THE MYSTERY OF SOCIAL INTERACTION Sometime ago I wrote a post called ‘the big secret’. The secret of how life works, the secret shared by people that do not have Autism. Having had a week of being completely at odds with the world and all the people in it, I feel that my social skills have slipped back all the way down the slippery slope to stage one! Having completely misread some situations Read More

Anxiety and Autism It occurred to me the other day, that for me the worst thing about being on the autistic spectrum, is the anxiety. We worry about almost everything, and trap ourselves in a never ending downward spiral of negativity and self doubt. It’s little wonder we are so prone to depression and low self esteem. Lately, I’ve been able to notice when I’ve been worrying about something and Read More

Are your emotions out of control? Emotions are difficult things for those of us on the autistic spectrum. Without wishing to sound too down about things, emotions for me, are usually negative and fill me with sadness and anxiety. What is it about autism that makes us so sensitive to what’s going on around us? Why do we over react so extremely, to our thoughts, things that people say and Read More

I am currently helping the Police learn effective communication skills… …for when they are dealing with autistic adults. All to often autistic adults come into conflict with the police through lack of understanding on both sides. I personally know of a few cases where autistic adults that able to travel by themselves have got into serious trouble with the police, arrested and even threatened with prison before being sectioned in Read More

“Everything I say and do, has to be perfect.” Are you on the autistic spectrum and does this sound familiar to you? There’s something about having autism that makes me need everything I say, every social interaction, every job I do at work, every bit of diy I undertake to be perfect. There is no inbetween, no middle ground. It’s either perfect or completely useless, and underlines my horribly low Read More

 “I feel as though I never really grew up” Many of us autistic adults, seem to have an almost child-like character. I hope that readers will not find this observation insulting or demeaning in any way. I feel its important to be honest, and I am not necessarily saying it’s a bad thing. I have always felt as though my emotions and personality never really developed passed childhood. Around other Read More

“I need everything I say and do, to be perfect”. Are you on the autistic spectrum and does this sound familiar to you? There’s something about having autism that makes me need to be perfect. Everything I say, every social interaction, In my work, every piece of DIY I undertake. There is no in between, no middle ground. It’s either perfect or completely useless. The trouble is that my concept Read More

At last! could there now be new services for people with autism in the UK? The UK autism bill was passed a couple of years ago. It proposed that more services should be available for autistic people and that autism training should be given to doctors, police and others that may come in to contact with autistic people. As yet I have not seen any difference either in services or Read More

Today I heard an autism “expert” talking on the radio.  The autism expert said that autism started in the 1950’s. This is just not true. It started to be called autism in the 1950’s, even though the term autism was probably not widely known amongst the public and even doctors. It was only when Leo Kanner followed by Hans Asperger, started to do their ground breaking work, that the word Read More