“Well, of course growth spurts are good things,” you might say, if you don’t know what they look or feel like. I’ll let you in on the number one secret that throws off autistic progress: Growth spurts will produce feelings and behaviors appropriate to the developmental age at which a neurotypical person usually meets the milestone. That means that if you have an autistic preteen making strides in therapy, he can suddenly have what looks like a psychotic episode to the uninitiated, or to the hyper-observant and autistically in the know, a growth spurt that looks exactly like the disregulation that happens in a typically developing two year old. Remember the terrible twos and threes? They have a reputation because the brain connections formed…
writing, autism, & theology as a mother of joy
Posts from the “encouragement” Category
Autistic Brain Owner’s Manual Lesson 3: The Early Nerve Gets the Attention
Summer Kinard
Posted on May 19, 2018
Our brains starting at the brainstem work from the inside out. There are some types of experience that we process before we even think about them. These include first emotions and then visual input. Language and other higher thought comes later. What this means is that your nervous system (and everyone’s nervous system) feels first, sees second, and thinks third. For autistic people, language processing can sometimes be a challenge. It’s important to know how the brain works so that you can build on what’s already working. Feelings First In every human being, no matter their cognitive level, emotions are functional. Emotions are precognitive. That means they are processed in the spinal cord, the brain stem, and the deep brain before they reach the…
People like to say that our autistic brains don’t come with an owner’s manual. I’m going to share what I have learned about my weird and wonderful brain, and we’ll have a good working outline for our autistic brains when we’re done. *These lessons will also help people with SPD, ADD/ADHD, many sorts of learning disabilities, and other neurodivergences that center in the prefrontal cortex.* Attention is the golden ticket to language, self-regulation, and functioning. Joint attention can be hard to develop at first until we learn the skills to engage it and the bravery to follow it to broaden our worlds. But there’s great news for our unusual brains. We don’t have a lack of attention. We have an [over]abundance of it! What…
Autistic Brain Owner’s Manual 1: Make Yourself At Home
Feature article
Summer Kinard
Posted on May 15, 2018
When we think of physical impairments and disabilities, we assume that the home environment needs to be altered to remove handicaps for daily living. The same is true for neurodivergences like autism. You will be able to self-regulate best when your home environment supports the sensory input you need for balance. That’s why the first section of your brain’s owner’s manual is to Make Yourself at Home. I’ve written before about sensory diets, and I will post a fuller guide to an Autism Accessible Home soon. But for the purposes of getting a handle on your brain’s needs, here are the most important areas to address to give yourself (and/or your family members) the best opportunities for self-regulation: Movement. Whether you choose to have…
For those of us who ask the help of saints in our daily lives, one of the first questions that comes along with an autism diagnosis/recognition is, “Who is the patron saint of autism?” As far as I know, there are no official patron saints of autism. Yet, I can attest to the help and intervention of several saints in our autistic lives. Here are some of the saints that have made themselves known to us as helpers for autistic Christians. Holy Theotokos. Sometimes it’s easy to read past important parts of scripture, like when the educated people of the time were surprised at how much Jesus knew when he had not studied in the temple or gotten the best education of his day.…
Our family prayer corner is filled with gilded handwritten icons that catch the eye, but today I want to talk about a small icon that hangs in the living room near our dining/library table. Its blue background settles in with the deep teal-blue of our walls, and you might miss it if you don’t know it’s there. It’s a holy icon of The Wedding at Cana. Most Christians are familiar with the story depicted. Jesus and his mother are at a wedding when the wine runs out. His mother tells the servants to do whatever they ask. He tells them to fill up 6 big stone water jars and draw some out for the steward of the feast. When they do, it’s not just…
Categories: autism, christian, conversation, encouragement, faith, family, Friday Faith Talk, instruction manual for my family, Messy Parenting, Orthodox Faith, special needs child, Uncategorized, vintage faith
Tagged: actually autistic family, autism, parenting
Today is Autism Awareness Day. Many people of faith are wondering how they can welcome, engage, and serve with persons with autism. Here are 7 tips, from my faithful autistic family to yours. Keep the format and ESPECIALLY the social routine for entering the learning time/space consistent and predictable. For instance, my Sunday school class always includes the children leaving their parents at the door, walking all the way across the room to the prayer area, and having the option of placing flowers or a felt candle in the prayer area. That routine eases the anxiety of children on the spectrum, because they don’t have to wonder what to do when they get to class. They have a built-in routine to participate. Another example…
