#And autism can make communication/understanding cues difficult sometimes

[gazspookiebear]

Thinking about waiting for Ghost to be ready for a relationship (kind of continued from this post

(Kinda angsty, self doubt/depreciating thoughts)

When you ask 'What are we?', he panics. He doesn't know. He isn't ready to be a boyfriend, to meet your parents, to open up about his life-

His internal monolog is interrupted by your hand on top of his own. He hadn't realized how anxious he must have appeared- sweaty, hands trembling, shallow breaths, the works. He felt like he was being strangled, and all of this was over a simple question. Why did he ever think he could do this?

You tell him it's okay. You tell him you don't need an answer now if he's not ready. You say that you're fine with the way things are, and if he isn't ready to move forward yet, you'll wait for him.

You tell him you'll always love him regardless.

The world might as well have stopped spinning, because you love him?

He wants to tell you he loves you too, but he's scared. He's still waiting for you to leave. For him to lose feelings. For this to all have been a huge waste of time, or for you to realize you deserve better as soon as he confesses how he really feels.

For a split second, he thinks about leaving. About ghosting you. Maybe even breaking up with you- but that would require him to admit there was something there in the first place. It felt like you had snaked your way around his heart and were squeezing with all your might.

God, he couldn't imagine himself without you. He felt like a fool, naive and childish all over again. Why were you so patient with him? Couldn't you see there was something rotting inside of him?

Once again, he's dragged out of his mind by your presence. You look worried. He can't fathom why you would be worried about him. Nonetheless, he squeezes your hand in return. A simple gesture, but it means the world to you. You know he's trying. You know he's fighting with himself and losing half the battles.

You're determined to win the war.

[cripplecharacters]

im thinking about making a character who is born autistic and Deaf, would she struggle with learning ASL/[sign language proxy in story universe] because of how important expressions/facial grammar is in ASL? im autistic and hearing but im learning asl in school and it's been very difficult for me to both maintain eye contact and also know when to do the right expressions, would that be something she'd be able to learn easier from birth? thank you!

Hi!

This really depends on the person and their specific autism traits and communication difficulties.

I am autistic and I don't have a lot of trouble following facial grammar in ASL, although I do often struggle with recognizing and interpreting emotion and expression generally, as well as making my own expressions.

ASL grammar has rules of what to do when. Eyebrow movements, pufffing out cheeks, and leaning/angling shoulders are all parts of certain signs and concepts. These rules are something I personally was able to pick up on.

I do sometimes forget, or do the wrong motion! I also rock back and forth a lot, and stim with my hands while I'm signing, which may get in the way of other people understanding. I haven't had too much of a problem though--people generally have understood that it's not part of my signing, just a part of me :) [smile face]

I haven't talked with many autistic people who learned ASL as a first language. However, language delays and difficulty learning language are common among autistic people, so I think it's likely that there are autistic Deaf people who struggle with ASL grammar because they struggle with language or with facial expressions, or who have motor control difficulties that make parts of signing and/or facial grammar physically hard.

Eye contact is important in Deaf culture to show listening, but there are other ways to do that too. There are lots of signs and gestures that are generic reactions, like how someone might say "mhm" to show they are still paying attention.

Eye contact isn't necessary 100% of the time either! Face and body are important to ASL grammar, so you definitely need to pay attention to a signer's face and body as well as their hands, but this doesn't require making eye contact. Facing the person, along with reaction signs, is usually enough.

I will add--facial grammar greatly enhances understanding, but signs alone still have meaning. A change in the "size" of expression can change the meaning of a sign by changing its intensity, or specific mouth shapes can indicate the use of a synonym, as examples. ASL is still understandable without perfect facial grammar. It may look choppy at first to native signers, but people who spend a lot of time with your character will get to understand their signing specifically.

Some other sign languages that are not ASL rely less on facial grammar. They may rely on size of the sign itself or other cues. An autistic character may still struggle with these, and have trouble replicating them.

This is really all to say: it depends greatly on the person. I don't think an autistic Deaf character's signing, if they signed with less facial expression or variation in signing size, would be significantly different to the "flat" or "unusual" affect that people often refer to autistic people's speaking voices with. However, an autistic person may still struggle with learning and conceptualizing sign language, or have physical difficulty reproducing signs.

Autism encompasses a huge spectrum of communication abilities, so you will need to decide what specifically your character struggles with before you can determine how they will sign.

Please feel free to ask more questions for specifics once you've decided more about your character!

Mod Rock

[clayderogatory]

hello and welcome to "the leon autism experience" where I, Clay, express the autistic traits that i believe are very heavily seen and coded within Leon's character + my own personal headcanons! This is mostly pulled from RE4R and RE2R!!

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One just right off the bat seems to be expressing emotions. To me at least, Leon doesn't really have a whole lot of facial expressions or a lot of change in tone. Sure he has his quips and remarks, but I feel like those are more of a sort of stim or coping mechanism for himself in these situations he is always put in. Like the best example I could give is if he was opening a gift on Christmas and he is mostly just blankly slated but he appreciates the gift. Something like that...or he sees the practicality of it and gives a simple "Thanks" before moving on.

Another big one I noticed is physical contact. I believe Leon tends to keep to himself, and he tends to stray away from people touching him or as such. Not to say that he would never ever want physical contact, cause there are moments where he will pat someone's shoulder or carry them, etc. But if there wasn't much of a reason to, I don't think he would. Especially with biohazard zombies grabbing him all the time, he might have a distaste for it because it could bring back the memory.

This is more of a personal headcanon but with his own personal life i think he would definitely tend to stick to a very strict internal schedule that he doesn't like to be disrupted. If he has a mission or work, he would prefer to know ahead of time unless it is an emergency call in where it may bother him but not to a crazy degree.

Food. He either is very bland with his taste or will eat anything at all. I tend to think he's more on the bland side but enough to sustain himself. Obviously because he's so fit he has to have at least some sort of caloric intake to maintain a diet, but I think he wouldn't stray far from the usual foods he would find appealing.

His tone may definitely come off as a little blunt sometimes, especially with his silly little "Okays" in important situations. His social cues may be a little off and especially with how awkward he is and can be, it doesn't help those specific situations.

Also, I think maintaining friendships would not be easy for him. Not only because of his job and work, but because I believe he's more of the person who would answer if someone else calls/texts him, but he would not go out of his way to do the same for others. And even then, he's very cut and dry with responses because communication in that way isn't easy for him. It may be too difficult to understand the tone or hard to visualize how someone would say a text out loud, so being in person or calling would be easier. He's also a bit of a lone wolf and probably prefers doing tasks or things on his own.

And lastly, I don't think he could communicate his feelings or emotions very well. He doesn't understand it enough to word it so he just stays quiet about it all until it gets bad enough where he unhealthily tries to cope with it (alcohol). On that note, maybe he partly abuses alcohol because it lessens his symptoms a bit, and for once he can feel a sense of 'normalcy' in his mind.

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and that's all! i hope that makes enough sense and if anyone has their own thoughts or ideas i would love to hear it :)

[its-murderous-business]

An Introduction to Nonverbal Learning Disorder

Happy disability pride month! I am celebrating by trying to educate people about my learning disorder, because it is one of the least known learning disabilities and deserves more recognition.

What is Nonverbal Learning Disorder?

Nonverbal Learning Disorder (also called Non-Verbal Learning Disability and other variations on the same name), often shortened to NLD or NVLD, is not a new concept, but the idea of it as its own diagnosis is relatively recent. A common misconception upon hearing the name is that people with NVLD are non-verbal, but this is not the case. The name essentially refers to the fact that people with this disability are affected in almost every area except verbal and language skills, where they often excel.

What areas can NVLD effect?

NVLD can take a lot of forms, and not everyone with it will be affected in every area, and other areas are also able to be affected this is just a general list:

- exceptional skills in the areas of comprehension (understanding) and production (ability to utilize) of verbal language. Basically, we are really good at reading, writing, speech, spelling, and have large vocabularies.

- difficulties with visual spatial processing skills. Fun fact, NVLD was briefly called Visual Spatial Processing Disorder! Visual spatial processing is a term that describes the process of seeing things and then understanding how they relate to one another in space.

- difficulties with understanding non-verbal forms of communication such as tone, facial expressions, gestures, metaphors and exaggerations, and (sometimes) context.

- difficulties with math, including arithmetic, fractions, geometry, telling time, pattern recognition, and much more. This can be very similar to dyscalculia.

- difficulties socializing (often presents similar to the social difficulties faced by autistic people)

- other miscellaneous neurodivergent traits such as hyperfixations, difficulty regulating emotions, distress when faced with change, sensory overload, motor skill and coordination deficits, attention deficits, and executive dysfunction

How does that affect people with NVLD on the day to day?

Let’s use me as the example. I love to talk to people but I often run into issues because I take things very literally, struggle to read social cues, and can have trouble connecting with others. Growing up I was always in advanced English and literature classes, but was in special education for math due to my extreme difficulties with it. I have a lot of trouble dealing with last minute changes in my plans and loud noises bother me A Lot.

I struggle greatly with visual spatial processing skills, specifically for me that can manifest as not knowing where my body is in space (causing me to bump into things a lot), difficulty navigating maps, struggles with knowing left from right, a complete inability to use the knowledge of how an object looks from one angle to visualize how it would look from another angle, and many other things.

NVLD can present in a number of different ways and affect different parts of peoples lives. I have multiple neurodivergent comorbidities which can make it difficult to tease the exact symptoms apart from one another, but there are plenty of articles online where people discuss their own experiences if you look for them.

Is NVLD in the DSM/an official diagnosis?

ehhhhh it’s complicated. NVLD is not currently it’s own differentiated diagnosis within the DSM-5, however it can be diagnosed (as it is with me) under the DSM-5 as Specific Learning Disorder with Impairment in Mathematics which serves as a sort of catch all for any learning disability that affects math or areas other than reading/writing.

NVLD as its own diagnosis is a relatively new idea, as historically it’s been lumped within other diagnoses (typically autism, adhd, or specific learning disability). However over the last 15 years and especially the last 5 years, there has been a significant increase in academic literature and acknowledgement of NVLD as its own distinct diagnosis. Columbia University has been conducting research on the disorder alongside the NVLD Project, which is the only organization that exclusively does advocacy, education, and research around NVLD. These groups are doing a lot of work to attempt to get NVLD classified as its own diagnosis in future editions of the DSM.

How common is NVLD? What causes it?

NVLD is uncommonly diagnosed due to lack of official DSM recognition, misidentification as other neurodiverse conditions, and lack of awareness of NVLD from neuropsych evaluators. However one study from earlier this year estimated that between 1-8% of children have NVLD depending on what diagnostic criteria is used.

There has been some early evidence that NVLD is the result of dysfunction in the right hemisphere of the brain or more specifically the inability of the right hemisphere of the brain to effectively communicate to the left hemisphere.

Why are you telling me all of this?

The majority of people do not know that NVLD exists, and as such those of us with this condition often get left out of neurodivergent and disability communities. I would like to be included in advocacy and understood by the community since we all face very similar challenges! I really encourage y’all to learn more about Non-Verbal Learning Disability

Here are some links to learn more!

From the Child Mind Institute

Psychology Today article

From ADDitude Magazine

Article from Very Well Mind

Medical News Today article

Learning Disorder Association of America article

From Learning Disability Association of Ontario

And of course the aforementioned NVLD Project website!

[mythicalcoolkid]

This disability pride month I wanna talk a bit about some ways my autism presents, because I feel like I don't personally see it talked about in current autism settings. I guess maybe because it seems kind of "old-fashioned?" Like a more stereotyped view of autism, that gets discounted a bit now in favor of more nuanced and varied views. But people with "stereotypical" autism still exist and I wanted to talk a bit about what that looks like

I'm very hyposensitive. I have very poor interoception (sensing internal sensations). I have a few areas I'm more sensitive in, like smell and hot surfaces/water, but overall I'm really underresponsive. I often can't tell:

if I'm hungry (meaning I chronically undereat)

if I need to use the bathroom

whether I'm hot or cold: I often dress inappropriately for the weather and have health problems

what emotions I'm feeling

if I'm sick or hurt: I've had serious health problems go untreated for years because I didn't notice them

how much time has passed: I have alarms that go off every hour and sometimes every 15 minutes because I can't keep track of time

if someone touches me

the difference between some foods: a lot of different foods taste or smell the same to me. I've tried and cannot learn the taste difference between chicken, turkey, and pork

how much force I'm using: I often drop things or pet animals harder than I should

The only exception to these is food taste/texture. I have ARFID, an eating/feeding disorder that makes a lot of foods difficult to eat to the point that I go without food entirely

My "reality sensor" is broken. It's really hard for me to internalize "safety truths" and understand that they apply

I eat food when it's no longer good

I have a hard time "fearing" germs a healthy amount

I over- or underestimate risk

I massively underestimate how much time things will take

I have trouble recognizing certain things

I'm faceblind (prosopagnosia): I can't recognize people without memorizing certain traits

I have aphantasia: I cannot visualize things in my head, at all. (I can hear things in my head exceptionally well though!) Because of this I can't easily memorize images, give directions or "improvise" routes, follow maps, imitate visual actions, or do many visual puzzles

I usually don't recognize wordplay in titles because it doesn't register to me the same way

telling if someone is laughing or crying

picking up on non-obvious cues and sarcasm

understanding what's appropriate in different contexts

telling where sound is coming from

noticing smaller changes

I "look autistic"

I rock back and forth in public

have a notably flat voice and facial expressions or they don't match how I mean to come across

sit on the ground in stores

sometimes need AAC to communicate

have shutdowns where I'm fully unresponsive

use language that makes sense to me, but not others

have meltdowns when forced to change tasks early and extreme distress with life changes

had an extremely strict routine growing up and had meltdowns with self-injurious stims if anything deviated. Similar meltdowns from things not going the way I meant continued into my 20s

if my approach to something isn't working, I'll often try the same approach over and over, like looking in the same place for something repeatedly

All the "stereotypical" autism things. Even if autism doesn't actually look a certain way, there is a specific look people associate with autism and I fit it. I'm sure people have thought my partner was my carer and in some ways he is. When I was 16 I expected to be living in an independent living facility as an adult, and it's only because I got on proper meds for my comorbid disorders that I'm not

Anyway, there's probably more I'm not thinking of, but I wanted to talk about my experiences a bit because I think some people view them as maybe an outdated view instead of a way that people actually experience autism. I'm open to answering questions.

Happy disability pride month everyone!

[delhimindclinic]

7 Powerful Characteristics of Autism to Empower Understanding

Introduction:

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental condition that affects individuals differently, presenting a wide range of traits and behaviors. These characteristics of autism often begin to show in early childhood and continue throughout a person’s life. Understanding the key characteristics of autism can help improve support systems, enhance communication, and foster better inclusivity for individuals with ASD.

Here are seven major characteristics of autism commonly associated with the condition:

1. Social Communication Challenges

One of the hallmark characteristics of autism is difficulty with social interactions. People with autism may struggle to engage in typical social cues, such as making eye contact, understanding body language, or maintaining a conversation. They may find it challenging to interpret emotions or respond appropriately in social situations. This doesn’t mean they don’t want to socialize, but the way they interact can be different from neurotypical peers.

2. Repetitive Behaviors and Restricted Interests

Many individuals with autism display repetitive behaviors, such as hand-flapping, rocking, or repeating certain words or phrases (echolalia). They may also develop intense interests in specific topics or activities, often becoming experts in their chosen subjects. These characteristics of autism are a common way for people with autism to cope with their environment and feel secure.

3. Sensory Sensitivities

Sensory processing difficulties are another key characteristic of autism. Individuals with ASD may be hypersensitive or hyposensitive to sensory stimuli such as lights, sounds, textures, or smells. For example, they might become overwhelmed in noisy environments or be particularly sensitive to certain fabrics or foods. Sensory sensitivities can significantly impact day-to-day life and may lead to behaviors like covering their ears, avoiding certain textures, or being selective about food.

4. Delayed or Atypical Language Development

Many children with autism experience delayed language development, while others may develop language in an atypical way. Some may begin speaking later than expected, and some might use language in non-conventional ways, such as repeating phrases out of context. In other cases, individuals may have advanced vocabularies but struggle with pragmatic language, such as knowing how to use speech for social purposes. For more information and resources about autism, you can visit the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

5. Difficulty with Change and Transitions

People with autism often thrive on routine and predictability. Changes in schedule, environment, or activities can be stressful and challenging for them. Even minor changes, like taking a different route to school or a shift in daily routines, may lead to distress or anxiety. Providing visual schedules, advance warnings of changes, and structured routines can help ease transitions for individuals with ASD.

6. Focus on Details

A common trait of individuals with autism is an exceptional focus on details. They may notice small, intricate details that others may overlook, whether it’s a pattern on the floor or a particular sound in the background. This ability to focus can be a strength, particularly in tasks that require attention to detail, such as coding, art, or collecting data. However, it may sometimes cause difficulty when trying to see the bigger picture.

7. Challenges with Empathy and Understanding Perspectives

While individuals with autism can and do feel emotions deeply, they may struggle to understand other people’s emotions or perspectives. This characteristic of autism, known as “Theory of Mind,” can make it hard for them to anticipate how others might think or feel in a given situation. This doesn’t mean they lack empathy, but rather that they interpret emotional cues differently, making it difficult to express or recognize empathy in traditional ways. For more information and resources about autism, you can visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

For those seeking the best autism treatment, consider visiting:

Delhi Mind Clinic

Dr. Sugandha Gupta

Dr. Paramjeet Singh

Conclusion

Understanding the diverse characteristics of autism is essential for creating an inclusive and supportive environment for individuals on the spectrum. By recognizing these traits and learning how to accommodate them, society can foster greater acceptance and understanding. With the right support, individuals with autism can thrive and lead fulfilling lives. For more information and resources about autism, you can visit the Autism Society

[gremlinarmand]

Having complicated thoughts and feelings about autism that I would like to communicate but feel weird directly telling anyone in my life so the thoughts live here now

I’m having to work with my therapist on learning to read body language because I just genuinely don’t see it. Like I see a person sitting but I don’t see anything being communicated. I can see it on tv mostly but in real life? There’s just no input at all nothing registers. And the thing is not being able to read body language or anything really means I’m left with just words and actions and the problem with words and actions is people say things they don’t mean and do things they don’t want to do and not even always cause they’re mean but sometimes it’s polite for some reason that I don’t understand and I guess it’s because I’m supposed to read the nonverbal cues to know what they really mean but haha I can’t. And so I never truly know how anyone feels or what they’re thinking. Even with the people I’m closest with that’s all based on trust that they say what they mean and don’t do things they don’t want to do because I do make a point when I’m getting close to someone to let them know I need them to do that. And the trust is great but it’s still like. There’s a missing piece and it makes me sad and a little scared sometimes. I don’t like that I’m missing something so important. I want to know how people feel so badly but most people don’t talk about their feelings directly and I know I’m missing out on this big part of them this big part of our relationship and what if I’m missing cues what if I’m missing that we’re friends but not the way I think we are or that we’re friends but I’m being annoying about something or that we were friends but they don’t want to keep up the relationship anymore and don’t know how to tell me because they want to be nice to me. Not that I’d want them to tell me I guess. Those conversations hurt so much and are so humiliating especially because they only happen when I’ve pushed someone to a breaking point by missing weeks or even months of cues. On the other side of that though what if someone likes me and wants to get to know me and I don’t know it. What if someone’s flirting with me and I don’t know it. What if someone loves me and I don’t know it. What if all the things about me that are so difficult and weird don’t bother my friends and they like all of me and I don’t know it. What if they’re sad about something and need comfort and I miss it or they’re stressed about something and I miss it or they’re excited and proud about something but I miss it. Its so hard to keep up relationships when you know you don’t have all the usual tools to treat people right and that even when you get it right you’re not getting to know everything about them that anyone else in the room can easily figure out. And even when you do know something it’s not the same. I think. I think other people can feel those things because they know other people feel them. For me it’s just a fact, something they’ve said maybe once or twice that I replay in my head over and over because I don’t get to experience seeing them feel those things. And probably with people I’m closer with I could ask for some kind of help or something. Like a cue I could understand better. But I hate having to do that I hate having to have so many deep conversations and check ins and thought and feeling dumps. I hate being so high maintenance. And I know the people who love me would say I’m not high maintenance but I am, to me. I do so much maintenance every day. It’s exhausting and all consuming and it’s really hard to imagine that other people see or feel anything else about me. And it sucks that I don’t get to develop relationships normally because it all has to be so formal and direct and I think people enjoy letting things develop naturally and discovering each others feelings and I miss out on that and take it away from the people around me too.

Anyways I feel like people dismiss not reading body language as just an awkward quirk of autism and not something that’s deeply painful and isolating and embarrassing and exhausting. And I wish it was okay to talk about the hard parts more.

[kickstarttherapy]

Boosting Child Development with Pediatric Occupational Therapy

Pediatric occupational therapy (OT) is a vital service for children with developmental delays, offering tailored support to help them achieve their fullest potential. As children grow, they encounter various developmental milestones. For some, these milestones can be challenging to reach due to physical, cognitive, or sensory difficulties. Pediatric Occupational Therapy steps in to bridge these gaps, fostering a child’s growth and independence.

What is Pediatric Occupational Therapy?

Pediatric occupational therapy is one of the specialized branch of therapy focused on helping children develop the skills they require to perform everyday activities. This includes all the tasks such as dressing, eating, playing, and learning. Pediatric Occupational therapists (OTs) work with children who have various developmental delays or disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder, even cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, sensory processing disorders, and more.

Benefits of Pediatric Occupational Therapy

Enhancing Fine Motor Skills

One of the primary goals of Pediatric Occupational Therapy OT is to improve fine motor skills. These are the small movements that involve the coordination of the hands and fingers with the eyes, such as picking up small objects, writing, or buttoning a shirt. Children with developmental delays often struggle with these tasks, which can affect their ability to perform daily activities and participate in school. Occupational therapists use a lot variety of exercises and activities to strengthen these skills, making tasks easier and more manageable for the child.

Improving Sensory Processing

Sensory processing is how your nervous system receives and interprets information from the senses. Children facing sensory processing disorders sometimes may be overly sensitive to stimuli such as light, sound, or touch. They may seek out intense sensory experiences. This can lead to difficulties in everyday environments, such as school or social settings. Pediatric OTs work with these children to develop strategies to manage sensory input effectively, helping them feel more comfortable and less overwhelmed.

Enhancing Social Skills and Play

Play is a crucial aspect of childhood development, offering opportunities for learning and social interaction. For children with developmental delays, engaging in play can be challenging. Pediatric occupational therapy focuses on improving social skills through play-based activities. Therapists help children learn to take turns, share, communicate with peers, and understand social cues, which are essential for building relationships and integrating into social settings.

Developing Self-Care Skills

Daily self-care activities, such as dressing, grooming, and eating, can be difficult for children with developmental delays. These tasks require motor skills, coordination, and cognitive abilities. Occupational therapists provide step-by-step guidance and practice to help children become more independent in their self-care routines. It not only boosts their confidence at the same times reduces the burden on caregivers.

Supporting Cognitive Development

Cognitive development involves thinking, learning, problem-solving, and memory. Children with developmental delays may struggle in these areas, affecting their academic performance and daily functioning. Pediatric OTs incorporate activities that stimulate cognitive skills, such as puzzles, memory games, and problem-solving tasks. By strengthening these skills, children can better navigate their educational environment and daily life challenges.

Encouraging Emotional Regulation

Children with developmental delays often experience difficulties with emotional regulation, leading to frequent meltdowns or behavioral issues. Occupational therapist work on emotional regulation techniques, helping children recognize and manage their emotions effectively. This can include strategies like deep breathing exercises, creating a calming sensory environment, or using visual supports to understand feelings. Improved emotional regulation helps children participate more fully in school and social activities.

The Role of Parents and Caregivers

Parents and even caregivers play a vital role in the success of pediatric occupational therapy. Therapists often work closely with families to provide guidance and support, ensuring that therapeutic strategies are reinforced at home. This collaboration enhances the effectiveness of therapy, as consistent practice and reinforcement are key to achieving developmental goals.

Home-Based Activities

Occupational therapists often provide parents with activities and exercises to do at home. These activities are designed to complement the work done in therapy sessions and help maintain progress. For example, a therapist might suggest games that improve Fine Motor Skills or sensory activities that help with regulation. Engaging in these activities at home can make therapy more effective and integrate therapeutic practices into the child’s daily routine.

Bottom Line

Pediatric occupational therapy offers numerous benefits for children with developmental delays, supporting their growth and independence across various domains. By enhancing fine motor skills, improving sensory processing, developing social skills, fostering self-care abilities, supporting cognitive development, and encouraging emotional regulation, occupational therapy helps children overcome every challenges and reach their full potential. For parents and caregivers, partnering with occupational therapists and incorporating therapeutic activities at home can significantly contribute to their child’s progress. In this way, pediatric occupational therapy not only transforms the lives of children but also strengthens the support system around them, fostering a brighter future for all.

[phonologix-1]

Special communication challenges: Boys with autism and speech delay 

When considering the intersection of autism, speech delay, and gender, it is essential to explore communication challenges specifically that boys may encounter. Let's explore these unique barriers and their implications for intervention, combined with the expertise of speech therapist. 

Boys with autism who are slow to speak often have communication difficulties, which may be different from the difficulties experienced by girls. One of the main concerns is the manifestation of repetitive and restricted behaviors, which can sometimes overshadow the development of language skills. This means that although boys may have the ability to communicate, they may have difficulty expressing themselves effectively due to repetitive speech or limited vocabulary. 

Additionally, boys with autism may have difficulty with pragmatic language skills, such as understanding social cues and engaging in back-and-forth conversation. They may have difficulty initiating and maintaining interactions with friends, leading to social isolation and difficulty forming friendships. Additionally, boys may have difficulty with nonverbal communication, such as interpreting body language and facial expressions, making social interactions even more difficult. 

These communication challenges unique to boys with autism and speech delays have important implications for intervention strategies. Speech-language pathologists play an important role in overcoming these barriers by providing appropriate interventions to improve communication skills and language development. Through individual therapy sessions, speech therapists can target specific areas of need, such as improving social communication skills and expanding vocabulary. 

Additionally, collaboration between speech-language pathologists, parents, and educators is critical to implementing effective intervention plans and promoting skill generalization in contexts. By working together, stakeholders can create a supportive environment that promotes language development and social interaction for boys with autism and speech delays. 

In summary, understanding the distinct communication challenges faced by boys with autism and late speech is essential for designing targeted intervention approaches. By recognizing these unique barriers and leveraging the expertise of speech-language pathologists, we can help boys with autism develop the communication skills needed to develop. 

[sailor-cerise]

[...] early negative symptoms of schizophrenia can sometimes be indistinguishable from symptoms of autism. Early social withdrawal, flattened affect, poor eye contact, communication problems and restricted speech, odd behaviours and psychomotor abnormalities might be among those shared symptoms. However, in schizophrenia, there is often a noticeable exacerbation of pre-existing developmental deviance in the year or two before the first psychotic episode. In keeping with this, some authors have suggested that prodromal symptoms of schizophrenia can be easily misdiagnosed as ASD. The language difficulties in ASD and schizophrenia (e.g. restricted dialogue, poverty of speech or neologisms) can also easily be confused

[...] Both groups often show difficulty in recognising social cues, in understanding irony, humour, metaphors and proverbs, and in identifying emotions or intentions in other people. In social situations these difficulties can lead to confusion, paranoid interpretations and inappropriate reactions that can make it difficult for these individuals to forge and sustain friendships or social relationships. They can also show deficits in awareness of self and others and in the ability to make an accurate evaluation of reality, of the emotional content of social scenes/situations and of their inner states

From this article (or more friendly text)

Of course autism, ADHD and schizophrenia are different disorders with noteworthy differences, but it's not like autism and schizophrenia have less in common than autism and ADHD do - and the autism and ADHD communities are in some ways overlapping and there is just not a good reason to exclude schizophrenia from that solidarity

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

hi!! i’ve been wondering if i’m autistic for nearly two months now, though i have pondered about this before in the past. i’ve come up with a list of symptoms and traits that i portray, and i sorta talked to my mom about autism. she asked me if i thought i had autism, and i responded with yes and that i suspected it, but i can’t say that i think i have it because i’m not someone who can officially diagnose it. anyways, my mom said she’s going to do some research on autism (which is a big WOOHOO moment for me :DD), and we may even try to get an assessment!? (the cost worries me, though)

but that’s all just background information i wanted to share, my real question is that do you have any websites/etc. that have information on autism and how it can present, traits and symptoms and all? it would be extremely helpful to my mom (and me) with our research and greatly appreciated! ^^ thanks!

Hi there,

I found an informative article that goes over these traits of autism in detail:

Verbal communication

Nonverbal communication

Developing relationships

Repetitive behaviour and interests

Sensory sensitivities

I found another source that lists some more characteristics/traits:

People with less severe ASD are able to talk and learn. But they may have trouble:

expressing feelings. They may seem cold and distant.

understanding the feelings of others. They may ignore or misunderstand how other people might feel or behave in a situation.

reading social cues. They might not understand body language or facial expression; they stand too close; they ignore signs of boredom or frustration.

handling sensory information. Loud noises, bright lights, or crowds may bother them.

handling a new routine. It might be hard for them to sit in a different seat or having a substitute teacher.

Some might get get super-focused on a single topic or hobby, some of which may be unusual (apple varieties, World War I).

I found another article going over theses characteristics:

Sign #1:��Communication Difficulties

Sign #2: Repetitive Behaviors And Routines

Sign #3: Social Interaction Challenges

Sign #4: Sensory Sensitivity

The article goes on to say:

Teens with autism that have a picky taste for eating are at high risk of being underweight or developing eating disorders in worse-case scenarios.

Another symptom is tics, such as the aforementioned hair pulling. Tics are done as a distraction to keep thoughts away from what's going on at any given moment when their presence in a setting isn't wanted. Boredom may lead to tics but are more severe, even resorting to injury in the most serious cases.

In these instances, the severity of them may pass when there's therapy given, especially throughout one's childhood.

I hope these sources help you and your mother and I wish you the best of luck.

Thank you for the inbox. I hope you have a wonderful day/night. ❤️

[fierceawakening]

“sometimes i feel like people on here wanna boil down actual serious, often frightening psychiatric conditions to something akin to a star sign.”

That, yes.

Even with autism sometimes it’s strange. When I worked in peer support I had families call me now and then and say things like “my son hits. He’s six feet tall now. It isn’t safe for me to give him care, but everyone quits when he hits them. How do I solve this problem?”

The standard line is “behavior is communication,” and I strongly believe this is absolutely true. But whether someone progressed to hitting because his parents didn’t read subtler cues or he’s just always been like that… someone whose usual response to things is physical violence isn’t just quirky, but dangerous.

Hopefully you can decode the communication in the behavior and the person will de-escalate in response… but what do you do when you’ve tried and failed? How many times do you have to fall to prove you really tried?

Not everyone is like that, and focusing only on people who are is awful… but some are, and “look over there!” has never struck me as a great response.

The other thing that’s scary to me is “why do we need police when we have social workers?” I am not a social worker, so I could be wrong on this, but I’ve talked to people who are often, and I really don’t think four more years of school would make a huge difference. A small one, sure. A huge one, no.

I get that social workers are less likely to use force than police and that’s the actual point. I think defaulting to force is horrible and wrong.

But I’m not at all convinced that four years or so of training, even if it’s really damn good training, makes people magically know the answer to people being wildly unreasonable.

Reason is HOW we understand each other. When you remove that… I can say from experience it makes effective communication extremely difficult.

It’s hard to get across just HOW difficult in words, actually.

The more I work at the shelter the more I think a lot of people on tumblr are… weirdly invested in a way of thinking and talking about psychosis that makes it sound like a weird quirk everyone should just kind of know how to deal with

I was just assessing someone for eligibility for housing programs and had to repeatedly clarify “so did this happen in your current life, or was this back in the 1930s in a different life when you ran afoul of the newly created FBI?”

Im not saying this to say this person was frightening, or that I couldn’t handle it, or something. “Which one of your lives was this?” did the trick most of the time, after all.

But… I dunno. I get this vibe from a lot of posts that it’s supposedly mostly just like having some weird beliefs, and… what I see seems to impair people considerably more than just “Oh, Sheila remembers the 1930s, isn’t that interesting?”

[jentasticart]

Aww Chuo is so cute, I like him! What's his personality and what does he like? I'm curious. Also, I really like ur art :)

sorry for taking a bit to respond to this, wifi is being a pain in the butt- 😭

Personality:

Chuo's personality is sweet, kind and tries to get along with everybody. he's also such a himbo, he sometimes doesn't understand some things like social cues, some sayings and jokes, if you were to text him he definitely would need tone tags to know how you mean it to sound. he's also the type to be mute when upset/sad/annoyed, etc. he doesn't curse often but sometimes one slips out from time to time or if you do something that would really make him angry (that is kind of hard to do though)

this video below actually shows how he's like pretty well :3

at first he might have a little difficult time communicating cus he's would be worried what to say and not to say to certain responses but once he knows you very well, he will be more open to how he is to you.

Likes:

he likes Sonic stuff; like the games, comics, toys, basically everything Sonic, he knows about it a lot. his other likes are drawing, listening to his favorite music, rhythm games like DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) but mainly plays that with a keyboard or controller. once you mention something he hyper fixates on, he can talk about it for hours with you if he could.

his favorite safe food is chicken nuggets and only would eat them if they were cooked in the oven to make them crispy. he doesn't like foods that can change flavor and texture, especially stringy/hairy textured foods.

he's actually based on some of my traits and experiences with my autism :)

thank you, I'm glad you like him and my art!^^ I'll be posting my other OCs later here :)

[birdofmay]

hi i hope you r doing well I hope it’s ok to ask but i don’t know what support need/level I fit into could u help give any advice/insight?. I read over everything in your pinned but I’m still stuck bc I’m worried to label myself wrongly. can u help at all? I am open to any thoughts u have.. can u relate to my experience at all as a higher support autistic?

I feel like my sensory issue are severe and interfere w my ability to wear most clothes and just daily life stuff, I feel very overwhelmed and broken by change, struggle so much with driving that it’s dangerous, can struggle to process things and do it slowly, I am verbal but have loss episodes and in general barely talk bc social/communication issues,

very difficult to maintain and make relationships, I don’t know if I mask or not bc I feel like even if I were to try to I still seem autistic and mess it up despite some people telling they think I’m high functioning(but then turn around and tell me I’m r slur bc of my autism behaviors), I struggle with hygiene and eating drinking bc I don’t feel the cues or bc of executive dysfunction pain fatigue or sensory issues,

I have motor/pain/muscular issues (mobility worsening and affecting my ability to do things like go up stairs and walk) and I do occupational therapy and it does cause me to not be able to do certain things myself like wash/do my hair and Its a struggle to shower my body too, cannot exercise either bc of POTS

I can go in public but I do it with people bc the surroundings seem overwhelming, I do not have a job currently and I know it would be so hard on me but I am going to college and eventually will be forced to get one, struggle to use utensils to eat and struggle with tasks/instructions when not done right in front of me 1on1 like a million times, I have a lot of stims and a lot of harmful to myself ones, often info dumping about special interest

I can’t handle/fully understand money/taxes/bills, it’s hard for me to prepare meals, struggle to eat much bc of GI issues and jaw fatigue, do laundry, and manage chores, and manage medications, extreme issue with organization, learning disabled, get overwhelmed/meltdown/shutdown very easily

I’m not sure what else to add to take into consideration (can u give ideas) or how to tell which level and support need this fits as .. like I guess I’m not low support bc I do need help with BADLS as I mentioned but I I don’t know if it’s wrong of me to say I’m high support or medium support or a flux of both?.. and have no idea with “levels” I was dx with a level but feel like it’s incorrect .. and based on what I said which BADLS and IADLS do I need help with and how many is that? It’s confusing :(

Here's the relevant section of my FAQ post

"I don't know what support needs I'd be considered!"

Do you have care needs? No? Then you're not high support needs, you're most likely low or low-to-mid support needs.

My country re-assesses my support needs regularly; if you're medium or high support needs and weren't medically neglected your whole life, you'd normally know that you're medium or high support needs already, because that's tested (if you're not sure, check the documents). But testing is different from country to country.

Unless, of course, something happened recently that you now suddenly need a lot of help, definitely more than before. In this case there likely wasn't any testing yet. But in that case I can't help you either, because I don't test you.

Note because this still is a common misunderstanding: The DSM-5 says for example "Autism level 1: Requires support", but the support that's meant there has nothing to do with the support needs we're talking about in this and in the linked post. It's a little unfortunate that both say "support" because people always think it's the same when it really really isn't ☝🏼

I feel like you're mixing up autism levels and support needs still, because the first part of what you wrote (sensory issues, social stuff) is relevant for your level, but not for a support needs/care level assessment.

Maybe read the linked post and the support needs post (linked within the linked post) again but pay attention to the "Who determines if you're low, medium or high support needs (if you have support needs)?" post this time 🤔

Autism levels are given to you by professionals and not to be "guessed" - that's why I don't know what level I'd be considered (we don't have levels), and don't even further think about what level I'd be because I simply don't have a level. You can disagree with the level of course, but when talking about levels you then don't say "I'm level [guessed level]", but "I was diagnosed level [diagnosed level] but think I'm actually higher/lower".

Same goes for support needs. Not "I'm [guessed support needs]" but "I'm [assessed support needs]" or "I think I'm somewhat [guessed support needs]".

It's not a handy personality test self-categorization thing. It's something that's tested. By professionals. Only.

[chaoticneurodivergent]

Signs that you might have undiagnosed autism

For those who are questioning whether they may/may not be autistic, here is a list of possible signs/symptoms that you could be autistic. I broke them up into categories so they're easier to analyze.

Social:

You find eye contact uncomfortable or painful, or find that eye contact distracts you from conversation and is difficult to maintain

You find that social interaction takes a lot of planning, thought, and effort, and as a result it can be very draining

You've always felt different from other people - you may have thought when you were younger that you were a different species or there was something wrong with you or everyone else

You've often been the target of bullying, teasing, etcetera and you don't know why

You feel like you're not getting something that everyone else is or you're on a different wavelength

You struggle to pick up on social cues or things that are implied, instead relying on direct communication, and you wonder why people have to be so subtle and confusing

You get burned out or tired in social situations quickly

You find yourself memorizing scripts for how to engage in small talk rather than going with the flow and just conversing

People often say that you're rude or disrespectful and you don't understand why

You don't understand why people can't just say what they mean instead of hinting all the time

You struggle to read tone of voice and facial expressions

You often miss sarcasm or jokes that everyone else gets go over your head

You like to talk about facts in conversation rather than people or smalltalk (for example, sharing facts about a topic you're interested in VS. talking about your day)

You've often wondered why you can't fit in

Special Interests:

You often have one particular thing or a few particular things at any given time that you are very interested in, think about constantly, and want to talk about over everything else

People often tell you you're going on and on about the same thing

You are most passionate and happy when you're researching or engaging with an interest of yours (for example, learning about penguins or playing a video game you're interested in)

You want to connect with people over interests rather than traits, and you're drawn to smalltalk about facts rather than emotions or personal stories

When you're interested in something , you involve it in everything else and try to find ways to work it into all aspects of your life, or you get upset when you can't engage with it

Routine/Structure:

You rely on sameness to function - change is very stressful to you

You like to follow a strict routine, either of specific times or specific activities (e.g. I eat a specific brand of chocolate pudding in my specific chair once a day)

People tell you you need to be more flexible

You like to eat the same foods over and over, watch the same movies over and over, or listen to the same song on repeat

Familiarity is more satisfying to you than novelty

Sensory:

You cannot handle loud noises, bright lights, crowds, being touched, or any other high sensory input (it can be any one of these, not necessarily all of them)

You sometimes feel understimulated and seek out deep pressure (weight on you, tight hugs, etc.)

You sometimes feel overloaded with sensory input and need to go into a quiet place alone to calm down

If you can't go to a quiet place during these moments, you may either shut down (have trouble speaking, moving, etc.) or meltdown

You like to "stim" by doing any of the following:

Singing, repeating words over and over,. making noises, or otherwise creating noise (vocal/auditory)

Looking at bright lights or sparkly, bright, shiny, etc. things

Tapping, clapping, hand flapping, wiggling or making motions with your fingers, rubbing or touching something with a nice texture (tactile)

Spinning, jumping, balancing (vestibular)

Putting things in your mouth or chewing on things (oral)

You sometimes don't notice pain / notice you have scratches or bruises and don't know where you got them from (nociceptive hyposensitivity)

Other Common:

You can hear well, but have difficulty interpreting words / processing sound and understanding what people are saying (auditory processing difficulties)

You have synesthesia (sensory crossover - tasting sound, hearing sound, tasting colors, colors for letters and numbers, spatial locations for days of the week or months, there are many types)

You have little empathy and have trouble connecting with others' feelings

Alternatively, you have a lot of empathy, more than the average person, and you feel others' feelings very intensely

You have been diagnosed with ADHD (commonly comorbid + also often misdiagnosed instead of autism, especially in girls)

You have poor coordination, either in gross motor skills, tasks like sports, not bumping into things etc., and fine motor skills, handwriting etc., if this is a particularly significant difficulty for you this may even be dyspraxia or dysgraphia, which have high comorbidity

You have very uneven skills, aka great difficulty in one area with great skill in another

You have difficulty with executive functions - planning, working/short term memory, organization, difficulty starting a task or switching tasks, difficulty following multiple directions (do this then this)

Alternatively, when you get focused on a task you can stay focused on one thing for hours and hours and be so sucked into it you notice nothing else

If you relate to a lot of these, that is definitely not a diagnosis, but you definitely might want to do some research. This is not a diagnostic list in any way. Informed self diagnosis should involve doing a lot of research and spending time in the community to see if you relate and feel like this explains you or this is where you fit in.

Good luck!