Advocate for Inclusion and Neurodiversity

THE DOUBLE EMPATHY PROBLEM The Double Empathy Problem was coined by  Dr Damian Milton . Dr Damian Milton is an autistic person who is an Autism Knowledge and Expertise Consultant, along with other official appointments he holds in the autism space. He holds a number of academic qualifications in a range of subjects: Sociology, Philosophy, Psychology, Education. The Double Empathy Problem is explained in this  National Autistic Society's page . You can also find a summary for non-academics  on the "Reframing Autism" website. A watered down explanation would be: Much as people say autistics have difficulty understanding and empathising with neurotypicals (NTs), a concept commonly referred to "Theory of Mind", NTs have equal difficulty understanding autistics. People with different life experiences and wiring of brain experience and process the world differently. but one is no less than the other, it is just different.  It is funny how people assume the autistic is...

Inferiority Complex is Valid I nferiority Complex : a real and valid thing affecting many people. Even official sources like American  Psychiatric Association (APA) explains it. Inferiority Complex is NOT Pride Yet some dismiss inferiority complex it as "Not true" and wrongly attribute it to a pride problem. What warped and ridiculous thinking. What's worse, these guys are spiritual leaders... must be narrow-minded ones. Perhaps they grew up in environments where they hardly needed to suffer from inferiority complex, and/or the "sin of pride" is a concept so ingrained in them that they apply it wrongly to situations --> if so, that reinforces my hypothesis that they are narrow-minded - they see things through a single lens and only through those lens. They misled me to believing other fallacies too, such as seeing autism books as idolatry (it doesn't matter even if I got obssessed over the books and the topic of autism, it does NOT mean it is idolatry)....

In 2018, Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Member of Parliament Rahayu Mahzam spoke on an I NCLUSIVE EDUCATION SYSTEM for children . She gave very good suggestions/proposals, all of which are still relevant today and in the future. I can sense the sincerity flowing from her, as she is speaking not only as an MP but also spoke from her heart as a mother herself of her special needs son with Down Syndrome. She also hit the nail on the head that these will benefit not only special needs students but also ALL STUDENTS and SINGAPORE AS A WHOLE. Among other things, two benefits stood out to me personally: All students get to learn values of empathy, kindness and compassion. They also make meaningful friendships they otherwise would not have. Enabling special needs students to have a good education to become working adults who can contribute economically, and this will lessen the need for resources (and thus the cost) needed for support structures that will be needed if they are not co...

A note from the Poet, Wesley Loh: This Poem is dedicated to my beloved autism community. I intend to capture/express some of things we go through inside us.  To our non-speaking autistics counterparts: We feel your pain of the misconceptions people have of you. It is tough living in a world where your way of communication is different from the mainstream.  This poems also seeks to be a voice for you to some extent (especially the 2nd segment), debunking common myths of non-speaking autistics and helping the world understand the inner thoughts and feelings that are going on inside you that you otherwise don't vocalise.  Given that I am a speaking autistic, I don't think my poem does justice to fully represent you and your thoughts, but do know I tried my best and that we are all a part of each other as fellow autistics from the same beloved community. The Neurodiversity Movement need not divide us, on the contrary, it unites us! Title: I May Not Look At You But I am Listen...

https://elemental.medium.com/autism-is-an-identity-not-a-disease-inside-the-neurodiversity-movement-998ecc0584cd The Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) annual gala in November (reference article link above) is a very good example of how a truly inclusive event and/or autism event should look like. Just to point out a few features/attributed. 1. Colour-coded badges for Communication Preferences Autistics have differing personalities; some love to talk to everybody (or for some, like me, is because I yearn for company and friendship), some prefer to stick to only those they know , while others prefer to be alone . "But isn't that the same for everyone?" Some non-autistics may prefer to be alone too", some may say. Well, there is more to that than meets the eye. It is not merely a matter of preference for us. It is due to some inherent autism traits or challenges. For example, those who prefer to be alone might need that to find solititude and calmness from t...

https://www.abc.net.au/everyday/autistic-or-has-autism-why-words-matter-and-how-to-get-it-right/10903768 The link above explains the right autism terminologies. Indeed, there is a lot of deeper meanings in the terminologies. We should never dismiss it as just "mere terminology" or reduce it to "let's not get hung up on terminology". Different terms can mean very different things,  and that is partly attributable to the nature of the English language. Moreover, it has underlying mindsets/paradigms  behind the terminology, which is further reinforced through the use of the terminology. The shift from "person with autism" to " Autistic person " is a paradigm shift on a very deep and high level and in many ways. I hope those whose lives have been touched by autism will be players of the bigger plan of breeding a culture of acceptance, appreciation and celebration of Autism and Neurodiversity . For Autistics, and Caregivers, if you are on the...

https://www.sourcekids.com.au/learning-to-be-autistic-a-personal-perspective-and-my-advice-to-parents/ As I read this story, I just feel so encouraged and inspired by this autistic person who has on one hand gone through much and achieved much and on the other hand, still value and impart the importance of embracing one's own autism and self-acceptance .. which are fundamentally very important to our very existence   I encourage my readers to click on the link above to read her story. Her story speaks for itself and it won't do justice for me to re-tell or regurgitate her story here, lest I dilute it. She is her own voice. What I will do, however, is list down life   lessons I think we can ALL take away from it. I have categorised them according to what I feel is most important to a certain group/category of people, but of course some lessons can be applied across various categories of people  _______________ LIFE LESSONS FOR AUTISTICS   #1:  Preserve your...