Autistic Community - Tumblr Posts

question for my fellow autistic people:

do you love clue and clue parodies as much as i do???? i live for one-off clue themed episodes of shows and stuff, its just so so so fun, i just love it so so so much.

accommodations i’ve had approved as an autistic college student

helloooo today i finally had a meeting with the disability office and have accommodations after 2 years of being in college without them. im autistic and have cptsd/dissociative issues and had a hard time finding what was even available to me to request for accommodations so i wanted to make a list to help anyone else who might be having trouble.

• Priority registration

i get to register for classes earlier each term to make sure i can create schedules that’ll work for my routine

• Extended time on assignments

self explanatory i think? was also offered extended time on tests or a separate room to take them but testing isnt where i struggle

• Flexible attendance

as long as i email beforehand i dont have to stick as strictly to professors attendance policies

• Alternative formats

if i buy a physical textbook i can request the ebook/pdf/audiobook for free to have multiple methods of studying depending on what works for me on a given day

• Note taking

allowed to audio record class and send to a service called messenger pigeon who will give me a transcript of the class and professional notes based on it

• Access to lecture notes

able to access professors lecture notes prior to class/instruction

• Devices

allowed to have phone/ipad/laptop for social buffering and notes in classes that may have policies against electronics

• Flexible participation

no cold calling, option to work alone for group projects/assignments, not required to present in front of class

if anyone has any questions lmk these are just what i have been able to get at my school so far! hope it helps

edit: this is blowing up so fellow autistics, students, language nerds, etc pls be my mutual i want friends lol my dms are also open any time !!

school updates!

- been making friends finally and im really happy (i knew a total of like 3 people at my community college after going there for two years)

- midterms are done! still waiting on grades but very happy its over

- just met with my advisor today to finalize my class choices / make sure they make sense and ill get to register next week for spring! finally starting language classes (mandarin) up again

- really enjoying all my major classes so far

- currently struggling with my ethnomusicology seminar (assignments/topics are interesting but we have no textbook and kinda hate my professor) and am a few chapters behind in dinosaurs simply bc dinosaur biology & anatomy is overwhelming for my brain so i keep putting it off

- meeting w academic coaching office this week to get help w above issues

- had my first performance over the weekend with the dance crew i joined on campus !! it was scary there was a much bigger crowd than i expected but it went well and now we’re preparing for a showcase at the end of term :)

if i’m not autistic but struggle significantly with mental illnesses that make it difficult to function and suspect a learning disability, do you think i would also be able to access some of these accommodations?

this would sadly be dependent on whether you have some kind of diagnosis as they do require documentation of a disability and also possibly what your schools disability office decides they can offer based on that.

i was told quite a few of my accommodations, such as extended assignments/attendance flexibility, are typically available for people with conditions that are episodic in nature (i also have ptsd along with other comorbid conditions + some chronic physical health issues). i’m not sure what accommodations would look like otherwise or what can be offered for disabilities aside from what i personally have. i obviously can’t give a straight answer but i’d say its worth a try to ask about!

in my experience you’ll usually have to meet with someone from the disability office to discuss your diagnosis, how it effects your day-to-day/where you struggle with school, and then decide which accommodations are applicable to your situation. it could be helpful to take some notes beforehand on anything you might want to bring up.

hope this helped! i wish i could give you an easier/more complete answer but they like making these things difficult :/ wishing you luck!!

Maybe I'm the only one who needs to hear this, but if you're semi verbal and use your voice as your main source of communication by 'default', that doesn't mean you're not semi verbal. I've gotten so used to using mouth words that I can, for the most part, force sentences out in bursts (which ends up fucking me over regardless of if it doesn't hit immediately). I speak in full sentences at the expense of my energy (and mood, and sensory threshold), because I feel self conscious otherwise. My thing is, if I can't speak in full sentences in a situation I just don't speak at all (which contributes to me avoiding social situations because it can get strenuous to hold a conversation, and fast).

I've been forcing speech less, though, because I'm working on undoing harmful habits from my masking; if I don't feel up to cranking words out, I will write my words down on paper or a whiteboard, or pull out my phone and contribute through texting. Sure it's frustrating to feel like I take more time to contribute when I technically could physically say my sentence (which, honestly, takes time too because I go around in circles and freeze and jumble words unless the sentence is a simple 'thank you' or a yes/no, or three words), but it has helped immensely to surround myself with people who are willing to take that time with me.

FlappyHappy is a small Canadian business. It is run by autistics. Many places that sell stim toys are focused on the needs and experiences of parents of young autistic children.  Here at FlappyHappy, autistic needs and voices are centred over caregivers. Our stim toys are also great for people living with trauma, ADHD, chronic pain, anxiety, or other needs! 

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We also offer free shipping worldwide on orders of $70 CAD or more!

As a small business, it means the absolute world to us if you help us get the word out by sharing this, or even tagging us on or other social media.

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Recently I rode Saw the Ride for the first time and was having the time of my life in the gift shop looking at the Billy plushes and some guys came in debating what Billy was and what his name was and I was fighting the urge to start infodumping because I was just this little kid in his school uniform staring at them like

This pains me lol

THANK YOU !! Someone I’m close to (not specifying for privacy reasons) does stuff like this CONSTANTLY and I’m honestly sick of it tbh.

THIS

ATTENTION FELLOW AUTISTICS

INCREDIBLY GOOD TEXTURE ALERT:

Anything with this texture in a satin pillowcase

Me after school☠️

When you schedule your entire day around plans but than they change last minute

Non-autistics living with autistics:

They keep eating the same freaking food and it frustrates me so much! We can't have the "big scary light" on just lamps everywhere! Even when I try to find peace by doing stuff with them they just ignore me and do whatever they want. They can't even do the simplest of things like go with me to the grocery store every week! How do people expect them to survive in society??

Autistics living together:

So as long as we get my 10 packets of this really specific food, and some snacks, I'll be okay. Also is it cool if you go to the grocery store? I can clean the bathroom since thats bad sensory for you and the store is bad sensory for me. Can you turn on the lamp instead of the big light? It gives me a headache. Thanks man. Yea I'll unplug the TV for you since you can hear the high pitched noise. Do you want to do two separate things in the same room as bonding again this evening? Thats my favorite part of the day too.

STOP MAKING ASSUMPTIONS

A reminder;

If you’re friends with someone who’s neurodivergent and is currently hyperfixating on something or has a special interest and wants to talk about it or looks extremely happy or is really excited about talking about it, PLEASE encourage them. if it’s at an inappropriate time let them know that you can talk about it later and that you’re excited to hear about it or SOMETHING.

I cannot express how painful it is to have a friend dismiss my interest even in a joking manner.

I was hanging out with my friends and I found out one of my friends likes persona and so i started rambling about it because i wanted to talk about it since they liked it and then my other friend jokingly goes “no one cares” and brushes me off. even if it was joking, it crushed my entire mood for the night.

If someone you care about wants to talk about something that interests them, please listen to them.

This may just be my experience as an autistic person, but the kids I’ve nannied whose parent’s complain of ‘bad awful in cooperative selfish autistic behavior’ are… Not like that? At all?

Like, for example, I cared for a kid for a while who was nonverbal and didn’t like being touched. Around six years old? Their parent said that they were fussy and had a strict schedule, and that they had problems getting them to eat. Their last few nannies had quit out of frustration.

So, I showed up. And for the first little while, it was awkward. The kid didn’t know me, I didn’t know them, you know how it is. And for the first… Day and a half, maybe? I fucked up a few times.

I changed their diaper and they screamed at me. I put the TV off and they threw things. Not fun, but regular upset kid stuff.

Next time, I figured, hell, I wouldn’t like being manhandled and ordered around either. Who likes being physically lifted out of whatever it is they’re doing and having their pants yanked off? Fucking few, that’s who.

Next time, I go, ‘hey, kiddo. You need a new diaper?’ and check. ‘I’m gonna go grab a new one and get you clean, okay?’ ‘Wanna find a spot to lay down?’ ‘Alright, almost done. Awesome job, thanks buddy’.

I learned stuff about them. They liked a heads up before I did anything disruptive. They didn’t mind that I rattled of about nothing all day. They didn’t like grass or plastic touching their back. They were okay with carpets and towels. They liked pictionary, and the color yellow, and fish crackers, and painting. They didn’t look me in the face (which was never an issue- I hate that too, it fucking sucks) but I never had reason to believe that they were ignoring me.

Once I learned what I was doing wrong, everything was fine. Did they magically “”“become normal”“” and start talking and laughing and hugging? No, but we had fun and had a good time and found a compromise between what I was comfortable with and what they were comfortable with. (For the record, I didn’t magically sailor-moon transform into a socially adept individual, either. In case anyone was wondering.)

I don’t like eye contact. It’s distracting and painful and stresses me out.

They didn’t like eye contact either.

Is eye contact necessary to communication? No. So we just didn’t do it.

Was there ever a situation where I HAD to force them to drop everything and lay down on the lawn? No. So the thirty second warning came into play, and nobody died.

“But they never talked!”

No, they didn’t. And they didn’t know ASL, and they didn’t like being touched.

So you know what happened?

My third day in, they tugged on my shirt. ‘Hey monkey, what’s up?’ I asked. And they tugged me towards the kitchen. ‘oh, cool. You hungry?’. They raised their hands in an ‘up’ gesture. ‘you want up? Cool.’ and I lifted them up. They pointed to the fridge. I opened it. They grabbed a juice box out of the top shelf, and pushed the door closed again. ‘oh sweet, grape is the best. You are an individual of refined taste.’ I put them down and they went back to their room to play Legos.

“But they didn’t say please or thank you!” “But you should be teaching them communication skills!” “But!” Lalalalala.

1. The entire interaction was entirely considerate and polite. I was never made uncomfortable. I was made aware of the problem so that I could help them solve it. There was no mess, no tears, no bruises, no shouting.

2. Did my brain collapse into a thousand million fragments of shattered diamond dust out of sheer incomprehension? No? Then their communication skills were fine. Goal realized, solution found, objective complete. They found the most simple and painless way to communicate the situation and then did it.

Kids are not stupid. AUTISTIC kids are not stupid.

I’m willing to bet real cash money that the real reason the last few nannies had quit had a million times more to do with their own ability to cope, not the kid’s.

To this day, that was the most relaxed and enjoyable job I’ve ever had.

And I know I don’t speak for everyone. All kids are different. All adults are different. But in my time and experience, pretty much 95% of all my difficulties with children come from ME not being understanding enough. Every single “problem child” I’ve worked with turned out to be a pretty cool person once I started figuring out how to put my ego aside and let them set the pace.

Again, not speaking universally, here. I’m just saying. Sometimes social rules are bullshit, you know? People are people

Showering with sensory issues is difficult so here’s a few things that help me

1:2 in one shampoo and conditioner. It limits how long I have to stay in there

2: numbers on the temperature gauge. No need to guess what temperature is comfortable when you can just write it down

3: one of those non slip mats in the tub. Feels secure and if you get one like mine that’s got little bumps on it it’s a different sensory to focus on

4: music, audio books, podcasts. Listen to something and it can take your mind off it

5: don’t be so hard on yourself. Most of the time missing one shower literally doesn’t matter.(unless you’re dirty or yo stink)

6: safe clothes. Loose or tight, comfortable clothes are a definite must after such a difficult task involving so much sensory.

7: a good towel. A towel that’s sensory pleasant is really important. I prefer soft ones and massive ones like beach towels

8: chill out time. Just chill out for a bit after

9: sensory assistance. You could bring a fidget or a chew toy, maybe spray a little perfume or get a diffuser or something. Whatever helps

10: a door lock.

We really need to de stigmatise hygiene struggles. It’s really not easy for some people who are doing everything they can to just get through the task. Everyone talks about issues in work and school with autism but nobody talks about when we’re not trying to contribute in our own time. It’s important to talk about things like this so we can find what helps everyone. If you have any more feel free to add them

A RANT ABOUT AUTISTIC/ADHD VOX

Fuck it, I’m rambling.

(THIS COMES FROM SOMEONE WITH BOTH ADHD AND AUTISM)

Autistic Vox, ADHD Vox, lots of people love it, but why?

I fucking hate autistic/adhd Vox with all my being. He doesn’t have either in what we get from the show.

“Oh but he’s obsessed with sharks! He loves sharks!” Okay? And?

“He hyper fixates on sharks!” No, he really doesn’t. He looked at the sharks once. ONCE and now people think he has adhd/autism.

From someone who has these, it feels like people don’t understand that autism and adhd isn’t just hyper fixating, it’s a fucking problem. I hate being on the spectrum, it’s hard with the way people look down on you. With adhd Vox, all that portrays him that he has it, is that he hyper fixates. That’s it. He has no other changes besides “taking meds” (I also do, so don’t take this the wrong way).

Overall I just fucking hate it

Going through life trying to convince everyone I'm not a serial killer by default. (I'm not a serial killer)

If you give me money, I will buy things just for the concept of being able to use said things in the future.

I am playing dress up with my bank account. I am buying conceptualized variant personalities of myself. I've had a metal detector for 3 years now... I have never used it once. I just wanted to collect the capability of being my metal detecting self. My entire personality is centralized on gaining new LEGO Batman suits in case I need/want them. We've got everything from metal detecting me, to epoxy resin me (unopened, I want to preserve leaves), to Python coder me (I just bought a new masterclass on Python, I don't know anything about coding I just wanna be make a game from my imagination), all the way to the most recent basketball star me. Haven't played basketball in years, but I've got the full getup now. Basketball, pump, new athletic shoes are on the way (I wear $20 shoes, I deserve to treat myself to marshmallows), knee brace... I've even got the sweat band for my head that doesn't actually help me in any identifiable way. I did all of this because the park near me just constructed a new court, and I want to feel joy again.

I am a collector with no specific collection. I feel like a ghost looking for the finalizing closure to pass on to the beyond. I am also radically poor and should not be spending money on anything other than soup. Every time I buy a new personality to hang in the closet, I feel simultaneously connected and disconnected with myself. What does the original suit look like? I don't remember. Maybe it's buried in a pile of dirty laundry. Maybe I'm fooling myself into thinking there ever was an original suit.