Jun 28
Current Research Implications for the Asperger Community A Conference Co-Sponsored by Asperger’s Association of New England (AANE), Northeastern University, and YouthCare Held at Northeastern University on March 16, 2012 One Person’s Observations and Reactions ©2012 Michael Forbes Wilcox This post is a lightly-edited version of an article that appeared in Issue 10 of the AANE Journal: Spring 2012 NB: the writer has no formal training in …
Jun 25
Autism is a different way of being in the world, and that difference arises in the brain. The neuronal networks of an autistic brain are somehow different from those of a typical brain. We know quite a bit about many of these differences, although it is not always clear what is the relationship between differences …
Jun 03
On June 2, disability rights advocates rallied in Boston and Canton to protest the continued abusive practices at the Judge Rotenberg Center (JRC). This is an excellent write-up by my friend Lucy Berrington! I was in attendance at the Democratic State Convention at that time, so could not add my body as a JRC protester, …
Apr 25
The latest newsletter from MassEquality contains a section about bullying. This is a huge issue for those of us in the disability community. As many of my faithful readers know, I am a member of the Massachusetts Cross-Disability Advocacy Coalition, and this issue will be a major focus for us in the coming months. You …
Apr 12
Being autistic is a way of being in the world. Those who are blessed with the special perspective given to us by our autistic neurology are also cursed by the fissure that appears in our interactions with non-autistic (neurotypical) people. It is only natural for all people to assume that others think the same way …
Apr 11
At the Massachusetts State House on April 9, 2012, I was given the distinct honor and privilege of making an award to our Governor. During the ceremony, His Excellency Deval Patrick presented a Proclamation to the sponsoring organization, AFAM. The 2012 Proclamation was the latest version of a document that has evolved over the years, …
Mar 19
“When did you first realize you were different?” I sometimes get asked this question. My answer invariably is, “I have always known.” Even the first time I was asked, I did not hesitate, so sure was I in this knowledge. Being apart from others is a fate that is thrust upon autistics by our neurology, …
Mar 18
One thing that struck me when I first began to grok what it means to be autistic was how very wrong were many of the “Freudian” explanations and bits of advice I had gotten over the years. I put the word in quotes to indicate I am using it in the vernacular sense of …
Mar 17
Maybe, for me, learning that I am autistic was like buying a new car. A few years ago, I acquired a silver car. Suddenly, silver cars were everywhere! I never realized there were so many on the road until I tried to find mine in a parking lot. I have come to think of autism …
Mar 13
Michelle Garcia Winner and Pamela Crooke have written an excellent book called Social Thinking At Work. In this article on the North River Press website, they explain in summary form the essential elements of perspective taking. Although they never use the word “autism” it is well-known that autistic people have difficulty learning perspective-taking. For me, the …