Ashlea McKay
Quirk Monster #23: Reflections on Autistic Pride Day 2020
Yesterday, Thursday 18 June 2020, was Autistic Pride Day. I am autistic and I am very proud of it. ‘Autistic’ is still a word that makes...
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Ashlea McKay
- Jun 13, 2020
- 5 min
Quirk Monster #22: 5 ways to facilitate autism-inclusive conversations and be a better ally
Conversation is so f***ing hard. It is hands down one of the most challenging parts of my day. Half the time I’m drowning in anxiety...
44
Ashlea McKay
- May 22, 2020
- 6 min
Quirk Monster #21: 4 ways to be a good ally to your autistic staff at performance review time
It’s that time of the year again. The annual or biannual performance review cycle is enough to make anyone feel nervous but potentially...
16
Ashlea McKay
- May 14, 2020
- 5 min
Quirk Monster #20: The ghosts of Pre diagnosis life part 2 — internalised ableism and shame
Trigger Warning: Ableism, self harm, suicide I’ve been called a lot of names over the years. ‘Weird’, ‘cold’, ‘bad person’, ‘not normal’,...
18
Ashlea McKay
- May 2, 2020
- 4 min
Quirk Monster #19: The world might have pressed pause but my mental health hasn’t
I was already struggling big time when the COVID-19 global pandemic hit. I mentioned in a previous Quirk Monster post that I’d been...
4
Ashlea McKay
- Apr 25, 2020
- 4 min
Quirk Monster #18B: 4 years on from my autism diagnosis
Today marks the 4th anniversary of my autism diagnosis. I slept in until noon because I couldn’t bring myself to get out of bed this...
11
Ashlea McKay
- Apr 22, 2020
- 6 min
Quirk Monster #17: 7 more examples where autistic traits are easily mistaken for performance issues
In Quirk Monster #16 I shared some examples where autistic differences and traits are sometimes mistaken for performance issues. Here are...
16
Ashlea McKay
- Apr 18, 2020
- 6 min
Quirk Monster #16: 5 examples where autistic traits are easily mistaken for performance issues
I’ve learned that regularly being misunderstood is just a fact of autistic life. My thoughts, words, actions, choices and more are often...
18
Ashlea McKay
- Apr 18, 2020
- 5 min
Quirk Monster #15: Revisiting autistic energy levels and the need for recharge time
In the very first Quirk Monster post I talked about my energy levels and my need for recharge time as an autistic person. I talked about...
8
Ashlea McKay
- Mar 30, 2020
- 5 min
Quirk Monster #14: Why I don’t like World Autism Awareness Day and what you should celebrate instead
April is typically a time of highs and lows for me. There’s usually a lot of public holidays and I’m looking forward to a restful 6 day...
4
Ashlea McKay
- Mar 26, 2020
- 5 min
Quirk Monster #13: Communicating without social cues
A remote work from home guide gave me pause this week. It was well-intentioned and was pulled together by a more-than-decent group of...
12
Ashlea McKay
- Mar 21, 2020
- 4 min
Quirk Monster #12: How I am feeling and dealing with this COVID-19 world
Like many other people, the current state of the world has got me feeling anxious, sad, uncertain and frustrated by bad behaviour. Also...
5
Ashlea McKay
- Mar 10, 2020
- 3 min
Quirk Monster #11: Left or right? The struggle is real
In January 2017 in the midst of a ‘new year, new me’ bender, I decided to take up swing dancing. I’ve been wearing 1940’s and 1950’s...
2
Ashlea McKay
- Mar 9, 2020
- 4 min
Quirk Monster #10: My need for processing time as an autistic person
Last week someone asked me for some time to sit down to learn more about an area of my expertise. I paused to process that information...
26
Ashlea McKay
- Feb 29, 2020
- 3 min
Quirk Monster #9: The ghosts of pre diagnosis life part 1
I was diagnosed as autistic later in life. While that was an amazingly positive step forward for me and finally gave me a sense of...
16
Ashlea McKay
- Feb 24, 2020
- 4 min
Quirk Monster #8: Autistic does not equal less capable
“How can you be autistic? You seem capable to me” is one of the most common things people say when they meet me for the first time and...
6
Ashlea McKay
- Feb 22, 2020
- 3 min
Quirk Monster #7: Why I don’t like functioning labels for autism
I was having a blood test when the nurse spied my medicalert bracelet. They flipped it over, read the inscription and laughed. They...
17
Ashlea McKay
- Feb 12, 2020
- 3 min
Quirk Monster #6: Nothing implied here
The day I got married, while I was getting ready in my hotel room, I caught a glimpse of a white ribboned car hood out the front of the...
11
Ashlea McKay
- Feb 7, 2020
- 3 min
Quirk Monster #5: Autistic meltdowns
A meltdown isn’t a word to describe a bad day, it’s not a tantrum and it isn’t something a child does — unless of course that child is...
14
Ashlea McKay
- Feb 1, 2020
- 3 min
Quirk Monster #4: Autism and dinner table conversation
A few nights ago I went out to dinner. It was a farewell for two much-loved colleagues that ended up being a celebration of four...
10