Skip to main content

More Updates

 Since yesterday, I have decided to use a text-to-speech AAC app for secondary communication after reading a majority of Typed Words Loud Voices. I now know that there are many different ways to communicate, including AAC and writing, which I had not thought about the latter. I have always found it much easier to express myself in written words, as I have apraxia of speech. My thoughts do not always connect well to my mouth, so I often impulsively spout out jumbled words with my speaking voice. The only thing I don't like about AAC is that it takes a little bit longer to respond to someone, but if my speech is already inefficient sometimes, it comes in handy.

I have also reached page 30 in my autie-ethnography/memoir and wrote a majority of it yesterday. I had my ADHD meds increased recently, and I can definitely tell a difference in my productivity. Before my increase, I was primarily just reading, but now I am also back to writing and making artwork. I would like to eventually get back to my other medium... Music... But I am not too concerned about doing so until I have a good concept in mind. I have struggled with being a musician who made music both prior to and after transition, so I almost want to start a completely new project, but don't know where to start.

Finally, I can't forget to mention that my nesting partner, Jessica, and I have gotten engaged to get legally married once I have a more reliable source of income than disability. We had our own ceremony consisting of just us and consider ourselves married already, but if we have the chance, we want to make it legal and more official for more rights. I am polyamorous and have additional partners, but I have always wanted to get legally married to Jessica and cannot imagine a life without her, so that helps dispell the myth that Autistic people can't get married, in fact she is neurodivergent too and Autistic as well, along with other forms of neurodivergence, much like myself. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Introduction

 My name is Lily Maureen O'Nan, and I am currently going to university for my associate of science degree in social science, and then will be moving onto a bachelor's degree in psychology and sociology with a minor in gender studies. I am non-binary transfeminine and autistic and ADHD, and will be using this platform to publish essays as I go through academia until I have a better grasp on coding.  I will be discussing a wide array of topics from disability studies to traditional psychology to psychedelic therapy to Marxism and more. I will also be discussing gender and "neuroqueer" experience, and possibly publishing poetry and art-themed pieces as well. Be on the lookout for updates. 
Post a Comment
Read more

Mirror-touch Synesthesia & the "Empath"

 I personally do not like or adhere to the term "empath," but I believe I have figured out the explanation for this phenomenon, which I do experience. It's specifically called mirror-touch synesthesia, and is also related to mirror-pain synesthesia and mirror-emotion synesthesia, which I spoke of at an earlier time. Studies show that mirror-touch synesthetes experience heightened levels of empathy because, in addition to feeling at least an echo of another person's pain, many of us also feel their emotions as if they were our own. This sounds an awful lot like the horrific pop psychology term, "empath," but most people attribute it to a supernatural phenomenon if they're not lying about it, rather than a Neurodivergence. It's a lesser known type of synesthesia, but I experience mirror-touch, as well as more "traditional" types of synesthesia where many of my senses blend together. I was actually misdiagnosed with schizoaffective because I d...
Post a Comment
Read more

Communication and Assistive Technology for Autistic and Other Disabled People

 Communication is more than speaking and Autistic people are a great example of a community who uses a wide variety of communication techniques and technologies to help assist us. Some Autistic people are speaking, some are nonspeaking, some partially nonspeaking, many have apraxia of speech, some connect to language in a synesthetic way, some are object visualizers, and some spatial visualizers. For nonspeaking and partially speaking (and even speaking Autistics who want an alternative) can turn to assistive technologies or other forms of communication, such as facilitated communication, RPM (rapid prompting method), letterboards, AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) devices or apps, writing, typing, ASL (American Sign Language), and a multitude of other ways to communicate, including, but not limited to music, sound, and motoric movements that convey a message to the Autistic or otherwise Disabled person. These methods are used for other Disabilities sometimes as well...
Post a Comment
Read more