Is the PDA Autism profile helpful, or does it further pathologize Autistics? — I mean, the word pathological is right in the name… Pathological vs. Rational Demand Avoidance PDA stands for Pathological Demand Avoidance, RDA stands for Rational Demand Avoidance, and an alternative for the PDA acronym is Pervasive Drive for Autonomy. I’ll explain what each means and why some approaches may be more beneficial and accurate than…

Many “Highly Sensitive People” are actually heavily masked Autistics — Differences are not deficits I can’t believe we’re having this discussion again. At the beginning of this year, I wrote a piece entitled The “Highly Sensitive Person” is Code for Autistic, after reading a popular psychology article which claimed to differentiate the two, but essentially described all the ways in which they are the…

Challenging stereotypes and describing some lesser-known Autistic traits — A lot of non-conforming and marginalized people are misdiagnosed in healthcare, (including mental health) and psychological diagnoses. This includes female-presenting people (including cis-women), transgender folks-basically anyone in the LGBTQIA2+ community — people of colour, people impacted by poverty, and many others. Identifying someone as Autistic can be difficult, especially if…

PBIS Is Just ABA With Different Letters — PBIS P.B.I.S. stands for Positive Behaviour Interventions and Supports, and was the foundation for Manitoba Education’s 2011 policy document, Towards Inclusion: Supporting Positive Behaviour in Manitoba Classrooms. That’s not a typo, the document intended as a guide for creating inclusive schools and classrooms has its roots in behaviourism. The year isn’t…

Even if you believe their every claim, the place is still terrifying — The Judge Rotenberg Centre The Judge Rotenberg Centre (JRC) is a day and residential school located in Canton, Massachusetts licensed to “serve” (torture) children as young as five years old, all the way through to adulthood. This so-called “educational” centre (their self-proclaimed title) uses electric shock devices on disabled and Autistic people in order…

Communication skills are really lacking in the NT community — Ok, Neurotypicals (NTs): Some of you are nice people, but you need help with your social skills, so I’m going to give you my top three tips to help you improve your communication. (You’re welcome). This whole “respectful” communication thing has gone way too far. …

April is Autism Acceptance Month — This April… Please don’t light it up blue or use puzzle pieces for “awareness”. I recognize most neurotypical (NT) people who use these symbols have good intentions and are trying to support Autistic people. The first step to becoming an ally to a marginalized group is to actually listen to them. We’re already bracing ourselves Want…

The six best novels I’ve read over the past four months — I just returned from a weekend of winter camping, and while we enjoyed some awesome outdoor winter activities, another of my favourite parts of camping is having the time to read (even more) fiction and literature. It’s been a while since I’ve shared some reading recommendations, so I give you…

In typical ADHD fashion, I nearly forgot and missed it altogether — I’ve taken in a couple of the free talks offered by Neurodiversity Celebration Week (NCW). Most of them are geared towards people who are new to neurodiversity, but there are also some panels which are more in-depth. The entire schedule of events can be found on the NCW website. Thank…