(Did we mention this is a virtual CAT café?)
Read more: Neurodivergent Hospitality is Not a Contradiction
Welcome to Saint Thorlak's Virtual Café: a place to pause, rest, and refresh. Neurodivergent life is challenging enough by itself, and we want you to know that we're on the journey with you.
Maybe you just need a moment to sit in silence and enjoy a brief respite from the demands of the day. Maybe there is a situation on your mind that could benefit from our praying together, or maybe we have an insight or bit of direction which might be helpful. Funny story? Special interest? Popcorn thoughts? All welcome here! Type your thoughts into the form alongside the barista banter to muse, blurt out, unburden or just be who you are. You can even "bring" your own pets to visit by emailing a barista their photos. All species coexist safely here!
Think of this as a small way we can offer hospitality within our means as autistic individuals who thrive on both interacting with our community and the extra processing space allowed by typewritten communication. We believe it is possible to experience meaningful connection even in non-traditional ways, and this "café" page is our way of demonstrating that.
Enjoy your time here!
Barista Banter
One of our visitors says:
There is an appreciable difference in how we approach being autistic when we shift from seeing "deficits" to seeing areas of "overload." Deficit says something is missing, compelling us to add in training or therapy to compensate for the gap. Overload says we need to reduce, offload or redistribute demands on our systems so that our processing can synchronize with the situations in which we want to participate.
How I wish more people realized this. Why is this not reflected in the medical and psychological literature? Why do practitioners still speak of "deficits" when it is clearly documented that ours is a condition of overload?
