Our perspective may be inconvenient to the status quo…but autistic adults have insight into autistic kids that every parent can benefit from. 

On this episode, more thoughts on Mark Rober’s April 30 celebrity "Color the Spectrum" event, the counter-fundraiser #AutisticNow organized by the #ActuallyAutistic community  on the same day, and why we care so dang much about the next generation or our neurokin not growing up traumatized in the name of support (weird this has to be explained but okay). 

Plus: got my second pfizer dose (yay!), time travel, meta commentary, and some not-so-subtle shade at the wellness industrial complex. 

Thank you for being <3

Trigger warning: ABA, orthorexia

References/Resources

US Department of Defense Memo about ABA: https://health.mil/Reference-Center/Congressional-Testimonies/2020/06/25/Annual-Report-on-Autism-Care-Demonstration-Program?fbclid=IwAR2AbWTljX1_eQz8mYI8gtolJBI1DNkmPv2bUAbiKzHoEzfoYyKX0zH4QNs

Alfie Kohn: Autism and Behaviorism: New Research Adds to an Already Compelling Case Against ABA (National Education Policy Center): https://nepc.colorado.edu/blog/autism-and-behaviorism?fbclid=IwAR1KHDHTwbMAp60x4UsKkyk-hThSAs2d3-YOLgiU9PiUO_kDAOvrreZ9rHM 

PDF from the Therapist Neurodiversity Collective about social skills training, masking, and the double empathy problem: https://therapistndc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Social-Skills-Training-The-Research.pdf

Checklist for identifying sources of aggression: https://wearelikeyourchild.blogspot.com/2014/05/a-checklist-for-identifying-sources-of.html?m=1

“Appearing to Enjoy Behavior Modification Is not Meaningful”: https://www.realsocialskills.org/blog/appearing-to-enjoy-behavior-modificiation-is-not?fbclid=IwAR3LrHMvRqdXaPJVUFQwZbLW9ZCZd37JjpUxOVRAJFKIBbUHHiow9HF4jaU 

Autistic led Facebook group for neurotypical parents to learn from Actually Autistic (AA) adults (I’m personally very active in the comments!): https://www.facebook.com/groups/autisminclusivity/?ref=share

Sincerely, Your Autistic Child: https://www.amazon.com/Sincerely-Your-Autistic-Child-Acceptance/dp/0807025682

The Explosive Child (5th Edition): https://www.amazon.com/Explosive-Child-Understanding-Frustrated-Chronically/dp/0062270451/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+explosive+child&qid=1619466162&s=books&sr=1-1 

Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN):  autisticadvocacy.org 

Autistic Women & Nonbinary network (AWN): https://awnnetwork.org/