Published in Thought Jumps·PinnedMember-onlyI finally figured out that routines are not schedulesWhy this autistic person prefers routines to schedules — (I use the word routines a LOT here. Fair warning.) Growing up, I thought I knew what routines were but I was mistaken. I confused them with its close cousin, schedules, who made me create weekly calendars that I followed for, at most, a semester. Before abandoning my schedule, I…Autism3 min readAutism3 min read
Published in Thought Jumps·Jan 24Member-onlyA tale of the over- and understimulated AuDHDerWhen watching a video is too much and not enough — I stare at the carpeted floor, annoyed. Earlier, I had started playing a video from my YouTube watch later list. Seconds passed. Inside, a swirling turmoil protested “This is too much.” Each new sound from the small speakers poked my ears. …Autism2 min readAutism2 min read
Published in Thought Jumps·Jan 17Interpreting human emotion isn’t just about facial expressionsHow this autistic woman uses information to read people — Previously published on my Substack and edited for clarity. I recently learned that we all have more than 5 senses. The 3 other senses are: vestibular (our movement and balance sense), proprioception (awareness of the body’s position in space) and interoception (feeling internal body signals like hunger and thirst). Clearly…Autism4 min readAutism4 min read
Published in Thought Jumps·Jan 12Member-onlyDo I wish I knew that I was autistic as a child?That’s a hard question for this black woman to answer — I met up with family this past fall who hasn’t seen me since I was a little girl. Interacting with them, I noticed some neurodivergent traits. The possibility was confirmed when I found out one of my little cousins is officially diagnosed with ADHD. When I met him, I could…Autism4 min readAutism4 min read
Published in ArtfullyAutistic·Jan 4Member-onlyThe struggle to converse as an undiagnosed autistic teenThe oppressive nature of expectant silence — This was a familiar situation while growing up. I sit on the passenger side of the car and watch the road outside the window: gas station, dollar store, house, house, house. It’s been a minute and no one has said anything. That’s okay, begins my inner pep talk. You still…Autism2 min readAutism2 min read
Published in Thought Jumps·Dec 27, 2022Member-onlyAutistic “Bottom-up” thinking my way to body confidenceHow research gave me style — I like to research. “Bottom-up” thinking, the process of taking in a lot of information, processing it, and finding patterns is fun for me. And sometimes, I use those skills to solve a seemingly simple problem, like figuring out why I look weird in pictures. The issue Years ago, a…Autism5 min readAutism5 min read
Published in Thought Jumps·Dec 22, 2022Member-onlyMy First 3 months on MediumThank you, dear Reader — I started Medium 3 days after I declared to myself that I wouldn’t do it.Autism3 min readAutism3 min read
Published in Thought Jumps·Dec 15, 2022Member-onlyTime used to be my enemyLife is a time warp — Before my journey to emotional intelligence and autism diagnosis, Time was my enemy. A visit to family that happened a month ago felt like a day ago. I still had vivid memories of events while trying to recover my pre-visit energy. During the visit, I thought the agreed upon 2…Autism2 min readAutism2 min read
Published in ZORA·Dec 13, 2022Member-onlyWhat’s so familiar about the phrase “You don’t look autistic”And why it doesn’t bother me (much) — When I first dove into the online autistic community, one phrase kept popping up as other people’s typical response to being diagnosed as autistic later in life: “ You don’t seem autistic.” Well, I didn’t get this response very often. True, I got some awkward pauses or a mention of…Autism3 min readAutism3 min read
Published in Thought Jumps·Dec 1, 2022Member-onlyA lesson learned from the IM daysHow instant messaging was easier for my autistic brain — A new text notification pops up on my phone screen and I freeze. Someone I don’t really talk to in person wants to know how I’m doing. I appreciate the thought and reply back while my brain calculates how much time and energy I need to put into this text…Autism Spectrum Disorder3 min readAutism Spectrum Disorder3 min read
