Blotism Aug

Photo: The author creating a portrait of the sci-fi writer Robert Heinlein from the words of Heinlein's book Stranger in a Strange Land.

This is my Autism blog. When I hear a new phrase, my mind quickly does one of three things:

• Spoonerizes the words (swaps the first letters),

• forms a portmanteau (melds the words), or

• initializes it (IYKYK).

Hence, Blotism Aug.

I write here to celebrate neurodiversity, my own and others’. Note that I am not a trained or licensed medical professional. I'm not an academic researcher, either. Nor have I been clinically diagnosed with ASD.*

I simply am Autistic, and believe I have valuable somethings to share.

I want to acknowledge that some people, including dear friends and family members, have expressed skepticism that I might not actually be Autistic at all.

I am comfortable knowing that I will never make everyone happy, especially when I am being true to myself. Nevertheless, I offer the following invitation to the curious, the open-minded, and the constantly-learning: consider that your understanding of Autism might be outmoded.

Diagnostic definitions of Autism are ever-evolving, and have changed significantly over recent years.

Ultimately, of course, you have many options regarding your personal inputs. Please use your own discretion to determine whether my voice is the right choice for you.

*ASAN, the Autism Self-Advocacy Network, is very clear that the Autistic community includes “Autistic people who were diagnosed by a doctor, and autistic people who figured out they were autistic on their own.” I am in the latter category.

# # #

READ NEXT: What Makes Me Autistic?