Nat’s Nibbles – Forget Normal
Forget “normal.” Recognize that when it comes to human diversity — including the diversity of minds — “normal” is a highly subjective, culturally-constructed fiction. Recognize that there is no “normal” mind, and that conformity to the local conception of “normal” is in no way synonymous with health, well-being, or personal fulfillment – and is, in fact, often in direct conflict with those things. A healthy, thriving autistic person looks very different from a healthy, thriving non-autistic person. In nurturing the development of autistic individuals,...
Read MoreNeurotypical
It’s the last day of Autism Awareness Month, and I’ve been ruminating for at least thirty days about what I should write. At this point, so much has been written already. I feel like what I can most contribute is my own experience in helping my son learn to manage his differences in a world that privileges a neurotypical perspective. Some days I’m relieved to have a diagnosis to explain the challenges my son faces, but some days I’m also angry that my son is labelled for things that don’t seem that different to me. I remember the first time I heard the...
Read MoreBrand recognition
This past weekend we went to a party to celebrate the First Communion of my niece. It was a big, fun party with family and lots of family friends, and it was especially fun for me and my partner because we got to play pass-the-baby with our littlest one (Wynn), which gave us one toddler (Auden) to manage. There is nothing like adult conversation with great people to lift the spirits! Auden and I were the first ones to get a tour around the firehouse – lots of big shiny trucks! – and when we came back to the hall, Auden was thirsty. We pulled a Capri Sun from the coolers and...
Read MoreCan you spell Bisphenol A?
There seems to be growing momentum in the U.S. press about plastics, their risks to our health, and the lack of legislation around those risks. Within the past year, the NY Times has had a few really interesting articles. The first one was called The Unintended Consequences of Hyperhydration, and it was about the challenges facing law-makers around recycling bills for plastic water bottles. I knew we were experiencing a massive proliferation in the amount of bottled water Americans were drinking, but I had no idea how bad it had really gotten. More recently there was a CNN video...
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