About

Alternately titled: What Makes YOU an Expert?

My name is Briana, and I'm an autistic young adult and self-advocate. From the time I was very young, my parents and people close to me could tell I was different, but our view of autism was so limited and stereotypical that no one even thought to bring it up until I was twelve years old. At fourteen, I was professionally diagnosed first by a developmental pediatrician and then by a psychiatrist.

I was incredibly relieved to find out there was a name for what I had, I wasn't alone, and most importantly, it wasn't my fault. Unfortunately, because my diagnosis came later in life, there were next to no services I was eligible for. When I searched for resources, the same ones popped up over and over: information only applicable to parents of very young autistic children. It made me feel very alone.

I am now quite involved in the autistic community and communicate with other autistic people (as well as parents of autistic children) on a near-daily basis. All I aim for when writing this blog is to help out other people who may be having a hard time finding resources geared towards them, and if I can do that, that's enough for me.

Please note: Comments on this blog are screened. Previous commenters have left messages promoting abuse as a way to "cure" autism, hence this measure. Any submission along those lines will be deleted without a response.