Category: autism
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Burnout on Repeat: How Autism and ADHD Fuel the Cycle
Before I knew I was autistic and had ADHD, I lived in a constant state of frustration. I couldn’t understand why I seemed to swing between being completely in control—on top of everything, organised, productive—and then suddenly hitting a wall, unable to string together a coherent thought or get out of bed for days at…
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School Transitions Take 2: Supporting My Second Autistic Child
The First Time Around When my eldest started school two years ago, we had an inkling he may be autistic. Shortly after he began in Reception, his teacher agreed with me, and this started the referral process for assessment and additional school support. Take Two: Armed with Experience My youngest, E, is now preparing to…
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The Painful Tide of Autistic Burnout: When Part of You Is Washed Away
Throughout my working life, people have described me as “a bit bipolar” (yep, that old gem). One week I’m fired up, enthusiastic, and firing on all cylinders—the most productive human alive. The next? I’m sluggish, sullen, and struggling to type a few coherent sentences. At first, I thought this was just the way I worked.…
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Emotions on Delay: Living with Autistic Emotional Lag
I got some news this week that I knew should trigger an emotional reaction. Logically, it should have hit me like a freight train. But instead? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I may as well have been staring at a shopping list or thinking about putting the bins out. Not a flicker of emotion to work with.…
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Burnout Before the Holidays: Helping My Autistic Child Recover In Time To Enjoy Easter
When Burnout Looks Like Illness It happened again. Just days before the end of term, my six-year-old broke. His little body and mind, utterly exhausted from weeks of masking and trying to keep up with school demands, gave out. The result? A high temperature and vomiting. Now, logic might say this sounds like a bug.…
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Autism and Direct Communication: Why Saying What You Mean Upsets People
For most of my life, I thought communication was one of my strengths. I can talk—endlessly—especially about things I’m passionate about. That’s good communication, right? Turns out, not exactly. It wasn’t until my 30s that I realised my communication style was… different. People often described me as blunt or abrupt, which confused me because, internally,…
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Understanding Alexithymia: The Frustration of Not Recognizing Your Own Emotions
It happened again. And it will continue to happen. And I hate it. That big, heavy feeling in my chest that I can’t describe—it sits there, weighs me down, makes me feel sick, and racks my body with what I assume is anxiety. I try all my usual coping mechanisms:✔ Exercise? Doesn’t help.✔ Sticking to…
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Routine, Structure & the Myth of ‘Go with the Flow’
If you are neurodivergent (or suspect you might be), then you might be familiar with what I call The Flap. For me, The Flap describes that horrible sensation of not knowing what to do with yourself—feeling unsettled, on edge, and uncomfortable but unable to articulate exactly why. It took me 43 years of enduring and…
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How to Recover from Autistic Burnout Faster
I’m still getting to grips with the fact that I experience autistic burnout, what it looks like, and how it works for me. For over a decade, I was trapped in a cycle of debilitating exhaustion, pain, and brain fog—a mysterious and unidentifiable illness that no one could fully diagnose. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Hypothyroidism,…
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Parenting an Autistic Child Through Change
My kids don’t do change. At all. Before we realised they were autistic, we couldn’t fathom the endless tears, violent outbursts, and shutdowns that followed the most mundane events. A different dinner than expected? A new pair of wellies because the old ones were too small? Total meltdown. Looking back, it should have been obvious…
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