Sarah Boon

autisticallysarah.com @saraheboon

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  • My actually autistic perspective on ‘Paddy and Christine McGuinness: Our Family and Autism’

    *This blog post is not parent shaming. It’s critiquing the documentary* This Wednesday on BBC one, there was an incredibly high-profile autism documentary in the UK. Naturally, being an autistic person living here, I was curious but extremely cautious about the documentary. I was cynical before watching it, as autism is frequently misrepresented in the…

  • Observing autism vs being autistic: it’s not the same

    Before I knew I was autistic, I was only observing autism. This may seem like an odd thing to say as I’ve always been autistic, but I was masking 24/7, and my internalised ableism at the time meant I was viewing everything through a neurotypical lens as the “right” way to experience the world. I…

  • Spectrum 10k paused. Good? Bad? Let’s break it down. 

    SPECTRUM 10K HAS CLOSED, PLEASE READ ‘SPECTRUM 10K HAS NOW BEEN STOPPED, SO WHY AM I STILL WORRIED?‘ Within minutes of the spectrum 10K announcements, it’s has been an emotional rollercoaster for many of us, with many twists and turns in the last few weeks. Like many other autistic, I’m exhausted. Also, a lot has…

  • Why I still don’t trust Spectrum 10K

    SPECTRUM 10K HAS CLOSED, PLEASE READ ‘SPECTRUM 10K HAS NOW BEEN STOPPED, SO WHY AM I STILL WORRIED?‘ Click here to read my initial article “The Dangers of Spectrum 10K”. The last two weeks have been challenging and emotionally draining for the autistic community since the announcement of Spectrum 10K. There has been an intense…

  • The Dangers of Spectrum 10K

    SPECTRUM 10K HAS CLOSED, PLEASE READ ‘SPECTRUM 10K HAS NOW BEEN STOPPED, SO WHY AM I STILL WORRIED?‘ It was just an average Tuesday morning while I browsed through my Twitter feed when I came across the glossy brand Spectrum 10k research project. At first glance, it may seem harmless to your average member of…

  • A tragic epidemic or human super power? What has autism got to do with it?

    If you’re a general member of the public and have only come across the word autism in the media, you’ve likely read that autism is the worst tragedy that could happen to your child, and they will have no quality of life. Or that we all have savant-like abilities and will advance the human race…

  • Is the new autism strategy any good?

    For the full strategy, please click here If you’re based in the England, you may be aware of ‘The National Strategy For Autistic Children, Young People and Adults 2021 to 2026.’ Basically, it’s the government’s plan to make our (autistic) lives better for the next 5 years and address the barriers we experience. The big…

  • Things that I thought were social anxiety but turned out to be autism

    I‘d plan out social situations in advance, so I didn’t mess them up. /1  I pretended to be somebody else whenever I was around other people for my safety /2  Not knowing when to join conversations and by the time you’re about to contribute, the conversation has moved on. /3  Laughing along to fit in socially without actually…

  • Why I view my neurodivergence as a disability

    If you have been following me on social media for a while, you probably think I see my multiple forms of neurodivergence as a positive thing. That would be correct, but that doesn’t mean I still experience challenges living in this neurotypical world. Although I don’t view myself as deficient, I do consider myself disabled.…

  • Why travelling solo is liberating for me as an autistic

    One thing I’ve been fortunate enough to do is to travel, and in my late teens, I discovered the joys of travelling by myself rather than with a group of people. I was talking about this recently, and many autistic people were interested, so I thought I’d write my next blog post about it.  With…