Is anyone else deeply frustrated by politicians continuously repeating slogans like “hard work should pay off” while constantly glorifying the “hard-working middle class”? I don’t doubt that many people work genuinely hard, but this rhetoric frames the conversation in a way that implies disabled people, those on long-term sick leave, or the unemployed simply aren’t […]
Author: Paula Tilli
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Autism and the Struggle of Generalization
Living with autism often means struggling to perform everyday tasks in an unfamiliar environment. For example, some autistic individuals can easily cook pasta in their own homes, but would freeze up trying to do the exact same thing in someone else’s kitchen. This happens simply because the layout and tools are different from what they […]
Well, I’m back after my break and ready to finally start blogging more often again! 🙂 My brain still isn’t working quite like it did before the move—I’m still a bit forgetful and foggy at times—but things are definitely getting better. I can tell I’m moving in the right direction! 🙂 The Hidden Toll of […]
Lena Asks My 8-year-old daughter, who was recently diagnosed with autism, has started lying constantly—and she’s telling really hurtful lies about me to anyone who will listen. She’ll tell people that I don’t feed her, that I’m always screaming at her, that I never play with her or her siblings, and that I never keep […]
A Parent’s Question We were planning to practice ordering food and grocery shopping with our son this summer. Since he’s starting high school in the fall, we’re worried he won’t want to eat in the school cafeteria. However, he has absolutely no interest in practicing and doesn’t seem to grasp the consequences of not learning […]
S Asks (Reader Question) Our 16-year-old son just finished middle school. He is autistic and has ADD, social anxiety, and likely ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder). This fall, he’s starting high school in a different town, which means he’ll have to manage commuting by bus, eating school lunches, and navigating a completely new environment. Right […]
A Teacher Asks: I currently have several autistic students (seven, to be exact) who are completely unable to write essays or structured texts. Every single one of them has an excellent vocabulary and scores exceptionally high in reading comprehension, reading speed, grammar, spelling, and general word knowledge. In terms of language development, they don’t have […]
Carina Asks My adult son has traits of autism. He is now an adult with his own child and one on the way. I keep hearing that I did so much wrong when he was little, and I feel like I can’t say anything to his child. What should I do? Paula replies Congratulations on […]
In my last blog post, I discussed how those of us with autism aren’t necessarily afraid of the unknown – despite common assumptions. As I explained, there’s not always a reason to fear what you don’t know. However, if you’ve had negative experiences in a familiar situation, it’s perfectly reasonable to feel anxious, because you […]
One of my blog readers recently shared a really insightful thought. They were pondering why they often say that autistic people are scared of the unknown, and asked a great question: why should we be afraid of the unknown? After all, you can’t possibly know what that experience will be like! It’s only when you’ve […]