Parents, Are You Listening To Your Child?
As a non-speaking Autistic, I pay special attention to comments and statements made by parents of other non-speaking Autistics, especially children. Many times I see parents lamenting that they will never listen to their Autistic child say "I love you", or how much they long to hear those words.
Apple Celebrates Autism Acceptance Month with “Dillan’s Voice”
Autistic high school student Dillan Barmache, has so much to say and people around the world are listening. "Dillan's Voice" can be seen on Apple's website in celebration of Autism Acceptance Month. Apple has chosen Acceptance over Awareness and it's a big deal. Why ? Because 16 year old Dillan Barmache communicates using an iPad, you don't see that in the mainstream media every day. And because Autism Acceptance Month was started by #ActuallyAutistic people. ( You can read more about it's evolution from organizer Paula Durbin-Westby ) The world is listening and it's so exciting. Not being able to speak doesn't mean you don't have a
Holiday Giveaway- ‘The Real Experts’
Ollibean Holiday Giveaway "The Real Experts" The Real Experts : Readings for Parents of Autistic Children edited by Michelle Sutton features essays by Nick Walker, Ally Grace, Emily Paige Ballou, Alyssa Hillary, Cynthia Kim, Kassiane Sibley, Sparrow Rose Jones, Michael Scott Monje Jr., Elizabeth J. Grace, Briannon Lee, Morénike Giwa Onaiwu, and Amy Sequenzia. "How do I help my child to thrive? To be healthy and happy, to fulfill his or her positive potentials, and to grow up to lead a good life? Every parent of an autistic child struggles daily with this question. Just trying to understand an autistic child’s actions, feelings,
Autism and Public Perception
Autism and Public Perception by Judy Endow Today we have added something to our public perception of autism. Historically that perception has been one of an isolated small child rocking or head banging, oblivious to the rest of the world. Even though that perception is wrong, it is the public perception. There is an addition to that perception in the past few years. It seems society has added an adult image of autism. It is another false image, but never-the-less, quickly becoming an accepted public image of what it means to be an adult autistic. Unfortunately for
Good Morning America: Called Out
As an autistic person I have my share of differences. Any time I am a way that the majority of people are not it is labeled “a difference.” Growing up and continuing on in adult life I learned that in general society does not consider my differences a good thing. In fact, it has often been considered good sport to poke fun of me for my differences. This happens to all people who deviate from the coveted standard of “normal.” Any difference is teased, mocked and ridiculed. If you are a larger or smaller, taller or shorter, faster or slower,
Inspired? What Are You Going To Do Now?
You have heard it before. You may have said it. "You are such an inspiration!" "(Person's name) is so inspiring!" I have heard it, and I have been the one supposedly “inspiring” people. And I very much dislike it. Disabled people are usually the main subject of what is known as "inspiration porn". We move a finger while disabled, we inspire. If we can't move, but we open our eyes, we inspire. We use technology to live, we inspire. We wake up and enjoy life, we inspire. We smile, we inspire. We breathe, we inspire.
OLLIBEAN : Acceptance, Love, Self-Care: #AutismPositivity2015
Autism Positivity is coming out of April stronger. Tired A little frustrated Spoonless. But stronger. Autism Positivity is rejecting blue lights, casting a red shadow and obscuring the blue puzzle pieces of hate. We continue our #WalkInRed call to action, we are joined by accepting friends, old and new. As Elvis Costello has been singing for decades, even the Angels want to wear the red shoes. Acceptance, Love (and the Angels wearing red shoes) = Positivity Autism Positivity is reclaiming words used to devalue us, and giving them their true meaning. Defiant: standing for what we believe in and for
The Reason I Blog
This blog (The Autism Wars), and all the other blogs and projects associated with it, are for my autistic son, Mustafa. But this blog is actually not talking about him without him or about daily life with him with some rare exceptions for times when his daily displays of empathy, kindness, and love towards me move me to write. When I say it is for my son, I mean it is part of my activism and my exploration of what it means to try and ally myself to his cause. This cause is something that too many of us are aware of
![[Image Description: The NeuroFly: top view of a bright blue human brain, with bright blue butterfly wings sprouting out of the sides.]](https://ollibean.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/NeuroFly-1-300x202.png)
NEUROCOSMOPOLITANISM
A must, must have resource -NICK WALKER'S NOTES ON NEURODIVERSITY, AUTISM, AND COGNITIVE LIBERTY. NEUROCOSMOPOLITANISM http://neurocosmopolitanism.com
High-Functioning or Low-Functioning?
In this life I am missing the ability to go out into the world and just be accepted for my natural autistic self. I must inhibit so many of my natural responses just to fit in enough for others to allow me a place in the world. I have discovered that to have a place in this world I need to fit into it in a way that makes sense to the majority. For me, this isn't a good or a bad thing - just merely the way it is. Fitting into the world is something I need to balance
Respectfully Connected: Journeys in Parenting and Neurodivergence
We are all about respect, so of course, Respectfully Connected is a Resource We Love!
Autistic Meltdown or Temper Tantrum?
Autistic meltdowns and temper tantrums are not the same thing. Autistic meltdowns typically occur as a response to being overwhelmed.
What’s the Social Model of Disability?
What is the social model of disability and why is it important ?
Autism and Thinking with Colors
I think in colors. My thinking colors have sound and movement. When I hear spoken words my neurology automatically goes for the match. When I was a girl, I heard the saying, “I got the world by the tail.” Immediately, the matching pictures of tail started popping up in my head. It’s like having a personal version of Google Images. The initial picture search produced a variety of tails of animals. Then, there came the images of the ground mist I saw each morning when I went outdoors after breakfast. I assigned the world tail words I heard to this
I have Tourette’s. Please tell everyone.
This powerful performance by Jamie Sanders, spoken word poet and actor with Tourette's, covers bullying, shame, self-acceptance and empowerment in the best 150 seconds you'll watch this week.
Is Autism a Disability or a Difference?
So many ideas in the larger autism community often become a debate. As an autistic this black-or-white, choose-your-side sort of thinking is very neurologically friendly to me. I like clear choices. But I also believe we are often unwittingly duped into believing we need to choose a side only because the idea is presented as a dichotomous choice. “Is autism a disability or a difference?” is one of these questions posed as a dichotomous choice in the autism community. The way the question is posed gives the impression that there is one correct answer. When Autism is a “Difference” Many
Parents – Acceptance Starts at Home
Parents, home is the single most important place for our children to feel accepted. We must embrace ALL of our children with love and acceptance for being exactly who they are. Home is the first place our kids learn about being accepted and accepting others. It is our responsibility and privilege as parents to create a nurturing environment where each child feels valued, safe, loved and whole. Our children are always listening and picking up on our feelings and attitudes. They're listening to how we speak to them, about them, and closely watching how we react to other people who
Love Not Fear
Love Not Fear. Henry Frost on Autism Acceptance Two Houses a story of Autism Acceptance. There are two houses. There are two boys that live in these houses. Each house inside has one family living. Each member of each family has different ways of being. House Number One One house has the family that tells the boy he is loved . The family is not a family without the boy. All of the family members are loved as they are. They are loved for being. The boy is loved as he is. He is educated. He is respected. He
Life for Lief ~ “See Me As Smart”
“Some people think that kids who are autistic can’t handle getting a transplant. Kids with autism can handle it.” Lief O'Neill
I Got 99 Problems..Palsy Is Just One- Maysoon Zayid on Ted
“People with disabilities are the largest minority in the world and we are the most under-represented in entertainment.” Maysoon Zayid
Are You a Bully in Sheep’s Clothing?
On Dec. 16, 2013 I wrote a blog titled “Autistics Can BE Friends” and posted the link on social media sites. Regardless of how often or how many of us autistics write about why many of us choose to call ourselves autistic many in academia and in the medical fields continue on to let us know we “should not” be doing this. I am including in this blog a public conversation I had with a Linked In reader on this matter. The entire conversation had nothing to do with the blog I had posted – only the fact that I
Pro Infirmis Mannequins Video Shows Bodily Diversity is Beautiful
A trip to the mall bombards me with unattainable ideals of “perfection” everywhere I turn. Mannequins of one standard body shape and size taunt me in each store I enter, all of them wearing clothing that won’t look anything on me like it does on them. Their plastic bodies are tall and thin; I am less than 5 feet with more than my fair share of curves. They stand in casual poses; I am sitting in my wheelchair. To me, mannequins are not always inviting displays. Instead, they’re nothing more than sculptures of a supposedly idyllic body type that I
“Weird & Wonderful”
'Weird and Wonderful", a feature-length documentary, tells the story of the disability rights movement from the late 1960s until today.
This Is Autism by Amy Sequenzia
Today we are flashblogging to counter Autism Speaks’ wrong view of autism. We are showing what autism really is. We speak for ourselves, even if Autism Speaks refuses to listen. The rest of the world will.
You are not wrong.
Know you are not a burden or trouble for being. You are a person who has every right to be. A family that is saying love but saying you are so hard so wrong for not being as they wanted. The family is wrong. Not You. A school segregating is wrong. Not You.There are many if the disability community that are here for you.
Inclusion, Communication and Civil Rights
"Learning is easy when the teacher knows you can learn. " Henry Frost
How to Ignore the Media and Learn to Love Autism
Here are some suggestions on how to tune out the media's negativity and learn to love autism: 1) Read Jim Sinclair’s “Don’t Mourn for Us”. 2) Tell your parents, family and friends that are close (maybe even your boss) about your child's diagnosis, as you are going to need support. 3) Let go of any preconceived ideas for birthday parties, trips to the supermarket and vacations. Don’t worry if an event doesn't turn out exactly as planned. Sometimes the unexpected is just as wonderful. 4) Discover what motivates your child and learn as much as you can about those topics.
How It Helps
I wrote about Presumption of Competence before, and how it is important for all of us. This time I write about how it feels and how my life changed because I was assumed to be competent.
Putting Education First by That Crazy Crippled Chick
"First, we must ensure that all children, including and especially those with disabilities, receive a quality education. Inclusion means nothing if a child is not receiving a good education, which is, in fact, the very reason we have schools in the first place. " Cara Liebowitz
11 Year Old Jacob On The Right Thing To DO
I said a long time ago that I would not only be an real student In a school that supports me but also a self advocate for those lost in segregated settings echoing the dreaded lives of people in the world that are like me without the right supports.
Resource : Yes, That Too
Resource we love- "Yes, That Too" !
Ollibean Spotlight: Renee Salas
" Talk to people with disabilities. As many as you can: Adults, adolescents, kids. These people are the real experts on disabilities. These are the people that can tell you what life with a disability is like." Renee Salas
Much Needed Resource: “We Are Like Your Child”
"We are like your child. Your child is like us. And we may have difficulties, we are disabled--but there is no denying that we are also awesome."
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization run by and for Autistic people.
People With Disabilities Practically Absent from Marketing Campaigns
ABC.com reports that despite sporadic appearances in the media and marketing campaigns, people with disabilities are still largely absent, and that many people feel that marketers in particular are losing out because of it. Blaming the absence of people with disabilities in marketing campaigns on "a combination of ignorance, caution, and fear," advocates feel that a concentrated campaign to have people with disabilities included in advertising is necessary, similar to past campaigns to have minorities included in advertising. 57 000 000 Americans have a disability, and as a group their spending power is $200 to $500 billion. They're definitely a
Ollibean Mama Spotlight : Ariane Zurcher
"It means living in a society that embraces the diversity of human beings. It means inclusion is a way of life and manifests itself in every aspect of our culture, from the schools and education, to the work place and everything in between… It means paradise!" Ariane Zurcher
Neurodiversity in the Classroom: Strength-Based Strategies t – Apr 29,2013
A new concept on human diversity has emerged over the past 10 years that promises to revolutionize the way educators provide services to students with special needs: neurodiversity. Just as we celebrate diversity in nature
Listen Up
Listen Up! the PSA from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network and Autism Acceptance Month has been released!
Must Have Autism E-book
Great e-book for Autism Acceptance Month !
Autism Acceptance Month
"Acceptance is an action." Autism Acceptance Month from the brilliant folks at ASAN, is beyond incredible. We could read the About page again and again- and probably will. Check it out. Take the Pledge. What is Autism Acceptance Month? Autism Acceptance Month is about challenging ignorance, prejudice, fear, and hysteria about autism and autistic people. Autism Acceptance Month spreads the word that autism is both a neurological disability and a natural part of human diversity, and centers the voices of autistic people in the conversation about us. Autism Acceptance Month promotes acceptance of autistic people as family members, sons, daughters, spouses, friends, classmates, co-workers,
Reason # 202 Why You Should Come to See Wretches & Jabberers Next Weekend..
The incredible soundtrack. J. Ralph, recently nominated for an Academy Award for his song, Before My Time, for the documentary Chasing Ice, composed and performed the songs in this incredible documentary, He is joined by some of the most talented folks in music.
April and Autism Acceptance at Tampa Theatre
Get your advocacy on. April and Autism Acceptance is in Tampa. The rock stars of disability advocacy- Tracy Thresher and Larry Bissonnette- are back.
Autistic People Are Everywhere | Musings of an Aspie
This post is a part of today’s “Autistic people are . . .” flashblog. You may have seen the news this week that Google has promised to eliminate the problematic “Autistic people should” autocompletes in response to last week’s flashblog. They’ve said it will take time to engineer, so while the hateful autocompletes are still appearing, hopefully they’ll soon be gone. We can make a difference by speaking up. ——- Autistic people are everywhere. We sit next to you at school and on the bus. We give your dog his rabies shot, teach your kids, make your latte and sweep
Tiny Grace Notes: Open Heartedness
Because I am a person who prepares special ed teachers and doc students for a living, I meet a lot of people, and a lot of them are parents of kids, and a lot of the kids these parents have are kids with autism. I get to know them over time, and see the wonderful work they do as pre-service teachers, and often keep in touch with what they are doing after they graduate. These are good and loving people, dedicated to life-long learning. This is my general background knowledge of other people’s parents. This is hundreds or maybe by now a thousand-odd of
“Loud Hands – Autistic People, Speaking” A Review
The title of the book should be enough for anyone who wants to know, know more or know anything, about autism and Autistics to buy it and read it.
We Love Emma’s Hope Book
Ariane Zurcher is definitely one of our favorite writers. She writes with exceptional honesty, insight, and beauty.
Bright Not Broken Gifted Kids ADHD and Autism – Feb 14,2013
Chef Dean Neff, Executive Chef at Hugh Acheson's "Five & Ten" highly rated restaurant in Georgia, visits with Olivia Wilder to talk about his culinary career. Bobby Seale co-founder ofThe Black Panther Party was an African-American revolutionary socialis
Advice from Someone Who Has Been There
I love Larry Bissonnette- artist and disability rights activist. If you have seen Wretches & Jabberers or My Life as an Artist, or seen Larry present- I'm sure you are right there with me. His paintings are extraordinary, his words brilliant, and his wit and personality beyond wonderful. He is an exceptional person I feel privledged to call friend. We have been lucky enough to spend a lot of time with Larry; a weekend at our home in Tampa, a week in Vermont (where we were able to visit Larry's studio and watch him create his paintings) and numerous conferences
No Limits: People With Cerebral Palsy v Condescending Tools
No Limits: People With Cerebral Palsy v Condescending Tools.
My iPad Is Not a Toy
Please never refer to my iPad as a toy. It is not. It is my voice. Imagine if you could not speak with your mouth how important your iPad voice would be.
Shatter the Myths About Autism
"No Myths". Must see PSA by the Autistic Self Advocacy Network and the Dan Merino Foundation. Change the conversation about autism.
Focus on My Strengths
#4 Please focus on My Strengths. I have many. We all do.
Stories From The Road | Chapter One | “A Night With The Stars”
"A Night With The Stars": Larry, Tracy, Harvey & Pascal take to the road to promote a new documentary titled "Wretches & Jabberers" following their recent "World Intelligence Magnified Tour". Their first stop is Syracuse, NY where they meet with the Disability Cultural Center Initiative at Syracuse University and answer questions about the film.
Loving Lamposts, A Documentary by Todd Drezner
We love this documentary about autism by Todd Drezner.
