#allistic

[oscar-schnee]

SINCE Y’ALL DON’T SEEM TO UNDERSTAND THIS

Allistic is not a slur or an insult. It’s not meant to say that people that aren’t autistic are “other” or “wrong”. It’s a word because it’s easier to say than “people who don’t have autism”. Same with neurotypical or cisgender or heterosexual or anything else like that.

[salti-thelatediagnosedautist]

The beginner autistic guide to common terms in our community (with extra context!).

*Disclaimer, I’m not a professional. This is just knowledge from my experience as an autistic person. Please feel free to correct anything :)

These definitions will include some of my own opinions and thoughts, especially on the more controversial terms. This is simply to help better prepare new autistic community members for conversations they become engaged in. Having all the perspective and context you can have can be very helpful when moving into new social spaces.

Autism (Or Autistic Spectrum Disorder, ASD): A neurodevelopmental disorder that is present from very early childhood. It’s mostly recognised through difficulties with social interaction and restricted and/or repetitive behaviours. The way it is referred to as “Autism Spectrum Disorder” is specifically referring to the fact that autism presents in countless ways. There are common traits and patterns, but the severity and complexity of those traits and symptoms is infinite.

NOTE: This does not mean that ‘everyone is a little bit autistic’. You are either autistic or you are not. It just means that if you have autism, it may present very differently to other autistic people you know.

Asperger’s Syndrome: Asperger’s syndrome is usually considered an older term for a ‘subtype’ of autism. The term is considered outdated by the DSM-5 and no longer used in that document. However it is still used in a lot of other countries. Now it is becoming more socially known that ‘Asperger’s syndrome’ is just a specific presentation of autism. Many autistics don’t like the use of the word ‘Asperger’s’ because of a couple reasons:

The term has a long history with NAZI’s and eugenics.

The term seems to basically mean ‘high functioning’ autistic, which simplifies the condition.

Asperger’s Syndrome is defined in a very similar way to autism, however people with “Asperger’s’ may be described as ‘gifted’ or ‘intellectual’.

It’s important to note that many people still identify themselves with the term ‘Asperger’s’. While it is good to be educated and up to date with terminology, some people have identified with this term their whole life and it’s not wrong to use the term for one-self. But either way, I do encourage you to do more research if you are comfortable.

Neurotype: Can be basically defined as the type of brain function one has. Some people consider autism a neurotype, and then neurotypical as another neurotype. However, many people claim that autism is ‘just another neurotype’. This is a harmful way of thinking about autism because autism is a disability. Labelling it as a ‘neurotype’ belittles all the struggles autistic people have that make them disabled. Autism is a spectrum and so some autistic people may not really consider themselves disabled, but many do.

Neurotypical (NT): A non-autistic person with no other mental conditions.

Allistic: A non-autistic person who can still have other mental conditions, such as depression or ADHD.

Neurodivergent (ND): Traditionally ‘Neurodivergent’ has been used to mean either autistic or ADHD. However in some contexts it is used to mean someone with any mental condition, including personality disorders or mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety.

Neurodiversity: a term used to describe the fact that there are many neurotypes in the world. It is used to imply that differences in brain development and function should be accepted as relatively normal. I think this is a good sentiment, but that some neurotypes should still be considered disabilities as well as a neurotype, so as not to diminish the struggles specific neurotypes go through.

High functioning/Low functioning: The labels of functioning are terms used to describe how independent an autistic (or other kind of disabled) person is able to be. Many autistics do NOT like the use of these terms for a couple reasons:

It tends to focus on the way an autistics disability affects the allistic people around them.

It simplifies the experience of the individual with autism to how independent they are, and is also not very descriptive for anyone trying to help the said autistic person.

High needs/Low needs: These are labels used to describe how much assistance an autistic (or other kind of disabled) person may need. It is slightly preferred by autistic people as the language is more centred to what the autistic person needs, rather than how independent they can be.

NOTE, many autistic people would argue that these terms are basically the same as high functioning and low functioning. I personally consider it to be best to just state someones highest needs or difficulties. For example “Olivia is nonverbal and highly sensitive to light and noise.”.

Masking: Masking is the act of hiding ones autistic traits to appear to be neurotypical. Masking is often a survival strategy developed by autistics to evade bullying or isolation. Masking can include suppressing the urge to stim, forcing oneself to make eye contact, learning how to ‘properly’ execute facial expressions, studying body language, etc. Masking can be an extremely vital skill for autistic people, but when an autistic person has to mask for long periods of time it can lead to negative consequences such as burn out or meltdowns. Masking can also be used in the context of other disabilities, such as ADHD.

Scripting: Scripting is a form of masking, when an autistic person pre-plans or practices responses or entire conversations. You may have a script you unconsciously follow for questions like “how are you?” Or “how is work?”, etc. It may be inspired from TV shows, movies or observing other people interact.

Burn out: Burn out is when an autistic person reaches their limit and has decreased energy for an extended period of time. Burn out may last anywhere between a couple days or a few years. Burn out is often caused by excessive masking, but can also be caused by repeated rejection, bullying or other mental conditions. Burn out is not the same as depression, but it can co-exist with depression.

Meltdown: A meltdown is when an autistic person experiences what might look like a ‘tantrum’. The person may be very angry, yelling, punching or hitting things (or themselves). They may be aggressively stimming or humming to themselves. A meltdown, internally, feels as if you are completely filled with negative energy, as if you might burst. It can feel like extreme irritation, or anger, or shame. Meltdowns can be caused by any number of stressful situations. For an autistic person this can be having a lot of social events, their routine being disrupted, having to eat foods they don’t like, being overstimulated, or even just negative social interactions.

Shutdown: A shutdown is very similar to a meltdown, in how it can be caused. For me personally, I tend to have a shutdown if I am not in a safe place to have a meltdown. From the outside it looks very similar to dissociation, and it can co-exist with dissociation. It typically feels like you are shutting down, turning off. You emotions were about to burst and then you just went numb. You may be unable to move, or go non-verbal. You may be crying quietly or you may simply just very suddenly feel the need to go home.

NOTE: Meltdowns and shutdowns can appear to feel like a panic attack, but they are different. Panic attacks come from intense feelings of dread or doom. Meltdowns and shutdowns come from repeated, or intense, stressful situations for an autistic.

Hypersensitive: Hypersensitivity is when the brain processes sensory input (such as touch, taste and smell) as much more intense than a neurotypical person would. This can mean that a slight cold breeze may feel painfully cold. Or looking outside a window can hurt ones eyes because it feels too bright. Or having to wear specific textures to stay calm.

Hyposensitive: Hyposensitivity is the opposite of hypersensitivity. It is when your brain inteprets sensory input as much less intense than a neurotypical would. Ways this can present in an autistic person include not realising when they hurt themselves, having a high pain tolerance, being unaware of temperature changes, etc. You may also not recognise your bodies hunger cues, dehydration or need for sleep.

NOTE: An autistic person can experience both hypersensitivity and hyposensitivity. It can also fluctuate day-to-day.

Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD): SPD is basically the term for experiencing lots of variation in your sensory input. It is similar to Auditory processing disorder. Which is where your hearing is technically fine (you aren’t any form of deaf), but you have trouble distinguishing what specific sounds are, or listening to one, important sound, in an area with lots of different noises (for example, being unable to understand what someone is saying next to you, because the TV is on.)

Overstimulation: This is when an autistic person has been experiencing too many different sensations at once, or for an extended period of time. This may be caused by too many noises happening at once. Or even just one annoying sound repeating for a long time. It can also be triggered by touch, taste, sight and smell.

Executive function/dysfunction: Executive function is the term used to describe how the brain initiates tasks. For neurodivergent folk, our executive function is often dysfunctional. This means we can often find it difficult to start new tasks. A way you may experience it is when you are sitting down, you may be screaming internally that you need to go and get some food, but your body seems unwilling to co-operate. Having executive dysfunction does not mean you are lazy, or do not want to do the task, it means you may be unable  to do the task.

Autistic intertia: Autistic inertia is related to executive dysfunction, because it is a term that helps describe how autistic people struggle to switch or initiate tasks. “ An autistic at rest remains at rest, and an autistic in motion remains in motion”.

Special interest/Hyperfixation: A special interest is a extremely long term interest/obsession with a particular topic. An example might be being really into pokemon. Learning all the different types of pokemon, playing all the games and collecting heaps of merch. A hyperfixation is a more short-lived interest that can be destructive in it’s severity (for example, it might get so extreme that it’s the only thing you can think about, to the point where you neglect your needs). Special interests are less likely to be destructive. But hyperfixations can be healthy and normal too.

Stimming: Stimming or self stimulation is the act of doing repetitive movements to help self regulate. Stimming can look like spinning, chewing, flapping hands, dancing, foot tapping, pen clicking, touch soft fabrics, using weighted blankets, lighting candles, eating crunchy snacks, etc. All of these forms of movement or repetitive sensory input can help us regulate our emotions better, prevent a meltdown or shutdown, or focus on a task easier.

NOTE: Echolalia is another term you may hear. It is a form of stimming in which an autistic person repeats sounds/phrases over and over.

ADHD: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder like autism, but it affects the brain in different ways. It often presents as having difficulties with paying attention, regulating emotions and hyperactivity (or, alternatively, it can present as being inattentive).

Savant or Savant syndrome: A condition when someone with some type of significant mental disability is an expert/’savant’ in a particular field, to the point of surpassing neurotypical experts. An example might be having photographic memory, or being able to learn languages extremely easily, or being an extraordinary mathematician. Autistic people often don’t like to hear the term ‘savant’ as we are often only valued by ‘society’ if we are savants. And if we are not, then we are often treated as lesser. This is kind of a form of eugenics.

Eugenics: Eugenics is a philosophy or belief that we can selectively breed humans to ‘improve’ humanity. Or create the ‘perfect race’. This was an idealogy practiced by Adolf Hitler during WWII, which lead to the holocaust. Eugenics is often a subtly underlying philosophy behind many statements that, on face value, seem relatively harmless. For example - “autism is the next step in evolution” is currently a popular statement. However, this implies that every other neurotype is not an improvement, which therefore implies that being autistic is superior. This would be considered a form of eugenics. Eugenics is considered a horrible philosophy because it encourages people to look down on others and dehumanise anyone not like themselves.

Co-morbidity: A co-morbidity is the term used for a condition that is regularly seen in conjunction with another condition. For example, autism and ADHD are often seen together. However, it can also be used to simply describe someone who has more than one condition (physical or mental).

AuDHDer: Someone with autism and ADHD. Just a shortened way to refer to people with both disabilities.

Selective mutism/Situational mutism: When an autistic person (or other neurotype) experiences periods of being unable to speak or communicate. This can often occur in stressful situations, like before tests or during doctors appointments. It is officially referred to as ‘selective mutism’ but many are trying to change it to ‘situational mutism’ as the individual does not willingly choose when they go non-verbal.

Alexithymia: Alexithymia is typically described as the inability to define and/or describe ones emotions. So you may often feel a type of discomfort, but not be able to label what it is. Not being able to distinguish between anger and irritability. Or not knowing if you feel sad or confused. It can make seeking professional help for many conditions really difficult, as you are unable to put your experience into words. It can also be similar to hyposensitivity in the way that it makes it difficult to understand what you body is feeling.

Dyspraxia: Dyspraxia is a disorder that affects co-ordination, movement and balance. It can make things such as sports, driving, cooking and writing difficult. It is fairly common in autistic people.

Prosopagnosia: The inability to recognise/remember faces. It is more common in autistic people.

Synesthesia: Synesthesia is when one form of sensory input is sometimes also experienced as another. For example, someone with this condition may see colours when they hear someones name. They may hear a song and get a taste in their mouth. This is also more common in autistic people.

FINAL NOTE: Autism is a spectrum and you may not experience all of these different terms, or you may not experience them in the way I described them. That does not mean you aren’t autistic. This is not a diagnostic tool. This is simply a guide to learning the terms you may often hear when discussing autism.

[embodiedfutures]

Do you pledge to promote autism acceptance and overcome your prejudices? 

Click here for over 1,000 free social justice, mental health, and academic resources. Please share to help make education and activism accessible.

Image Description Below.

Why you should be promoting autism acceptance, not awareness  by @bfpnola

Autism Acceptance

What's the difference between autism awareness and acceptance?

According to the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, "Awareness is all about creating a sense of urgency and fear. Awareness efforts present us as a problem to be solved, and yesterday. Awareness operates in stereotypes and soundbites, not real people. Awareness has no substance; it is but a tool to earn more money to fix us and to promote yet more awareness."

Instead, acceptance should be promoted. Acceptance takes work and understanding. Acceptance isn't just another fearmongering and money-hungry tactic for corporations to trap us within.

Continuing, "To accept us, people first need to acknowledge us as individuals-as three dimensional, growing, developed characters. We are not all the same, and we are not but a collection of deficits."

"Acceptance requires facing that which makes you uncomfortable about us, thinking about why it makes you uncomfortable, and confronting any prejudice at the root of that discomfort. To accept us is to make a conscious effort to overcome that prejudice, to recognize that your discomfort with our differences is far more your problem to overcome than ours."

To summarize, it's time to confront and educate.

So why are people still supporting autism awareness? 

Autism Speaks

The concept of “autism awareness” is supported by Autism Speaks.

First, we must define "eugenics." Eugenics is the practice or advocacy of improving the human species by selectively mating people with specific desirable hereditary traits. It aims to reduce human suffering by “breeding out” disease, disabilities, and so-called undesirable characteristics from the human population.

Autism Speaks, by definition, is an infamous eugenicist corporation that wishes to cure/defeat autism despite their newer claims to clear up their image. In this company's eyes, autism is seen as a horrendous disease. A few examples of many include:

2009 "I Am Autism" ad: Autism "works faster than pediatric AIDS, cancer, and diabetes combined” and ensures that marriages will fail, financial ruin will ensue and that it will “rob [parents] of [their] children and dreams.”

2014 Autism Cares Act Amendment: The Autism Cares Act gives billions of dollars to provider organizations and nothing to autistic-led organizations, services, or quality-of-life improvements. An amendment was proposed to include autistic people in the research and policies that affect their own lives. Autism Speaks lobbied heavily to kill such an amendment.

2019 tool-kit partnership with Sesame Street: Compares autism to leukemia and suggests parents should mourn "the loss of some of the hopes and dreams they had for their child." The toolkit even walks parents through the Kubler-Ross stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.

Medium.com lists further Autism Speaks statements supporting torture, anti-vaccination, neo-nazis, misuse of donations and funds, legal issues, sexism, and anger from the community. Read "A Roundup of Posts Against Autism Speaks," by Grayson (Kirsten) Schultz for more information.

What about all those Autism Speaks donations?

Autism Speaks Pt. 2

According to the Autism Speaks 2015 990 Non-Profit Tax Exemption Form:

48% of their budget goes towards "Awareness & Lobbying": How can Autism Speaks promote actual awareness when only 1 autistic person out of a total of 28 individuals on its Board of Directors? By contrast, 23 out of 28 board members represent major corporations, including current and former CEOs and senior executives of PayPal, Goldman Sachs, White Castle, FX Networks, Virgin Mobile, eBay, AMC Networks, L’Oreal, CBS, SiriusXM, American Express, S.C. Johnson, and Royal Bank of Scotland.

27% towards "Research": Only a small percentage of such research is geared towards improving the quality of life for autistic people. Most of the research that Autism Speaks funds is devoted to causation and “prevention,” including the prospect of prenatal testing.

20% towards "Fundraising": Autism Speaks bases its fundraising on the dehumanization of autistic and neurodivergent individuals. Autistic people are seen as incomplete human beings who must be eliminated. All of the money raised through their campaigns goes towards salaries, with some of the highest in the industry, some even exceeding $600,000 a year. Their fundraising expenses surpass the funding for their core programs as well.

1% towards "Family Services" and 4% towards "Misc.": Less than 2% of their budget is aimed towards actually helping and supporting those in need.

Wow. But wait! What does “neurodivergent” mean?

Neurodiversity

Neurodiversity refers to variation in the human brain regarding sociability, learning, attention, mood, and other mental functions.

It was coined in 1998 by sociologist Judy Singer, who helped popularize the concept along with journalist Harvey Blume.

Singer emphasized that the goal shouldn’t be to “cure” people whose brains work differently. The goal is to embrace them as part of the mainstream. And that means providing needed support so they can fully participate as members of the community.

Traditionally, neurodiversity includes all autism spectrum disorders, dyslexia and dyscalculia, dyspraxia, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Tourette syndrome, bipolar disorder (BPD), schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), dissociative disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and intellectual disorders are (debatably) now included under the umbrella term as well.

Within recent years, there has been an argument over whether other conditions such as depression and anxiety should be included as well. Neurodiversity is commonly criticized because of this inclusivity, that neurodivergencies should only refer to "pervasive neurocognitive differences" that are intrinsically tied to "the formation and constitution of the self."

Those who do not fall under this term are characterized as neurotypical (NT).

By acknowledging the similarities between these conditions and disabilities compared to neurotypicals, we can create a world where neurodivergent individuals are heard, are active in decision-making processes, and can be confident that there is a community there to support them.

So, what’s next?

Educate

Functioning labels, like high functioning or low functioning, can be extremely harmful, as they deny both the struggles that autistic people face every single day as well as their strengths. Terms like "higher support needs" and "lower support needs" are more inclusive.

Identity-first language is often preferred as autism is a part of their identity, not something that can be separated from them. For example, saying "autistic people," instead of "people with autism." They don't have autism. They are autistic. Default to identity-first language unless told otherwise.

Listen to actually autistic people. Let them communicate for themselves. Neurotypicals should uplift their voices, thoughts, and opinions. Autistic people know what's best for themselves. Nonspeaking autistic people especially are infantilized and ignored, and deserve to be heard just as much as anyone else. Uplift, don't overshadow.

Do not "light it up blue" or use puzzle pieces when discussing autism, especially if you're not autistic. Puzzle pieces as a symbol for autism emphasize negative stereotypes and imply support for Autism Speaks, a eugenicist corporation with the goal of "curing" autism. Instead, support #RedInstead and use a rainbow infinity sign.

There will always be things to learn and to improve upon. So this April, and every month afterwards, let's fight for autism acceptance, not awareness.

Pledge:

I will promote autism acceptance.

I will make a conscious effort to overcome my prejudices towards the autistic community and other neurodivergencies.

I will use identity-first language unless told otherwise.

I will support organizations like the Autistic Self Advocacy Network and educational social media pages like @the.autisticats that support autism acceptance.

I will recognize autistic victims of police brutality, sexual assault, filicide, and other forms of violence.

I will uplift and amplify autistic and other neurodivergent communities. I will not speak for them or overshadow them.

For over 1,000+ social justice, mental health, and academic resources, go to linktr.ee/bfpnola. Please share so that we can make education and activism as accessible as possible!

[catgirl-catboy]

Has your child always been different? While other kids were peacefully minding their own business, did your child go out of their way to bother other people? Your child may suffer from allism. Here are some warning signs:

Instead of talking about their interests, your child may repeatedly ask surface level questions to you and get mad when you don't give the right response.

Your child has trouble concentrating on their hobbies, and may pick up and drop hobbies very quickly!

Your child tends to be oversensitive in social situations, and may throw tantrums when people are not in the mood to socialize with them.

After other children are finished talking to each other, your child wishes to extend the conversation past its natural end.

If your child shows signs of allism, don't feel alarmed! Children with allism do love you, even if they don't show it like most would. Your child may be able to live a fulfilling life despite their allism.

[fayenomad]

Neurotypicals will consider just being a background character in their conversation and minding your business...daydreaming and not keeping eye contact...to be rude and impolite.

But they will laugh and like you more when you say something mean about a person??? Including the person who you just made fun of?

What is this sorcery. Maybe they just like villains more than NPCs. Maybe I should become evil and run for president or something. Just for my own peace of mind.

[ladyautie]

Related to the “loss of speech” event, it happened while I was with a NT friend. I was so overwhelmed, I gradually stopped being able to talk out loud at all. I knew I needed to warn my friend somehow, because it was her birthday and her daughter’s as well, and I didn’t want to ruin that for her.

I typed a few words on my phone to explain the situation, and you know what she did? She just said “Alright, I get it.” and she didn’t make a big deal out of it. She went out of her way for the restaurant folks to be mindful and turn down the sound of the (very loud) music, without ever specifying that I was disabled. 

She was mindful to ask me “yes or no” questions, and when she had to ask open questions, she waited for me to type it out on my phone.

She also explained the situation quickly to her children, and asked them to be mindful and not talk to me too much (which I was grateful for, because those children can be so chatty and loud sometimes, even if they’re nice x) ). All in all, she was nothing, but understanding. And the situation didn’t worsen, thanks to that.

If you’re NT or allistic and you want to be a good ally, take notes. Whether your autistic friend/folk/whatever they are to you is fully nonverbal or only experiencing episodes of speech loss, respect their needs, and accept that spoken language isn’t the only viable way to communicate. 

If you’re in a position to do something to help them and make the situation easier on them, don’t hesitate. If you’re not, be understanding and allow them an out. Don’t force them to stay and suffer, and, more than that, don’t complain afterward if the person is then having a meltdown.

[stevensaus]

The Sneakiness Of Embedded Allistic Ableism

This meme is making the rounds again, and it definitely hits different now.

Given how often allistic people mistake #neurospicy tendencies for negativity, it is hard to not see this as being actively perpetuating prejudice against other neurotypes. I see the effects of this kind of prejudice when neurodivergent friends and significant others fall over themselves apologizing for offering suggestions, being excited about their special interests, and other behaviors that seem absolutely normal to me, but that allistic society has unrelentingly criticized them for. I should stress that I do not think either the quoted trainer or the person writing the tweet is aware of their ableism; they are reporting what their experience is. It's just that ... well, some of us experience those interactions very differently. A TikTok video gives a couple of dramatized examples; the short form -- if you can't see the video -- is that for many neurodivergent people, unsolicited advice is meant as support, nothing more. Yes, there are jerks who will claim neurodivergence to shield themselves. They're actually pretty easy to weed out; I've been using the "autism or asshat" test for something like a decade {1}. Asshats respond to pushback by doubling down on their authority to speak. Neurospicy folks tend to react the way dramatized in the video -- confused and upset their motivations have been misunderstood so badly. The original meme could be at least partially fixed by changing the first line to: Was at a training once where the facilitator said, "Unsolicited advice is always seen as criticism by allistic people." But in order to eliminate the embedded allistic ableism in the original, what we should really be striving for is this:

{1} And man, the way I wrote it up then is super amusing to reflect upon now that I realize I'm in the neurospicy community myself. Photo by David Matos on Unsplash Read the full article

[autisticdreamdrop]

autistic things 15

growing up with allistic family members made you feel bad for your autsitic traits.

[jewlsiverse]

Guys! Just found out that emotional intelligence to allistic people means guessing what they are feeling based on arbitrary context clues! What the fuck!!! I thought it was the ability to know and communicate what i personally am feeling! So what now I’m supposed to be able to read minds too???

[ask-asexual-crystal-gems]

This is such an allistic thing.

Like obviously, they’re using words that typically go along with a feeling (bewilderment) but don’t mean it literally.

If OP posting this screenshot isn’t autistic, welcome, you just got an itty bitty taste of what it’s like existing on the other side.

[infjpaladin]

[depressedandasian]

As someone with Autism and ADHD myself, I find it super annoying when someone says something rude or obnoxious and then is like "I'm Autistic, I have trouble reading the room" when someone points out how disrespectful they're being, without an apology or even acknowledging the other person's feelings.

I also hate how some Autistic people will call anything they personally feel uncomfortable with "arbitrary Allistic social norms". As if they're superior for not taking things like people's feelings and point-of-view into consideration.

Yes many things about social interactions confuse and upset me, but that doesn't mean I can't be in the wrong.

[hearseofangels]

“I’m not a chauffeur, sit up front” is a special sort of allistic grievance I don’t understand. Like I understand some forms of etiquette, some of them I do understand and/or like, but this? This is just stupid. You’re assuming that I’m trying to insult or demean you by… sitting in the backseat? You’re applying meaning to something that doesn’t have it. You can throw out hard work of others, talk shit about people, but the moment someone has the non-existent nerve to sit behind you in a vehicle your ego is insulted??? Shut the fuck up 😭

[these-violet-delights-fic]

After a while, I get tired of seeing posts that boil down to: "I'm not autistic" *has an interest, passion, or collection* (the implication being that if you have interests, passions, or collections you are definitely autistic).

Obviously, many autistic people have special interests, things they're extremely passionate, sometimes even obsessive, about, but not every uncle with a sprawling train set is autistic! Sure, some certainly are, but neurotypical people have passions too! This is mostly concerning because I've seen comment sections of vulnerable younger people latch onto a diagnosis based on half-correct, overly generalized misinformation they find online to explain why they feel misunderstood.

the way people online talk about autism is getting really weird, like do they know that neurotypicals still have interests? that someone being passionate about a hobby doesn't mean they're autistic? you guys know that right

[wlfgrrl]

samples of my google search history:

Searched for videos of sugar gliders

Searched for videos of praying mantis

Searched for jokes about crows

Searched for oldest known shark in the world

Searched for: what happens if you take extra daily vitamins?*

*because my short term memory is SO bad that I can take a pill and 2 or 3 seconds later not recall if I DID actually take it.  OR, I’m filling my weekly pill organizer, have 3 pills in hand and, having not opened the compartment yet, reflexively pop all 3 into my mouth and swallow them down.    ...DON’T DO THIS AT HOME, KIDS!!

[awetistic-things]

my computer keeps autocorrecting "allistic" to "ballistic" and like that's so real ngl