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Reflections

Essays from Kristy Forbes exploring PDA, autistic experience, parenting, identity, care, systems and the ordinary moments that shape family life.

How We Found a Way to Take Care of ALL of Our Needs

Oct 07, 2020

Before the youngest two of our four girls were old enough to go to school, my husband and I had a system.

It took us years to work out.

After many tears, sweat, rage, calling each other an arsehole at 2am.

We're autistic am...

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Often an Autistic Person's 'Habit' is actually a Solution

Oct 05, 2020

TW: Toileting and autism (All pieces that I write on autistic people also apply to autistic adults, however I will often use the term "autistic children" based on the number of families here seeking information and suppo...

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Neurodiversity is for Everyone. That's the Point.

Oct 02, 2020

Every single time a person responds to the concept of positive autistic identity with comments such as:

"That's all well and good, but how about the autistic children who are *insert various behaviours and expressions alo...

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Let's Talk about Theory of Mind

Sep 30, 2020

Can we talk about theory of mind?

Theory of mind is the ability to attribute mental states such as beliefs, intents, desires, emotions and knowledge, among others, to oneself and to others. Theory of mind is necessary to ...

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Why not try joining your Children in some Mischief?

Sep 28, 2020

When our children make promises and don't keep them, it's because they can't.

Often they'll really mean it when they say it, they'll really try, they'll really want to keep that promise.

But they can't.

Rather than punishin...

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ADHD and ME

Sep 25, 2020

A few weeks back, I wrote a post on how I'd tried a couple of options for ADHD meds and they hadn't worked out.

I found myself sleeping on the couch with zero motivation and personality along with a shut down of my impuls...

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A Plethora of Therapies isn't always the Answer

Sep 24, 2020

Dear families,

If your child has been identified as autistic, I want you to know that they do not instantly require a plethora of therapies.

Our children may not even require any therapies at all.

Autism is a neurobiologica...

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Your Voice is Powerful

Sep 21, 2020

The beauty of being a PDAer and not adhering to or aligning with social hierarchies allows me to see people and situations for exactly what they are.

One year, on the first day of school, one of our girls came home excite...

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We must Love and Forgive Ourselves in order to make Amends to our Children

Sep 18, 2020

So many of us believe weโ€™re not worthy of forgiveness.

We struggle to forgive ourselves for the mistakes weโ€™ve made with our children;

The moments we lost control,

The awful things we blurted out.

My eldest was born when I w...

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As a Neurodivergent, I Live, Love, Process and Experience Life from my Body

Sep 14, 2020

As a neurodivergent, I live, love, process and experience life from my body.

My native tongue is energy - how a person feels, how an environment feels.

My antennae are my sensory systems and they way they process, always t...

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