Reflections
Essays from Kristy Forbes exploring PDA, autistic experience, parenting, identity, care, systems and the ordinary moments that shape family life.
I'm not looking at you.
Apr 22, 2021
I can’t tell you how concerning it is that we have such an incredibly uninformed requirement for autistic people to make eye contact.
When we understand autism as an identity and culture, we are able to reframe
...Hello there, passive-aggression.
Apr 15, 2021
This morning whilst packing up from a weekend away, one of my children told me I had been passive-aggressive.
It was a shock.
I had said “I’m sensing annoyance in your tone” and that was their response
...This is a difficult time. Let's acknowledge that.
Apr 08, 2021
Immerse yourself in communities, places and with people who feel right for you.
A group or page isn't necessarily safe or right because someone else says so.
You get to choose.
Last night I jumped
...Awareness month? Nah, not over here.
Apr 01, 2021
This morning I'm reminded of an appointment with an obstetrician in the public system seven years ago.
I was heavily pregnant with my last baby.
He was going over my subsequent pregnancies and deliverie
...Repeat after me... "I am not my child."
Mar 25, 2021
People need the space and freedom to feel; to explore and understand the incredibly complex depth and range of their emotional life.
This begins in childhood.
As children, particularly autistic children
...Let's discuss: "Living with autism."
Mar 18, 2021
I'd like to encourage individuals, professionals seeking out education to be better allies, and families of neurodivergent individuals to be cautious when engaging with any information and education around "neurodivers
...Why wasn't I invited to be a Jedi? (a fun one)
Mar 03, 2021
Random weekday memory...
I once went against my better judgement out of curiosity (it's ALWAYS that autistic curiosity and fascination with humans, concepts and belief systems) and sat in on a live webinar on D
...You have permission to protect your energy.
Feb 24, 2021
It's okay to let others squirm a little; to provide them an opportunity to take responsibility for their discomfort.
It's okay for us to speak up, to correct pronouns, to share our language preferences and to a
...You might be doing it wrong.
Feb 04, 2021
Many parents and educators will often witness behaviour from neurodivergent people and find it baffling or confusing because they’re unable to connect it to a particular and recent event.
Being autistic means my process...
PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance) and villains.
Dec 28, 2020
Why do so many children with a PDA autistic profile take on the character of a villain, a bad guy or a monster, werewolf, zombie, anything that seems a disapproved of figure?
Because we come to understand very
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