Every time I bring someone new onto our team at inTune Pathways or into my own home as a support to our neurodivergent family, I notice a few things that are reflective of the way we've been conditioned to live within the social and cultural constructs of a Capitalist society. These people,...
This week is a sorrowful one for me - as a proud Gamilaraay yinarr (woman) I am painfully
reminded that sovereignty was never ceded on these stolen lands; from the moment
Captain Cook “discovered” Botany Bay and was met with resistance from men of the
Gwaegal clan of the Dharawal Nation...
Yesterday, someone trolled me on social media.
That in itself isn’t the thing. That happens to autistic folks who joyfully resist the disorder narrative all the time.
It’s threatening to some, to read my writings or hear me speak about my autistic pride.
I was speaking about how so many...
TW: Nightmares, trauma and neurodivergence.
Something I haven't touched on in regard to PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance, Persistent Drive for Autonomy) are the nightmares.
Many of our children will speak to us of their nightmares. These can be heavy and often confronting. Which...
A guest post by our inTune Pathways Team member, Deirdre
In the 3 years since we found out my youngest, and subsequently, my husband, myself and my eldest child are all autistic, I have had well-meaning therapists and friends present us with social stories at this time of year, intended to...
Trigger warning: functioning labels, mention of suicidality, marriage separation
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I am a parent of four and a full time carer.
I know within the autistic community, there are those who oppose the term “carer”, and I’m still going to use it.
This is my story. My experience.
When...
A guest post by Alana Reeves
Most people don’t get to discover who they are at 40 years of age. It sounds like it could be an overwhelming experience, doesn’t it? To discover that you’re a completely different person than you thought you were. You would think it would feel...
I was so excited for my son to start big school. He loved kindergarten, although he was slow to
start in the mornings. We often dropped him off late, but the kinder teachers did not mind. He
found his groove after a few months because the play and interest-based learning suited him
perfectly. I...
TW: Suicidality, depression, anxiety, eating disorders
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Many families are encouraged to cling to the narrative that there is “hope” for their autistic child.
Normally it’s related to the success, or everyday functioning of the child being closer to neuronormativity than...
I'm a person. I'm just like everyone else and I don't have all the answers for every situation for every family.
What I might implement in my home with my family might be detrimental to yours and really unhelpful.
What's most important to me is encouraging and supporting families to tap into the...
I have families emailing me often, to share with me about how brilliant their autistic child is, including their adult autistic child. They share about how their child works, studies, is an artist or a musician or enjoys volunteering, among other things.
But then, there is typically the follow up...
Yesterday, we had someone come to our home to carry out an appraisal on the house (valuing the home).
When I got out of bed, the house was absolutely trashed. Our home is pretty much always messy first thing in the morning, due to the sheer exhaustion we adults feel the night before.
We let the...
