I got the autism Barbie and she has flat feet and no ankle or knee articulation. She has wrist and elbow articulation. I bought some blind boxes of little dolls with cute hats. They are 10% to 30% off on Amazon. I felt I had to get these dolls because they remind me of myself. 

I was diagnosed with autism at 40, but the road to that diagnosis was a long and difficult one. In my 20s, I saw a therapist for just 15 minutes, and after that brief interaction, I was marked down as having a personality disorder. Looking back, I always felt a disconnect with people. I struggled with anxiety in crowded spaces, and I thought it was because of my childhood experiences. 

Growing up as a Gen Xer in a blue-collar family, I had a 'free-range' upbringing where I was often pushed out of the house early, expected to navigate the world on my own. When kids like me were ‘different,’ the solution was often corporal punishment. I learned to assimilate quickly, masking my true self just to get by but It didn’t  always work. So For decades, I kept my guard up, always feeling like an outsider.. 

So I’m legally deaf and autistic. Now, I’m able to advocate for myself and ask for accommodations, and it's been incredibly freeing to finally be heard. Working remotely with minimal travel as I get older feels like a huge weight has been lifted. 

Hey Girl