Q AND A WITH AUTISTIC NICK
Each week when I publish a blog post I get comments left for me underneath those articles.
So, this week I thought I was answer some of the questions that people have been asking me whenever they leave a comment.
Here then are the top ten questions that have been left recently and my replies to them.
QUESTION ONE
Kyla Clark, Bunbury WA
You’ve written several emotional blog posts recently, are you heading in this direction with your blogs?
Hi Kyla, thanks for your question. In all honestly those two emotional blog posts took me by surprise to be honest with you, and I never thought that I would ever write anything like that again after this one https://autisticnick.com/2019/11/11/who-am-i/ but I must’ve been in that frame of mind.
Also, I think that writing raw emotional blog posts like that are very cathartic and can provide a perspective from my Autistic point of view as well as being an honest account of what I was feeling and thinking and experiencing during that time.
QUESTION TWO
Dave, Frankston Melbourne, Victoria
You appear to not be posting a weekly blog post each week is there a reason for this?
Hi Dave, well because I don’t advertise when I’m going to be posting a blog post I don’t hold myself to a time frame or a weekly deadline.
Secondly, sometimes I don’t have anything to say or I am simply too busy with other projects to sit down and write something, I don’t want to just write a blog post for the sake of it and it turn out to be a pile of shit.
QUESTION THREE
Belinda Mathews, Coolangatta, QLD
I enjoyed reading this recent blog post https://autisticnick.com/2021/10/06/being-autistic-nick-in-the-workplace/ and was wondering if that’s what you go through each time you go into work?
Hi Belinda, thanks for your question.
Yes, it is how it is for me being and working inside a busy office environment. I wrote it as I wanted to give my Autistic perspective and what I have to battle in order to function as an Autistic person.
QUESTION FOUR
Ben Cox, Darwin NT.
I enjoy reading your how to guides and was wondering if you were going to write anymore? I especially liked the how to make a phone call one with the handy script added in which I feel would be really useful for me and other Autistic people who dread making a phone call.
Hi Ben, thanks for your email. Yeah, I have to admit that I did enjoy writing those how to guide ones too!
I hadn’t really considered writing a blog about it but the more that I thought about it the more I realised that I do not enjoy making them and that if I had a script to use or I write down the information beforehand then I get all flustered and confused and upset with myself.
I usually like to see if I can do things like booking an appointment via an app or a chat room rather than making a dreaded phone call!
QUESTION FIVE
Jackie, Tasmania.
I really appreciate that you write a lot about mental health and how it affects your Autism how did you decide to write about that? This post in particular really informed me. https://autisticnick.com/2021/09/27/how-autistic-nick-juggles-anxiety-stress-and-his-emotions/
Thanks Jackie, yeah look I like to write honest blog posts and anxiety and stress and emotions are all interwoven with being Autistic I guess I never made the connection until I started to do some research into it and found a link between being anxious, stressed and being Autistic.
QUESTION SIX
Natalie, East London, UK
I really enjoy reading your opinion pieces and was wondering if you’ll be writing anymore?
Hi Natalie, it depends on if I have anything to say on whether or not I write an opinion piece or not, as I say in this article
https://autisticnick.com/2021/09/20/autistic-nick-and-opinion-pieces-and-why-i-write-them/
I’m lucky that by having this blog I can write whatever I like, and I am not beholden to guidelines by anyone.
Obviously, I don’t just write what I want but I do carefully consider my words and make sure that what I write has a clear message, gets my point of view across and reflects how it affects me personally as an Autistic person.
This is why I started my website and blog in the first place as I wanted to help educate people on what life is really like living with Autism and this is what I have done.
I tend to steer away from opinion pieces as sometimes I don’t have a response to what’s in the news or what a celebrity has done.
For a comprehensive list of all my opinion pieces you can check them out here https://autisticnick.com/category/opinion-piece/
QUESTION SEVEN
Andrew, Gold Coast QLD
You’ve written a lot of blog posts about Autism Burnout and Fatigue they have been very insightful and educational.
Thanks Andrew, yeah, they are tough ones to write about but if you educate people then they’ll be better informed.
You can read more here https://autisticnick.com/category/shutdowns/
QUESTION EIGHT
Jake, Brisbane, QLD.
You appear to have not been writing about Aldi lately why’s that?!
Ha ha! Jake! Look things are good between me and Aldi right now and I’d like to keep it that way thanks!
QUESTION NINE
Georgina, Essex, UK
I really enjoy your diversity opinion pieces like this one https://autisticnick.com/2021/09/06/disability-and-diversity-at-the-bbc-and-netflix/ do you think that we will see an improvement in the television industry anytime soon?
Look to be honest Georgina I don’t know but any little step is heading in the right direction as far as I am concerned.
To read more click here https://autisticnick.com/category/media-representation/
QUESTION TEN
Trish from Christchurch
Trish asks, will you be writing any more diary posts? Only I found them so funny and they really brightened up my day.
Cheers Trish that’s so lovely to hear.
I will probably write more diary entry type posts but not until next year at some point!
You can read all of the diary posts here
I would also like to take this opportunity to say a HUGE Thank you to each and every one of you who has supported me, subscribed to my blog, read my articles, commented, liked and shared on social media and just be down-right wonderful and positive towards me and my story.
Carry on the Conversation
As always, I can also be found on Twitter:@AutisticNickAU and on the Autistic Nick Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/AutisticNickAU/
Thank you for reading and I will see you next time for more thoughts from across the spectrum.
Autistic Nick 