The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time review

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time The Gielgud Theatre, London July 2015 A review from an autistic perspective Is it possible to create a highly entertaining, educational, multi award winning show, enjoyed by people all over the world about a boy with autism? Well, the answer is yes. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, and more specifically Sion Daniel Young, who on this occasion plays the show’s Read More

Autistic symptoms and the ageing process

As I approach my mid 50’s, It appears that some of my autistic symptoms are taking a greater hold of my life. I find that I have to work much harder to be aware of my surroundings, and being organised takes a lot more effort. Everyday tasks such as remembering my keys or paying bills on time now requires more concentration than it used to. Staying connected to my surroundings is also much harder. It feels Read More

Autism: Feeling sympathy for inanimate objects

I have felt sympathy for objects since I was a very young child.This has caused me a huge amount of sadness and anxiety over the years. I feel sad for the photograph that gets pushed to the back of the display cabinet, the guitar that doesn’t get played anymore, and the once loved camera that has now been displaced by a newer one. As a young autistic child, I played Read More

Autism Street

I would like to walk down Autism Street, where everyone moves in the same direction as me. People would move on tracks along predetermined routes. No-one would be permitted to stop in front of me, or change their direction of travel. Police sirens would be silent, and their flashing lights would be banned. Rules of behaviour would be clearly sign posted, and strictly adhered to. With it’s safety and predictability, I would like to Read More

THE MYSTERY OF SOCIAL INTERACTION

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

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

My new podcast page

New! Podcast series: “Views from the inside” Welcome to my new podcast page. In this series of podcasts, I will be interviewing people that are either on the autistic spectrum, or have a lot of experience of working with, or caring for people on the spectrum. The autistic adults I will be interviewing, talk about their everyday experiences of having autism. Their stories go way beyond the headline definitions of autism Read More

Autism and uncontrolable emotions

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

Autism, communication and the police

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

Autism and my need to be perfect

“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