autisticoddity

[autisticoddity]

Another great resource on the topic! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWi7ISBJlu0

NEXT for AUTISM

I'm sad that i didn't have the information to write on this sooner. When i first heard about the live stream hosted by Mark Rober today in support of a charity called Next for Autism, I was thrilled. I was so excited to see so many huge names working to bring awareness and support to people like me, but it wasn't until a few minutes into the stream that my hopes for it were crushed.

It wasn't the stream itself that did it, though some questionable comedic choices were made, there were a few good messages from the autistic community that were very informative, and much of the negative seems to be out of simple ignorance. What made my heart drop was what I learned after sharing the stream to a discord server i'm in, in which the majority are autistic or otherwise neurodiverse.

A member of the server informed me that Next for Autism is an organization that among other things, supports eugenics and ABA, which if you aren't aware, is a form of conversion therapy originally used in attempt to "treat" gays, I don't think i have to explain how wrong and mentally damaging that is.

That news alone was horrible, but it only gets worse. I highly recommend this post by Dave Shaw explaining this more thoroughly; https://twitter.com/AutienTweets/status/1383889064747618307

Luckily, a few of the participants including JackSepticEye and Rhett & Link dropped out of the event, but it still managed to raise over $3M. I can only hope that money goes to something decent.

Please, when you want to support something, do your research, and listen to those you are trying to support. as the post above states, there are lots of autism-run charities that are great! ASAN, AWN, and AIM, are all lovely autism-lead groups that would hugely benefit from your support.

Thank you so much for reading!

[autisticoddity]

NEXT for AUTISM

I'm sad that i didn't have the information to write on this sooner. When i first heard about the live stream hosted by Mark Rober today in support of a charity called Next for Autism, I was thrilled. I was so excited to see so many huge names working to bring awareness and support to people like me, but it wasn't until a few minutes into the stream that my hopes for it were crushed.

It wasn't the stream itself that did it, though some questionable comedic choices were made, there were a few good messages from the autistic community that were very informative, and much of the negative seems to be out of simple ignorance. What made my heart drop was what I learned after sharing the stream to a discord server i'm in, in which the majority are autistic or otherwise neurodiverse.

A member of the server informed me that Next for Autism is an organization that among other things, supports eugenics and ABA, which if you aren't aware, is a form of conversion therapy originally used in attempt to "treat" gays, I don't think i have to explain how wrong and mentally damaging that is.

That news alone was horrible, but it only gets worse. I highly recommend this post by Dave Shaw explaining this more thoroughly; https://twitter.com/AutienTweets/status/1383889064747618307

Luckily, a few of the participants including JackSepticEye and Rhett & Link dropped out of the event, but it still managed to raise over $3M. I can only hope that money goes to something decent.

Please, when you want to support something, do your research, and listen to those you are trying to support. as the post above states, there are lots of autism-run charities that are great! ASAN, AWN, and AIM, are all lovely autism-lead groups that would hugely benefit from your support.

Thank you so much for reading!

[autisticoddity]

Happy Autism Awareness/Acceptance Month!!!

TW's: Cure culture, Late diagnosis, Autism Speaks, Autism myths.

This is my first year being aware of it, and second year being diagnosed autistic, and I’m so happy to be part of the autism community!

When I started this blog, there was one text post that really motivated me to get into it. It was a picture of a tweet by Jorge Silva from December 2018, (Link) and it reads as follows: "In ten years as a clinical psychologist I have seen ZERO self-diagnosed autistic people that were not autistic

However I have seen many non-diagnosed or mis-diagnosed autistic people

It's just anecdotal evidence, but time after time self-diagnose is proven correct in my office" This post really stuck with me. When I realized I was autistic, it changed my life. There were so many things it explained that I never understood about myself, so many difficulties I could have avoided or lessened if I knew what they were, and so many people who felt just as different and alien as I did. And within them, so many people who struggled and suffered in ways they shouldn't have had to.

Late diagnosis, miss-diagnosis, going completely undiagnosed, rampant miss-information, it all happens far too often. A study in 2020 suggested that 25% of autistic children go undiagnosed through their childhood, (Link) and I don't doubt the number is far higher than that when you consider how hard it can be to detect in some individuals, especially females.

That post made me realize;

All it takes, is knowing.

All it takes, to have that moment that changed my life and helped me understand myself so much better than I ever could before, that moment I knew I wasn't bad or broken, that moment, which wound up being the first step to truly being, and accepting, and loving myself, is finding that information.

However, as I mentioned, there is a lot of miss-information about autism. It's joked about in memes, in TV it's shown as either the quiet/quirky genius, or a fully non-verbal kid, who more than half the time is treated as an object or a trouble child, or if older, they're often infantilized, and, most harmfully in my opinion, there's a huge amount of miss-information about what autism is and how to treat someone who is autistic, directed towards parents of autistics by groups like Autism Speaks, and those who share it's beliefs, which plague autism mom groups with cure-culture, ablism, abusive methods of therapy such as ABA, myths about vaccines causing it, or literal bleach being used to treat/cure it, and so much more that massively harms the autistic community.

And so so often, they never even seek, include, consider, or even listen to the opinions of actual autistic people.

When I was thinking up this post, my mind kept wandering back to a message I saw earlier this month, by a member of the neurodiversity discord server I mod named Aveca. He said this;

"for me I dread the whole idea of "autism awareness" because it brings up the image of autism moms who want to cure it. I'd prefer it if we celebrated autism acceptance month instead where we celebrate neurodiversity rights"

Autism is a genetic, neurological disorder. It is inherited from a parent, and cannot be caused any other way. It is a permanent disability, with an enormous range in how it can present. It is NOT a disease. it is NOT something that has to or even can be fixed, and many don't want to be "cured".

People with autism are different. We think different, we act different, we sometimes look different too. That doesn't mean we should be treated differently. We often need support, we often need patience, but most importantly, we need to be listened to, and accepted as we are, not as something to be fixed, not as an object of pity, not as a novelty show. Accepted as a person, who's just built a little different.

As the disability saying goes, "Nothing about us, without us."

This month, support us by learning about us, listening to our experiences, and spreading true acceptance.

--------------------------

Thanks for reading! Hope you have a great month! If you have any questions about autism or subjects i should cover, it'd be a great help to send me an ask! My linktree: https://linktr.ee/ZeilousWolf

[autisticoddity]

the sound of one fly is inconsistent, as it gets closer and farther it sounds different, and is unpredictable, which can make someone irritated, where as, when there are many, the sound has multiple tones moving around each other, so the more there are, the more it fills in the sound and makes it both more consistent in tone, and more evenly stimulating, similar to white noise or rain.

how come sound of one fly is annoy, but many is calm?

course donot mean that would be calm to have swarm of fly inside house, just some reason when go outside & hear lot fly, feel calm! good sound! even though one alone is so annoy, inside OR outside

[autisticoddity]

Good on you for listening to criticism and trying to include everyone 👍 Post 2 looks way better.

Thank you so much! I was very unhappy with the first one even before I knew it’s biggest issue, it’s tired rambles are far different than my usual thought out writing style, because I was having a lot of trouble thinking clearly at the time. I’m very happy I got the opportunity to learn from this and re-write, and deeply hope the other one can now be used as an example of ingrained ablism alone. Because autism has such variety and complexity, I promised to myself when I started this blog that I would listen and do my best to incorporate any honest criticism I got into how I approach these subjects. The goal is to provide accurate information so that both those who are newly suspecting they are autistic, and those who simply want to know more, can understand what autism is like, and why we act the way we do. I want people to see autism in it’s whole truth. to do that I need feedback from the rest of the whole! that’s what keeps us honest!

[autisticoddity]

Autism and Intelligence

When many people look at someone who they believe to be mentally disabled, maybe they sound strange, or move in unusual ways, whatever it is, the majority of people subconsciously or actively assume those who behave differently have a lower intelligence, that their thoughts are as jumbled or delayed as their speech and movement appears to be. And well, it’s far more complicated than that. So in this post, I’m going to discuss how autism and intelligence interact.

Firstly, yes, there are many on the spectrum who have developmental delays, processing disorders, or other learning disabilities. Many who are non-verbal, many who have trouble understanding and responding to information, many who struggle to do tasks most people probably don’t even think about very much. These people are considered “Low Functioning” which is a term some hate, and others embrace. Autism presents in many different ways, it’s a spectrum, so some individuals have more difficulty than others, it can vary anywhere from those who require assistance with basic tasks, and can’t speak or walk, to those who are completely self-sufficient, who you’d never guess are autistic, and everything in between. It is important to remember though, that no matter what, these people are still just that; people. They’re not dumb, they’re not lesser, they’re not invalid as individuals, they are disabled, and they deserve just as much respect as everyone else, along with whatever support they may need.

Often these “low functioning” individuals are ignored when it comes to autism activism, in favor of those who can speak and be “useful” by societal standards, those who have interesting talents, or an advanced mind. Even I myself, in the first draft of writing this, which has now been removed, did end up leaving them out of my sleep-deprived messy post almost entirely without even realizing it, and was rightfully criticized for it!

While yes, discussing high functioning examples and impressive accomplishments made by the disabled is important, and I will cover that side of the discussion further down, it’s even more important to inform and advocate for those of us who have trouble or even physically aren’t able to advocate for themselves, in as respectful a way as possible. I think the person who first pointed out that the previous draft of this was ablest, AutieStella, put it beautifully. So I’d like to share with you her words.

  “you focus on how good & useful can be. but some us never like this. Always left out when you defend yourselfs

 some us not got good language. not good comunicate even w other autistic. not “useful” intrest or skill. not good memory. left to wayside by ALL.

 “many us smart! more than average!” not good defense. it make rest of us still get ignore & hurt. outsiders see this. & say “look at useful autistic person! love that!” & still ignore hurt rest us.”

When I read this, at first I was devastated, I had no intention of offending anyone, but had clearly hurt the community I was trying to educate on. However, after I processed it, and decided what I needed to do next, I found myself feeling very inspired reading it over again, and felt honestly moved by the comment.

I removed the post and re-blogged their re-blog from my personal account to apologize, thank them, and tell them I was more than happy to edit the post to better represent ALL autistics. So here I am re writing it, and hoping we can all learn from this experience!

Now, so far, it may seem like I haven’t talked much about intelligence specifically, but as intelligence is a very subjective scale, and frequently is associated with a person’s perceived value, I feel it’s important to first have a basic understanding of the people we’re talking about, establish that intelligence and functionality DOES NOT determine someone’s worth, and acknowledge the fact that with such a complex disorder which almost always comes with other disorders, intelligence can be extremely hard to define and measure, and even harder to discuss in a way that is respectful.

So how can we define intelligence?

Well, it’s been defined in many ways, if you go by what many might consider a measure of intelligence, the IQ test, it might be defined by someone’s problem solving skills, their memory/recall, and pattern recognition. The oxford dictionary describes it as “the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills.” And if you ask Merriam-Webster, it is “the ability to learn or understand or to deal with new or trying situations” or “the skilled use of reason”

So how does autism effect these things?

As with almost all things autism related, it really depends on the person, what traits of autism they experience, and any other conditions, how strongly they effect the person, and of course, the person’s natural psychology. To accurately see how autism effects “intelligence”, we have to break it down into some parts.

Social Skills and Communication a key trait of autism, and the most common across the spectrum, is difficulty in social situations. This is often caused by a mix of things, including trouble reading social cues, difficulty communicating, behavioral abnormalities, and more. Those with autism often have trouble with the many little social rules that most people just instinctively know, they may have trouble knowing when to talk, or understanding sarcasm, or what is and isn’t appropriate for the topic. They may be blunt and extremely honest, or have high anxiety, they may also stim, making repetitive movements, sounds, actions, or feeling satisfying textures, to manage over-stimulation, which is very healthy to do, but those who don’t know what it is tend to be confused or even nervous about it because of society’s views of mental health. Many autistics can also have selective mutism, or be non-verbal all together. Because of this, it can be hard for autistic people to find social groups they feel comfortable in, or progress in social-based activities, or for those who can, jobs. This can appear to some as a lack of capability, when often, the real problem is miscommunication, and social norms. There are some that are very good at being social, however it isn’t as common.

Sensory Issues most with autism have some form of sensory issues, often causing them to be extra sensitive to unfamiliar sound, light, smells, textures, and tastes, though these can also make it difficult to understand and respond to information. Those with strong sensory issues often have to avoid certain places, things, and activities, such as crowded public areas, oily surfaces, certain foods, or quick paced loud games, to avoid over-stimulation/sensory overload, though too much silence, stress, or just constant sounds for a long time can also lead to over-stimulation. However again, inability isn’t necessarily a lack of intelligence.

Ingenuity It doesn’t apply to everyone, almost nothing does in autism, but because the minds of those with autism are so fundamentally different as far as how we perceive the world, many autistics are very good at seeing things from a different perspective, noticing little details, and thinking outside the box, so it isn’t uncommon for some autistics to have very good problem solving skills, and creativity, though it’s often difficult for them to communicate the things they think up or notice.

Learning Disorders Learning disorders are common among autistics, with about 60-70% of people with autism also having some form of learning disorder. By definition, this impedes one or more areas of development, so those with learning disorders will often seem less intelligent, and usually require more support.

Savant Syndrome Though autistics face many obstacles, there is a fairly rare phenomenon among those with developmental disorders called savant syndrome, characterized by an extreme talent in one or more specific, often obscure skill or interest, in stark contrast to the limits they have due to their disorder. Though in other forms of developmental disability, less than 1% demonstrate savant skills, it’s estimated that 1 in 10 autistic individuals show some form of savant skills. The most common areas of interest being musical, artistic, mathematical, or other such pattern related skills, though it can really be anything. In a similar vein, a lot of autistics have special interests, in which they learn and collect information about a specific topic or hobby they enjoy, though there are many who don’t have a special interest.

 Overall, yes, Autism can and does effect what you might call intelligence, but as you can see, it’s far far more complex than simply a lack of smart. Autism is a disability, it limits certain things, and beyond that, it’s a spectrum disability, so it can effect individuals in so many different ways, to so many different levels, in fact, there is no one trait that all autistics have, and traits themselves can present in many different ways. However what they do have in common, is being deserving of respect and support.

In closing, we’re all human, intelligence is a social construct, and everyone needs support sometimes, some more than others. The best we can do is try to learn, and make an effort to understand and accept those who are different.

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Hope that was interesting! I know this was long, but after my mess up last night, I wanted to be detailed and informative. If you have any questions about autism, it’d be a great help to send an ask, and I will answer to the best of my ability!

I’d like to also thank @autiestella for her comment! I highly suggest you check out her blog, her critique truly inspired me to put more effort into this, and I’m much happier with the result. My previous post was absolutely ablest, I honestly don’t know how I didn’t see it, I only hope It didn’t offend or influence too many people, and that this will at least start to make up for it.

Critiques are welcome! I plan to edit this as needed to provide the most accurate info I can.

My Socials!: https://linktr.ee/ZeilousWolf — Sources: AutieStella : https://autiestella.tumblr.com/ Sensory Processing Disorder: https://www.webmd.com/children/sensory-processing-disorder Learning Disabilities: https://ldaamerica.org/types-of-learning-disabilities/ Savant Syndrome: http://www.agnesian.com/page/savant-syndrome-faqs

[autisticoddity]

All About Stimming!

Self-stimulatory behavior, more commonly known as “Stimming” is the use of repetitive actions, or other forms of sensory stimulation, to regulate emotions, and prevent over-stimulation. Stimming can be a really fun topic to talk about! there are so many different methods of doing it, so many things its helpful for, and so many stim toys you can use! Stimming can even be beneficial for neurotypical people! (those without any mental conditions/disorders) but what exactly is stimming? who does it, why do we do it, and what does it do? and, of course, what methods are there?

~

Stimming behaviors are frequently seen in a few different kinds of mental disorders, including developmental disabilities, ADHD, sensory processing disorders, and most frequently, autism! though the presence of stimming behaviors, or lack thereof, does not confirm any of these diagnoses on its own.

different conditions can present slightly different types of stimming behaviors, and have differing levels of control over these actions, as can each individual, so while I’ll try to explain all the information I know from a few angles, my perspective is an autistic one, and my own, so there may be more details specific to other conditions or individuals I’m unaware of.

People with this behavior can get the urge to stim for a variety of reasons, many people are probably most familiar with stress/fear based stimming, as that’s what usually attracts drama and gets publicized, but it can also be used to help calm other strong emotions, be done out of habit, to work out excess energy to help focus(common among those with ADHD), or just because it’s satisfying!

Though some people may find stimming to be strange, and encourage suppressing stims, at least in public, stimming is a very healthy, very useful tool for coping with the amplified emotional reactions, and sensory sensitivities those with conditions like autism and ADHD experience, and while for many it is possible to suppress, it takes considerable effort, causes stress, and depending on the person and situation, isn’t always possible. for some who are diagnosed late like myself and naturally suppress urges to stim unless having a meltdown/panic/anxiety attack, allowing yourself to stim when you want to, despite what you’ve learned is considered normal, is a skill we have to actively learn.

So what kind of situations is stimming usually useful for? As we’ve established, the most extreme and well known is stress, or over stimulation, in which case focusing on a stim helps to block out the other less predictable stimuli, but it can also be used to focus, blocking out distractions, or to vent extreme emotions like anger or even joy, much like someone might “jump with joy” when very excited. Many people with Autism experience other emotions much stronger than most too, sometimes enough for a simple funny dad joke to cause an overwhelming surge of excitement/joy, so stimming helps filter that into a more manageable feeling to process.

Alright, now that we know what it’s all about, what’s it look like? there are a TON of ways to stim, some of which everyone does! do you tap your fingers or bounce your leg when bored? it’s a very similar concept! at it’s root, it can be anything that provides consistent stimulation.

The most visible stims are usually physical motion ones, this can be any repetitive motion, hand flapping, rocking, leg bouncing, blinking hard, and clapping are a few of the most common, though some are less full movements as they are pulses in a specific muscle.

There are also auditory stims, that can include sounds, words or phrases, sometimes randomly, sometimes repeating something that was heard or a word that crossed their mind. many Autistics also struggle with volume control, so they may also shout, or mutter.

Less noticeable, but far more common are tactile stims, one of my favorite. tactile stims most often involve other objects, such as fabrics, toys, or really anything with a pleasing/interesting texture, or satisfying repetitive action, much like many fidget toys, tactile stimming is feeling or repetitively manipulating a surface/object, this can be as subtle as rubbing the edge of your shirt between your fingers, or as involved as a rubix cube.

With fidget toys becoming more popular, there are endless stim toys to choose from that provide all kinds of stimuli from textures and actions, with things like putty or a fidget cube, to sounds and visual stimuli, like simple instruments, shiny or vibrant colors and satisfying visuals, stim toys are a great tool for coping with unfamiliar situations or staying focused for a long period of time. and they’re just plain fun!

Some people do experience self-injurious stimming behavior, in which they can harm themselves, sometimes in small habits like picking at your skin, but some can have much more harmful urges such as scratching, hitting themself, or even banging their head against a table or wall. is these cases, the behaviors are usually very very difficult to change or stop, but not impossible, through steady effort and support, they can often learn to manage the more harmful impulses.

Aside from stimming, there are a few different external things some use as a source of stimuli, such as music, podcasts, compilations, scented candles, and even snacking or eating comfort food can provide needed stimulation!

Stimming is a very useful tool for anyone to use, so find what works for you, and have a stimmy fun time!

~

I think that’s about all the info i can think of, hope you learned something new!

- if you have any questions about autism, send me an ask! :D

[autisticoddity]

What was the process like, getting diagnosed with autism as a young adult? I'm a teen but I'm looking to get diagnosed when I can :> (which unfortunately won't be until I'm an adult bc Parents 😬)

great question! i feel this deserves some good detail, so warning, this is a long one!

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It can go a few different ways, depending on where you live, and how good the mental health resources near you are, but for me, it was pretty easy. once i was confident about my suspicions, the first step was mentioning to my general family doctor during an appointment (doesn't have to be an appointment specifically for that, you can mention it during a checkup or a follow up for something else if you have some time afterwards) that i had suspicions i was autistic, and wanted to be evaluated.

she didn't ask questions really, just gave me a referral to a psychiatrist who could diagnose me, and wrote down the number in my appointment summary. (in some cases they can schedule the appointment for you, or in some cases in less supported areas, they may not have a referral, in which case you’ll need to find a psychiatrist who has experience with autism on your own, which you can find online)

the next part was the most, and really the only stressful part, scheduling, (make sure you have/know your insurance info before making the call) i just called the number, told them i got a referral from my doctor for an autism evaluation, and they walked me through setting up an appointment, only took a few simple questions.

a few weeks later, i went to my appointment. for this, you might want to come prepared, if only mentally. before your appointment, make sure to do some research, learn what traits of autism you display, and how they effect you. this can be stimming habits(any action you frequently do to give yourself mental stimulation, this can be anything from repetitive motions, rocking, random sounds/words, teething, or feeling specific textures with your fingers, for the purpose of emotional regulation or to help focus, i’ll go more in-depth on stimming later.) social difficulties, any triggers you may have, childhood signs you may have showed, emotional experiences such as if you have meltdowns or anxiety attacks and if so, what happens when you do, or on the opposite side, if you feel your emotions are less intense than most, and also if you have any strong or long-lasting special interests, such as a fandom, study subject, or hobby you are enthusiastically into. you dont absolutely need to know these things, but it will make it much easier to diagnose you, and help you feel more prepared for your appointment.

i feel it’s important to clarify though, while these are some of the more common, identifiable traits of autism, none of these exact traits i’ve mentioned are absolutely necessary to have in order to “count” as autistic, there is an incredible amount of variety in the ways autism can present, the many “symptoms” it can cause, and how different people are effected by the symptoms they experience, though i think the most common denominator between Autistics in my experience is just feeling like your brain works much differently than most people.

regardless of what traits you have, and how severely you experience them, visually obvious or seemingly small, your suspicions of autism can be and very often are still extremely valid. because it’s often right, many ASD communities recognize self diagnosis as being just as valid as a clinical diagnosis, and even if you aren’t autistic, getting properly evaluated will help you to understand yourself better. so there’s no shame in checking!

anyway, at the appointment, before you go in, they’ll have you fill out a questionnaire or two, mainly about your mental health, medical history, and social behaviors. then, you’ll go into the psychiatrist’s little office, and they’ll ask you about all these different traits i mentioned, it’ll be a lot of questions, but there’s no wrong answers. they’ll let you explain things you believe are related or feel wasn’t covered yet, and then they’ll check a few things about you physically, such as your reflexes, how your eyes track a moving point, other simple tests, and then they’ll test a few mental things like memory, and your ability to explain/understand the meaning of common sayings like “two birds with one stone.”

the appointment usually last about an hour, if you have a parent you feel comfortable with, it can be helpful to bring them as they can provide info about how others view your behavior, and details about your childhood, however it isn’t necessary. at the end, for me, the psychiatrist left for a moment to finish up my papers, and came back with the appointment summary, including my official Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis, and she told me a bit more about high functioning autism. she gave me some resources such as autism friendly education programs, good books about autism, and other helpful information/support, and said we’d have a follow up in a year to see how things are going. and that was it!

getting diagnosed was a very validating experience for me, and is a big step towards truly understanding yourself and your identity! if you’re a teen and want to get an appointment on your own, make sure to check your local laws on scheduling appointments, in some places you can schedule your own at 16, though the information is still sent to the parents usually, so be careful!

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Thank you so much for the question, Anon! hope my answer was helpful!

-if you have any other questions about autism, send me an ask! :D

[autisticoddity]

Autism Asks!

Hello! My name is Shane, I’m 19, I like writing, and at the start of 2020 I realized very suddenly that i have Autism. in an instant, I understood myself so much better, and lived so much happier, since then I’ve be clinically diagnosed with ASD, and I’ve learned so much, met so many amazing people, and I’ve noticed a huge problem.

The general public has a very small, usually inaccurate knowledge of what Autism actually is, and because of this, many people are late diagnosed or misdiagnosed, and don’t get the support and information they need to understand themselves or be understood until much later in life.

So in this blog, I aim to use asks to compile as much useful and concise information about Autism as I can, and clear up any misconceptions people may have about Autism, and you can help! ask me anything, (no such thing as bad questions!) and I’ll do my best to answer it using research and my own experiences with Autism.

Thank you!!! Ask me things please!!!