Autizzy - Tumblr Posts
Do autistic kids "grow out" of their autism? Why does it sometimes seem like there are so few autistic adults?
For Autism Acceptance Month, I covered this topic in this comic to help explain this disconnect! YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Twitter
giving u $5 in exchange for the promise of a tbh who says sth like "i promise i am eating a real meal" (so that i can send it to friends who r worried about my eating habits lol)
FEED
My comic for SENSORY: Life on the Spectrum! Organised by Schnumn.
On harm reduction and understanding NSSI! Many autistic folk have normalised harmful behaviours as coping mechanisms in our daily lives and this comic is meant to help people recognise their self injuring behaviours and (hopefully) begin to see pathways to reducing their frequency.
How to support people with autism
* Explain at every stage what you are about to do, what will happen next and why.
* Give the person enough time to understand the information you are sharing and wait a few seconds for a response if it is not given immediately.
* Questions should be clear and direct using language that is easy to understand and pictures where necessary - do not rely on
* the person to pick up on the meaning of your questions or body language.
* People with autism might take what you say literally so avoid words with a double meaning and humour that could be misunderstood.
* Maintain a routine - familiarity is often important to some people with autism.
* Social difficulties may include lack of eve contact and unusual body language, talking at inappropriate moments or about inappropriate topics.
* Repetitive behaviours might be a coping mechanism and therefore should be respected.
* The environment is important - some people with autism are particularly sensitive to light, movement, sounds, smell and touch. Try to keep the immediate environment as calm as possible to help alleviate any anxiety.
* Always consider the person's behaviour in terms of his or her autism, even if it becomes challenging.
* Ask the person and/or parent, carer or advocate what support they might need.
Link
Autism
Tips on dental hygiene with autism (from my dentist)!!
I went to the dentist a few weeks ago and I told her I'm autistic and that causes me sensory issues that make brushing my teeth regularly harder, and she was great about it and gave me some tips!
Use disclosing tablets - you can get these on Amazon and at pharmacies. They colour your plaque so you can see where you need to brush.
Brush your teeth at night and use mouthwash in the morning - it’s better to brush your teeth at night because it’s after you’ve eaten food so your teeth are easier to get properly clean then. Obviously, if you can, brush your teeth both times, but if you can only handle brushing your teeth once a day, do it at night.
Use an electric toothbrush, if you can afford it. If you can’t brush your teeth that frequently, it’s better to use an electric toothbrush because it’ll clean your teeth better than a regular toothbrush. It’s better to get ab electric toothbrush either way, but especially if you don’t brush your teeth that often.
Get a toothbrush with super soft bristles, this will make brushing your teeth less harsh on your mouth.
If you struggle with mint toothpaste, it's ok to get a different flavour of toothpaste or just brush dry
These have helped me with my dental hygiene since, and I hope they'll help some of you guys
Note: don't be afraid to try out stuff that's different to what I recommended! Everyone's sensory needs are different and what works for me may not work for everyone else, e.g. some people can't use electric toothbrushes for sensory reasons, some people might need hard bristles, some people can't handle mouthwash, etc
What no one around me seemed to understand throughout my diagnosis process was why I NEEDED the psychiatrist to tell me that I was autistic. It wasn't that I had self-diagnosed, it wasn't that I wanted to be "quirky" or be part of the community--- it was because deep down in my heart, I knew that there was always something different about me, and if it turned out that I wasn't autistic then that meant that I still had to keep looking for answers. It's like there's always been a question on the tip of my tongue since birth and I've never known exactly what it was or how to answer it until my autism diagnosis. Not only that, but I felt like if it turned out that I WASNT autistic, that would mean that there was something wrong with me. If I wasn't autistic, then I was just a broken, messed up allistic.
The relief I felt when I got my autism diagnosis was tangible. My depression that I'd struggled with for years lifted. I felt happy and true to myself and accepted by my friends. I felt like, for once in my life, I had the answer that I had always been looking for. I wasn't a broken allistic person-- I was a perfectly good autistic person. My diagnosis was the best thing that ever happened to me.
omegas 🤝 autistic people
✨Nesting✨
I’m so over not being “enough’ to some degree in any space. I have low support needs but I’m still “too autistic” to adequately fit into NT spaces. My SIs of bats, Phantom of the Opera, Ghost (band), etc, etc are just too “out there” or “strange” to some degree for the general NT or even some allistic, occasionally autistic communities. While some of my SIs do align with media--which is fine of course--I still find a lack of acceptance essentially everywhere. (This is why Autism Acceptance Month is so important. Even in autistic/ND communities.)
I wish there was some sort of platform to find SIs across the board and discuss them with people, and ask questions about them. Regardless of the genre/topic/subject.
I only found this original post because I was scrolling through posts tagged Special Interest because I wanted that sense of community I can’t get anywhere else. Even in person with ND friends, you can only discuss so much or discuss every once in a while. (OP did an amazing job “voicing” some of my frustrations!)
I’d love to learn more about my SI by speaking to someone with mine. I’d love to share things about my SI with someone else who actually cares. I’d love to learn about other people’s SIs or current hyperfixations, etc.
So if anyone knows any platforms like that or has any input on how they connect with other autistic people, etc, please let me know!!!
*Cue me, speaking into the void of the internet because I only follow one friend on here 🤪🫶
Joined a discord server that was supposed to be a place for talking about special interests and to my utter bemusement, all of the infodump channels were about different media. Shows, movies etc. That was it! No other options.
Listen… y’all know “special interest” is not a synonym for “show I’m obsessed with,” right? I mean, it can be about media. But that is not all it is.
I collect wooden wands and fabric samples. Some autistic people collect figurines. Or stamps, or cards, or catalogs. Or doorknobs. Collecting certain items is a hugely common special interest. So is collecting information, be it about a specific animal, a historical period, a specific type of technology, etc. I’ve read of a kid whose special interest was washing machines.
It is well known that special interests are a way for autistic people to interpret/understand/make sense of the world, to find order in chaos, to create a sense of security by making ourselves “experts” on that topic.
Well, that is not just true for special interests with a Blorbo you can project on!!!
The weird kid in your class whose special interest is collecting gum wrappers? His special interest is as profoundly meaningful to him as your show is to you.
Don’t leave us out of autistic spaces because our special interests are seemingly uncommon or weird or not meaningful. Don’t make the same mistake allistics do when they characterize an autistic person as robotic or subhuman for being obsessed with a specific mundane item or category.