Make a Submission
Despite the fact that I attempt to explain autism on this website, I've been very open with the fact that I don't have autism myself. Though my sister helps me and reviews everything on this website before it's published, hers is only one experience in a spectrum characterized by its diversity.
As a result, I'll be making two new sections on the website to address this. One section will be for people on the autism spectrum to explain their experiences, particularly those you think will help others understand your perspective. The second will be for parents and direct caregivers of those on the spectrum to explain their experiences relating to their child/children (all ages welcome). The key to this succeeding is, I need the help of readers like you to make this happen!
The submission can take whatever format you feel most comfortable with - video, essay, poem, blog (yes, I will host blogs, although they should be made specifically with this website in mind, rather than a mirror of a general blog you host elsewhere), etc. It can even be your own take on a subject I've already written an article on. It's okay to put in your own post a view that conflicts with what I've already presented in the website (although this is more likely to qualify for an increased wait time for posting at first, which is elaborated further in the Things to Note paragraph). I've given you some examples of submissions below just to help give you an idea, if you don't have one already, but don't feel limited to just these!
Some example submissions:
- An experience that happened to you or your child growing up that you think a lot of people on the spectrum share or shows a particular common characteristic.
- Your own thoughts on autism stigma/negative narrative/myths, as shown through your experiences being on the spectrum or as a parent.
- Advice for other readers on this website who are learning about autism and want to interact with people on the spectrum.
- Advice for parents of newly diagnosed children.
- A timeline of major events in your life, especially as they relate to autism or show a perspective of what life is like for people on the spectrum (if you or your child has defied others' expectations in this timeline, include those events, too).
- "A day in the life" series, either from a caregiver or AS perspective.
- Advantages/disadvantages of autism.
- Any other great ideas you happen to have.
Required for submission:
- What you write needs to be at least tangentially related to autism, hopefully helping others understand people on the spectrum (or the experiences of caregivers) through your experiences.
Things not allowed in submissions:
- No cursing. There could potentially be a lot of people reading this of many different backgrounds and ages, so in order to keep this website friendly for all readers, no cursing will be allowed.
- No disparaging other groups of people (or your own group). This means no disparaging neurotypicals, people on the autism spectrum, races, genders, religions, sexualities, other groups with disabilities, etc. No targeting/attacking specific people will be permitted, either.
- No advertisements. (This should go without saying, but just in case...)
Things to note:
- If you're advocating something that I don't think represents the majority view of people on the spectrum (anything that made it on the controversies page will be treated cautiously), or I don't think your experiences align well with the majority of experiences of people on the spectrum/parents of children on the spectrum, that doesn't mean I won't publish it. What I reserve the right to do, however, is wait to post your submission until later on, at which point I should have more submissions to show a more well-rounded view of autism of which your perspective is a part. I won't censor viewpoints as long as they follow the rest of the rules laid out in this article, so what you write will be published, but for the sake of context they may have to wait a while longer.
How this works:
By sending me your submission, you give me permission to publish it. I will determine whether your post needs to wait for more submissions to provide context. If that doesn't seem necessary, I'll post it as soon as I get it. I will give you credit or leave you anonymous, however you wish - just indicate your preference in your email. If you indicate no preference, my default will be to leave you anonymous. If new information surfaces that indicates, in retrospect, that your post broke one of the rules and I just didn't catch it, or if I find out that the post is inflammatory and making other readers uncomfortable, I reserve the right to take it down. (Although, more likely I'll just give you a heads up and ask you to edit it.)
In a disclaimer that my more internet-savvy sister recommended, I also reserve the right to disable this participatory element of the website should I get spammed/trolled, etc. I also reserve the right to edit these rules as need be.
The rules I follow:
If at any time you change your mind and want your submission to be removed (or not posted, if you get to me before I've published it), just tell me and I'll take it down as soon as I can.
Make your submission:
Just go to the Contact Me page and insert your submission into the Comment section. I have been unable to determine how well my ability to reply to submissions works (I have a Contact Form on other Weebly websites but only very rarely receive responses to replies I send people who contact me), so please go ahead and include your submission in the Comment section of the form instead of first sending an introductory email, as I am unsure of how well my reply function works. Make sure to check your Spam folder for potential replies from me, as well.
I look forward to your submissions! Thanks so much for helping others understand autism!
As a result, I'll be making two new sections on the website to address this. One section will be for people on the autism spectrum to explain their experiences, particularly those you think will help others understand your perspective. The second will be for parents and direct caregivers of those on the spectrum to explain their experiences relating to their child/children (all ages welcome). The key to this succeeding is, I need the help of readers like you to make this happen!
The submission can take whatever format you feel most comfortable with - video, essay, poem, blog (yes, I will host blogs, although they should be made specifically with this website in mind, rather than a mirror of a general blog you host elsewhere), etc. It can even be your own take on a subject I've already written an article on. It's okay to put in your own post a view that conflicts with what I've already presented in the website (although this is more likely to qualify for an increased wait time for posting at first, which is elaborated further in the Things to Note paragraph). I've given you some examples of submissions below just to help give you an idea, if you don't have one already, but don't feel limited to just these!
Some example submissions:
- An experience that happened to you or your child growing up that you think a lot of people on the spectrum share or shows a particular common characteristic.
- Your own thoughts on autism stigma/negative narrative/myths, as shown through your experiences being on the spectrum or as a parent.
- Advice for other readers on this website who are learning about autism and want to interact with people on the spectrum.
- Advice for parents of newly diagnosed children.
- A timeline of major events in your life, especially as they relate to autism or show a perspective of what life is like for people on the spectrum (if you or your child has defied others' expectations in this timeline, include those events, too).
- "A day in the life" series, either from a caregiver or AS perspective.
- Advantages/disadvantages of autism.
- Any other great ideas you happen to have.
Required for submission:
- What you write needs to be at least tangentially related to autism, hopefully helping others understand people on the spectrum (or the experiences of caregivers) through your experiences.
Things not allowed in submissions:
- No cursing. There could potentially be a lot of people reading this of many different backgrounds and ages, so in order to keep this website friendly for all readers, no cursing will be allowed.
- No disparaging other groups of people (or your own group). This means no disparaging neurotypicals, people on the autism spectrum, races, genders, religions, sexualities, other groups with disabilities, etc. No targeting/attacking specific people will be permitted, either.
- No advertisements. (This should go without saying, but just in case...)
Things to note:
- If you're advocating something that I don't think represents the majority view of people on the spectrum (anything that made it on the controversies page will be treated cautiously), or I don't think your experiences align well with the majority of experiences of people on the spectrum/parents of children on the spectrum, that doesn't mean I won't publish it. What I reserve the right to do, however, is wait to post your submission until later on, at which point I should have more submissions to show a more well-rounded view of autism of which your perspective is a part. I won't censor viewpoints as long as they follow the rest of the rules laid out in this article, so what you write will be published, but for the sake of context they may have to wait a while longer.
How this works:
By sending me your submission, you give me permission to publish it. I will determine whether your post needs to wait for more submissions to provide context. If that doesn't seem necessary, I'll post it as soon as I get it. I will give you credit or leave you anonymous, however you wish - just indicate your preference in your email. If you indicate no preference, my default will be to leave you anonymous. If new information surfaces that indicates, in retrospect, that your post broke one of the rules and I just didn't catch it, or if I find out that the post is inflammatory and making other readers uncomfortable, I reserve the right to take it down. (Although, more likely I'll just give you a heads up and ask you to edit it.)
In a disclaimer that my more internet-savvy sister recommended, I also reserve the right to disable this participatory element of the website should I get spammed/trolled, etc. I also reserve the right to edit these rules as need be.
The rules I follow:
If at any time you change your mind and want your submission to be removed (or not posted, if you get to me before I've published it), just tell me and I'll take it down as soon as I can.
Make your submission:
Just go to the Contact Me page and insert your submission into the Comment section. I have been unable to determine how well my ability to reply to submissions works (I have a Contact Form on other Weebly websites but only very rarely receive responses to replies I send people who contact me), so please go ahead and include your submission in the Comment section of the form instead of first sending an introductory email, as I am unsure of how well my reply function works. Make sure to check your Spam folder for potential replies from me, as well.
I look forward to your submissions! Thanks so much for helping others understand autism!
Additional Collaborative Opportunities
Autism is a global problem, but unfortunately the resources for understanding it are not spread equally across the globe. To help in my own small way with this problem, I'd like to translate this website, particularly the first three pages, which I think are the most important, into other languages.
I speak decent Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, and have already begun translating the website into those languages. My grasp of those languages and cultures, however, certainly has gaps, particularly when it comes to discussing such a specialist subject as autism. I have a collaborator helping me with Chinese at the moment, but I do still need help with Spanish.
If you are fluent in another language, no matter how obscure, and are willing to translate the website into that language, or, in the case of Spanish, collaborate with me to do so, please Contact Me. I am a college student struggling to make ends meet myself, so I can't afford to pay you, but I am more than happy to give you credit for doing so on the website (or leave you anonymous, however you wish), write recommendation letters, certify that you're doing so for community service hours, etc. However, unauthorized translations (doing so without my knowledge or consent) are unacceptable.
I speak decent Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, and have already begun translating the website into those languages. My grasp of those languages and cultures, however, certainly has gaps, particularly when it comes to discussing such a specialist subject as autism. I have a collaborator helping me with Chinese at the moment, but I do still need help with Spanish.
If you are fluent in another language, no matter how obscure, and are willing to translate the website into that language, or, in the case of Spanish, collaborate with me to do so, please Contact Me. I am a college student struggling to make ends meet myself, so I can't afford to pay you, but I am more than happy to give you credit for doing so on the website (or leave you anonymous, however you wish), write recommendation letters, certify that you're doing so for community service hours, etc. However, unauthorized translations (doing so without my knowledge or consent) are unacceptable.
