A great new ASD blog

[Belfast]

Am reluctant to start new thread for this, but I'm not aware of there being an existing thread in which to post an ongoing list of blogs "we" (members of Gestalt) like.
http://www.aspergerjourneys.com/
I found this through article by author (whom I'd never heard of before) in local newspaper. Having now read all the posts at the blog, I can say I had a ton of "yeah, me too-that's amazing" reactions-the intense sense of recognition/identification.

[adhocisadirtyword]

Great find, Belfast! I'm glad you posted it here.

This may not be the best place to ask, but how are things going with you?

[Belfast]

Great find, Belfast! I'm glad you posted it here.

This may not be the best place to ask, but how are things going with you?

Glad you looked at the link-it especially appealed to me due to my "rare" demographic, being a minority within a minority within a minority: dx'd w/ASD, an adult, a female, and only having gotten this dx long after childhood.

For answer to your question (second line), see pg.14 of my aged thread:
viewtopic.php?f=28&t=2259&start=195

[adhocisadirtyword]

Great find, Belfast! I'm glad you posted it here.

This may not be the best place to ask, but how are things going with you?

Glad you looked at the link-it especially appealed to me due to my "rare" demographic, being a minority within a minority within a minority: dx'd w/ASD, an adult, a female, and only having gotten this dx long after childhood.

Yes - I agree. It definitely appealed to me as well for the same reasons. I've added it to Google Reader now.

[Belfast]

Am trying to get into the habit of checking back (at the aforementioned blog) at regular intervals-which I'm used to doing with fora (forums ?).
When it comes to blogs, I tend to find nifty ones, bookmark them, and then forget about them-in part because I have so many bookmarked that even the ones I like best tend to dispappear in a huge list of sites.
I've gotten used to (and that took a while) being a regular poster at a dx forum, but becoming a frequent comment-maker (and deciding to put forth the concentrated effort & attention) at someone's blog is-for me-uncharted territory.
It's tough when I feel like I've already said (at one forum or the other) most of what I could say on a given topic in the preceding years, as I feel like I'm repeating myself-then I feel like I should just look up all my old posts & copy them where they seem relevant, but then I feel guilty for using my own old words over again.

Not complaining, despite how this post might seem-just detailing my difficulty with generalizing skills/functions/actions.

[Sophist]

I've added the blog to the Resources section.

[adhocisadirtyword]

Thanks for advertising Gestalt, Belfast! I just got through the comments on one of the blog posts and noticed yours.

I hope Rachel does become a new member here - she would be a great contributor.

[renaeden]

I am glad you posted the link, Belfast. I hope the author of the blog becomes a member here, too.

[Sophist]

[Belfast]

This scares the heck out of me to have even written, let alone sent, but...
here's the letter I emailed to editor of the freepaper (which contained the article that led me to aforementioned blog):
July 8, 2009.
Thank you for printing Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg's piece "Myths and Realities of Autism and Asperger's" in the July issue. I commend her daring in publicly revealing this new understanding of her identity.

Being perpetually misunderstood (for a plethora of reasons) is a painful niche to occupy. Especially appreciated link to the author's blog-and I encourage others to read that material. Wanted to share with the publishers my positive reaction to this wonderful resource.

Having an "invisible" disability can lead to inaccurate, untested conclusions about behavior, intent, capacities, and limitations of the person in question. Invisible disabilities can include the broad range of "mental" illness, (developmental differences & conditions/flavors/variations of "neurodiversity")-as well as "physical" illness (brain events, head injuries & strokes, among other diagnoses).

The stigma & shame towards one group of problems ("mental")-while equally debilitating, but medically visible "conventional" problems ("physical") get sympathy, respect, and accommodation-is an illogical & unrealistic double standard.

The mind (brain) & body are interdependent & symbiotic, combining to create our physiologies. We only imagine that these are separable/isolated realms/systems. Sadly, our culture continues to perpetuate these arbitrary disparities of attitude & treatment, inflicting unnecessary suffering (adding insult to injury), and inadvertently escalating negative interaction patterns.

Each individual is far more complex than how he/'she appears to strangers, on the surface. Educating one's community, by taking the leap of faith in sharing one's vulnerabilities, is an important step in helping us all interact more inclusively & with better mutual understanding. Perhaps this could embolden other folks to take similar steps, in communicating about the unseen conflicts & challenges they face.

-(my name & town)

[Aspen]

I think that is very well written, Belfast.

[Sophist]

I agree. I hope it gets published.