Autism representation in fiction, and how to get it rightNot long ago, I had a book stall at an event unrelated to autism – a rare occasion for me...
How to build relationships with your autistic students (and why it’s enormously important)When I was a teacher in a school for autistic students, it was well-noted that my biggest strength was my...
Results and Analysis of the Autistic Not Weird 2022 Autism SurveyIs it ‘autistic person’ or ‘person with autism’? How many autistic people are also LGBT+? Has ABA improved in recent...
Top ten acts of cruelty that would cause outrage if they happened to non-autistic childrenIn order to provide for people with disabilities, learning difficulties or neurological conditions, sometimes we need to treat them differently....
Fifty Autism Facts for World Autism Acceptance DayFor this year’s World Autism Acceptance Day, I made these fifty pictures and shared them to Autistic Not Weird’s Facebook page...
So, you want to teach autistic students? Here are 12 tips from an autistic teacher.Ever since adolescence, I’ve wanted to spend my life building people. Whether in terms of confidence, intellect, life skills, or...
Twenty tips for aspiring writers, from an autistic novelistOne commonality I’ve found among autistic people is that many of us love creating our own universes. The real world...
Ten vital reasons to never, ever share an autism meltdown videoWe see them far too often. Videos of an autistic child (or adult) in extreme distress, shared across the internet...
Dear perfectionists – it’s ok to do things imperfectlyThere’s something falsely positive about the word “perfectionist”, isn’t there? The first time I remember hearing the word, I was...
Why Autism Awareness Month can be traumatising for autistic peopleIt doesn’t seem quite right, does it? That a month designated for raising public knowledge of autism would be so...
To everyone who tells me not to say “autistic person”This is going to be one of my shorter articles – largely, I imagine, to be posted in reply to...
When should I tell my child they’re autistic, and how do I tell them?The two questions above are among the most commonly asked by parents of newly-diagnosed autistic children. And wouldn’t it be...
Ten years ago today, I learned I was autistic. Here’s how my life changed.On 29th November 2009, my life started to take the opening few steps towards beginning to make some kind of...
Respectful autism awareness: how to discuss the struggles without increasing the stigmaA few years ago, one of my articles received this comment. “F*** YOU F***YOU F***YOU. You don’t even know anything...
Finding employment as an autistic personThe most depressing period of my life was spent jobsearching, but I picked up a bunch of lessons from it. Here they are.
The Stop Rule: teaching children consent through playContent Warning: this article discusses the dangers of making children vulnerable to abuse and manipulation, but does not discuss specific...
50 ways to help autistic peopleSo it’s World Autism Awareness Month again! Those who follow Autistic Not Weird’s Facebook page [links open in new tabs]...
A brief guide to coping with being differentI wasn’t very old at all when I first noticed I was different. I didn’t have a word for it...
An autistic person’s guide to an autism-friendly ChristmasI don’t like Christmastime. And I should be allowed to say that without being criticised for it. Don’t get me...
Fifty pieces of advice from an autistic adult, written for autistic childrenThe internet is full of advice articles for parents. So just for once, this one’s for children themselves! I can’t...
