Perspectives on Neurodiversity

One year. The novel coronavirus pandemic has dragged on long enough. I'm tired of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, pandemic. It's not that I have big plans for the end of the pandemic. We're not immediately taking or trip or attending a concert. It is the anxiety that accompanies basic tasks that exhausts me. I want that anxiety to go away.

Needing a Break from this Break

No matter how much you might love your partner and your children, there's a limit to how much together time most of us can endure. A year of together time is too much. I look forward to night when everyone else is asleep. I miss being able to escape to cafes and diners, where I would sit and write or work on projects while consuming massive amounts of tea or coffee.

Susan and I both need "me time" without each other or the girls. We need a break from this never-ending break from social obligations.

The Autistic Me:

• Blog: https://www.tameri.com/autisticme/
• Podcast: https://autisticme.libsyn.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/autisticme/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/autisticme
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CSWyatt
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/autisticme

Catherine ("Cat") Guimard-Payen provides life coaching to autistic women, but that's not why I asked her to join us on The Autistic Me Podcast. Catherine is also autistic and the parent of four Neurodiverse children, two with autism and two diagnosed as multi-dis, which means they have multiple neuropsychological differences.

Catherine and her family live in France. As our casual chat reveals, French autistics face similar challenges to those encountered in the United States, Canada, Australia, England, and elsewhere. We discuss how the experiences of our children aren't unique.

As the father to two Neurodiverse daughters, I want them to have role models like Catherine Guimard.

You can learn more about Catherine's work at:

• Website: https://spiritualonlinebusinessacademy.com
• YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTeI9M9Rqoy88roOBP5rzTw
• EMail: [email protected]

The Autistic Me on Social Media

• Blog: https://www.tameri.com/autisticme/
• Podcast: https://autisticme.libsyn.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/autisticme/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/autisticme
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CSWyatt
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/autisticme

Every year on March 1, the disability community gathers across the nation to remember disabled victims of filicide–disabled people murdered by their family members or caregivers.

Filicide, the murder by one's parents, is one of the top three causes of death in children under five. It is one of the top five overall causes of death among all children and teens. Autistic children are particularly vulnerable, as parents use the "trauma" of having an autistic child as a legal defense.

Encounters with police can also be dangerous for autistics, especially autistic persons of color. Individuals with a mental illness, including autism, are 16 times more likely to die during an encounter with police, the highest of any group studied. From 2013 through 2015, data show half of the police encounter deaths were people with mental illnesses or cognitive differences.

• https://autismmemorial.wordpress.com
• https://disability-memorial.org
• https://autisticadvocacy.org/melmemorial/
• https://autisticadvocacy.org/projects/community/mourning/

Guest:

Peter Joseph Gloviczki (Ph.D., University of Minnesota, Mass Communication, 2012) examines representation in the digital age. He is particularly interested in the ways that memorialization and mediated narration either hold space for or obscure voices that are most often othered or excluded in mediated discourses. He works as an associate professor of communication at Coker University. He also serves as an assistant editor of the Journal of Loss and Trauma (Taylor & Francis). Gloviczki is active in both the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) and the Carolinas Communication Association (CCA). His first book is Journalism and Memorialization in the Age of Social Media (Palgrave Macmillan, 2015) and his second book Mediated Narration in a Digital Age: Storying the Media Worldis forthcoming in the Frontiers of Narrative Series with University of Nebraska Press.

Daddy tends to be a pushover when the girls ask to learn. This time, they wanted to learn how the podcasting gear works. So, we set up the Zoom R16, three microphones, and off we went. This episode is the product of our 90 minutes of learning together.

The girls discuss sensory processing, ADHD, therapeutic supports, and school. The classroom "wiggle tables" still upset me. Public school wasn't always working for the girls.

The Autistic Me:

• Blog: https://www.tameri.com/autisticme/
• Podcast: https://autisticme.libsyn.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/autisticme/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/autisticme
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CSWyatt
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/autisticme

Peter Joseph Gloviczki is the author of three collections of poetry: the weight of dandelions (Salmon Poetry, 2019), American Paprika (Salmon Poetry, 2016) and Kicking Gravity (Salmon Poetry, 2013). His fourth collection, What's Left to the Imagination is Everything, is forthcoming from Salmon Poetry in 2023. His poems have appeared in Beloit Poetry Journal, Hayden's Ferry Review, New Orleans Review and elsewhere.

Additional Links: https://youtu.be/PD2_uKaugPI - Amanda Gorman, National Youth Poet Laureate. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor_Mali - Taylor Mali, Slam Poet https://youtu.be/WKoVNqjNqtY - The Power of Poetry, with Helena Bonham Carter https://youtu.be/8cKDOGhghMU - Langston Hughes reads The Negro Speaks of Rivers http://www.djsavarese.com - David James Savarese, Autistic Poet https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Oliver - Mary Oliver, National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize recipient

https://amzn.to/3cWHSnI - Autism and Representation on Amazon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Dobyns - Novelist and Poet https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Addonizio - Novelist and Poet

https://youtu.be/rTUWQyRMs7g - Philip Levine on The Writing Life https://the-art-of-autism.com/tag/autistic-poets/ - Art of Autism, Autistic Poets

https://www.salmonpoetry.com – Publisher Salmon Poetry http://www.boxcarpoetry.com/033/review_peter_joseph_gloviczki_baez.html

Roy Richard Grinker is a Professor of Anthropology and International Affairs at George Washington University. His books include Unstrange Minds: Remapping the World of Autism.

I met Dr. Grinker in May of 2007 while he was promoting Unstrange Minds, my favorite book on autism's history. The opportunity to speak to him about his new work, Nobody's Normal: How Culture Created the Stigma of Mental Illness was an honor.

Press Release:

Approximately twenty percent of all American adults—around 60 million people—live with a mental illness. But due to the lingering legacy of shame and secrecy around mental health, sixty percent of them receive no treatment. In NOBODY'S NORMAL: HOW CULTURE CREATED THE STIGMA OF MENTAL ILLNESS, anthropologist and professor Roy Richard Grinker chronicles the progress and setbacks in the struggle against stigma, from the 18th century through America's major wars and into today's high-tech economy In this uplifting book, infused with poignant human-interest stories, he shows us that in the 21st century we are finally getting closer to ending the discrimination, fear, and marginalization that has long impeded the social and therapeutic supports that reduce suffering.

Misunderstandings about autistic traits have led to challenges most of my life. I blamed myself for the prejudices of others. I embraced and internalized ableism, disliking myself for being me.

Enough. Five decades of feeling like I'm inferior? This must stop. I'm far from alone, as other autistics bring their energy to this cause. I hope to feature those voices on The Autistic Me platforms.

The Autistic Me:

Blog: https://www.tameri.com/autisticme/ Podcast: https://autisticme.libsyn.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/autisticme/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/autisticme YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CSWyatt LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/autisticme

The Autistic Me struggles with friendships. Autism exists on a spectrum and so does introversion. I cannot separate my autism from my introversion. I am content sitting and writing alone.

The Autistic Me projects connect me with many other people. I do appreciate that.

• Blog: https://www.tameri.com/autisticme/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/autisticme/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/autisticme
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CSWyatt
• Podcast: https://autisticme.libsyn.com/

Creating content for The Autistic Me isn't easy. I'm a perfectionist with low self-esteem, always certain the podcast and blog aren't good enough. Why do I continue producing new content? Because people tell me that The Autistic Me helps them understand autistic experiences.

• Blog: https://www.tameri.com/autisticme/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/autisticme/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/autisticme
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CSWyatt
• Podcast: https://autisticme.libsyn.com/

Autistic masking and struggles to "fit" into groups leave us exhausted physically and mentally. Learn some tips for self-care and hear some honest reflections on autistic burnout.

Daniel Sansing and Ben Sorensen discuss the autistic need for self-care. Follow Ben at BenSorensen1 on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

Ben:

• https://www.bensorensen1.com
• https://www.facebook.com/BenSorensen1/
• https://allmylinks.com/bensorensen1