Paula Durbin-Westby has been publishing a series of interviews with autistic people on the subject of Acceptance.<\/p>\n
Mine is the latest one that she has posted on her Autism Acceptance Day blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n Please take a look<\/strong><\/a> and tell me what you think. Also, poke around her site for many useful links and lots of good information.<\/p>\n The\u00a0The Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism<\/a>\u00a0has also published a link to the interview on their Facebook page<\/a>.<\/p>\n Sample:<\/p>\n What do you think about autism acceptance and awareness, other than your efforts with the Massachusetts Autism Commission?<\/i><\/p>\n Awareness has played a huge role in my own life in recent years. Life is much better for me now that I am aware that I am autistic. For me, too, awareness has led, slowly and painfully at first, later with much enthusiasm, to acceptance. I now embrace being autistic, and realize that my difference has been a source of much of the joy in my life, and not just some of the sorrow. I’m still a bit buffaloed by the Executive Function thing, and am working hard to improve my abilities there.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n In many areas of my life, awareness and acceptance have led to an inner peace that had always been elusive to me. I had always wondered why so many of the sensory experiences that bothered me didn’t seem to affect those around me. Now that I understand that these annoyances arise from the way my autistic brain processes things, I have learned to either shrug them off (acceptance) or to take steps to reduce the anxiety and stress they produce. I can, for example, avoid places with bright lights or excessive noise. I now feel different, instead of weird, or that there is something “wrong” with me.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Paula Durbin-Westby has been publishing a series of interviews with autistic people on the subject of Acceptance. Mine is the latest one that she has posted on her Autism Acceptance Day blog. Please take a look and tell me what you think. Also, poke around her site for many useful links and lots of good … <\/p>\n