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Autistic Views on Autism: Essential Reads for Neurotypical Parents

When my child was first diagnosed with autism, I found tons of online resources by and for neurotypical parents, therapists and autism awareness advocates. Basically, people like me trying to understand and work with people like my kid.

These sources are useful for avoiding a sense of isolation, finding resources, and developing a network of support with other parents. But, they’re less useful when trying to decide on therapies or trying to understand my child’s experience of the world.

Groups like Autism Speaks painted images of life with an autistic child that were despairingly different from what occurred in our home, and I knew I had to look elsewhere. Fortunately, there are several autistic writers and advocates with plenty to say.

So, here are the pages I am reading so far and the list grows as I continue to learn.

Some Writers

These pages are in alphabetical order, and some are organizations that include both autistic and NT contributors.

Some Organizations

Here are some organizations that focus on advocacy (rather than prevention of an “epidemic”):

  • AASPIRE (“AASPIRE was started by academics and autistics who recognized the need to work together to develop and implement research studies that truly benefit the autistic community.”)
  • ADAPT
  • Autistic Self Advocacy Network (the opposite of Autism Speaks: “We work to empower Autistic people across the world to take control of our own lives and the future of our common community, and seek to organize the Autistic community to ensure our voices are heard in the national conversation about us. Nothing About Us, Without Us!”)
  • TASH (The Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps)

Some Parents

I know I said I wasn’t including any parent blogs, but I don’t make lists often and there are only a few of them. So here are my favorite:

  • Kerima Çevik at The Autism Wars
  • MOM-NOS blogs at Mom – Not Otherwise Specified
  • Ollibean (“We’re doing our part to make sure that our children grow up in a socially just world where ALL people are valued and included .”)
  • Autism: Whom to Trust and Whom to Avoid Like The Plague” at Dawns Brain (the blog is otherwise unrelated to autism)

If you favor a site or writer focused on neurodiversity and acceptance who is not listed here, please add them in the comments. If you feel a link on this list is misplaced, please let me know. I’m still growing as a parent in this, and have much more to learn.

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Edited to link to Amethyst Schaber’s public Facebook page 4/16/16.

Deek

Deek lives with her husband, twin sons and two cats in the northwest. She teaches and writes about parenting in the NICU, her experiences as a parent of micro-preemies and skeptical parenting.

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