Autism, Death and Mental Health Therapy
by Judy Endow The traumatic event of death is something we all struggle with from time to time over the course of our life. It is no different for autistic people. I am often reminded to be sure to identify exactly what the autistic person is struggling with when it comes to their particular circumstances. I am remembering youngster who had a pet gerbil that died and he didn’t want to part with the beloved gerbil. Three days after the gerbil had passed the pet was still in the little plastic exercise ball, which the youngster was carrying around with
The Hidden Rules of Christmas
by Judy Endow Christmas will soon be here again. There is much about Christmas I love. There are many things about Christmas that took me a very long time to figure out. This is because my autistic brain doesn’t work in a way to automatically allow me to pick up social information that others expect me to know. This expected social knowledge is called the hidden curriculum. It is the information that everybody knows – everybody except people like me! During the Christmas season there are generally more social gatherings to attend than in everyday life. These gatherings are
An Odyssey: Learning the Hidden Curriculum
Learning the hidden curriculum social rules of society remains a struggle for autistics long after they grow up. For example, even though I am an almost 60-year-old woman with autism, over the past few years, I have learned a lot of new-to-me hidden curriculum items. The hidden curriculum refers to all the social information that everybody seems to know but isn’t directly taught to anybody. Here’s an example: Don’t scratch your privates really means don’t let anybody see you scratch your privates. Guessing at Hidden Curriculum Rules Once I amassed a volume of hidden curriculum items I began being able
