Articles/Sites/Blogs
- The M Word: We need to talk about adult autistic meltdowns: Behavioral aspects of autism have been on my mind lately. Autistic advocates continue to fight for diagnostic criteria and understanding that focus away from behavior and look at other factors, such as sensory issues and physiological concerns. Autistic people are most often looked at for the way in which their behavior is considered "abnormal" and I find myself worrying about this aspect in my own life. The way I act and react to life situations is under constant scrutiny. Despite my best efforts, I'm not always judged according to my best efforts. So, I've been reading up on the stories of others who suffer from meltdowns and what that means as an autistic person. This article gives not only a decent illustration of what a meltdown is but also tips to autistic and allistic people alike on how to prevent and abate meltdowns.
- 9 Signs of High Functioning Autism That I Missed: Great article on some lesser-known clues that someone you know (including yourself) might be on the spectrum.
- Why Many Autistic Girls Are Overlooked: One of the more and more articles pointing to the infrequency of female diagnosis as an institutionalized prejudice issue, as well as an issue of difference in presentation.
- Autistic girls 'need more school support': Interesting report on friendship dynamics and issues for autistic girls in life and school situations.
- The Educational Tyranny of the Neurotypicals: A great article, and well worth the read. I found much I agreed with many of his points.
- A working definition of hate in three acts: This article surprised me in that it is rather a bit older, but the sentiments fit right in with the rhetoric of today, both in discussions about autism and the larger discussion of prejudice today.
Memes
Movies/TV
Eureka (2006-2012) - Kevin Blake (Trevor Jackson)
The search for accurate and truthful portrayals of autistic characters continues. This month, I take note of a character from a show called Eureka. I would like to enjoy this character more, but the show came out during a time when autism was being pushed into the mainstream as a negative. This had two outcomes: more people were beginning to know about it, but most of what they knew was bad.In this case, Trevor Jackson plays Kevin Blake, the son of the brilliant Dr. Allison Blake, an autistic child who lives with his mother in the town of Eureka. Eureka is founded and inhabited by geniuses...literally. Government funding decided to put a sort of think-tank experiment into play, by putting people with genius intelligence into the same space and giving them room to let their collective imaginations run free. What ensues is often whimsical - and sometimes world-ending - innovation.
Therefore, Eureka is probably the best place for a character such as Kevin. The child displays his own moments of genius (like many autistic people), even connecting to an otherworldly sentience for part of the series. Still, I have trouble with some of the things said about him. It is the typical "Isn't autism, sad and scary?" and "Don't you wish your child could be normal?" The plain fact of the matter is that they could have done much worse, especially for the time. To acknowledge that there was something cool about the child and not only his limitations is probably the best we could have asked for. I just wish they'd have done more with the character by now, but who knows? I'm only in season 3.
Insights
In the meantime, I'm working my ass off on a number of projects. I had hoped to return here for more in-depth writings, but it looks like that will need to wait until the new year. It is unlikely that I will do a December Finds & Insights post. Instead, I'm going to write a review of 2018, and focus on the things I learned/gained from this year's happenings. See you in the new year!What kinds of resources and cool things have you found lately? Share in the comments below!
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