by Rebecca Cavender | acceptance & inclusion, autism & girls, autism writings, debunking myths
It’s Autism Acceptance Month and so many of my dear ally, autistic, advocate friends are already aching and it’s only the 5th day in. Many of the loud messages out there, by sometimes well-meaning (sometimes not), but often misinformed people (because they...
by Rebecca Cavender | acceptance & inclusion, autism & girls, autism writings, debunking myths, essays, no cure, no prevention
A hallmark of autism is extreme sensitivity that can be expressed in ways that don’t appear socially “acceptable” or typical. This tends to be through movement, silence, or sound. We may become agitated or overwhelmed/overstimulated and begin moving or...
by Rebecca Cavender | acceptance & inclusion, autism writings
We get really scared to express ourselves, to show our hearts, and just be who we are. We worry about not being accepted, met, seen, loved, liked, understood, celebrated. We fear not belonging—as though this is even possible. I’m here to tell you...
by Rebecca Cavender | acceptance & inclusion, autism & girls, autism writings, debunking myths, essays |
An autism specialist and I were talking about the prevalent idea that if you love someone who is autistic (especially if you’re a parent of an autistic), then you’ve earned some kind of award. You’re a superhero. You’re a super-person. There are...
by Rebecca Cavender | acceptance & inclusion, autism & girls, autism writings, debunking myths, essays, no cure, no prevention
Here’s the thing with autism and those of us who are autistic or have autistic kids: We’re taught (or forced to) “normalize” our experiences and bend to fit into a “neurotypical” society … a society which does not, mostly, have acceptance or compassion for...
by Rebecca Cavender | acceptance & inclusion, autism & girls, debunking myths, no cure, no prevention, video
Myth #4: People on the spectrum aren’t interested in people, friendships, or relationships… We’re a mother-daughter team, both autistic, and we created this mini-series to debunk common myths, like this one, in order to raise awareness—especially about girls and...
