Looking For Normal is the autobiography of autistic musician and filmmaker Steve Slavin.
His story begins in the early 1960’s when autism was not a word that was often heard, and concludes with his autism diagnosis in 2008, at the age of 48. Read More
Why I No Longer Tell People I’m Autistic.
I used to hear people on the autistic spectrum say they do not wish to be defined by their autism, and until recently, I never really understood what they meant by this. My autism diagnosis in 2008, appeared to instantly address a life-time of unanswered questions. Suddenly, I had a tangible reason to explain my lack of achievement in life – or at least my perception that I’d under achieved. I Read More
Clinical Depression, and How Meditation Saved My Life
In February 2019, my world crashed into a life-shattering wall of all-consuming clinical depression. Following 6 months of increasingly poor mental health, I could go no further in any direction. I feared that I had plunged so deep into the well of despair and hopelessness that perhaps life was simply to painful to carry on. Read More
Autism and the City
It could be the autism talking, but I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m just not cut out for city life. Or, perhaps I should change that to: I would love city life if it wasn’t for all the people, the noise, the traffic, the dirt, the concrete, the pollution, the distinct lack of greenery, but mostly it’s the people–there’s just too many people. London’s bustling streets represent little more to Read More
Why my book is called Looking for Normal
I had wanted, for some time, to tell my story of growing up in an era when autism was not a word often heard. The occasional enlightened psychologist or psychiatrist may have come across the work of Leo Kanner or Hans Asperger, but other than this, the conditions we now know as autism and Asperger Syndrome, had not yet permeated into public awareness. In fact, autism did not become a Read More
Can Autistic People Also Have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder?
Can you have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder if you have autism? Read More
Autism Meets OCD
OCD-ACTION Annual Facilitator DayBirmingham 2017 On November 4th, ocd-action kindly invited me to speak about autism at their annual facilitator’s event in Birmingham, UK. This is due to the rise in people with OCD asking them for advice that are also on the autistic spectrum. I spoke for around an hour to groups of OCD support groups from around the country, that are brought together each year in order to attend Read More
Lets Talk About Stereotypes
Lets Talk About Autism StereotypesCLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEOOnce I overheard a doctor say; ”Oh, so he’s on the autistic spectrum…they are very high achievers you know.” Now that’s a doctor that needs to check her facts.So lets bust some other myths about autism.STEREOTYPE NUMBER ONEYes, I have a clinical diagnosis of high functioning autism. but does this mean I have a passion for science fiction? Absolutely no it Read More
Odd Girl Out-A Woman On The Autistic Spectrum
Odd Girl Out by Laura JamesThe story of an autistic woman in a neurotypical world“What do you do when you wake up in your mid-forties and realize you’ve been living a lie your whole life? Do you tell? Or do you keep it to yourself?” BUY ON AMAZON UKBUY ON AMAZON USA Laura JamesAuthor of ODD GIRL OUT I was honored recently, to be invited along to the offices of Bluebird Books to interview Read More
A Cafe where I Can Rest My Autistic Brain
One of my favourite activities, is spending a couple of hours in a café with a regular Americano and my laptop. It’s a great place to work these days, There’s something about the atmosphere of a nice café that allows me to be really creative and productive, as I write articles for this website and my up-coming book on autism On the down-side, some cafes can be a bit noisy and expensive! Whilst Read More