OUR NEW BOOK IS OUT!!!

 

PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!

Review links: 

Barnes and Noble

Amazon

Goodreads

THANKS AND LOVE,

FSM

BOOOOOOOOOOK!

Dear Persons,

 

I hope this finds you cozy and well despite these challenging times.

As Madeline, Judy, Celeste, and I convened for the first time 10 years ago (this month!) to discuss our initial writing group submissions, we could not have imagined what we would all go through in the following decade—or the world we would live in today.

 

Nor would I have dared to dream that the wee blog I began that day would grow to have hundreds of thousands of readers interested in neurodiversity...and ultimately result in a book collaboration that means the world to me. 

 

I'm over the moon to let you know that my first book with Jenna Gensic, The #ActuallyAutistic Guide to Advocacy: Step-by-Step Advice on How to Ally and Speak Up with Autistic People and the Autism Community, is available for pre-order here. 

 

Please stay tuned for more release information and reach out (my email is jineffable@gmail.com) if you'd like to help spread this book's message. We believe this text will serve Autistic people themselves, as well as families, educators, therapists, caregivers, friends, partners, employers, and anyone else who'd like to know more about Autistic perspectives.

 

In addition, we've begun work on our second book, The #ActuallyAutistic Guide to Teen and Young Adult Advocacy and Activism: Step-by-Step Advice for Autistic Youth and Those Who Care About Them. 

 

We're asking all interested Autistic teens and young adults to fill out our survey. Here are the links if you fit this demographic or know anybody who does (please only fill out one version):

 

SHORT survey: https://forms.gle/qKRmuAVsCCwEAF4A9

LONG survey, for people who really like writing: https://forms.gle/FYhmxMmvoYWpcX1e7

 

Thank you so much for being a part of this journey to spread inclusion and awareness!

Love,

Full Spectrum Mama

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The #ActuallyAutistic Guide to Advocacy

by Jenna Gensic

Giveaway ends April 30, 2022.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

A WINTER PRAYER

Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that. 

Martin Luther King Jr. (from Strength to Love)

Dear Persons,

It’s easy to grow bitter. Sure, if you have a child with special needs, losing faith in this world is often tempting; but in this divisive political climate being human is an indicator for general angst. So yeah, we need help. Here is my Winter Prayer to the Universe, the One Song we all share: 

Dear Universe,

As the days grow colder and shorter,  may the extra darkness offer rich soil for growth. May the falling temperatures allow us to, um, appreciate the warmth betterer? 

May there be less wintry mix precipitation and black ice and more coziness and sparkle. 

How about no black ice.

May those entrusted with our children (Betsy DeVos, I'm talking to you!!!! [Oops, did I write that out loud?]) actually have their best interests at heart. 

Likewise, may those entrusted with our only home, Mother Earth, do the same, dear Universe. 

May we - in the waking hours we can muster this season - find the strength, energy, and time to be there for each other, and to find the resources we need to advocate for and nurture our differently-abled children, selves, family, and loved ones. 

May we learn to ask for help when we need it. 

Before we judge, may we consider the possibility of unseen struggles, mental health issues, “invisible disabilities”…

May we learn not to take things personally, even as we refuse to countenance injustice. 

Can those “All Lives Matter” people make a Black friend, please? 

Might we send a contingent of willing trans persons as ambassadors of queerhumanness to all places showing evidence of small-mindedness around gender? 

Let’s get some drag queens in there, too. They could bring cupcakes from Scott Cakes! And warm coats!

Please sprinkle in some other people with differences that differ from the “norm” in these places (in whatever ways: religion, ethnicity, citizenship status, ability, sexual orientation…), bearing, perhaps, free kids’ books about diversity and inclusion, in order for peoples’ definitions of people to expand. 

Actually, can we have all of these individuals bring their families — whether of origin and/or orientation — as part of their delegations? Can we? And then partner each family with a local family, have them plan and cook a meal together,  and give them a discussion agenda that includes favorite funny movies, animal heroism stories, and, I dunno, high and low life moments? 

Thanks! Because it seems to me that when people see people as PEOPLE it becomes nigh impossible to hate. 

And, just a thought, can we get some people on the spectrum on this whole tax reform thing? Because some of us are pretty good with numbers and our “literal,” “black and white thinking” around, you know, the math aspect might be a strength for the future of U.S. civilization in this particular context. Do you want to know whether a particular change to the tax code will benefit the economically disadvantaged or the middle class? We can actually tell you. 

Come to think of it, may there be progress, however incremental, in people being fairly paid.

Also? The men in charge right now…could they be immersed in a crash course in menstruation, harassment, gender discrimination, childbirth, and motherhood? Also also, working and single motherhood? Thanks. REALLY - thanks. 

Bonus: In fighting injustice and working to empower others, may we never degrade or forget the humanity of all concerned. (That’s a hard one sometimes - healthy anger fuels change while destructive, vengeful rage destroys lives.)

See, because either we are engaging or we are withering. Bitter. And you know what? Bitter people are often cruel. I know this all too well too.

May we hold our loved ones close, knowing that life can be all too fleeting. May we make every day count, even the *&^$ ones. 

Dear Universe, we all cry the same salt tears. May we also have the mental and emotional space to see the beauty, joy, courage, and kindness that coexist with the hard stuff. 

May we retain our hope and faith. May we regain our hope and faith. 

May we find strength through love. 

Love,

Full Spectrum Mama

P.S. What are your prayers, dear reader? Feel free to share them in the comments below, or email me at jineffable@gmail.com.

Welcome to Voices of Special Needs Blog Hop -- a monthly gathering of posts from special needs bloggers hosted by The Sensory Spectrum and The Jenny Evolution. Click on the links below to read stories from other bloggers about having a special needs kiddo -- from Sensory Processing Disorder to ADHD, from Autism to Dyslexia! Want to join in on next month's Voices of Special Needs Hop? Click here!

An InLinkz Link-up

THE ADDRESSES

The Full Spectrum household is always on the lookout for experiences and resources that are neither inspiration porn nor negative Nellie-ism. We’ve recently had the pleasure of encountering two such items, and wanted to share them with readers:

1. THE ADDRESS

It looks like this documentary is showing on most PBS stations on or around the 15^th of April (I was able to attend the premier here in Vermont). Students, families and educators who experience learning differences such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, executive function challenges and/or ADHD/ADD will see themselves reflected in this documentary in a really beautiful way. So will everybody else! It's just a great piece about persistence and believing in others and ourselves and the amazing results of that magical combination of effort and faith.

The gaze of Burns’ film seems to rest on every individual with equal weight, conferring complete humanity and dignity on each in a way that nicely avoids inspirational clichés. Instead – and  rightly so! – his subject matter is people, learning, together.

2. SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON’S WORLD AUTISM AWARENESS/ACCEPTANCE DAY MESSAGE AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Please take a gander. I’ve read and re-read this simple, magnificent message. The really wonderful thing about Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's approach is his clear recognition that ALL people have inherent value, as well as the capacity to dream and to realize those dreams. While we do need to meet people where they are, there is much to be said for not imposing a priori limits on what people may achieve for ANY reason.

People with disabilities are so often "tolerated," so often expected to have smaller dreams. The Secretary-General explicitly calls the United Nations (and the world in general) to task for just such attitudes and dares to demand more for people with autism (and, by implication, all people with differences from the "norm"). In his vision, “economic constraints” do not trump empowerment – and different abilities do not preclude fulfilling education and gainful employment. Comprehensive inclusion and acceptance are his mighty watchwords.

I see neurodiversity as one of the big civil rights issues of the new millennium. Ken Burns and the Greenwood School students and faculty, along with Ban Ki-moon, are influential and wise agents of progress in this arena.

Love,

Full Spectrum Mama