Lauren Ihrke

  • My Top 10 Reads of 2024

    In honor of the new year, I’m taking a break from my ongoing series on life with autism to look at what I read in 2024. This past year was a good year for me for books. I aimed to… Continue reading

    My Top 10 Reads of 2024
  • What I Really Learned: My Experience with School Avoidance

    Earlier this week, I came across the terms “School Avoidance” and “School Refusal” for the first time. These phrases describe behaviors where a child actively avoids or refuses to attend school due to underlying challenges. Learning that this issue is… Continue reading

    What I Really Learned: My Experience with School Avoidance
  • Progress, Not Perfection

    This week, I pushed myself too far. Stress piled up, and instead of being mindful enough to take a step back, I trudged forward, fixated on making it to the weekend and much-needed time with a good friend. In the… Continue reading

    Progress, Not Perfection
  • Ringing Anxiety: Life with Phone Anxiety

    My whole life, I’ve loathed phone calls. And that’s not an exaggeration. Given the option, I would rather drive several hours to talk to someone I don’t know well face-to-face than pick up a phone and call them. And that’s… Continue reading

    Ringing Anxiety: Life with Phone Anxiety
  • Inherited Wounds: Autism, Genetics, and the Legacy of Trauma

    I want to turn my attention this week to the part genes play in autism and how I think that ties into intergenerational trauma. There is increasing evidence that genes play an important part in autism, which most of us… Continue reading

    Inherited Wounds: Autism, Genetics, and the Legacy of Trauma