Top Autism Blogs

A Blog Aspirations Post

I’ve been trying to pretend I believe in manifesting lately. In honor of that, I’m here to announce: I want Neurospicy Nonsense to come up when you search for top autism blogs. I want this blog to show up in the early pages of search results for neurodiversity ADHD blogs. I have so many ideas for things I want to talk about and do with this blog. I write this in hopes that by making such public statements, it will encourage me to actually follow through with them.

The Problem With Autism Blogs

The problem with many top autism blogs: they’re so rarely by autistic people. If you look at many of the top-ranking autism blogs and most common searches, you’ll be flooded by autism mom blogs. Pages full of advice for parenting autistic children, links to research (some real, some pseudo), and generally a whole lot of content about autistic people rather than by autistic people.

Don’t get me wrong, many of those autism mom blogs are likely the result of their own neurdivergence. Autism heritability rates range from 40%-80% so it’s not uncommon for moms with autistic kids to:

• Realize they also have autism and/or ADHD
• Not realize their own neurodivergence but develop an ASD special interest
• Totally stick their heads in the sand and justify it because “they’re the same way and they’re fine.”

Full disclaimer: I don’t think all autism moms are bad. Most do genuinely just want to help their kids and make their lives better. Many want to create a more welcoming and accepting world for their children and that’s a goal we have in common. I think as more families realize how strongly autism runs in families, the negative connotations of autism moms may be taken over by more positive and inclusive voices.

Blogs Written by Individuals With Autism

I do see many autistic people take on similar projects to autism moms in an attempt to counter the narratives. There’s a growing number of actually autistic content creators and bloggers and that’s great. Unfortunately, what I’ve noticed is the burnout that often comes with it.

Many autistic content creators and bloggers start off wanting to share their experiences and spread awareness. At some point, they find themselves spending more time justifying themselves and explaining that they do not represent all autistic people than anything else. It becomes exhausting and emotionally draining and they close their accounts or switch directions in an attempt to avoid the negativity.

For autistic bloggers, a blog initially seems like a go-at-your-own-pace deal. Unfortunately, to build a successful blog you need to be posting at least once a week. Given our erudite tendencies, there is often research and citations that go into it which can be time-consuming. If you can’t keep pace with things, your blog will drop down in the rankings. Drop down too many times and it will be into oblivion. On top of writing regular posts, you need to market your autism blog. Marketing your blog means you have to make decisions about how much you share on your own social media.

I’ve been frequently asking myself: “Do I really want to give everyone who follows me access to my vulnerability?”

The Importance of an Autism Community

The answer is: no. As much as I’d love the views to help me get on lists of top autism blogs, I don’t want everyone on my friends list to read any of this. What I do want, is to build a community. What has been more helpful than anything else in this long self-diagnosis process has been my autistic friends.

I have multiple friends who were diagnosed after their children were diagnosed. I have friends who were self-diagnosed years after their younger brothers were diagnosed. I have neurotypical friends who are accepting of their child’s diagnosis and make adjustments for their autistic children. There are even high school friends who have seen me post neurodivergent content and reached out as a result of their own autism speculations.

Talking to these friends about my experiences and hearing about theirs or their children’s has helped me better understand myself. I have people who I can talk to who understand why I’m reacting the way I am when so many others would label me as dramatic or stubborn. Feeling heard by people who can relate has helped me learn to process things in healthier ways. This sharing of experiences has helped me be less self-conscious, less critical of myself, and crippled by anxiety less often. I accept myself more and know how to work within my abilities better. Do I still crash and burn or have struggles in my relationships? Of course! But having a community I can turn to for judgment-free advice is truly invaluable.

(Neuro)Spicing Things Up

So that’s what I’m trying to do with this blog. I may not be able to keep up with the neurotypical bloggers but I’m aiming for consistency over time. A slow build into a place full of resources, relatable moments to laugh at, tips for coping, and all-around content worthy of top autism blogs.

Admittedly, I’d also love for this to bring in some extra income. As a freelance writer, work can come in bursts and slow periods can be rough. Not to mention that my neurospicy brain is simply not made for a neurotypical job market so life can be overwhelming sometimes. Having income coming in from something I actually enjoy and get to pursue out of my own interests would be a dream.

Help Me Become a Top Autism Blog!

What do you think, Spicy Readers? What autism topics do you want to know more about? What are some things you wish neurotypicals understood about autism? Send me an email or drop a note in the comments! Or, help me build this community by subscribing to my email list!