World Autism Acceptance Week: Greetings!
Seeing as it's the first day of World Autism Acceptance Week (2024) I thought I'd rehash (sorry repost) a quick introduction type thing I've put together for occasions just like this.
So
if you make it thru' this and return on a regular basis expect rambles,
rants and vaguely amusing tales of an Autistic nature that may contain
cult movie mentions and
pictures of dodgy haircuts mixed in with me shouting about Autistic
provision (or lack of) and me getting excited about work projects.
You have been warned.....
 |
| But not mine obviously. |
Bizarrely I was way too excitable and chatty for TV and ultimately not used as the researchers said that we'd need a whole documentary to ourselves, tho I think the real reason I wasn't featured was my hair would clash with Chris Packham's.
It's the same reason I've never had my own film-based review show, tho' I can blame Mark Kermode for that.
Probably.
Enjoy.
Again.
Oh and pay attention as there will be questions later.
And on that note.....
1. Who the Hell are you?
Hi, I'm Ash, an Autistic dad to 3 Autistic children (twin girls and a wee boy) with an NT wife - so as you can imagine, Autism's the norm in our house which means we have to cope with a non-Autistic who can change routines, try new foods, get different haircuts etc. so it can be quite odd!
Anyway, when
not raising a grand Autistic army to take over the world (imagine the
Skywalker's but with more stimming) I work as an illustrator with work
taking in
everything from art for FrightFest, Cine Excess festival,
Routledge International Handbook of Children's Rights & Disability, Stealth
Autistics theatre company, the Daydreaming with Stanley Kubrick
exhibition, Glasgow Museums and Glasgow Science Centre & the Autism
Through Cinema project, concept & art for Scottish Autism's
late, lamented Autitude magazine and blog/advocate for all things Autistic along the way….it’s a
full time thing!
2. Describe an average week.
Same
as everyone else I reckon – get the kids ready for school/college, then
shop/work/drink tea – leave the house for more work/pick up the kids – come home in time
for the kids bedtime routine then drink gin.
3. When were you diagnosed as autistic and how did you feel about it?
I received my DX aged 43 after years of mis-diagnosis for a myriad of other conditions (Frontal Lobe Epilepsy, hormone imbalance, aggressive puberty anyone?) and to be honest it just seemed that everything clicked into place, like putting on glasses and finally being able to see after years of assuming the whole world was blurred.
4. In what ways do you think being autistic impacts your life?
It’s at the core of who I am, it informs everything I do, everything I like - every aspect of everything!
5. What do you think people misunderstand most about autism?
It’d be quicker to list what they actually understand…which is probably how to spell it.
6. What do friends, family, co-workers or support workers struggle to understand about you?
Like
any relationships (work or personal) you’re gonna get misunderstanding
and confusion at times, I’ve always been lucky enough to be fairly loud
and outspoken plus I know misunderstanding is a two-way thing….I find NT
folk utterly frustrating and hard work at times, but it’s not their
fault that their brains work
differently to mine…it costs nothing to be understanding and patient with them.
7. Is there anything else you’d like us to know about you?
I was once mistaken for the small boy from Dario Argento’s Suspiria at a
horror event by a semi-famous Italian actor.
And for those of you who prefer pictures....
More tomorrow!
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