Below are some reasons why blogging can be such a positive, even cathartic experience for people with autism.
- It enables people to get thoughts and feelings out – when blogging people can say whatever they want. Anything that might be on their mind can be put in to words and shared with other people – even if these feeling and thoughts are difficult for the autistic person themselves to understand.
- It can be anonymous – many people might be worried about putting their thoughts and feelings out on the internet, but being able to maintain a level of anonymity means it can be easier to share the more difficult thoughts.
- Making connections – blogging, like any form of social media can enable people to connect with those similar to them. Somebody might think that they are the only one who has certain thoughts and feelings, and yet, when they put those thoughts and feelings out there they may find many other people who feel exactly the same. This helps autistic people get a sense of companionship, and of not being alone.
- A cathartic experience – even if there is not a connection with other people, writing down thoughts and feelings has always been a good form of therapy. It helps people to get things out instead of internalising issues, helping them to come to terms with whatever is going on for them.
- Raising autism awareness – it might not just be other people with autism who read the blog; neuro-typical people might read it and learn and understand more about their loved one with autism, or just autism in general. This helps to raise awareness and understanding of autism, and also means that people are finding out about autism from an autistic person`s point of view, which is important.
- Practising communication skills – if somebody struggles to communicate in person with other people then perhaps perfecting their writing/blogging skills, and communicating with people on-line may improve confidence, and help them in the real world.
In conclusion, blogging can be a very cathartic experience for people with autism. Having a place where they can get their thoughts and feelings out with as much, or as little anonymity as they wish – and communicating with like-minded individuals can have an extremely positive effect. Blogging won`t be for everybody, but it is not about the quantity or quality of what a person writes, it`s about the benefits that person gets from writing. Lots of autistic people do blog, and enjoy the experience very much, despite the fact that they may receive negative feed-back on occasion. The theory of writing down thoughts and emotions to make them easier to understand, and deal with has been around for years – and perhaps blogging is simply the modern version of this.