You say yes; then you figure it out. Because when you know, just know, that you’re making a difference, it stops becoming a choice. Fear doesn’t get to be a reason to say no. The door opens; you go through it.     Event poster (Theresa Tongi) Velvety Goodness Legends Arohanoa Matthews & Paul Quicke. […]

The last time this happened, I lost a summer. The longest was nine months or so. At least I have a word for it now. Before my diagnosis, I thought of it as me being “weak/useless/wrecking everything” (ha, I still think that a lot of the time; acceptance is a journey..!) and then, when I […]

Counting down to the Asia Pacific Autism Conference🌱 I’m juggling the last deadlines and projects before we leave. The mission now? Memorise my speech, and forget everything else – forget that the 1800 strong conference is sold out, forget that just attending a conference of this size and level of awesomeness is going to be […]

22 April is Jellybean Day. Any excuse to talk candy! A friend sent me an article about a late-diagnosed Autistic, and this part jumped out at me: “Emma’s childhood was marked by odd behaviours that concerned her mother, but were dismissed by the family doctor as “quirkiness”. If she had a packet of lollies, she felt […]

It’s kind of silly because we’re Autistic every month, but kind of awesome because it puts a (red or gold) light on – even just for 30 days. Here’s my tip: you can’t tell who’s who by looking. Autism isn’t always male. It isn’t always non-verbal. It isn’t always flapping, mimicking, pacing, melt-down-shut-down, touch-avoiding, head-phone-wearing, […]

Alarms are going off. Maybe someone says something and you brush it off. At first. Maybe you see a character that resonates, read a book that clicks. Maybe it’s someone else’s diagnosis. A friend. A family member. Your child. So, you search the Internet, and your head gets quiet: what if I’m autistic? You keep […]

Have you seen it? In the shops, in the streets, on the screens? Everything is so. Bloody. Shiny. Don’t get me wrong – it’s beautiful. Mesmerising. Twinkling. But exhausting. I’ve been out more than usual the last month or so and it’s obvious. As demonstrated by my shaky filter; thoughts spilling out onto tables and […]

The autistic female. If she makes eye contact, connects socially, and -shock horror- smiles; how do you spot her? When I was diagnosed, I started reading everything. Stories, studies, stats. The word ‘autism’ made me flinch, I had very little understanding of what it meant – and even less of what it would mean for me as a […]

How are you? Really? I’m currently a million things and I’ve now got less than two seconds to decipher which one you want. This on top of knowing that I can only tell the truth, and I need to protect your feelings, our relationship, and try and avoid getting the look. When I worked in an […]