Funkonovo/Allison's autism Blog

I call this "Dancing with herselves" Being lonely is different from being alone. Being alone, for me, is when I have had enough sensory input from a person and/or environment. It is a choice. Being lonely is something I have little choice over. Due to the severe limitations of my autism spectrum disorder, I don’t have the simple luxury of calling up a friend to see if they are free for coffee or a walk in the park.  My only friend lives 45 minutes away and due to age, can’t drive long distances on a constant basis. I cannot drive. What support and socialization that does exist is for disabled people who can go anywhere and be exposed to everything as long as it is ADA compliant. I am alone in my home without human contact 6 days a week for 90% of my day. My sister does her best, but she, like my aunt, has a life that includes shared experiences with other people. Mine doesn’t. Nobody else in my family or community is interested in relating to me. I notice ...

In May, 2009, I had a violent meltdown that lead to law-enforcement and an ambulance ride to the E.R. Upon arrival I was greeted by a  screaming baby,  one of the very things my ears just CANNOT tolerate. I covered my ears and begin screaming in distress and immediately I witnessed the ignorance, prejudice and abuse of my junior high and high school past was crashing down on me in adulthood.  Several people were in the room barking questions like "What's your name?" "What meds are you on?" "Stop screaming, you're scaring the lady in the bed next to you!" On top of this, the baby is still screaming, which I am reminded "isn't its fault!" in a derogatory yell. I remind her through tears that I have  autism  and  sensory processing disorder  and cannot help my response, either. That brought a threat, "If you can't be quiet then we'll have to give you Haldol. You can't take Haldol? (I am allergic) I thought yo...

I wonder aloud if all my the writing, typing and posting, does a damn bit of good to better lives affected by autism. Drawing others near to Christ and trying to improve (in my own small way) lives for those on the spectrum is the only reason I bother with blogging. In the wake of police shooting unarmed African-Americans and white police officers being killed by African-American men  I have something to say: Black lives matter, police lives matter. Autistic lives matter, too! There isn’t enough money for funding to train police officers in de-escalation techniques (see link). About de-escalation:http://www.policemag.com/channel/careers-training/articles/2016/03/de-escalation-training-learning-to-back-off.aspx We, or those who love us shouldn’t have to be harmed or even killed due to a misunderstanding. Especially when we aren’t holding a weapon. I’m sure there are people who will say that any method of training doesn’t work 100% and I’d say they are right, but to do nothing i...