Welcome!

Welcome, new readers. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Please be advised that, due to the way my brain functions, my typical pattern of online presence consists of 1-5 days of intense activity, followed by weeks or even months offline. I am trying to learn to engage on a more regular basis, but my disabilities don’t always permit this.

Please do not be offended if I overlook a comment or message. It is nothing personal; just a matter of extremely limited and very erratic mental bandwidth!

I do my best to approve and answer all comments made “in good faith.” However, I won’t approve hostile, demeaning, inflammatory, or generally offensive responses. Likewise, spam and advertisements are not welcome.

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About me and my writing [Fall 2021]:

I struggle with chronic pain and long-term depression, as well as the neurological differences I write about below, and the extent to which I can navigate through my “brain fog” comes and goes. I appreciate comments very much, but it may be months before I am able to process and respond to them.

I have a BS in psychology, with a concentration in cognitive and neuro-psych. Since graduation, I have worked as a psychology research assistant and tutor, but primarily as a caregiver/aide to children with various developmental disabilities. This blog is written largely on behalf of the wonderful kids and young adults who are my clients. They are all remarkable individuals, and I feel honored to be a part of their lives.

I am definitely not a neurotypical person, but I don’t know the exact nature of my neurodivergence. I have always tended to make friends who, like me, didn’t quite “fit in,” and many of them turned out to be on the autism spectrum. I’m often good at explaining autistic behavior to non-autistic people, and I’m sometimes good at explaining neurotypical behavior to autistic people.

I sometimes identify myself as “Actually Autistic” and sometimes as “in the broader autism phenotype” (also called being an “autism cousin”). Lately, I have been starting to wonder if an Attention Deficit Disorder label might describe me better. Whether I use the term “we” or “they” when I talk about autistic people varies depending on context.

Like many people who identify as autistic, I struggle with sensory sensitivities, poor executive functioning, and irregular “life skills.” I also have neurological differences that I like. I am intelligent, detail-oriented, and good at thinking outside the proverbial box. I enjoy many of the repetitive activities and experiences that most typical people find tedious. My inability to concentrate unless I have something to do with my hands has led me to explore art and other forms of creativity.

I love books, art, nature, plants, and chocolate. More specific passionate interests come and go over the years.