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,
Uniquely Human Neurotribe
This past summer two new autism books were released within days of each other. Each, of it’s own accord, is a game changer if readership becomes large enough. Together the two books could serve to alter the course of autism history in terms of who is given the stage to tell the autistic story. NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity by Steve Silberman does exactly what the title says – lays out lots of history. There are so many interesting parts that I never knew existed that have impacted what we believe we know about autism.
Autonomous Press
Autonomous Press (also known as AutPress) is an independent publisher focusing on works about disability, neurodivergence, and the various ways they can intersect with other aspects of identity and lived experience. We are a partnership of disabled workers including writers, poets, artists, musicians, community scholars, and professors. Each partner takes on a share of the work of managing the press and production, and all of our workers are co-owners. Our Mission “Autonomous Press seeks to revolutionize academic access.” But what does that mean? Does it mean access to academic work, so that the public can better understand scholarship? Does it
Five Reasons You Need to Read ‘Ghost Boy’ by Martin Pistorius
For over ten years Martin Pistorius was trapped in his own body, fully cognizant, but unable to speak or move. He was surrounded by people who believed he was incapable of thinking and tried desperately to get just one person to notice. His story serves as a wake-up call for all of us to drastically change our assumptions about speech and intellectual capacity as well as the need to radically reform expectations and treatment of people with complex communication needs.
Autism, Airports and Lifelong Learning
For most of my life airports have befuddled me. It didn’t so much matter earlier in my life because the only time I used an airport was to go to visit my parents in another state. Back then, before we had the heightened security of today, people were allowed to meet passengers as they stepped off the plane which allowed me to simply follow them through the airport without needing to concern myself with the confusion all around me. In My 40’s Then, airport security changed. People picking up passengers could no longer go through the security checkpoint. I
Losing an Autism Diagnosis
I am an almost 60-year-old autistic woman who can navigate the world in a way that surprises some people when they find out I have autism. My teen years were spent in an institution because people did not know what to do with my “behaviors” or with me. Today I am a self-employed author, speaker, consultant and artist with a master’s degree in Social Work. Question: Did I lose my autism diagnosis? Official Answer: Yes and No No, an Autism Diagnosis Cannot Be “Lost” Technically, once a person is diagnosed with anything that diagnosis becomes part of their medical records.
Skunk Hair, Autism and Social Understanding
There is a saying, “love makes the world go round,” but for real it is NOT love. Instead, it is hidden curriculum that makes the world go round! Hidden curriculum is all that social information that most people know even though they were never actually taught it. An example is the rule “don’t pick your nose” with the hidden curriculum being it is perfectly fine to pick your nose as long as nobody sees you doing it. Many people with autism have difficulty with hidden curriculum. Their brains are not wired to allow them to automatically pick up this untaught,
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
Must Have Autism E-book
Great e-book for Autism Acceptance Month !
“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.
Sensory/Movement Differences and Diversity
For a lot of people, the most anticipated books each year are about vampires or girls with great archery skills, but the release I waited for was this book by friends, Martha Leary and Anne Donnellan. I am not exaggerating when I share that their first book, Movement Differences and Diversity in Autism, completely changed how I thought about disability, behavior, and autism. This new volume did not disappoint, and I am now recommending it to everyone in my circle (and now, to all of you)! To me, no other researchers/scholars in autism are doing more than these two women
