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Josey Pickering
Bio
Autistic, non-binary, queer horror nerd with a lot to say.
Stories (272/0)
I’m not broken
You didn’t break me, Mom. You did what you could in world working against you. When I was born, the knowledge of Autism was so basic, so limited… you simply didn’t know. When I was a kid, they’d say things like “cold parenting causes autism” and find any way to blame you for things we couldn’t change. I can see why you were scared to get that diagnosis and worry what else people might say about us. You didn’t want them jumping to conclusions, not about me, not about you, not about us. You just wanted people to see me for me, not a label, not a diagnosis. You just wanted to help. You know now, in ways it hindered me, perhaps I didn’t get the help I needed early enough. But you also allowed me to be me, you didn’t push me into ABA, you never stopped me from rocking, sucking on my blanket or fixating on the strangest things. You supported me however you could. You let me find myself however I needed to even if it didn’t quite make sense to you.
By Josey Pickering2 years ago in Confessions
The Forgotten Friend
I’m used to being left behind. It’s kind of common for me. I don’t know if people are just afraid to talk about my limitations or walk around eggshells when it comes to accessibility. I wish I knew why. I wish someone would tell me why I’m often left out and not included.
By Josey Pickering2 years ago in Humans
The Kindness of Others
I spent years being too afraid to ask for help. I would worry about the judgement, worry about people talking behind my backs and making up stories about me. I was afraid of being seen as a liar and so many other things. In the past, at my lowest of lows, I didn’t ask for the help I needed and just let myself suffer, even at the hands of people who helped me before.
By Josey Pickering2 years ago in Humans
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