I’ve been called a “Grinch” when it comes to the holidays, and it’s not entirely inaccurate. There are a lot of things that can cause my autism to flare into meltdowns when it comes to traditions that other people consider benign or downright wonderful. …

When I was diagnosed with autism in 2017, I didn’t think I had “echolalia” as a trait at all. The diagnostician remarked on my “formal language” and I was a little offended because I’ve often been told I speak oddly, grammatically correctly at all times. I don’t have a “casual”…

Autism and Makeup I don’t wear makeup anymore. Ever. I used to wear it more often. To dress up for fancy occasions. For photographs. For dates. When I wanted to feel good about how I looked in a new outfit or for a new job. But I don’t do it…

For neurotypical people, it can be frustrating dealing with autistic food sensitivities — which are often thought of as “preferences,” but I wanted to write a short piece to try to explain that what foods I like are not the same as what foods are “safe” for me. …

Resisting the Temptation to Diagnose Autism After I started a deep dive into autism symptoms, I mentally diagnosed numerous family members with autism. In fact, I thought most of them were more autistic than I was. It wasn’t until a few years later that I began to be able to…

I’ve been thinking for a long time about how to tell the difference between the actual symptoms of autism and the symptoms of trauma that come from being rejected over a period of years for being autistic and after that, avoiding things that you might or might not be good…