#autistic comfort items

[headofocs-inklesspen]

It’s just me and my comfort object I’ve carried everywhere since elementary school against the world

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

Easily Overlooked Autistic Traits

Situational Mutism

Special interests

Comfort items

Missing social cues

Sensory issues

Executive function problems

Lil Penguin Studios/Autism Happy Place

[mortagesrants]

Autism: Comfort Objects

Many autistic and neurodivergent people have comfort objects.

A comfort object is usually something the person likes to bring with them wherever they go, or they like to keep it somewhere safe at home. This object brings them security and safety. We often think of security blankets or stuffed animals as comfort objects, but anything can be a comfort object.

Anyone can have a comfort object. Not just kids.

I have a comfort object I sleep with every night. Without it, I have a difficult time sleeping and often feel anxious.

I also have a comfort object that I take with me everywhere! I usually keep one of these in a backpack or in the car, but it comes with me wherever I go

If your child or someone you know has a comfort object, DO NOT:

- Take the comfort object away as punishment

- Tease the person for having a comfort object

- Joke about destroying or throwing away said comfort object

Those are ways to cause trauma. Comfort objects are not just objects a person really likes. This is an object they have connection to, and feel SAFE with.

Taking away a child’s (or adult’s) comfort object for a punishment is like taking away their safety.

Do not use the comfort object as a reward for good behavior either

[smorp-a-dorp]

Autistic person without headphones, forced to be alone with thoughts

No survivors

[crazycatsiren]

Just in case any of my plushies loving neurodivergent followers needed to hear this today:

Sleeping with plushies is good.

Talking to plushies is good.

Taking plushies everywhere with you is good, out in public and all.

Collecting plushies is good. There is no such thing as too many plushies.

Plushies are good. They are the best.

[sicksadstar]

HEY! It's okay to :

• have plushies

• have toys that aren't fidget/stim toys

• have comfort items

• have dolls

• have collections

You don't have to explain your joy or happiness in anything to anyone. ♡

[meowtismz]

Love comfort item !! Name is Lady Slug, she so pretty and funky she never judge Gui verbal shutdown episodes. She is best friend forever

[autisticdreamdrop]

Things That Are/Need To Be Okay To Take Out In Public

stim/fidget toys

plushies/stuffies

toys

chewlery

comfort items

blankets

sensory bottles

sunflower lanyards

disability cards

communication cards

and so much more

[rivenantiqnerd]

Autistic Comfort Items can be…

Special clothes (also for sensory issues)

always wearing the same necklace/jewelry

I always carry a little notebook to write things down in, and even though I don’t use it most days, when I don’t have it I find I’m more nervous/uncomfortable (this is also why I seek out clothes with pockets to carry it with me)

a pencil - this is being prepared and doubles as a stim toy

this might be stereotypical, but especially in younger autistics, a dictionary (could be on a phone)

a favorite book - calming, no surprises, nostalgic

for children, comfort items probably include a stuffed animal or toy of some sort

stim toys (I guess there not really comfort items but they can be)

headphones

A lot of these are based on personal experience, and since autism is a spectrum, traits and comfort items will look very different for different people. It’s okay to be autistic and have a comfort item with you, even if it isn’t considered “needed” in that situation by others.

[8irdies]

artistic depiction of my bedroom and the things which occupy my time and heart

[mammalianblog]

Kooper tooked a bite of my pizza and is pretending he didn’t!!! Wtf!!!

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

Autism & Being Childish?

Autism and Being 'Childish'?

Many traits and things that are common among autistic people are often seen as 'childish' in the neurotypical world.

In reality, these things are incredibly important for the wellbeing of autistic adults and children and helpful in preventing meltdowns/shutdowns/burnout.

They are not something that should be stopped and not at all something that prevents anyone to be trustworthy/ responsible/ amazing at their job, etc.

Also, there is nothing to be ashamed of, because these things being helpful for many are totally awesome.

Some examples

1. having comfort items and being attached to them strongly.

These can be really helpful in overwhelming situations at home, and in public.

2. having 'chidish' special interests.

Special interests, whatever they are, are so much fun and super important for many autistic people.

3. unique fashion rules that might contain 'childish' elements.

For me, it's absolutely true, because in the neurotypical world, colorful things, and cute cartoon figures are often seen as childish, but for me, these are essential when going outside.

4. having a sensory space and playing with toys regularly, like having soft plushies, playing with fidget toys, lining up objects, being mesmerized by pretty lights, etc. Again, these have an important role in autistic self care

5. the autistic joy

The autistic enthusiasm and marveling at the wonders and beauty of the world, and also the way one might express the autistic joy, like jumping around, flapping hands, clapping, etc, these are also mainly associated with children in the neuritypical world, but I take it as a compliment, because for me, these are the probably the best things in being autistic.

Lil Penguin Studios/Autism Happy Place

[stimmy-bee]

[meredoubt]

I kept thinking my autistic girl's look was nearly perfect, but something was missing. And then I realized what would fix her.

She is now operating at peak efficiency.

[crazycatsiren]

If you see an adult with a plushie out and about in public and mock them for it you deserve to be swift kicked in front of oncoming traffic.

[roe-and-memory]

for a little while after he comes to radiator springs, lightning definitely is in a constant state of fight or flight (mostly flight)

it comes with the trauma of being neglected and rejected repeatedly, hes terrified the the town will do the same thing to him that his parents did — or they’ll be just like the people he wanted to desperately to be friends with — so on, and so forth.

it also comes with the unmasking process — getting insanely overstimulated insanely quickly because being tied down feels Crowding . and having this many people care about you, to the point it ends in almost constant conversation with someone, can start to feel suffocating. and the fact he cant prepare himself for the day anymore because its such an out of wack routine doesnt help one bit.

so, he needs an escape.

its dumb, kind of, and sometimes his little adventures around the desert suffice enough, but it starts becoming more of an issue and he starts needing somewhere repetitive to go.

the cow fields just on the county line, the gravel road that leads to a deserted farmhouse, its age showing in each plank of wood that hangs off its nails, rotting from the rain and weather, grains of sand embed in each crack — lightning finds comfort in one of those empty fields.

first, its leaving to go sit in the long grass, pulling little bits and pieces of it out of the dirt and taking interest in how, somehow, after years of abandonment, it seems to thrive - how the cows keep living, being fed occasionally by mater, but for the most part just surviving off of the grass in their pen. he wonders why they stay. - he would find himself watching the sun disappear behind the mountains and cliffs of cadillac range, taking deep breaths, basking in the sound of the wind whistling and crickets chirping.

when his fears start getting worse, he steals one of the plastic lawn chairs out of docs shed and leaves it out there, sometimes stealing a beer out of the fridge despite how much he hates them. he rarely drinks them anyways, maybe a few sips or so for enough of a buzz to get rid of the anxiety in his bones, but otherwise he always gets home with a bottle still half full, going to waste down the drain.

doc never worries about this. its a part of the process of teaching someone that Some People in the world arent out to get them — sometimes people genuinely mean it with their care — so he can understand that these mini getaways are just his kid taking time to calm down, rationalize, and figure stuff out.

as the months pass, he becomes less terrified, he doesnt need to really disappear anymore, he starts taking sally out there with him. he lays a blanket in the grass and they stare at the sky together in silence.

the longer he stays out there in that field, the more he realizes hes here to stay. he doesnt need to come out here to calm down, instead he can sit in his bedroom and breathe.

eventually, that plastic lawn chair is deserted in that field, the smooth, white surface becoming scratchy and dirty with rain and wind. no one goes out to clean it, because no one needs it anymore.