Same Food as Self Care Webinar Supports Autistic Revolution Magazine

Introduction:

On February 27th, 2024, our team members of Autistic Revolution welcomed people into the webinar, Same Food as Self Care. Jenny Loughran, Scott Neilson and myself brought together a diverse group of attendants that included autistic and otherwise neurodivergent people, parents, caregivers and professionals. This webinar is part of our online magazine’s ethos of fostering community and belonging. In addition, the event purpose was to educate and raise funds for the Autistic Revolution magazine.

Autistic Revolution: A Volunteer-Run Magazine

Autistic Revolution is our relatively new online magazine and you can access published issues here. Our goal is that Autistic Revolution remains a free or by donation resource so that anyone can access the education and community that the magazine is creating. Hosting the Same Food as Self Care webinar was one way of gathering support to help cover essential running costs.

Exploring the Theme: Same Food as Self Care

The Same Food as Self Care webinar takes the approach of exploring food through understanding that being autistic is an all-encompassing experience and we bring our ways of being into everything that we do; including food and eating. Who we are influences food sourcing, food preparation, the systems we have to eat food and food choices. One such commonality of our community is Same Food and refers to those personal favourite foods of ours. 

The webinar encouraged attendants to be active participants if they were comfortable. Together we all explored this relationship between food and self-care by sharing personal stories, recipes and strategies for promoting well-being.

To describe their Same Foods, attendants used the words 

• soothing
• escapism
• co-regulation
• reliability
• familiarity
• embrace

In addition, attendants were invited to creatively explore what their Same Foods meant to them. Using colors or drawings, participants translated the emotions and significance associated with their chosen foods. This expressive exercise not only facilitated personal reflection but also showcased the diversity and depth of individual relationships with food within the autistic community.

During this creative exploration, attendants were treated with a musical interlude. We were delighted to welcome back a young community member who is a self-taught pianist. He offered to play two original songs for us and it provided a beautiful backdrop to the creative portion of the webinar. I made sure to have tissues on hand as I knew just how powerful the music is. Everyone was in awe of this young person’s remarkable skills in composition and were so grateful to have experienced this performance. 

A Heartfelt Thank You:

We extend our deepest gratitude to each and every attendee for sharing their experiences and insights with the group. Your openness and willingness to contribute enriched the discussions and created a space where diverse perspectives were celebrated. 

We hope that you left with a greater sense of community.

Thank you also to all of the generous financial donations. The funds raised during the Same Food as Self Care webinar will help in sustaining the magazine’s operations.