pigeon-cave

[pigeon-cave]

Honestly I think the thing people don’t understand about autistic people who hit their heads or headbang against things when they’re upset is that it is genuinely (often anyway—I don’t speak for everyone who does this) a self-soothing behavior. It’s not good for us, but in the moment, it feels like the only thing we can do that will help us regulate. It’s a form of stimming and the way to replace it is to find alternative safer stims, not yelling or violently intervening.

[pigeon-cave]

I remember skipping my 4th hour class nearly every day for the second semester one year because my 4th hour was gym first semester and I could go there and play and run and have fun because the teachers thought I was still in the class.

I loved gym class so much, more than any other class, including art class.

[pigeon-cave]

i wanna talk about body-focused pica

i struggle a lot with it

persistent urge to eat skin, nails, scabs, dandruff, boogers, eye crusties, etc etc etc. everything short of feces and urine which are not involved

i don't know if this is common but since both body focused repetitive behaviors are common and so is pica i would think maybe

it's really hard to control, even in public

[pigeon-cave]

PRACTICE URGE SURFING

[pigeon-cave]

many many many such cases

[pigeon-cave]

So it might be weird, but I haven't ever heard or saw any other person with autism have it- And all the blogs from Very Good and Reliable Doctors™ say the exact opposite of what I have, and I'm a bit desperate, so here's the thing.

I hate with all the fibres of my soul and brain and heart and astral projection, or whatever powers my poor body, when I'm too clean. Like, if I use too much soap, shampoo or scrub too much (aka more than the bare minimum), I'll hate everyone and myself for the next two days, willing to get dunked into the mud just to get rid of that feeling. Which is the exact opposite from being uncomfortable while feeling unclean – something all those sites say is one of the traits. Do you ever feel uncomfortable when you're too clean or maybe something similar?

Not quite the same thing, but one of my sensory needs is moisture. If my hands or feet feel too dry (like after washing my hands or showering and the water’s evaporated), I need to put lotion on them. So in a sense, if they feel “too clean” I need to put something else on them. Does that make sense? Everyone is different! I hope this is somewhat helpful!

[pigeon-cave]

🍯- do you stim? what are some ways you stim?

I do! Lots of ways, but here are a few:

- Tapping my chest

- Rocking (I do this one a lot)

- Touching/rubbing my hair

- Whistling under my breath

- Biting my lips/fingers (not great)

- Using things like weighted blanket, sensory lamp, stim tools etc!

[pigeon-cave]

autism ask game!

send an emoji to correspond to a question!! if you get asked something that you dont feel comfortable answering, you can always pass!

⏰- when were you diagnosed/when did you start suspecting you were autistic?

🌙- are you a morning person or a night person?

🎁- what’s your special interest(s)?

🍔- do you have sensory problems with food? what food do you like to eat?

🎧- what symptom(s) of yours is the hardest for you to deal with?

🦄- what do you excell at?

🍯- do you stim? what are some ways you stim?

🌡- do you prefer the heat or the cold? is one or the other stimmy? does one or the other cause sensory problems?

🌈- are you a part of the lgbt+ community? what is your lgbt+ identity?

🎢- what are some common phobias you have?

🎆- fireworks: yes or no?

💬- are you an introvert or an extrovert?

🍫- do you have a sweet tooth?

☕- do you regularly consume caffiene? do you find that caffeine helps manage your symptoms or makes them worse?

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦- do you have friends or family members with autism?

👕- what kind of clothes do you usually wear?

✏- do/did you like or dislike school?

💅- how do you usually practice self care?

and, just for fun,

❤- what’s your favorite color?

please only rb this post if you are autistic (self-dx friendly). obviously u can still send these asks if you’re nt tho!

[pigeon-cave]

it sucks that even todo lists get affected by the adhd 'absorption of stationary objects into their environment thus leading to effective invisibility' thing

[pigeon-cave]

Can anyone else literally not tell what “good acting” is in movies and tv shows. Like unless a performance is extremely wooden it seems good to me. And then someone else is like “yeah that was terrible acting”. How do people tell!!

[pigeon-cave]

"I don't know where the stereotype that autistic people can't lie came from" it came from an overgeneralisation of the reality that a lot of autistic people struggle to lie

"I don't know where the stereotype that autistic people can't understand humour came from" it came from an overgeneralisation of the reality that a lot of autistic people struggle with understanding many forms of humour

"I don't know where the stereotype that autistic people can't date/have sex came from" do we have to keep doing this? The generalisation is wrong but it's also wrong to deny it has anything to do with the realities of how autism works for many people.

[pigeon-cave]

Do any other autistic people find that losing objects and being unable to find them is one of the most triggering things for them? Luckily I don’t lose things often, I usually have a pretty good idea of where everything is ‘supposed’ to be, but when I can’t find something- no matter how unimportant it is- i get really agitated and tear apart my house looking for it. I won’t stop looking until I find it, or until it really clearly seems like I won’t. I have memories of being like this as a kid as well, and it being a common cause of my meltdowns.

[pigeon-cave]

To anyone with low social tolerance/skills and a good knowledge of animals: consider professional pet sitting! I’ve only been doing it for a few months but it’s literally such a good side job for me as an autistic person, I get to spend all day with animals, follow a repetitive pet care routine, and don’t have to talk to any humans.

[pigeon-cave]

Interesting to do!

I don't know who's the author of this bingo but this is just a small part of ASD spectrum, but really popular one

[pigeon-cave]

I’ve shared a little about this before — I agree that to a lot of people, myself included, autism doesn’t feel like a superpower. But to some people, particularly kids like my cousin, it can be encouraging to be told you are different in a positive way. She thinks it’s rad that we have the same “superpower” :)

I felt the same way when I read Percy Jackson as a tween and learned that the demigods had ADHD

So yeah, it’s an overused phrase, but I wouldn’t say I hate it

I hate the phrase that “autism is a superpower”. It hasn’t granted me any powers unless sensory issues, high anxiety, and social issues.

What are your thoughts?

[pigeon-cave]

Things I did by myself today without giving up:

Went to a doctors appointment in a building I’d never been to

Got blood and swab tests done

Went to a hospital I’d never been to for an x-ray

[pigeon-cave]

Can we stop using "still lives with their parents" or "unemployed" or "doesn't have a drivers license" or "didn't graduate high school" as an insult or evidence that someone is a bad person? Struggling with independence or meeting milestones is not a moral failing.