Drage blant sauer

  It is said ASC inclusion and acceptance has come a long way in 30 or so years. Closer reading shows the opposite. In the last newsletter of the Norwegian Autism Society (1) they seek new blood to integrate into their leadership and interest groups. With such a promising title as “Will You Contribute to Lead The Norwegian Autism Society Into the Future?” they entice at first glance, for those who wish to make a national difference in how ASC is perceived. Who could say no to that sellout question? This is an opportunity to practice what you preach. To put your money where your mouth is and seek to influence Norway's leading voices regarding autism in a new, more promising direction.  Right? The second line sounds good enough.  “Are you passionate about autism?” What scholar worth their salt wouldn't be? This is our bread and butter, an inclusive world shaped by us, for us. No more being talked over by experts and special educators , or condescended to fo...

  Naming autistic difference is treated as threat, as it is not to be respected, merely managed. It all started with a phone call. A relative had found a group for autistic people which actually had heard of autistic burnout – success! About as rare a feat in Norway as it is to realize you're surrounded by bears in a dark forest. I was intrigued, but wary. Too many seemingly neurodivergent-friendly spaces turn out to be run with neurotypical sensibilities and measures in mind, even if they say they're not on the tin. Having burned myself too many times on such ventures, amazing I said yes to this one. To have an invisible dynamic disability or a neurological condition is sometimes a struggle. It fluctuates day by day and what seemed effortless on Monday can spell a breakdown on Thursday. I've recently come across (and in the progress of relistening to) the podcast Autistic After Hours (more specifically episodes 23, 30, 42, 74 and 75) and it has put into words some of ...

  Too often I feel the Cassandra. What I perceive as truth and lived experience fall on deaf ears. Professional deaf ears. It's not a new senario. The sterile walls of the doctor's office, filled with diplomas or an overview of the human body, either in musclewrapped or bare bones. Perhaps a skeleton in the corner. An office chair for the doctor, a chair for the patient. Some hierarchies never truly change. One doctor's office I was at, had a couch. I clutch my little list of points I wish to bring to her attention. Things I perhaps struggle with, perhaps feel overwhelm me, perhaps are silly little things. I trace a pebble soothingly. My mask stays in place. “I'm having some trouble with melancholy.” I say at last. One of several conditions on my list, the most common, I think. One comorbidity seldom arrives unchaperoned, and the melancholy has been a consistent for years. My own dreary dark dog, to borrow a phrase. Such a thing that is a constant day in and da...

  Autistic people as burdens has a long history. Described by the Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger in 1944, his child charges were considered ‘unberable burden[s]’ (Slagstad 2019) to their respective families. Today, autistic individuals are bemoaned by the establishment for being unable to ‘pay taxes’ or ‘write poetry’ (Kile 2025), wretched souls incapable of attaining the benefits of capitalism. They are drains on society and as such must either be thinned or weeded out. Eugenic terms openly being tossed about. ASC must be eradicated wholly from the population, for the sake of the precious children and their overburdened care givers.   The term eugenics means good birth and is openly being discussed regarding autistic individuals, disguised in progressive language as being burdens on society and family. A disease present in the best of families. A tragedy.  An all too common refrain for those who know the tune. In her 2016 book, War on Autism , Anne McGuire ...