Blotism Aug

Photo: The author creating a portrait of the sci-fi writer Robert Heinlein.

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 started this aug on the premise that I am autistic; it felt brave to share this self-diagnosis and explore it publicly. Autism is a vital part of the neurodiversity ecosystem. My intention was to share what I've learned through my own exploration and experience.

This evening, on the cusp of World Autism Awareness Day (April 2, 2023), I have unpublished all of the posts but this one.

Over dinner tonight, a dear friend helped me recognize how disrespectful it was to profess authority on such a nuanced mental health topic. I am not a trained or licensed medical professional. I'm not an academic researcher. I have not been officially diagnosed with autism.

In fact, the first post I wrote for this aug was a refutation of the DSM-5 definition of autism, in which I offered my own redefinition based on my own personal perspective. While it still makes sense to me at this reading, I see the importance of more thorough consultation with experts (including folks who have been officially diagnosed with autism) before barging into this territory. Making unqualified assertions about what is or isn't autistic can diminish the experience of people who live with the condition. This was not my intent.

I apologize for any damage I may have caused with my insensitivity. I promise to do better as I continue to explore my own experience and the existing landscape of neurodiversity research.

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