Erin McGibbon Smith (@erinmcgibbonsmith): "This is so validating. One day when I was teaching a college writing course the computer in the classroom was noisy. I simply couldn’t focus. When I asked to change classrooms, the admin staff said no because it was too much work for them to wipe down the tables. I went ove…"

This is so validating.

One day when I was teaching a college writing course the computer in the classroom was noisy. I simply couldn’t focus.

When I asked to change classrooms, the admin staff said no because it was too much work for them to wipe down the tables.

I went over their heads to my boss, and explained why I wanted a different room, and he opened it for me.

I have wondered for years if I was overreacting. This explains to me that I was simply being autistic.

Ableism can be extremely damaging. If someone tells you sounds are bothering them, believe them.

It Wasn’t ADHD. It Was Jessica’s Autistic Auditory Filtering.

She used to think she had a focus problem.

Jessica would sit in a coffee shop, laptop open, determined.

Five minutes later she knew the barista’s life story, the espresso machine’s rhythm, the scrape of every chair, the exact pitch of the milk frother.

Mar 3

2:51 PM