#developmental disabilities

[fallenstarcat]

sometimes i feel like people forget autism is a disability. and that’s not a bad thing! i’m all for disability acceptance, im proud of my disabilities. but i feel like we forget autism can hurt.

it hurts that i have to put more time and energy into socializing than others.

it hurts when i need to move so bad, usually cause im overwhelmed by either my surroundings or emotions, that i thrash and hurt myself.

it hurts that i cant be in places that are too loud or too bright, which on bad days can be as simple as a small, quiet noise or dim lights.

it hurts that i struggle to tell when im hungry, thirsty, tired, etc. so i can’t properly take care of myself. it doesn’t help my insomnia and i get very nauseas and get UTIs.

i 100% believe in autism acceptance. i don’t want a cure. but i also want us the acknowledge that it can hurt. it doesn’t mean my entire life will hurt, but some parts will. and i want a community where we can see both sides, see the hurt, and celebrate it anyway.

[voidmire-system-error]

laws should be written by simple language.

scientific books should be written by simple language.

studies should be written by simple language.

rules & regulations should be written by simple language.

every information, especially important one, should be written by simple language.

it's basic accessibility. people with intellectual disability, people with developmental disabilities, people with learning disabilities, people with language processing issues/language impairment, people with brain fog/low concentration, and people with other conditions that make comprehension difficult should have access to every information, especially important one.

i'm autistic and have some language processing issues. so i feel very isolated when i can't read studies, articles, books, and other info. i'm really interested in it, but can't process language. so i have to rely on others' interpretations instead of original text.

i wanna have access to first-hand information. i wanna have the opportunity to form my own opinion, not rely on others' explanations.

btw, "simple language" doesn't mean "avoid complicated ideas & nuances", it means "explain complicated ideas & nuances using mostly simple words and short sentences".

[zebulontheplanet]

I hate when people say that autism doesn’t have a look. Yes, I understand that many low support needs/high masking/level 1s constantly get fakeclaimed because people say they don’t “look” autistic. However, they(low support needs/high masking individuals) usually follow this up by saying “autism doesn’t have a look. Stop saying that”

I want people to understand that to a lot of higher support needs people, we DO look autistic. We do stim publicly. We do grunt, laugh, make noises/vocal stim loudly. We do carry AAC devices. We do look autistic. People can point us out. People can know just from looking at us for a few seconds. That’s the issue I have.

Many of us look developmentally disabled. We look different. It’s frustrating to see time and time again that autism doesn’t have a look when I get singled out in public just for simply existing. It’s just exhausting.

Please in the future rephrase your posts. We are on the internet. We are reading your posts. We’re on tumblr. We’re on Reddit. We’re on Facebook and more. And even if we aren’t, you’re still disregarding those of us who are visibly autistic.

[thedisablednaturalist]

I think some of us ambulatory wheelchair users are getting pretty close to (or already are) throwing full time users and higher support needs disableds under the bus. And that shit needs to be shut down NOW.

It's the problem of: "how dare they treat us like those people!"

The problem with ableists isn't that they assume we can't walk The problem is they assume we don't need our wheelchairs if we can. That we don't need our handicapped placards or transport vehicles. That we are taking advantage of other "actually" disabled people, that the ableists also don't give a shit about unless they're using them as an excuse to be ableist.

The problem with ableists isn't that they assume we are intellectually and/or developmentally disabled. The problem is they assume that every intellectually/developmentally disabled person needs to be treated with baby talk, dismissal, and ignorance. That they don't see them as people and refuse to listen to intellectually and developmentally disabled voices without making fun of them.

Stop throwing people with higher support needs under the bus. Stop doing what the abled neurodivergent community did to all physically disabled people. Us cripples gotta stick together and fight for one another, not push one down to make ourselves somehow look better to ableist fucks.

[chronicallycouchbound]

Read the full post here

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[ID: pink and pink outlined text on a dark background reads: “intelligence doesn’t equal morality. Caring for others can happen at any IQ level.” The side text reads “@ chronicallycouchbound” In the upper right hand corner is a simple diamond star shape graphic. End ID.]

[aacalienz]

if you’re autistic (even if you’re white, able to mask and fully speaking) you’re much closer to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities than you ever will be to neurotypical society. Include people with I/DD in your activism. Don’t separate yourself from us. I’d go as far as to say all autistic people have a developmental disability. You don’t have to identify that way, but really think hard about why you’re choosing not to. Autism is a Developmental Disability and and by separating yourself from intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) you are throwing autistics with higher support needs and autitistics with intellectual disabilities under the bus. (Signed developmentally disabled autistics without ID who are considered developmentally disabled by the state)

[dysgeographica]

there’s nothing wrong with needing to use gps directions to get everywhere.

it doesn’t mean you’re “stupid”, it doesn’t mean you’re not trying hard enough or not paying enough attention. it doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong or taking the easy way out. it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be allowed to be independent.

yes, even if you need it to get somewhere you’ve been a million times before. even if you need it to get around the town you’ve lived in your entire life. even if other people think you should be able to go without it.

if you wouldn’t judge another disabled person for using certain tools that let them live more independently, don’t judge yourself for doing the same.

and never ever let someone else shame you into going out into the world without the tools that allow you to feel safe.

these tools exist to be used, so use them if you need them. there’s no shame in needing help.

[0th3rw0rldl1n3ss]

So tired of lateral ableism coming from autistics and ADHDers who have symptoms that aren’t severely debilitating. Like just because you don’t need meds or accommodations to function or you can conform well/adapt to NT society to a certain point doesn’t mean other autistics or ADHDers will also be able to?

This post brought to you by a group of people getting frustrated at us for being unable to keep up with a game, us saying “sorry I didn’t take my meds today” and them ALL glaring at me and scoffing about how well they haven’t been on ADHD meds for years. Every single person in the room (there were more than 2 other people). Like ok, good for you, I NEED them to function?? (and even then, I still can’t “pass” as NT.)

We feel so out of place even around other people who are also autistic and/or ADHD. Because so often the other(s) will show just enough traits to seem a bit quirky/odd to NTs, but not get read as visibly ND (except maybe under unusual circumstances, but generally speaking, they can mask effectively enough that NTs wouldn’t perceive them as “having something wrong with them”) but we’re noticeably “slow/r-worded” in a way we’re frequently, under normal, non-extreme circumstances, unable to hide. We’ve heard so many things about how other autistics and ADHDers found other neurodivergent folks and finally felt safe and comfortable after a lifetime of being judged in NT-dominated social circles, and we wish we could relate to that, but honestly we don’t feel any safer with someone just because they’re also autistic/ADHD, because in our experience they’re just as likely to be ableist to us as NTs. Sometimes even worse, because at least NTs can’t say “well *I* can handle (insert task) and I’m autistic/ADHD too so what’s YOUR excuse?”

But yeah. Some of y’all hate to acknowledge that autistics and ADHDers with higher support needs than you exist and you’re quick to throw the rest of us under the bus just because you’re so desperate to make autism and/or ADHD seem more palatable to NTs. Moderate-higher support needs neurodivergents shouldn’t have to beg lower support needs neurodivergents to have solidarity with us.

[wheelie-sick]

imagine having to personally fight for your right to be in integrated education as a child and teenager just for some fuck to come along and decide that you actually need to be locked in an institution "for your own good" because you're an "easy target for bullying"

[ID: a Tumblr comment saying "Yes, and they should go to a different school. Having the mentally challenged and normal students together just makes them targets for bullying, because everyone knows they are easy victims."]

I actually greatly prefer having been bullied and severely ostracized to being in an institution.

also, why is it our fault that children bully us?? why can't you teach your kids not to be fucking bullies? why can't you make teachers step in and actually protect us??

my mom fought for my right to be in integrated classrooms. I fought for my right to be in integrated classrooms. IDD folks of the past fought for all of our rights to be in integrated classrooms. saying shit like this is spitting on everything IDD people have fought for

[perplexingluciddreams]

It is a strange feeling to be an older sibling, yet be so "behind" your younger sibling in every way.

My sister and I are only two years apart, so the developmental gap between us was smaller when we were younger. But it seemed to keep growing larger and larger with every passing year. (And became even more exaggerated with my regression).

I always wished to be the older, grown up, responsible one. I just can't, I have never been able to. I sometimes feel like an awful brother for being unable to be the "big sibling".

I have more feelings on this, but not enough words. It's just something I have thought about a lot lately.

[deancaslover]

Please reblog!!

[neuroticboyfriend]

it took me a long time to learn to do things compared to other people my age... like literal years. no matter how old i get, i don't think my abilities will ever be on par with abled people my age. especially because as soon as something unfamiliar enters the picture, i get confused at best and have a panic attack at worst.

and i still get a little nervous doing things i "know" how to do, because i'm worried the way i do it won't work. even if its something as "simple" as ordering food at a restaurant. people tell me over and over and over, you just tell the waiter what you want. but it just won't click.

also some things i still haven't learned. other things i never want to learn. like driving. its just way too much for me, i'd probably be a safety hazard. and learning what i know now was traumatizing, between the stress and ableism. i don't want to put myself through that if i can just have people do things for me.

im not a burden for that. not everyone has the same abilities, and that's okay. no matter how old we are, or how "easy" something is to others... it's okay to be disabled.

[voidmire-system-error]

shout out to clumsy people.

shout out to people with coordination issues.

shout out to people with dyspraxia.

shout out to people with apraxia.

shout out to people with muscle weakness.

shout out to people with paresis.

shout out to people with paralysis.

shout out to people with arthritis n/or joint deformities.

shout out to people with chronic pain whose pain makes it hard to control their movements.

shout out to people with chronic fatigue whose fatigue makes them hard to control their movements.

shout out to people with balance issues.

shout out to people with other conditions that make hard to control body n/or movements.

shout out to people who are undiagnosed n struggling with control movements.

it's not your fault. it's not your carelessness. you deserve support n accommodations. you shouldn't be judged or mocked. you deserve respect. your struggles deserve respect.

[zebulontheplanet]

Just your reminder that mental age isn’t real and hurts people with ID and developmental disabilities. Please stop saying it’s real.

[strange-nd-creature]

Autistic Stigma Axis Chart

This isn’t meant to be taken really seriously, just comparing how different people experience different forms of ableism I guess. Honestly I think most autistic people have dealt with all of these things at some point.

[Image: Axis chart with the horizontal being a scale from high masking to low masking, and the vertical being a scale from high support needs to low support needs. High support needs and high masking reads “told they don’t need accommodations because they look normal.” High support needs and low masking reads “infantilized by neurotypicals 24/7.” Low support needs and high masking reads “anxiety from being expected to be a savant genius.” Low support needs and low masking reads “perceived as allistics who are rude, weird, lazy, etcetera.”]

[dysgeographica]

what’s dysgeographica?

dysgeographica, also known as developmental topographical disorientation, is a form of neurodivergence in which a person has difficulty creating mental maps, orienting themselves or a location in space, and navigating from place to place.

some common symptoms of dysgeographica include:

getting lost easily, even in one's own neighborhood or other extremely familiar locations

difficulty memorizing even simple or frequently traveled routes

no internal compass (i.e. no sense of which way one is facing or if one has been turned around)

no sense of where familiar locations are in relation to each other

difficulty making a mental map of a building or area's layout

uncertainty about which direction a location is in, even if one knows how to get there

complete reliance on GPS navigation while traveling

rigidly following one familiar route to get somewhere, even if a better route may be available

anxiety around driving a car due to lack of confidence in one's ability to navigate as the driver

is dysgeographica just a poor sense of direction?

while many people struggle to read maps or navigate unfamiliar places, being dysgeographic means struggling with very familiar locations as well as unfamiliar ones, potentially getting lost in one's own neighborhood or workplace.

additionally, while someone who just has a poor sense of direction will generally still be able to move through the world and perform daily life activities with little to no added difficulty or distress, dysgeographic people will often find that their difficulty navigating makes day-to-day functioning more difficult (e.g. being late to work regularly due to getting lost, not being able to drive a car or travel alone).

is dysgeographica part of adhd/autism/etc?

it is possible to have dysgeographica with comorbid autism, adhd, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, etc. it's also possible to experience dysgeographic symptoms as secondary to one of those (e.g. having trouble navigating due to adhd inattention).

that being said, dysgeographica is not inherently connected to any other form of neurodivergence, and can be the only neurodivergence someone has. you don't need to be diagnosed with anything else to have dysgeographica.

is dysgeographica a disability?

yes, dysgeographica is a neurodevelopmental disability.

it is not, however, recognized as such by the DSM or ICD, despite research showing evidence of its existence and the impact it can have on people's lives. that doesn’t mean it’s not a real disability — what it does mean is that it can be very difficult (if not impossible) to get accommodations.

while dysgeographica would most likely not be categorized as a specific learning disability, it does have some overlap with dyscalculia and dyslexia, and can be considered a “cousin” of the specific learning disabilities much in the same way as dyspraxia.