Social Anxiety Kept Me From Meeting George Michael
In 1986, twenty-two years before my autism diagnosis, I had a chance to meet one of my musical heroes, George Michael. I hadn’t met George before, and the prospect of spending hours with him in the close confines of a recording studio thrilled and terrified me in equal measures. At around 10 pm that Friday evening, I was told that George was on his way to the studio and that I should make my way over. Immediately, the panic set in. My stomach began to churn with anxiety, and the excuses began as to why I couldn’t attend the session. 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. Read More
A Cafe where I Can Rest My Autistic Brain
The Challenge of finding an autism-friendly cafe 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 or my up-coming book on autism. Whilst I enjoy cafe culture, I have Read More
Important info for autistic drivers!
Important info for autistic drivers! “You should inform the vehicle licensing authority in your country for advice, if you have any type of disability that might affect your ability to drive a vehicle.” Please note that if you are a car driver who is on the autistic spectrum. You may need to inform the vehicle licensing authority in your country that you have an autism diagnosis. Here in the UK, Read More
Autism: Successful communication,10 things to make it easier
“Getting to understand how a particular autistic person likes to communicate, can be extremely rewarding” I’ve written this article from the point of view of a neural-typical person communicating with someone on the autistic spectrum. I created this list based on what works for me as an autistic person, and what I’ve learnt over the years as a tutor for the National Autistic Society in the UK. It’s really important to Read More