This article was first published in Spectrum Women Magazine on 22 July 2020. A tabby white cat dancing on a stage. Imagine you’re standing on a makeshift stage. Just you. It’s time to dance. You start to move around the stage, the dancing getting better as you feel more comfortable. Then somebody removes some of…
“WHAT CAN I SAY INSTEAD?”
Alternatives to ableist slurs More and more people are recognising why you should avoid using terms like ‘retard’, ‘idiot’, ‘imbecile’ or ‘moron’ as an insult, though they may struggle to think of terms to use instead. These types of slurs have become so normalised, and are used so commonly, it can seem like a hard…
AUTISM: A BRAVE NEW WORLD?
A silhouette style illustration of a woman superhero with sun setting in the valley background This article was first published on 9 February 2020 in Spectrum Women Magazine. "You’re very brave.” I get that a lot. In fact, I’ve been hearing it constantly ever since I ‘came out’ as autistic. It’s usually said kindly (I…
Who’s to blame for Whorlton Hall?
A recent BBC Panorama programme uncovered horrendous abuse taking place in an institution in the UK meant to provide care for autistic people and people with learning disabilities. I must confess, I didn’t watch it: I have a hard enough time as it is getting a good night’s sleep. It would be convenient to be…
TEN REASONS WHY I DON’T FIT THE AUTISM STEREOTYPE
There are still many myths and misconceptions about autism. Here are ten reasons why I don't fit the popular stereotype of an autistic person: I have two x chromosomes. I'm over twelve years old. I need a calculator to do big sums. I don't know my Bluetooth from my Blu Ray. (Seriously, is there a…
If Neurodiversity Doesn’t Challenge You, You’re Not Doing It Right
by Maura Campbell Posted on June 23, 2018 on Spectrum Women “Would you like to pet the lambs?” This story comes back to me whenever I have to check in with myself on whether I’m ‘doing neurodiversity right’. Let me explain. It was shortly after my son’s autism diagnosis, and many months before I’d cottoned on that I…
Jingle Hells
This article appeared on December 19, 2017 on Spectrum Women Magazine by Maura Campbell The festive season is when I feel most like an alien. Christmas is, from my perspective, the untidiest of the holidays. It is a bizarre mishmash of unconnected traditions overlaid with cloying sentimentality. Why do otherwise sane people dress as Victorians and…
‘Dina’ – Movie review
This article appeared on January 24, 2018 on Spectrum Women Magazine by Maura Campbell Dina (2017) is an unconventional love story featuring an autistic couple, Dina Buno and Scott Levin, and was the recipient of the U.S. Documentary Grand Jury Prize at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. The movie charts the weeks leading up to Dina and…
Neuro Dizzy 