. But there were things amiss. Read the rest of this entry »

Temple Grandin’s first book, Emergence: Labeled Autistic (by Temple Grandin in liason with her ghost writerMargaret Scariano), was published in 1986 by Arena Press which was a publisher of Academic and Therapy publications. Read the rest of this entry »

Temple Grandin was born in 1947 and diagnosed as brain damaged at age two around 1949. I was diagnosed as psychotic at age two and a half in 1965. I wondered how two people later both diagnosed as autistic (which was deemed childhood psychosis until the mid 70s) had quite different early diagnoses. The first picture here is of Temple Grandin at probably two months old in her mother’s arms taken around 1947. Read the rest of this entry »

Temple Grandin was born in 1947. I was born in 1963. The diagnosis of Temple as brain damaged around 1949 (aged 2) and me as psychotic in 1965 (aged 2) was BEFORE the use of Lorna Wing’s triad of impairments which we’ve only used since 1976! Read the rest of this entry »

Most people have heard of people with autism being annoyed by the tag on their underpants or T shirt, their distress at the discomfort of their shoes, their distress at wearing anything but the softest of fabrics, even wearing their clothing with the seams on the outside to avoid the distraction/irritation of ‘imperfect’ feeling clothing. And then there’s those who reduce their foods to only those of a certain brand or packaging, or begin to manifest vomiting upon expectation to try foods outside of their comfort zone. But is this specifically autistic? Read the rest of this entry »

Show me a lust for pride and I will show you a narcissist. We can strive to create identities out of militancy, become entranced with self aggrandizement and the icons that embrace it and it’s ultimate philosophical seeds of ‘master race’ mentality. We can take temporary but ultimately insatiable solace in boosting fragile egos through over identifying with those in high places as if their status and power will be ours by proxy. We can replace core self with a DSM entry or self diagnoses with sexy labels by virtue of their imagined association with ‘the greats’. But here is presented another choice, a simple choice… you can follow insatiable narcissistic glorifiers or simply become one of the egalitarian humanitarians who strive for humility, hope, empathy. Read the rest of this entry »

The media has portrayed Autism as a disease, the DSM has defined it as a disorder, many in the ‘Autistic Pride’ movement call it a condition. But is there really so much difference between these terms? I thought I’d explore some of these definitions: Read the rest of this entry »