I started Meditations of an Autistic Girl because I didn’t know I was on the spectrum until I saw other femme autistics sharing their experiences online. Their stories helped me understand myself in a way that no therapist or DSM entry had been able to. Suddenly, my feed was full of other people with strengths and challenges that I recognized from my own life. It was a huge relief.
About ten years ago, I hit a wall. I was a newly married tenure-track professor coming home every day almost unable to speak (due to what I now know was overstimulation). I developed horrific migraines, and lost nearly twenty pounds because I “didn’t feel like eating,” or just plain forgot.
I realized if I wanted to have a healthy life, be a good partner, and progress in my career, I needed to figure myself out (cut to a ten-year-long training montage). Among other things, I switched careers, moved, and developed an intense relationship with several self-help books.
Here are just a few traits that helped me realize I was an incognito autistic girl (check out this post for more):
- Sensory sensitivities
- Social differences
- Bottom-up processing, or literal thinking
- Intense special interests
- Hyperempathy
It struck me as I explored: So much of the existing discussion on autism comes from a neurotypical perspective. I want to focus instead on what autism actually feels like on the inside as an autistic girl. Follow me as I explore topics like sensory processing, bottom-up thinking, and social navigation. I’ll also share book reviews tied to my special interests, and discuss my relationship challenges.
Whether you’re autistic, or someone who loves an autistic person, I hope you find insight and validation here.