A is for Autism, but a capital A is even better
As someone who has taught English and written, both creatively and to earn a living, for almost 40 years, I have a vested interest in language and the way that it’s used. I can’t stand…
Glenn Weller
What is Autistic masking and why do we do it?
I used to think I knew myself well – but now I’m not so sure. That’s because, since my Autism diagnosis, I don’t always know where ‘Autistic Glenn’ and ‘masking Glenn’ begin and end. Reality…
My most popular post turned me off social media – again
TRIGGER WARNING: THIS BLOG POST CONTAINS SNIPPETS OF POSTS FROM TWITTER THAT CONTAIN LANGUAGE THAT MAY BE TRIGGERING OR DISTRESSING FOR SOME. A funny thing happened over the weekend: one of my tweets went ‘viral’.…
Autistic Pride Day: Not proud, not ashamed either
Sunday 18 June is my first Autistic Pride Day – that’s because it’s the first to occur since I was diagnosed Autistic at the end of 2022. Wikipedia tells me: Autistic Pride Day is a pride celebration for autistic…
When it comes to life, I’ve never understood the algorithm
In episode five of season three of ‘Barry’, a fantastic dark comedy about a hitman who discovers the joy of acting while scoping out a target, Sally, Barry’s girlfriend, has her new streaming TV series…
Why my NDIS application was, ultimately, successful
Nobody thought my application to the NDIS would be successful. Not the psychiatrist who first saw me, nor the clinical psychologist who went through hours of diagnostic testing and Q&A sessions with me and, ultimately,…
The immeasurable value of validation
Listening, truly listening, is a much undervalued and all too rare commodity in our modern world. I am as guilty as anyone at putting speaking first, asserting my beliefs, and listening only as an afterthought.…
Sorry I ghosted you: an Autism relationship tale
This post doubles as an apology. One I feel I need to offer after researching ‘ghosting’ and its effects on the person left behind. In my case, I’m referring to the people in the various…
Dance like no one’s watching: my first ‘real’ blog post
So it’s Friday, and that means it’s the end of another week, and that means that time has well and truly come loose from the chain. I mean, it’s out of control how fast the…
The miracle of shower therapy
Last week, when I was in the midst of an extreme Autistic meltdown, it wasn’t the bottle I reached for, or the cat that I kicked*, it was the shower I ran for. In fact,…
Centrelink gave me a hangover
As I type, I feel like last night I had one too many red wines. But that isn’t what happened. I didn’t have anything to drink last night, or the night before that. I was…
The tomato that ruined Wednesday
Wednesday morning I cooked a fry up: steak, eggs, hash brown, tomato. While it might not meet the current standards of Australia’s dietary guidelines, it was delicious. Except for the tomato. From the moment I…
Looking to the past in my battle against Autistic burnout
This might sound like a strange one. But after living my entire 52 years not knowing that I’m Autistic (to this point at least – hopefully there’s a bit more living to come!), I have…
You said you’re what now?
What autism is (and isn’t), why I’m disclosing with such abandon, and why nobody knew I was autistic in the first place Towards the end of 2022 I went into hiding. I took sick leave…
What’s in a name anyway?
Let me pose you a riddle: When is a noun not a noun? Here’s a funny dog cartoon for you to look at while you consider the answer… Who doesn’t love a good cartoon about…