Kate Blackham is an astrophysics editor, tutor, mother, and blogger. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she took a teacher training course where she realized she had ‘high levels of autistic traits’ and is now awaiting a formal diagnosis. This week Kate shared her experience pursuing an autism diagnosis, advocacy, and autism acceptance.
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Melanie Magowan is a personal trainer and British Ex Pat currently living in New Zealand. She’s also a triathlete and former Autism Specialist teacher. She has documented in her blog her life experiences as an emigrant, late diagnosed Autistic person, and amputee. Melanie has also documented her journey in vlogs through a total knee replacement and a below the knee amputation on her YouTube Channel Ryding Footloose!. This week she discussed her experience as an Autism Specialist teacher and autism acceptance and inclusion in her communities.
…The following post was written by advocate Jessica Jahns. It was originally posted on the Autisticoronapoliticalifragilisticexpialidocious blog and is re-posted here with her permission. Stay tuned for an interview with Jahns later this month!
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James is a 77-year-old late-diagnosed, retired professor of psychology. James enjoys kayaking, walking and motorcycles. This week he shared his path to diagnosis and autism acceptance.
The practice of making New Years resolutions offers a wonderful opportunity to reflect on our past behaviors and consider possibilities for self-improvement. I used to think this tradition was silly and pointless–who could keep up a resolution for a whole year, anyway? But I’ve discovered that the score card doesn’t matter. Progress matters.
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Bernard Grant’s writing has appeared in Crab Orchard Review, New Delta Review, The South Carolina Review, Third Coast, and Craft, among other online and print publications. Bernard serves as an Associate Fiction Editor of Tahoma Literary Review and holds an MFA from The Rainier Writing Workshop at Pacific Lutheran University where they were awarded the Carol Houck Smith Graduate Scholarship. They have also received scholarships to The Anderson Center, Sundress Academy for the Arts, and Fishtrap: Writing and the West, as well as fellowships from Vermont Studio Center, Jack Straw Cultural Center, Mineral School, and The University of Cincinnati, where they are a PhD candidate in Comparative Literature and Creative Writing, and are at work on a novel-in-stories that focuses on a mixed-raced family and features autistic characters. Bernard is also working on essays on autism and American racism, which they plan to collect and title Unmasking. This week Bernard discussed his life as an Autistic author and ways society can work towards autism acceptance.
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Rosie Weldon is an Autistic accountant living and working in the North West of England. She is also a prolific author and has her own blog about everyday Autistic life, including things like Autistic behaviors, mental health, advice for parenting Autistic children, and lots more. This week she shared her path to a diagnosis and the ways she advocates for inclusion and autism acceptance.
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Victoria is a Neurodivergent advocate, speaker, and blogger from the U.K. She blogs at Actually Aspling on topics related to autism acceptance. This week she discussed her path to achieving an autism diagnosis and how she has since learned to accept and celebrate her differences.
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Lydia Wilkins is a freelance journalist based in the UK. She has written for publications including The Independent, Readers Digest, The Metro, Refinery 29, and others. She also documents life with Aspergers Syndrome, over at her blog Mademoiselle Women. Here she regularly interviews people such as Anastacia, journalist Paul Conroy, and others, as well as discussing topics such as interoception. This week she discusses Autism acceptance and offers some advocacy tips for parents.
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