Lily Maureen's Transdisciplinary Neurodiversity

 I have started reading the book, The Secret Life of a Black Aspie by Anand Prahlad, in addition to, Feminist, Queer, Crip by Alison Kafer, and it is making me more aware of all of the various intersections that must be explored in Neurodiversity and Disability Studies. My own intersections deal with being a Multiply Neurodivergent, Non-binary, Queer, gender nonconforming, Demi/Omnisexual, multi-religious, Disabled person, but I know that there are many other intersections to explore rather than merely gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, able-bodiedness/able-mindedness, and religious affiliation, such as race, ethnicity, body type, and different forms of (dis)ability, among many other identifiers of who we are as people. I would like to remain as inclusive as possible moving forward, although my main point of reference will be Queer Neurodivergence, as that is what I am familiar with. I acknowledge my white and thin privilege in all of this, despite struggling w...

 While I am getting a bachelor's degree in psychology and a minor in either sociology or gender studies at the University of Southern Indiana, I would also like to obtain a bachelor's degree online in my own time in Disability Studies. While I have primarily been reading Neurodiversity Studies, Autie-ethnographies, and fiction written by Autistic authors, I have decided to brush up on Crip Theory and Disability Studies in general by reading "Feminist, Queer, Crip" by Alison Kafer. It brings in a lot to think about and introduced me to the political/relational model of disability, instead of just the social and medical models. Overall, I would like to be a Disability Studies scholar, advocate, and activist to the best of my ability and try to be as inclusive as possible of various other people's Disabled status, despite this specific blog being more centered around Queer Neurodivergence. I would also like to be more mindful of how I approach difference in the world...

 There are many forms of trauma-based therapy, but throughout the years, I have learned the type of neurobiological transformation that I want comes in form of ketamine therapy. I take ketamine troches (lozenges) at home because I have a lot of medical trauma. They are legally prescribed to me. The topic of ketamine therapy can be murky for the Autistic, as we respond to anesthesia differently than neurotypicals in many cases. Some ketamine doctors are also not sure what to do when presented with Autistic individuals. In many instances, if you're Autistic, you are also more likely to have gastroparesis, which might be my case. Gastroparesis can change the way that you metabolize certain substances, and in my case, it tends to elongate the experience of ketamine for me, considering I am taking it sublingually and orally. It goes through secondary and (in my opinion) tertiary pass metabolism. This leaves me with a day to re-connect my thoughts and helps encourage neuroplasticity. I d...

 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...

 Firstly, I would like to say that as the saying goes, "If you have met one Autistic, you have met one Autistic." Terminology for Autistic individuals may vary, but much of the community agrees on identity-first language rather than person-first (of course if the person prefers person-first language for Autism, that should be respected, as should outdated terms like Asperger's or "Aspie") and many of us reject functioning labels because it can either deny agency or deny accommodations, depending on what a psychologist determines your needs to be. When I was a child, it was assumed that I had an intellectual disability at first because I was partially nonspeaking and primarily communicated with verbal stimming and tics during class. I was also subjected to some ABA techniques to attempt to modify my behavior, which I completely didn't understand as a child. In fact, I was not even informed of a formal diagnosis other than what was assumed to be an intellectua...

 As I write this, I am trying to decompress from sensory overload that nearly turned into a meltdown. It all started when I went to the pharmacy with my nesting partner and the pharmacy technician interrupted me in mid-sentence and said, "I can't hear you." I get this a lot as I have difficulty controlling the volume of my speaking voice and also have apraxia of speech to a degree, so people also misunderstand what I am saying a lot of times and tend to do so in a condescending manner. Matters escalated from this simple event that has occurred time and time again (especially in medical settings) that I often view as ableist and transmisogynistic in my case and ended up nearly turning into what the Autistic community refers to as a meltdown. There are also shutdowns, but I more frequently experience meltdowns. Depending on how you define a meltdown, this could have been considered a mini-meltdown as I was enraged, yelling, and crying in a sort of rotation once I got home. ...

 If you are not aware of the Radical Visibility movement for Queer Disabled people, I highly suggest looking into Sky Cubacub's website for Rebirth Garments and watch the video or read the abridged version of the zine on the topic of Radical Visibility. Radical Visibility is an anti-assimilationist approach to wearing vibrant and unique clothing and apparel to highlight both your Queer and Disabled status, whatever that might be. Rebirth Garments is a line that produces clothing, lingerie, and apparel for Queer Disabled people that help us stand out in the world because we are often pushed aside. Radical Visibility can come in many forms, as highlighted in Dr. Devon Price's book, Unmasking Autism. I have my own way that I have developed to express myself through Radical Visibility: wearing Cheshire cat coswear (or as I like to call it, "my fursuit") in public. I get a lot of looks from people, but I have also received a compliment. I have tried this on two occasions, ...