Showing posts from March, 2017

Why we must keep an open dialogue on autism in the church

Dearest readers,  I wrote this article for my local methodist circuit magazine following on the work I have been involved in on the 'Attentiveness to Autism' project. This is a project I am very passionate about, I hope this can be gauged from this short article. Happy reading:
tc  -krysiawally
Autism: it’s a buzzword that we often hear in the news, in schools or maybe on social media. Maybe we know a little bit about it, or know someone on the autism spectrum. But as autism becomes more discussed in mainstream society, is it something that the church should be discussing?
The short answer is: yes! The current prevalence figures are set at 1% of the general population; this includes people from all ages, genders, ethnicities and social backgrounds. Autism isn’t fussy in that way. This means we are all bound to know someone or have a connection to autism somewhere down the line, including those of us that do not think we have a connection. This high connectivity is part of the…

Question of space

Dearest readers, 
As World Autism Awareness Week is coming, I thought I would celebrate with a few extra blog posts during this time. For me, the point of a designated week can feel quite cheesy and odd and the word 'awareness' just alludes to knowing of presence, rather than learning and growing. However given the high profile of the week it is worth being a part of the growing movement, education and events that are going on. 
This post will concern something that has been of hot debate currently in my university among students on the spectrum: quiet residences. This alludes to a small number of corridors or houses set aside for students who wish to live in a quiet residence; that includes lower sensory input like loud noises, music, bright or flashing lights coming from outside reflecting in to the room and complete quiet after a certain time. However it is not only behaviour that needs to be considered, the location of such halls or rooms needs to be such that those who w…

I have vs. I am: what's the difference?

Dearest readers,
I'll open this post with a question: what is the difference between I have and I am? I guess one could start from looking at a grammatical perspective where one indicates possession (and uses the accusative case or direct object) whereas the other is a state of being; there is no sense of supplementary or additional nature to what is already present, rather denoting a sense of completeness in what is present. Both cases can have differences for a before and an after. Linking back to possessions, 'I am' is not generally used with objects (although I am sure that special situations exist); for example 'I have a chair' is generally heard of more than 'I am a chair' (however I am chair-shaped may be used if you have been sat on a train or at a desk in the library too long, hinting that you're a bit stiff). 
What relevance does pondering grammar have to do with autism?  It actually has quite a bit. 
Firstly there is the use of identity firs…

'Why didn't you tell me?'

Dearest readers,

This question popped into my head whilst cooking pasta for my lunch today. I guess I had ben thinking about making pasta from scratch, then associated that I had made it once with two friends whilst in sixth form. My memory often works by association, a bit like the game where you think of a word, for example: cosy socks - the next thing I think of won't necessarily be cosy socks or cosy socks related, but I just might have worn cosy socks that day. Anyway through some associations, the above question came to my mind: why didn't you tell me? Obviously in an autism/Asperger's sense, why didn't you tell me you needed help? Why didn't you tell me you were suffering in that situation? Why didn't you tell me about your diagnosis? I could go on. Knowing that most people are caring and want to 'improve' situations and not purposefully go around hurting people, these questions may have crossed some individual's minds potentially when readin…