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malachi-walker · 3 years

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Hi - this isn't something I expect you to want to answer so its totally good if you don't, no worries.

I've been talking with a psychologist for a while for a number of things, and we began discussing autism recently, and the possibility of me possibly getting diagnosed with it.

I mainly follow you for she-ra and the swords (love the swords), but I noticed you discuss autism and if I recall correctly don't like autism speaks because they're not helpful for autism and treat it as a diesease?

In our talks he brought up treatment (as in get better treatment) and gave me handouts from autism speaks, and while he doesn't think I'm autistic he says a working diagnosis would probably be 'social (pragmatic) communication disorder - something he described as 'the social aspects of autism minus the repetitive behavior', because not sure if I would qualify for that.

I guess I'm just asking for your thoughts as you're someone I've seen discuss this and it's kind of throwing me for a loop.

Again, I completely understand if you don't want to answer this it's a weird ask - hope you're doing well.

Not to scare you, friend, but I think you need a better psychologist. The reason why Autism Speaks is so maligned by the autistic community is because they claim to speak for us (despite their being plenty of autistic adults fully capable of speaking for ourselves), they've only ever had one autistic on their board and he quit in disgust at their policies, and further all of their money goes towards seeking "treatment" instead of actually helping or advocating for autistics. Their latest pet project is mapping the human genome so they can find the "autistic genes" and remove them.

Autism is a condition that causes a lot of changes in the brain on a very basic level, and everyone's presentation as an autistic is different. It isn't possible to "fix" that, nor should people want to. My autistic traits, my perception of the world, my entire personality is irrevocably intertwined with my autism. If you took that away, you would have a completely different person, and I'm thankful every day that such a thing isn't possible. And I think Autism Speaks knows that, or they wouldn't put all their money behind making sure people like me aren't born anymore.

I'm not even exaggerating a little when I say the only reason why Autism Speaks hasn't been formally recognized as a hate group is because the anti-vaccers tend to hog the spotlight. They're just as fucked up in a much more insidious way. Much like the nazis, they champion eugenics. And they prey on the parents of autistic kids by promising them the fix they want, but not what any actual autistics want.

It's your life, friend. I can't tell you what to do. But I would strongly suggest getting another psychologist. Even if you aren't autistic, the fact that he is either shilling Autism Speaks knowingly or just doesn't know what they're up to (when the information is easily available through cursory level research) tells me that he is in no way equipped to handle autistic patients, and if he did diagnose you there's a good chance he would recommend treatments that would only make it worse. And honestly, while I don't want to scare you, that makes me scared for you.

I would strong recommend doing some research of your own. The thing about the autistic community is because actual psychiatric study of Autism and helpful treatment (in the sense of helping us manage the rough sides like sensory processing disorder without trying to get rid of our autistic traits) are still relatively new, that means we form communities and trade tips with each other to compensate. And most importantly we know how hard it is to get a good diagnosis and treatment, so in my experience we're open to people who have a feeling they might be autistic or are even self diagnosed. The autistic community is open to sharing information and helping you out.

Anyway, sorry I'm a little flustered (not because of you, but because your psychologist worries me) but if anyone reading here knows some good online resources for this, please add them! Most of my study has been through physical books because I did my master's thesis on helping teacher's understand and better teach their potentially autistic students, so if you wanna check a library Neurotribes and anything by Temple Grandin is also a great resource. And I really hope this helps you out! And if you wanna check out a group actually by autistics, for autistics, I recommend checking out the Autism Self-Advocacy Network. Be safe, okay? And have a good day!

#answer #autism stuff

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lcmawson · 4 years

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Accessible audio books! Which ones from other authors in your genre do you listen to and your fans listen to? And just what makes an audio book dyslexia-friendly?

(For anyone wondering what this ask is referring to, I currently have two audiobooks in production, one for the first Ember Academy for Young Witches book, and one for the first Royal Cleaner book. The opening chapters of the latter are now available on my Patreon, but as with all early previews that I post to Patreon, they’re a first draft. These opening chapters were very much a proof of concept and are likely to be redone later in the process.)

I mean, it’s tough to say when it comes to my genre because while I’ve been mostly writing urban fantasy over the past couple of years, I do write across sci-fi and fantasy, and while audiobooks are better for my dyslexia, I also have auditory processing issues.

So, basically, if a book isn’t likely to upset my dyslexia, I’ll probably choose to read it, rather than listen to it, and most urban fantasy books fall under that umbrella (though not all) whereas secondary world fantasy or some kinds of sci-fi (though not all) are more likely to throw in words that are made-up, or that I’m not overly familiar with, that slow down the reading process enough that I’d prefer to listen to them.

(Basically, if you show me a word that I have not memorised the pronunciation of, I will really struggle to sound it out, so when I’m reading, I tend to not even try, but the more words I’m just skipping over and mentally going “protagonist name”, “antagonist name”, “big city name”, the harder it’s going to be for me to actually keep track of the plot.)

Also, as much as I’m saying “I’m mostly writing urban fantasy lately”, the secondary world series I’ve been working on in the background is currently the top choice in the Patreon interest poll, so I should finish the first part of that and post it soon...

And I might do audio for that as I go. It’ll probably be a good proofing tool.

Anyway, as for my listening habits, I’ve been really loving the Witcher audiobooks. Like 10/10, if you want to know what good audiobook narration sounds like, there it is.

I’ve also been listening to Lindsay Buroker’s series, and they’re great. I would recommend just anything written by her.

I also loved the audiobook for Romancing the Inventor by Gail Carriger. Her stuff is actually up and down on my dyslexia, I got on fine reading the novellas (I just got the audio as well because I love them and wanted to reread/listen to them back in the before times when I was at the office), and I also did okay with the Parasol Protectorate series, but I bounced right off the YA - as in, I read the first book, but did the thing where I substituted too many words and then couldn’t tell you anything about what I’d read - so maybe I need to switch to audio for that.

I’ve also really liked the audiobooks for The Stars Are Legion by Kameron Hurley, Solve for i by A.E. Dooland, and The Company of Death by Elisa Hansen.

I also use audiobooks for non-fiction listening, and I really liked Neurotribes by Steve Silberman, Disney War by James B. Stewart, Take Off Your Pants! by Libbie Hawker (get your mind out of the gutter, it’s a writing advice book), SPQR by Mary Beard and The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan (the last two are research for a secondary world series that I’m working on with @ivanaskye ). And I’ve got The End of Policing by Alex S. Vitale queued up next (I’m actually behind on my listening, as it was mostly something I did when commuting, shopping or in the office - I also have over 100 hours of podcasts to catch up on as well).

And I’m not sure about what my fans listen to. That’s probably something I should ask at some point...

And for the last question, audiobooks are dyslexia friendly because dyslexia impairs my ability to read written words and audiobooks mean that I don’t have to do that.

#Anonymous

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wonderwomantobe · 4 years

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@connectmindwithmuscle replied to your post “so anyway, I might be on the spectrum”

Girls tend to be (but not always) better at hiding it. Sounds like you're reading a good book but I'd suggest Neurotribes

Thank you for the suggestion, I’ll check it out after I’m done with this one ! I am currently reading Autism & Girls, which is good because it is completely aimed at how different autism spectrum disorders present in women as opposed to men. It is also written by both women on the spectrum and psychologists and researchers.

#connectmindwithmuscle #i am also personally studying psychology #so i have already learned about this a lot #but they legit teach you a view of autism that is ... rather stereotypical #and male centred #://#personal

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ackb · 4 years

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I love books and have always loved books and reading, but I’ve never been a great reader. Especially since becoming a parent, reading puts me to sleep. To be fair, I’m liable to fall asleep anytime I’m still for more than five minutes. But I digress...

This time last year a good friend posted the list of books she read in 2018 and noted how helpful it was to have “want to read” lists in goodreads. I thought to myself that maybe this year was the year to start really reading again. So I made myself a goodreads list (based on a bunch of “Best of” lists and lists of books I wanted to read to the kids) and I was off to the races.

It was a successful (and delightful) experiment.

I read 41 books this year just for me. I read 30 books with/to the kids. Early in the fall I made a personal goal to read a bunch of graphic novels and ended up reading 28. (Goodreads says I read 101 books, but no matter how I count them, I never count more than 99, so I don’t know how they’re getting to that number). Anyway, that’s a hell of a lot of books.

I find it hard to judge books sometimes as “best of” because reading is so personal. I know even very good friends who love books I’m just not fond of and vice versa. But there are a few books that really stuck with me this year that I find extraordinary for one reason or another. These are the ones I included in my “Best of” list in my bullet journal above. They are:

Exit West, Mohsin Hamid — I was mesmerized by this somewhat difficult but absolutely stunning book about the magic, horror, and trauma of forced immigration.

Pet, Akwaeke Emezi — Can you write a horror fairy tale for children about secrets and abuse set in an alternate universe utopia? Akwaeke Emezi can and did. I’ve never read anything like it. Just spectacular.

The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt — in a lot of ways this book is very typical American fiction, but I found it incredibly immersive. I read it in the spring and I still find myself thinking about it often.

Wave, Sonali Deraniyagala — Sometimes we use words like “heartbreaking” to describe difficult or sad things. This true story goes way beyond the limits of the word. This is Deraniyagala’s memoir of the instantaneous loss of her two sons, her husband and her parents in the 2004 tsunami. It’s a truly beautiful, haunting book.

A Single Shard, Linda Sue Park — I’ve always loved children’s literature and there are so many excellent books out there, but every once in a while you come across a story that is so beautifully crafted that it sticks with you forever. That’s how A Single Shard felt. I adored it.

Red, White, and Royal Blue, Casey McQuiston — If books were judged solely on how they made you feel, this wins the blue ribbon for sure. Smart, hilarious, timely, fun—this book is everything and I can’t wait to reread it.

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, Lori Gottleib — Gottleib has a very funny, authentic voice, and it made reading this book like talking to a best friend.

The Fifth Season, N.K. Jemisin — The whole Broken Earth trilogy is an outstanding accomplishment. It’s brilliantly plotted, with complex, intricate characters I grew to adore, set in a world both familiar and totally alien.

The Line Becomes a River, Francisco Cantú — It sucks to think you’re doing something helpful only to find out you’re complicit in great evil. As I, and—honestly—most of us white Americans, come to grips with the world and our place in it, the struggles of soul that Cantú explores resonate deeply. Can we be redeemed? Maybe not. A hard, provocative book.

There were lots of other amazing books I didn't draw. Like Bloodlust & Bonnets and The Calculating Stars and After the Flood and Children of Blood and Bone and Sing, Unburied, Sing and The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics and NeuroTribes and So You Want to Talk About Race and Educated.

I can't wait to see what I get to read next year!!

#reading challenge 2019 #books #Exit West #Pet #The Goldfinch #Wave #A Single Shard #red white and royal blue #Maybe you should talk to someone #The Fifth season #broken earth #the line becomes a river

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adulting-with-autism · 6 years

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For my speech class we are supposed to do a persuasive speech. I have chosen the topic of autism, specifically the fallacies associated with it (ie vaccines, parenting). I was wondering if you knew of any sources that could help me prove my point about how and what autism actually is (it’s not a disease that’s caused by vaccinations or bad parenting and all that crap). Thanks!

Former public speaking instructor here!

First: This sounds like a great topic.

Now, about sources. Does the assignment specify the kinds of sources you should draw on? Specifically, I’m talking about the difference between scholarly sources versus other sources. Scholarly sources are written by academics with advanced degrees for other academics (mostly, anyway): journal articles in peer-reviewed academic journals and books published by university publishers. Other sources include anything from researched, non-fiction books to news articles to Wikipedia to my side-blog about Dragon Age.

I bring this up in case your assignment requires you to use a certain number a scholarly sources (fairly common in university-level speech classes, probably not so common in high school). (Some sources are more credible than others, but I won’t get into that in this ask.)

I can’t think of any scholarly sources off the top of my head (Followers, if you have any, feel free to share!) But I can give you some ideas about where to start looking.

Google Scholar ! This is a search engine specifically for finding scholarly sources. There seem to be plenty of results for a search for “autism and vaccines.” Some will be more relevant to your speech than others.

Also, I know Steve Silberman covers this topic in his book Neurotribes. Not only that, he also has a “notes” section in the back of the book that lists all the sources he used. Sometimes it’s really helpful to start with one source, then pull other relevant sources from that source’s bibliography! (To be clear, Neurotribes is a researched non-fiction book but not a scholarly source, for what it’s worth.)

I am sure you can also find a number of news articles on your topic, some of which will likely be more helpful than others.

In some cases, it can be really effective to include testimonials (personal stories, etc) to support your argument. I’m not sure if that’s relevant to your specific speech, but public blog posts and books like Loud Hands are good sources for testimonials (if you want to reference a blog post, it’s considerate to check in with the blogger for permission and use your own discretion about which stories feel shareable to your specific audience and which ones may not).

One last note. If you said something like “Do you know of any sources that would help me prove my argument?” to a public speaking instructor, they might talk to you about avoiding the tendancy to “cherry-pick” sources. “Cherry-picking” means using only things that will support your position while ignoring/suppressing anything that might contradict your position. It can result in speakers misrepresenting sources, keeping the audience under-informed or misinformed, and making the speaker look disingenuous and/or undependable.

To be clear: I am not saying you are doing this; nor am I suggesting that vaccines or “refrigerator moms” cause autism.

To avoid “cherry-picking,” acknowledge any important counterarguments and then fight them with sound reasoning and other rhetorical tools. (Your topic is based on confronting such counterarguments, so you’re already in a good position to do this.)

Hope this helps. Feel free to send a follow-up ask if you have any other questions!

- Lissa

#ask #nvldlife #schoolwork #persuasive speaking #argumentation #long post #ableism #vaccines #lissa

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underbananamoon · 5 years

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It’s still Women’s History Month (I write this on the last day of March) although every day is a good day to remember women. I think of my mother, a gentle laughing spirit and her mother, a fragile sprite of a woman with a mischievous aura about her. I think of my birth mother too, who I met a few times before she passed and found out later she loved to tell stories about faeries and little people. My biological grandma who I met twice, an artist who grabbed my cheeks gently, the first time we met and said “I love you already.” I think of Starr, who has had to face way too much havoc and to whom I send love healing intention every day- she deserves happiness. I am often drawn to autobiographical accounts of women in particular although my fave author Augusten Burroughs has a new book due out and I am very happy to have that on pre-order. Some interesting women’s stories (artists, writers, leaders…) a few that stay with me, of the very many I’ve read:

Her beau: the well-known-died-too-young-Jackson Pollock gets the attention but Lee is fascinating!

It stays with you. As tragedy and remembrance does.

While books like this are rarely “juicy,” and words are carefully chosen, it is a fabulous insight into what shaped and directed the Obama trajectory.

What can I say? I just didn’t know autism is a broad spectrum. I didn’t know stereotypes I’d been fed were largely untrue. I was always picking up memoir in my 30s, as I still do, in an attempt to know how people tick, so to speak, to get a grasp on my own different brain. I saw the title Nobody Nowhere on a Caldor store shelf and I thought, “Sounds interesting. I don’t have autism, I mean I don’t bang my head all day…but it should be an interesting read.” This is the first book I read from an autistic POV. Page one, I said, “So that’s what I’ve got.” Epiphany. The rest is history. Errr….. herstory.

Speaking of herstory, I’m going to recommend my own book to you and while I can’t say I am a leader or a mover-shaker, I can say that it is from the heart and that the late author of Nobody Nowhere became a sister at heart friend and wrote my forward free of charge, because she offered and I was honored. Every single human being has a story. I have a mountain of books at my bedside that I step around when I rise in the morning, to prove that. And for a long time I didn’t think I even had a voice. While my voice and what I have to say is unconventional, I do have one and this little book I wrote proves that:

Oh, someone give me a kick in the writer-ass to get going on my next book! Art is something I am immersed in however. I’m planning a series of women-inspired paintings/collages of women (real, bumpy, curvy, diverse, empowered) and as such, I was looking at the extraordinary work of Goya’s women and witches, of which I’m sharing a little here…

Awestruck by olden images/sketches of woman, I had a specific search engine that brought up image drawings. I entered the search words “Old Woman” so I could inspire my own art creations with images that came up in the search results. Here’s what happened:

Bags! Bags came up when I searched old women? A derogatory outdated term for women? Interesting, because that’s the opposite of empowerment isn’t it? LOL as they say.

So, Women’s History Month has Marched by and the next theme-designated-month is….drumroll….Autism Awareness! It’s a month many dread. Fact is, we are all going to see news, TV, docu-features, articles, etc. and community happenings and all manner of things in April related to what many of us live with EVERY day of the year. Walks. Stunts. Blue lights.

I’ve read that blue was chosen for Autism Awareness Month because autism supposedly disproportionately affects males (…actually girls hide it better and fall under the radar, so is that really true?…) and we all know blue is the assigned color for males… Really though? In a 1918 Ladies Home Journal article, the following was said: “The generally accepted rule is pink for the boys, and blue for the girls. The reason is that pink, being a more decided and stronger color, is more suitable for the boy, while blue, which is more delicate and dainty, is prettier for the girl.” Hmmm I’m digressing. That in itself is disempowering in itself. Girls: dainty. Boys: Strong. It’s like that old Betty White quote I adore.

But I digress. While some feel that designating a month for autism awareness is a great soapbox from which to express autism related topics, others absolutely despise it and are triggered by it. Autism is no “walk in the park” for those affected, says Kim Stagliano, Washington Post.

According to the Autism Society, the initiative was created “to promote autism awareness, inclusion and self-determination for all, and assure that each person with [Autism Spectrum Disorder] is provided the opportunity to achieve the highest possible quality of life.”

On that note, here is what I’ve been up to…in part, as an instrinsically actually autistic woman: Truth is, I’m up to a lot.

Wednesday Al and I went to Manhattan with my son Silas and gf Kat to be filmed for our part in the anthology docu-film Desire, which Keri Bowers is directing on a shoestring. I destroyed a cuticle or two along the way. My nerves. They sing too loudly.

My now-son Silas had top surgery and used to be my daughter Kerry Annie and if you’ve read my book you recall a little girl who loved classical music, daredevil activities, kitties and motorcycles…. Now I have three sons. Silas and Kat bravely talk about their love story, in this film. I’m proud to be a small part of a big thing. Maybe it was easier to talk about other people’s sexuality than my own?

When we arrived (early) at the highrise where filming was taking place I saw these marvelous doors.

Al and I took a seat in the library room to wait our turn, as filming was running late. Al can get curmudgeonly when things go unexpectedly and while I am not happy with unexpected change, I often try to take the stance that it’s an adventure after all and meant this way. Al did hold it together patiently, to his credit! Our unruly dog has taught him patience!

So, waiting in the library for our turn, Al settled in to an iPhone game and I picked up Neurotribes and skimmed through for an hour. Someone had put a Post-it note inside. Steve’s book reminds me of me when I was “shiny” which is my term for newly diagnosed, and in that awestruck and happy period of newly-diagnosed-revelation. At least that was my experience. At the time I was diagnosed (1990s), I got library books (much of what is in Steve’s book) and copied and copied info that I recognize in Neurotribes as part of what I researched, into a red binder which I still have, handwritten. Truly, Steve’s book is a go-to, a culmination of autism knowledge that is a gathered place for invaluable information. Inspired! (This library had jarringly noisy glass doors…for a library one doesn’t expect to grit teeth every few minutes while someone enters through said noisy doors…)

While Keri got great shots of Al and I walking, and even kissing on the busy street, it should be noted, alas, that filming is not my forte. I have RestingFrownFace. I suppose to focus on communication (selective mutism sucks) AND my facial expression is not cohesive, one always suffers. Plus side? I got to meet members of my tribe, Keri’s assistants Mark and Michelle. Here is lovely Michelle who had a very sore foot (and a trans child in common with me). My foot wasn’t sore. 🙂

Keri wanted footage of my hometown and planned a trip to visit us on Saturday by train,(yesterday) … Unfortunately Keri and Mark got lost on the way and we are rescheduling the trip for the future. She had a rose for me but never got to deliver it. Here are she and Mark who is delightfully shiny 🙂 mugging with my rose. At least I got to see it!

Had planned to take them to one of my favorite trees when they got in by train, but Al and I decided to go to the tree anyway even if Mark and Keri weren’t there to see it in person. Here we are:

Here is a shot of the filming of my son (left) and his gf Katerina. They held hands the whole time.

I have probably shared these before, but here is a “before” of Silas and a shot of ‘she’ and I miming.

It’s warming up here in the east. 60 degrees! woohoo. I plan to get a lowBattery-refill from nature as often as I can. My low power light is blinking. I’ll leave you with some art I’ve made, old and new- most collage, some acrylic, a lot of them unfinished. Poor quality quick iPhone photos.

See Alex Trebek in her calf muscle? These collages and paintings are more vibrant in person. They came out rather dark here. Images copyright me of course.

Go see your favorite tree. If you don’t have one, find one. Find your tribe, whoever it is. Make art. Catch Pokemon. Life is short. Maybe you’ll catch a shiny like me! Did you know Pokemon Go was created by someone with Aspergers? Of course you did.

CNN article about dreading autism awareness month.

Gender, Desire, Art, Journey (not in any particular order) It's still Women's History Month (I write this on the last day of March) although every day is a good day to remember women.

#art #desireFilm #keriBowers

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