The words society uses to describe neurodiverse people tells a story. These words are written on reports, they are splashed across posters and they are said out loud. Words perpetuate myths and paint a picture for everyone to see. Society cannot expect to use negative language to describe individuals and not consider the impact wordsContinue reading “Words matter: choose them carefully”
Author Archives: OutsideTheBoxHelen
Ethnic minorities – autism and ADHD
Throughout my life my ethnicity has masked my autism and ADHD. When I was young my inability to fit in was attributed to the fact that I grew up in a predominantly white area, my difficulties in sports were deemed to be due to me being of small Indian build (when in actuality I wasContinue reading “Ethnic minorities – autism and ADHD”
Time management
Impostor syndrome
Holiday News (outside the box style)
This blog post was inspired by a tweet from @LauraMcConnell about how teachers need to do things differently this September – we should probably not be asking children about their ‘holiday news’. Yes some children have experienced beaches and time with family but many children have been unable to visit their grandparents or family members,Continue reading “Holiday News (outside the box style)”
Poetry: Images
(This is written about an autistic photographer) The hues and colours of this wonderous land are to you subdued and bland, In tiny details I marvel and delight, each image has secrets of darkness and light, I gently caress the landscape with my eyes, and in turn it reveals each amazing surprise, Where you seeContinue reading “Poetry: Images”
Positive environments for outside the box children
Alongside all the positive aspects of being autistic there are also many struggles and I am often struck by the lack of support afforded to parents and individuals in our society when it comes to autistic struggles. This is not to say people are not trying to understand it is just they cannot possibly understandContinue reading “Positive environments for outside the box children”
A letter to my 7 year old self
I only wish you knew… I wish I could tell how amazing you are and make you believe it, I wish I could hug you and stop all the pain. Because you wear your heart on your sleeve others can see it and so many grab it and try to break it or stamp onContinue reading “A letter to my 7 year old self”
Poetry: Sensory
I know how to programme a computer to talk, I know how to make a robot walk, I know how to match the rubix faces, But I don’t know how to tie my laces, I can name every dinosaur, I know each place I’ve been before, I know how many books are on that libraryContinue reading “Poetry: Sensory”
Masking
Masking is a double edged sword. I have always masked, masking is the ability to appear more competent in a certain area of your life than you are. I do not intentionally mask, I have only recently been identified autistic and ADD and prior to this I thought I just ‘should’ be able to excelContinue reading “Masking”
