Thread by @JHMarble

People keep sharing this piece by @autistichoya and LOVING it. This includes parents I know of autistic kids (of all support type needs) who’ve never encountered the work of Lydia X. Z. Brown (the author) but who’ve now shared it with all their networks.

washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/1…

I like to joke that @autistichoya “scares me”. I mean that a the highest compliment in my own weird way. Like Thunberg, she’s not afraid to speak truth. We need that, I need that, to keep us sharp, focused, and effective.

The fact that parents I know in Ohio, Iowa, Montana, New Mexico & other places are resonating with this tells you how much the message of @autistichoya here is connecting with them. These are parents of kids with low support needs, high support needs, non-speaking, speaking, etc.

Some of these parents neurodiversity champions. Some have only a passing understanding of #SelfAdvocacy or neurodiversity. Yet, they are all lighting up around this piece (edited by @EricMGarcia, btw). That has just made my day.

And now for the most autistic part of this tweet: I STILL haven’t read it as my weekend has been PACKED (typing this while running an errand). However, their embrace of the piece & validation of it tells me so much.

Finally reading it tonight will be a holiday gift to myself. 😃

*Apologies for the typos as I walk and if the “scares me” compliment about @autistichoya doesn’t come off clearly. I don’t know the right word. — It’s that thing where you respect someone enough to value their criticism, so you consciously do better because of it.

It’s like when you have a parent or mentor who says “I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed” and that prompts you to hustle to make things right and do better. That’s what Lydia X. Z. Brown’s writing and advocacy does for me (similar to #JamesBaldwin that way).

**And I meant to say “they” when referring to @autistichoya in the above tweet. My apologizes to them and my gratitude as well.