Blog about Neurodiversity and Autism

22 Jun 2020

Last week, 17 June 2020, Vera Helleman gave a webinar entitled “The Power of Autism”, about what she called “the three pillars of autism”. Together with about 650 other people...

0 Webmentions

10 Jun 2020

Before I was diagnosed with “Asperger’s Syndrome” at the age of 30, I didn’t really know anything about autism. It was something I had never looked at. It was outside...

2 Webmentions

About postponing things I have to do. Or about appointments, paying for goods and so on. A darker side of my autism.

03 Jun 2020

There are plenty of times for me to think that I didn’t want to do something in my life. Things I’ve dodged, decisions I haven’t made, or even put off...

7 Webmentions

I was asked what I like about my autism. I thought this was a very nice question and write a piece about it today. The beauties of my autism

19 May 2020 in persoonlijk

Today I was asked the question: “What do you think are the beautiful aspects of your autism?” I think this is a very nice question! Especially because a lot of...

2 Webmentions

13 May 2020

I had an interview with Autism in Context about fear, stress, tension and autism. This interview was posted on their YouTube channel “Fear and Autism”. On this channel you can...

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Can you diagnose your own autism? Why would you want that? In this post, I'm trying to answer this as I see it.

29 Apr 2020

Diagnosing your own autism when you have no education or experience to do so, is that anything you can do at all? Opinions run out of one. Here in the...

3 Webmentions

It's hard for some people to accept that they're autistic. In this post I want to discuss the ways in which I have accepted my autism as an integral part of myself and why that is so important to me.

21 Apr 2020

For some people, accepting the fact that they are autistic is quite a challenge. When I was diagnosed, I was also told that I would go through a grieving process....

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How do you keep thinking positive? What kind of tricks do I use to stay positive and what can you do if it all goes wrong? In this blog I try to answer these questions.

15 Apr 2020

Following feedback on my previous blog post I am writing this post today. Thinking positive is not the easiest as I already wrote. However, there are a few tricks and...

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It is quite an art for most people to stay positive in times of crisis. Often, because they are already thinking negatively in basic thoughts. One way to do this is to adjust your thoughts and try to bend to positive thinking.

08 Apr 2020

It’s a wonderful thing, the human brain. We are able to form thoughts about all kinds of things and yet there are things that don’t always go well. It is...

1 Webmentions

My first episode of the AutCast is online! Exciting! I am very curious about the reactions.

02 Apr 2020

Today, on world autism day 2020, it is time! My first episode of the AutCast has come online. As part of the autism week I had the idea to launch...

0 Webmentions

Oudere Posts

About the autism week that is now held online instead of through the country.

It’s so far! Autism Week 2020 has been going on for a few days now. Unfortunately it is a bit a different week than normal for autism week. Where normally...

Lifeline is a weird word. But a subject that distracts me from all the chaos in these times of crisis. How my head works sometimes, I discuss in this post.

Weird word actually, lifeline. Yesterday I was in bed and very restless. Restless because of everything that’s going on in the country. The worries about people in my family who...

As a counterpart to the blue there is gold. I’ll deal with this in this post. Why is the color of autism gold? And how can we communicate that to the people around us.

We’re in March. Next month is autism month and in the Netherlands autism week. Different things are organized for this. Many organizations try to bring autism to the attention of...

It is important in the struggle for acceptance of autism that information is given about autism. I am already doing this by this blog and by talking to people about autism. I’ll take that to the next level next Friday!

Most people today have heard the word autism. Many people only know autism from TV or from the news. Or maybe used as a horror image by people who promote...

Time. A concept we don’t dwell on. Once created and unstoppable ever since. But the experience of the passage of time is more personal than you might think.

. Time is a concept we don’t think much about. Time is a way of measuring how long something has been or how long it will last. As we now...

Adopting American habits also has the disadvantage that wrong habits are copied blindly. One of those wrong habits is the campaign #LightItUpBlue

Maybe you’ve heard of it before, the campaign of organisations dealing with autism to illuminate their buildings in blue to draw attention to autism. Different buildings are then put in...

New “primer” has recently been released. A kind of “The State of The Nation” about the state of scientific research on autism. Dr. Ruby Sapphire summed up the main points of this research, in which some interesting points emerged. Including that autism is a construction and not a disease!

Recently, a so-called “primer” has been released in which the state of scientific research into autism is discussed. The original article can be read by anyone via this link but...

Neurodiverse mensen zeggen op een andere manier “Ik hou van jou” dan neurotypische mensen. De verschillen zijn soms subtiel, maar het is belangrijk om ze te noemen.

I copied this list from @SNeurotypicals who shared it via The Aspergian. I have translated it into Dutch

17 Ways to Say “I Love You” in Neurodivergent: I saw...

How can a traffic light help you with the interaction in your environment. A signalling plan in any form can help you with social interaction and explain behaviour to the people around you.

In the past I have followed the necessary therapies to cope with my depression. One of those therapies was to make a so-called signalling plan. This is a plan in...

In order to understand each other, respect each other and live with each other, basic understanding is needed. Understanding for neurodiversity, understanding for yourself, understanding for someone else and understanding of reality. That this is lacking in some people and institutions, is a subject for today.

Understanding each other is the most important thing on the way to a good society in my eyes. Having an understanding for someone else is important, but having an understanding...

This post will deal with my meltdowns. How I used to deal with them and how I can better find my way in them now. Meltdowns are not only for children with autism, but also for adults.

My thoughts are running through my head and through each other. My head is full and I notice I’m scared. My body gives all the classical signals for this; my...

Something different. 36 different questions to me that I answer in this blog. Think of it as an opportunity to get to know me better.

Something different today. On different blogs you will come across them, the lists of questions generally asked to people to get to know each other better. So there are 36...

Autism Spectrum Disorder is often described as a graph or as different “levels”. Actually, it’s more of a cloud in which people move than a collection of levels.

A spectrum (also called gradient) - (plural: spectra or spectrums) is a range of consecutive colours or sounds or other varieties. This term is often used in physics. Wikipedia When...

It’s become a way of life for me. Thinking in solutions and not in problems. Sometimes it’s quite an art, but it makes me a lot calmer to think about things in my life.

A few years ago a manager said to me: “We need to start thinking more in terms of solutions within this company”. This statement stayed with me when I started...

I wish you all from here on out very happy holidays and a very Happy New Year!

In my previous post I already looked back at 2019. Today I would simply like to wish you all Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year! Thank you for reading...

A look back to 2019 and my plans for 2020. About the beginning of this blog, why I ever started and where I want to go in the future. Starting my own podcast about autism and giving lectures in the future.

It’s the end of the year. 2019 was a year for me in which a lot has happened. It is the year in which I started this blog and in...

My son was diagnosed with autism. I welcome him to the neurodiverse world

You turned 6 this year. Ever since you were two, your mother has noticed differences between you and your sister. And yesterday you were diagnosed with autism. And now I...

What is neurodiversity anyway? And why is it important? I try to answer that question. About acceptance of neurodiversity and the use against ableism.

When I started looking for Twitterers to follow about autism, I soon came across @NeuroRebel. She has been (among other things) a great inspiration to start this blog. She is...

Over het feit dat sommige mensen Asperger niet hetzelfde vinden als autisme. Mijn kijk hierop is vrij simpel; het syndroom van Asperger is ook autisme. Dit ontkennen is schadelijk voor de autistische gemeenschap.

There are people who don’t think Asperger’s syndrome is autistic. These people think that Asperger is so far removed from classical autism that it does not even fall into the...

It’s autumn again. The days are shorter and the nights longer. Why do I like this time of year anyway?

It’s wonderful, the fall. The days become shorter, the nights longer, the weather colder and the people less often on the street. Most of them stay at home in front...

About missing internal structure. Because of this lack, the need for external structure is much more present. External structure can also be created by people around me.

The myth is that autistic people are always organized and plan everything they do. I call this a myth, because for me this is not the case. I am very...

Over pauzes nemen op het werk of studie/school.

“It’s time for a break!” it sounds through the room. A supervisor of the day care where I come announces that it is time again for the time to sit...

A post about being hungry for information. How I am always looking for information and how I podcasts herewith see already source of information. And the lack of Dutch podcasts

“I’m not curious, I just want to know everything!” This used to be one of my regular statements. I’m always looking for information, on all kinds of different subjects. To...

About how my thoughts come about and how I make connections between different things. How it actually affects everything in my existence.

Where Michel talks about his drawers in his head, I want to talk today about something in between with me. When I try to explain my way of thinking to...

A poem I wrote a few years ago about my feelings about climbing out of my depression.

It sometimes storms in my head Thoughts rage, feelings hunt Storm in my head When I look around me in my dreams, A lot of things are passing by Thoughts...

About how I dealt with my depression as an autist. How I recovered and what it meant for me to be so deep.

1 in 3 young adults and 2 in 3 adults. That is the statistic of autists with depression. A shocking amount of people. And unfortunately I was also one of...

About what makes me enjoy playing Dungeons and Dragons. What makes it a fun game? And what do I encounter?

Storytelling. In essence, this is what Dungeons and Dragons is all about. Dungeons and Dragons is a game where a story is told by a so-called Dungeon Master and the...

The difference between “having” autism and “being a” autist.

Which is it? Do you have autism or are you an autist? The choice is pretty clear to me; I am an autist. Autism is a part of who I...

About the influence that music has on my concentration

When I’m busy with work or writing this blog, for example, I “need” to have music on. I know there are many people who prefer to work in silence, but...

Following the above post from Tistje, I thought it would be nice to fill this out for myself and share this with you. Do you spend a lot time think...

Short update about removing Disqus and adding webmentions

Since I started this blog I have used a comment system called Disqus. This blog was not actually used by visitors to my blog. Not so strange actually, because most...

About the Theory of Mind and thinking differently than neurotypic people. This is not a defect but can be a quality.

Theory of mind, or TOM, is the science of human thinking. How people think and how they come to certain thoughts. In my review of Tony Attwood’s book I already...

Hyposensitivity has concequences for the feelings off being overstrung and how those come about. Here I’m trying to describe my expierences with these things.

Apparently I was overwhelmed the last few days. I felt “off”, not good in my skin and grumpy. Apparently that was the reason for some of my own behaviors and...

A paraody of a alien (me) visiting earth

==== Start Log ==== I have often felt a stranger among these beings and today is no different. I have been inhabiting this planet for 35 years now and have...

There are common misconceptions about autism. Here I detail a few of them and talk about them

There are enough misconceptions about autism. There are quite a few prejudices and they sometimes make it difficult to deal with autism. People who are diagnosed at a somewhat later...

Review of The Complete Guide To Asperger’s Syndrome by Tony Attwood. My judgements and comments.

During my vacation I read the book “The Complete Guide To Asperger’s Syndrome” by Tony Attwood. And today I want to write a piece about this. Put first; this book...

Vacation 2019! Short update post about vacation and my sense for time.

It is summer vacation. The first two weeks of my vacation I have my children on the floor. Enjoying their presence. It also helps me to stay in my rhythm....

Being a visual thinker is a common thing for autistics. How is it to think in such a way?

I’m an visual thinker. Many people with autism are visual thinkers. When someone tells something I see it happening in my head. Sometimes it happens that I start to laugh...

About using Pokémon Go as an icebreaker in making social contacts. The possibilities for making new contacts and having fun.

I play Pokémon Go. Yes I am an adult and play Pokémon Go. Again after having stopped for a while. Why? Because it’s a fun game. It connects people do...

Calling Autism a disease, a disorder or even a curse is a very bad thing! I discuss my view on having autism and why Iḿ happy with it.

Autism. ASD or Autism Spectrum Disorder. That’s what it’s called. Logical that it is called that way, but I actually do not agree. Autism is a “pervasive developmental disorder” according...

Let’s take a look at the positive side of autism! The thing that are a blessing and don’t make life difficult. Or how you can look at difficulties and make them your strengths

Let’s talk about positive autism! There is much talk about the negative sides of autism, the disadvantages and the issues that people with autism encounter. Things that are not going...

Growing up with autism without knowing it. How it was for me and my road to discovering my diagnosis

For years I thought I was crazy. This was a fact for me. I was always different from the people around me. I had many problems with “belonging” and adapting...

Having sleepless nights and how I deal with those while having autism.

Because of my hyposensitivity, I regularly “suffer” from sleepless nights. That I am still awake at around two o’clock, seemingly in no need of sleep. Then I look at the...

Social camouflage and autism. How I duck under the radar of many people and how it influences my life.

“I don’t notice that you have autism!” True, if you meet me you may not immediately recognize that I have ASD. I learned to hide that in my younger years....

Applying for a job and ASD. Do you let the employer know as soon as possible, or wait a bit?

A question that is sometimes asked is whether you should state that you have ASD when applying. My idea is that, in principle, you do not state that directly on...

Still waters. About having autism and reconizing feelings and emotions, a personal story

“You can stay calm with things like this!” a friend once said to me when she called me in an emotional emergency. The precise circumstances are not important, but the...

About hyposensitivity and autism. A blog post about a side of autism that not people know about.

Since a year or five I now know that I have autism, Asperger syndrome. Since then, much has been searching for myself. Lots of thinking and talking to people around...

Welcome to my new blog. My name is David, I’m 35 years old and have Asperger’s. I have decided to make this blog to give information about autism and to...

My Autistic Self

My blog about myself as an autist and my experiences with autism. Information and explanation for people without autism, a view of the world from someone with autism.