Rebecca Sharrock
Bio
I'm an autistic person who is making a career from writing, public speaking and advocacy work.
Stories (36/0)
How Do Babies Sleep?
As babies, we appear to spend much of our time sleeping, despite growing and learning faster than we do during any other time of our life. We don’t have the ability to communicate at that age, so many people wonder how babies sleep and dream.
By Rebecca Sharrock7 years ago in Families
What Exactly is the Point of HSAM Research?
In the year 2000, a woman named Jill Price approached Dr. James McGaugh at the University of California, Irvine. She expressed that she had an unusual memory in which she would involuntarily relive her past all the time, and had great difficulty with letting go of her recollections. Dr. McGaugh was very interested in what Price was saying and was willing to gather a team of researchers to study her memory.
By Rebecca Sharrock7 years ago in Futurism
I Constantly Relive My Past, Emotionally
In May 2013, the University of California, Irvine identified me as having HSAM (Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory). HSAM is an extremely rare kind of memory that makes a person able to recall all or most of their autobiographical memories in precise detail. Everyone has autobiographical memories, regardless of whether they have HSAM or not. Autobiographical memories are about what we’ve experienced personally throughout our lifetime. Essentially they are the kind of which we would include in an autobiography of our own life.
By Rebecca Sharrock7 years ago in Longevity
- Top Story - July 2017
What Does Being Unable To Forget Feel Like?Top Story - July 2017
Whenever people hear that I’m unable to forget any day of my life, I often receive questions as to how it feels to live with all of those memories, and about whether or not my mind rests at all.
By Rebecca Sharrock7 years ago in Futurism
Everyone Wants Happiness
In life, we all seem to desire our own individual things. It may be about money, family, romance, friendships, anything to do with ourselves physically, or an ideal career. However, everything mentioned above comes down to us all desiring the exact same thing. Which is happiness.
By Rebecca Sharrock7 years ago in Longevity
Autism Isn't Abnormal
The definition of a disability is to be someone with certain characteristics that are different to most people. A neurotypical person on the other hand is defined to have characteristics that fit society’s general layout. Yet the word dis-ability suggests that neurotypicals are able and normal, whereas anyone else is considered of less worth to society.
By Rebecca Sharrock7 years ago in Longevity
How Is Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory Identified?
Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (abbreviation HSAM) is an extremely rare kind of memory that enables a person to easily retrieve details of every day of their life (or since they were young children). In my case they’re from every day since I was little over a week old.
By Rebecca Sharrock7 years ago in Futurism
- Top Story - May 2017
The Longwinded Tale of Neville LongbottomTop Story - May 2017
I was introduced to the Harry Potter series by a primary school teacher in 1999. The books (and later the films) were something that I connected with immediately. Harry himself was an inspiring character, and I learnt a lot about dealing with hardships and friendships from his life story. But the character that I have always had the strongest connection to would have to be Neville Longbottom. His life story has so many similarities to my own.
By Rebecca Sharrock7 years ago in Geeks
The 'Harry Potter' Effect: A Lifetime of Inspiration from the Unforgettable Wizarding World
As a child I had a lot of difficulty with socialising (one of my diagnoses is autism) and would dread recess breaks at school. I had trouble fitting in with my peers and my favourite books to read were atlases. Yet in Fourth Grade (aged 9) I had a very kind teacher who was saddened to see a child sitting alone and depressed.
By Rebecca Sharrock7 years ago in Geeks
Through the Eyes of a Newborn Child
In my earliest days I would be laid down in a crib, staring at everything surrounding me. Even when I was days old I had no comprehension whatsoever of the future or past. All I knew and acknowledged was the present day. So it did not at all seem strange to me that I was in my mother’s womb a mere week before. What was solely on my mind was curiosity about my environment and the people around me.
By Rebecca Sharrock7 years ago in Futurism
I Can Remember Back to When I Was a Newborn Child
My earliest memory of which I can date is from when I was twelve days old. My parents carried me to the driver’s seat of the car (my father’s idea) and placed me down upon it for a photo. As a newborn child I was curious as to what the seat cover and steering wheel above me were. Though at that age I hadn't yet developed the ability to want to get up and explore what such curious objects could be.
By Rebecca Sharrock7 years ago in Futurism