autisticobserves

[autisticobserves]

Autism Acceptance Month

April 4th: What are your current special interests if you have any? What are some positive ways having special interests have affected your life? What are some negative ways that they have affected your life? How long do they tend to last for you? You could even talk about past special interests if you want.

I don’t think I have a special interest right now, and I tend to cycle through the same few for months to years at a time. My last few special interests over the last decade have included Minecraft, pokemon, the last five years, and autism.

Special interests give me something to be excited for and passionate about projects. Some of my coolest Minecraft projects have come from periods of deep hyperfixations. It’s something that I’ve enjoyed for well over a decade, but it is hard to stick with a save when I am not so invested.

Similar to pokemon and other media-related special interests, I will be incredibly into the game for weeks to months, playing for hours a day, reading about it, researching potential new projects or challenges, and usually compiling some kind of spreadsheet of information. And then after a few months it fades to a regular interest where I would still say it is something I enjoy, but it’s not something I engage with very often anymore.

I watched the last five years nearly every day (sometimes more than once) for 6-7 years. That’s a lot of time I could have done anything else, but it did help me manage my anxiety which was very high at the time and it was nice to have something grounding I could watch or even just listen to and be able to feel better. It’s lost some of that power as it became something I enjoy casually rather than a special interest. But it had a very good, long run as a special interest, and to the point where everyone I knew in that period of my life knows how into the movie/musical I was.

The biggest negative for me is when the special interest fades becuase it just happens unexpectedly, and I’m left with nothing to occupy my brain or time in such a fulfilling way. Like right now, there’s things I enjoy like playing Stardew Valley or reading a good book but they are not as satisfying as if they were related to a special interest.

For fun, my special interests in my life, relatively in chronological order:

- the land before time, pokemon, hamsters, harvest moon, sonic the hedgehog, h*rry pttr, neopets, Minecraft, autism, the last five years, pitch perfect

[autisticobserves]

Autism Acceptance Month

April 3rd: Talk about family. How are your relationships with your family members? Are they generally supportive of you as an autistic person? Are they accommodating to your needs? Does being autistic affect your familial relationships in any meaningful way?

I am pretty close with my immediate family; we get along well. My brother and I have always been very close, and we talk sometimes still. I don’t see my family much but it’s nice when we are together. Everyone in my family is quiet and awkward about emotions so I think we are as close as we can be without that emotional sharing piece. I know emotions are tricky for me to understand and recognize, and it makes me feel distant from others even my family. But I don’t remember feeling quite so distant from them when I was younger and living with them, so it may just be the effect of being away.

My mom was skeptical when I explained I am autistic. She didn’t know what to make of that and when I explained said it sounded much more like my brother than me. Likely all 4 of us are autistic. My parents always tried to meet our needs, and would have accommodated us to do so. My brother would get (still does sometimes I guess) something separate made for dinner if we were eating something he doesn’t like; if I needed similar accommodations and able to express them, they would have been available.

We have a little quiet autistic family and it’s fine I guess? We don’t do much but it seems we all prefer if that way

[autisticobserves]

Autism Acceptance Month

April 2nd: Dependence. How independent are you? Are you able to live alone? Have a caretaker? Live with a relative? Is there anything you need help with in your daily life? If you live alone, does being autistic make anything about it more difficult? Do you wish you lived with someone?

I am very independent when it comes to life skills. I was independent as a child and did not like to rely on my mom for help — if I can do it, I am going to figure out how to do it myself. I’m still like that. My spouse and I are very dependent on each other, but this has taken many forms over the last decade and shifts with our changing support needs. Most of this dependence on them, for me, is for emotional support and social connection. But other than a couple months in college I have never lived alone. I’ve always been with my parents, a roommate, my partner, or other family members.

Other than money, I think would do well enough on my own. And other than being lonely. I am able to cook and plan meals, clean, drive, go to the store, and work. It gets difficult quickly when I am doing all of these things on my own as I am also taking care of others in the household and the pets. I do think the quality of my cooking and cleaning would go down after a short while of trying to keep it all together.

I know I can’t do most of these things if I’m working full time, that is too much and I would need help with cooking and shopping mostly. It takes so much energy to go to the store — going to Costco feels like a marathon sometimes after being in such a busy sensory environment. I don’t mind household stuff, but if I’m on my own and too tired why would I cook? Having to care for someone else makes me take better care of me, too.

[autisticobserves]

Autism Acceptance Month

April 1st: Do you have trouble recognizing emotions in either yourself or other people? Do you ever find it hard to tell how you're feeling or even to describe how you're feeling to other people? Have you ever had trouble properly expressing your feelings? Do you have trouble recognizing what other people are feeling? How does this make life difficult for you, if it does?

I didn’t realize how much I struggle with recognizing my own emotions until well into my 20s. When they’re not super intense, it’s hard for me to tell what I’m feeling other than “fine” or “bad.”

I struggle with other people’s emotions sometimes, too, because I can generally tell if they feel “positive” or “negative” but then I get stuck trying to figure it out or what is expected of me in the moment. — Are you sad or just feeling down? Did I do something? Did I miss something that happened? How can I help you feel less sad or down? — This is hard for me to not do, but it does not come across as helpful to the other person a lot of the time.

A lot of these struggles also tie into my anxiety. I need to help my friend be less sad or I’m a bad friend — it’s not true, it’s the anxiety talking, because that is not always the best way to support a sad friend. In recognizing my own feelings, anxiety can cloud this too. Nothing is really wrong, but I have a looming sense of dread or start feeling upset — often it ends up being anxiety from plans changing or a task I need to get done soon.

Aside from that, I’ve never been able to articulate my feelings to others very well. In speech I tend to be succinct and if it can’t be said in a few words, I probably can’t or won’t share. My most frequent phrase (to get yelled at for saying as a kid) was “I don’t know.” Make a choice? Tell you how my day was? Tell you my feelings? I just don’t know. For one reason or another these cannot be articulated on demand and I need time to think, process, and maybe still not have an answer for you.

What’s wrong? I would love to tell you but I don’t know. Something, probably. Nothing, possibly. If I figure it out maybe I’ll let you know.

[autisticobserves]

[autisticobserves]

Let’s talk about ABA

I am autistic. I have not been subjected to ABA, but I have done a lot of research about it. I know several RBTs and a couple of BCBAs. These are not people I trust, but I have learned about what they see of ABA and have been able to compare it with the stories of people who have survived it.

Is ABA ethical? There is nuance to the debate. Over 50% of those who have been in ABA met the criteria for PTSD following treatment. ABA is abuse. Even if the practitioner is autistic. Even if there are important skills being taught. There are better ways and less harmful methods. However, I said there is nuance. This is because sometimes there is no other option. If you can’t pay out of pocket, insurance may only cover ABA. Sometimes it is court ordered. And sometimes it is the only way to keep neurodivergent BIPOC kids safe — by teaching them to mask.

I lost the post I wanted to add this video to.. so I will share it here instead.

[autisticobserves]

take my survey neurodivergents

[autisticobserves]

Not my study, but sharing it here for anyone who is interested! Must be 18+ and autistic to participate

[autisticobserves]

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

[autisticobserves]

30 Days of Autism Acceptance 2022

Rules: Answer the prompt of the day on your own separate post. You can answer as many or as few of these as you like. Answer with as much or as little detail as you wish. Some questions this year have an alternative option that you can do if you prefer. You can answer just one or both of them. And make sure to tag it as #30daysofautismacceptance and #2022. And feel free to do this on any other social media platform that you want as well. And once again I am doing this with the help of my wonderful friend @lesmiserabby! Half of the prompts were created by them just like last year. So please give Abby credit for the prompts this year as well! And please help me spread this before the start of April!

April 1st: Introduce yourself. Talk about who you are as a person. Your age, hobbies, special interests, family, etc. Anything you feel comfortable sharing.

April 2nd: Post your redinstead photos today. Alternatively, you could talk about what autistic pride/autism acceptance month means to you.

April 3rd: Talk about jobs. Do you currently work or have you worked before? Was it hard for you to find a job? Does your job work well regarding your autism? Alternatively, if you don't work, what was school like for you as an autistic person? What was good about school? What was bad?

April 4th: Talk about humor. Do you feel that your autism affects your sense of humor in any way? Are there any inside jokes in the autism community that you really like?

April 5th: Talk about instances of miscommunication. Are there any examples you can give for a time where you misinterpreted an interaction with someone else or them you? What do you think went wrong with that interaction?

April 6th: Do you tend to infodump about things that you're interested in?

April 7th: Is there anything in particular that you'd like to see more of in autistic representation? Anything you'd like to see less of?

April 8th: Do you feel like your social skills have gotten better or worse with age?

April 9th: How are you when it comes to clothes? Are there certain clothes that you avoid or seek out for sensory reasons? Do you prefer tight or loose clothing? Would you consider yourself a fashionable person?

April 10th: Do you collect anything? Do the things that you collect have anything to do with your special interests? How do you organize your collection? Show off your collection if you want.

April 11th: Would you consider yourself to be a creative person? What kind of things do you create? Does being autistic influence how creative of a person you are?

April 12th: Do you consider yourself to be an organized person or disorganized? In what ways? Does being autistic affect how organized you are?

April 13th: What are some aspects of being autistic that you feel don't get talked about enough

April 14th: Talk about connections, platonic and/or romantic. Who are some of the most important people in your life? Is it generally hard for you to connect with people? If it is, what kind of issues do you have with it? Do you find it easier to get along with other autistic people?

April 15th: Media is something that has the power to speak to a lot of different people in different ways. What are some media (movies, tv shows, books, etc) that really speaks to you as an autistic person? Something that you can really relate to?

April 16th: Talk about discovering yourself as an autistic person. When did you first find out you were autistic? If you were diagnosed, what was that process like? If you are self diagnosed, when did you first start to suspect that you could be autistic? How did you feel about it when you first found out compared to how you feel about it now? Have you gotten to a place of acceptance? What does being autistic mean to you?

April 17th: Do you prefer fiction, nonfiction or a mix of both for entertainment?

April 18th: Do you have any pets? If not, do you want any in the future? Why or why not?

April 19th: How do you feel about self diagnosis?

April 20th: What are your thoughts on terminology? (ie, high functioning and low functioning vs high support needs and low support needs, nonspeaking vs nonverbal, person first vs identity first, etc)

April 21st: What do you think about euphemisms for disabilities such as special needs, differently abled, etc?

April 22nd: Do you like hugs or dislike them? What about other forms of physical contact? Does it depend on the person or situation?

April 23rd: If you could live absolutely anywhere, real or fictional, where would you live? What would your dream home look like?

April 24th: How easy is it for you to focus on things? Are you easily distracted? Is it harder if it's something you're not interested in?

April 25th: Do you struggle with switching tasks or is it easy for you? Does it depend on the task/situation?

April 26th: Do you stim? What sort of stims do you have? What do you wish people knew about stimming?

April 27th: Do you have trouble identifying physical feelings like hunger or being tired? Do you have trouble with identifying emotions?

April 28th: Can you drive? If so, do you like driving? If not, do you want to learn?

April 29th: What sort of things do you like to do to relax/for self care?

April 30th: Do you like to plan ahead for things or do you like to just "go with the flow" and see what happens? A mix of both? Does it vary by day to day?

[autisticobserves]

For any of my autistic followers who would be interested:

“UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS

MEDICAL BRANCH

School of Health Professions

Lived Experience of Individuals

with Autism Spectrum Disorder

who Have Received Applied

Behavior Analysis Therapy

UTMB Occupational Therapy students are

looking for participants for a research study

examining the experiences of those with ASD

who have recieved ABA therapy. You will be

asked to complete a one-hour zoom

interview to answer questions about your

experience with ABA therapy.

If interested in participating, please contact:

Laryn Kropik: Lakropik@utmb.edu,

214-991-6580

or

Jayden Songer: JmSonger@utmb.edu,

832-538-3291”

**I am not affiliated with this study in any form, I just wanted to pass it along!

[autisticobserves]

The autism spectrum

[autisticobserves]

A BCBA posted something about how the impact is more important than intention. Do you see the irony of someone who ignores the harm their work does saying this?

[autisticobserves]

April 3rd: How do you feel about dating/romantic relationships? Have you dated in the past/are you currently in a relationship/do you eventually want one? Do you feel that your experience of autism/stereotypes around autism and relationships impacts this?

I’ve been with my partner for almost 6 years. The idea of going on dates is daunting at least with someone new. But also the two of us don’t go out much (pandemic or not). I like the idea of romance and relationships though.

I am panromantic, but I seem to be drawn to more masculine people romantically or sexually (I’m grey ace). I didn’t know I was autistic when my fiancé and I started dating, but I think the stereotypes would hinder me in the future. I’m pretty quiet and awkward and get really self conscious about it, and that would make me worry that someone who knows I’m autistic would expect that (but in a bad way?). Communication has been the trickiest part of relationships and I feel lucky to have found someone who loves me for who I am and how I communicate

[autisticobserves]

Hey I’m Mat. I’m 24, autistic, and queer. I spend my free time playing Minecraft with Netflix on in the background, sometimes I write, and I like playing guitar. I’m writing a book about autism that’s on its second draft. Minecraft and autism are my special interests and have been for a few years. And like I feel like that kinda sums me up ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I’m lumping the prompts for April 1 and 2 together since I never posted even though I’ve been looking forward to this

[autisticobserves]

30 Days of Autism Acceptance 2021

Rules: Answer the prompt of the day on your own separate post. You can answer as many or as few of these as you like. Answer with as much or as little detail as you wish. Some questions this year have an alternative option that you can do if you prefer. You can answer just one or both of them. And make sure to tag it as #30daysofautismacceptance and #2021. And feel free to do this on any other social media platform that you want as well. Please help me spread this before the start of April!

Note: This year for the prompts I collaborated with my friend @lesmiserabby to make them. Half of the prompts were made by her and the other half were made by me.

April 1st: Introduce yourself. Talk about who you are as a person. Your age, hobbies, special interests, family, etc. Anything you feel comfortable sharing.

April 2nd: Post your redinstead photos today. Alternatively, you could talk about what autistic pride/autism acceptance month means to you.

April 3rd: How do you feel about dating/romantic relationships? Have you dated in the past/are you currently in a relationship/do you eventually want one? Do you feel that your experience of autism/stereotypes around autism and relationships impacts this?

April 4th: Are there any topics regarding autism that you feel don’t get discussed enough?

April 5th: What was school like for you, or what is it currently like for you if you are still in school? Elementary, high school, post-secondary?

April 6th: Are you able to drive? If so, was it difficult to learn? What was difficult about it? If not, do you use any alternatives?

April 7th: How are you with sarcasm and/or metaphors/figures of speech? Do you interpret things very literally?

April 8th: Talk about friendship. How important are friends to you? Do you find it hard to make and maintain friendships? Are your friends generally supportive? Is there anything about having friends that confuses you?

April 9th: How has the pandemic impacted you? Has it changed routines? Do you like or dislike masks? What do you wish allistics and neurotypicals knew/understood about how the pandemic is impacting autistic people?

April 10th: How important is representation to you? Is the representation that is out there generally good or bad? What is your favorite piece of representation? What you like to see more of in autism representation? What would you like to see less of?

April 11th: What are your thoughts/feelings about masking (a term for when autistic people hide their autistic traits)? Do you mask?

April 12th: Is there anything you find hard to do because of being autistic? Is there anything that you find easy?

April 13th: How much preparation and planning do you need before doing new things, or even for familiar things? Do you need to be totally prepared ahead of time or are you more comfortable with being spontaneous/just going for it? Does it vary for you depending on the thing or the day?

April 14th: What do you like about being autistic?

April 15th: Do you work? If so, what is that like for you? Are you open about being autistic at work? Alternatively, how open are you about being autistic? Do you tell a lot of people? Or just a select few? How do people normally react when you tell them? If you don’t tell people, then why?

April 16th: What did it feel like when you interacted with other autistic people for the first time? What does the autistic community mean to you? How important is it?

April 17th: How do you feel about terms like “special needs”?

April 18th: Talk about identity. Is being autistic an important part of your identity? What does being autistic mean to you? Which do you prefer: identity first or person first language and why?

April 19th: Do you enjoy music, or do you find it overstimulating? If you do like music, what kind of music do you prefer?

April 20th: What are some things that allistic people do that you find confusing?

April 21st: Do you stim? If so, what are your favourite ways of stimming? What does stimming feel like for you?

April 22nd: What are some things allistic people can do to better support/accommodate autistic people?

April 23rd: How specific is your routine? Does it vary slightly from day to day? Do things have to be at the exact same time, or does just the order matter? How important is having a routine to you?

April 24th: Are there things that seemed to come naturally to others that you had to try to learn over time?

April 25th: Do you experience executive dysfunction? If so, how often? What is it like for you? What do you wish neurotypicals understood about it?

April 26th: Talk about special interests. Do you have special interests? If not do you wish you did? What do your special interests mean to you? What are your current special interests? What are your past special interests?

April 27th: What is your favourite form of media? For example, do you enjoy books? What format do you prefer for books (physical, e-book, audiobook)? Did you love reading as a kid but find it challenging as you got older? How about movies, tv, or video games? Do you have a favourite series?

April 28th: If you could give advice to someone who just found out that they are autistic, what advice would you give?

April 29th: How do you feel about shoes? Are they good sensory? Bad sensory? Are there certain types of shoes that you find more or less comfortable? Do you struggle with replacing shoes when they’re worn out?

April 30th: What would you like your overall message for autism acceptance month to be?