#repetitive restrictive behaviors

[autismdoll]

it can feel really embarrassing and uncomfortable when i’m worked up about something that would be insignificant to most other people.

especially when that something is deeply connected to the way i navigate life.

restrictive behaviors and thought patterns can make me come off as particular, intense and unreasonably adamant. but maybe i am

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

Autism & Anger Rumination

Autistic Qualia

[opens-up-4-nobody]

OCD is pretty common among autistic people, and many of us who dont have full-on OCD may experience some things that can be kinda similar to some aspects of it. I'm on the spectrum myself and i also have this issue of basically getting stuck on some thoughts. It sucks, sometimes it's something that makes me angry but doesnt actually matter that much in the grand acheme of things and i just end up in a bad mood over something stupid and cant stop thinking abt it for a few days even though there are no new thoughts about it, i just keep going through old ones again and again and again. I dont know if there's a term for it, but hey, at least I'm not the only one, and neither are you. Generally i just look for distractions and wait until the thoughts get less obsessive and annoying

That makes sense, thanks!

[bathask]

水好き自閉症スペクトラム特性とDSM-5光るもの興味で入浴時お風呂の湯面に映る裸電球が揺れるの見るの小さい頃,凄く好き。道路に沿い走る自動車のヘッドライト天井を照らし規則的に隅まで動くの見るのも水の中にいる様に落ち着くASDあるある。自閉スペクトラム症でも大人の発達障害,アスペルガー無い頃

[literaryvein-reblogs]

how to go about writing autistic characters please

Writing Notes: Autism

Autism – (also referred to as autism spectrum disorder) constitutes a diverse group of conditions related to development of the brain

A neurodevelopmental disorder

Characterized by:

markedly impaired social interactions and verbal and nonverbal communication;

narrow interests; and

repetitive behavior.

Manifestations and features of the disorder appear before age 3 but vary greatly across children according to:

developmental level,

language skills, and

chronological age.

They may include:

a lack of awareness of the feelings of others,

impaired ability to imitate,

absence of social play,

abnormal speech,

abnormal nonverbal communication, and

a preference for maintaining environmental sameness.

Autism was integrated into autism spectrum disorder in DSM–5 and DSM-5-TR and is no longer considered a distinct diagnosis.

It is called a "spectrum" disorder because people with ASD can have a range of symptoms.

People with ASD might have problems talking with you, or they might not look you in the eye when you talk to them.

They may also have restricted interests and repetitive behaviors.

They may spend a lot of time putting things in order, or they may say the same sentence again and again.

They may often seem to be in their "own world."

Terminology

Prior to 2013, subtypes of autism, such as Asperger’s syndrome, autism and childhood disintegrative disorder, were classified as distinct conditions. The 5th edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders consolidates all autism conditions under the larger autism spectrum disorder diagnosis.

Opinions vary on how to refer to someone with autism.

Some people with autism prefer being referred to as “autistic” or an “autistic person.”

Others object to using autistic as an adjective.

The Autism Self Advocacy Network details this debate.

NCDJ Recommendation

Refer to someone as having autistic spectrum disorder only if the information is relevant to the story and if you are confident there is a medical diagnosis.

Ask individuals how they prefer to be described.

Many prefer to be described as “autistic,” while others prefer “an autistic person” or a “person with autism.”

AP style

The stylebook states that it’s acceptable to use the word “autism” as “an umbrella term for a group of developmental disorders.”

It also says it is acceptable to use the word autism in stories.

It does not address the use of autistic as an adjective.

Possible Causes

Available scientific evidence suggests that there are probably many factors that make a child more likely to have autism, including environmental and genetic factors.

Extensive research using a variety of different methods and conducted over many years has demonstrated that the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine does not cause autism.

Studies that were interpreted as indicating any such link were flawed, and some of the authors had undeclared biases that influenced what they reported about their research.

Evidence shows that other childhood vaccines do not increase the risk of autism.

Extensive research into the preservative thiomersal and the additive aluminium that are contained in some inactivated vaccines strongly concluded that these constituents in childhood vaccines do not increase the risk of autism.

Diagnosis

No single medical test can diagnose ASD.

Early signs of this condition can be noticed by parents/caregivers or pediatricians before a child reaches 1 year of age.

However, the need for services and supports typically become more consistently visible by the time a child is 2 or 3 years old.

In some cases, the problems related to autism may be mild and not apparent until the child starts school, after which their deficits may be pronounced when amongst their peers.

Social communication deficits may include:

Decreased sharing of interests with others.

Difficulty appreciating their own & others' emotions.

Aversion to maintaining eye contact.

Lack of proficiency with use of non-verbal gestures.

Stilted or scripted speech.

Interpreting abstract ideas literally.

Difficulty making friends or keeping them.

Restricted interests and repetitive behaviors may include:

Inflexibility of behavior, extreme difficulty coping with change.

Being overly focused on niche subjects to the exclusion of others.

Expecting others to be equally interested in those subjects.

Difficulty tolerating changes in routine and new experiences.

Sensory hypersensitivity, e.g., aversion to loud noises.

Stereotypical movements such as hand flapping, rocking, spinning.

Arranging things, in a very particular manner, often toys.

Parent/caregiver/teacher concerns about the child's behavior should lead to a specialized evaluation by a developmental pediatrician, pediatric psychologist, child neurologist and/or a child and adolescent psychiatrist.

This evaluation involves:

interviewing the parent/caregiver,

observing, and

interacting with the child in a structured manner, and

sometimes conducting additional tests to rule out other conditions.

In some ambiguous cases the diagnosis of autism may be deferred, but an early diagnosis can greatly improve a child's functioning by providing the family early access to supportive resources in the community.

Healthcare providers look for the following problems during well-child visits before age 2:

No babbling, pointing, or gesturing by age 12 months

No single words spoken by age 16 months

No two-word phrases by age 24 months, just repeating words or sounds of others

Loss of any language or social skills at any age

No eye contact at 3 to 4 months

If a child has any of the above problems, the healthcare provider will do more screening. This will help show if your child has ASD or another developmental disorder. Your child may need to see a healthcare provider with special training to diagnose and treat ASD. Your child may also need these screening tests:

Nervous system exam

Imaging tests such as CT scan, MRI, or PET scan

Mental health tests

Genetic tests to look for gene problems that cause ASD or other developmental disorders

The first step is seeking an evaluation. Most parents start with their pediatrician who is checking on developmental milestones.

If your child is under the age of 3 years, you can obtain an evaluation through your local early intervention system.

If your child is over the age of 3, you can get an evaluation through your local school (even if your child does not go there). Contact your local school's preschool special education team to request an evaluation.

Example: Tomás is a 6-year-old boy whose family is troubled by Tomás' intense love of trains. His interest in trains, in addition to giving him great pleasure and serving to communicate his preferences, can sometimes lead to unintended consequences. For example, he gets angry and upset if his old trains are thrown away, or if his parents can't hold his train while he eats breakfast and gets ready for school in the morning. Teachers report that at school he tends to be very quiet and only listens when the topic of trains is brought up.

In Children

ASD can keep a child from developing social skills. This is in part because a child with ASD may not be able to understand facial expressions or emotions in other people. A child with ASD may:

Not want to be touched

Want to play alone

Not want to change routines

Other signs:

A child with ASD may also repeat movements (flapping their hands, rocking).

They may also have abnormal attachments to objects.

But a child with ASD may also do certain mental tasks very well. For example, the child may be able to count or measure better than other children. They may do well in art or music, or be able to remember certain things very well.

Each child may have different symptoms. The most common symptoms of ASD:

Social Symptoms

Has problems making eye contact with others

Has problems making friends or interacting well with other children

Communication Symptoms

Does not communicate well with others

Starts speaking at a later age than other children or doesn’t speak at all

When the child is able to speak, doesn’t use speech in social settings

Repeats words or phrases (echolalia) or repeats parts of dialogue from TV/movies

Behavior Symptoms

Does repeated movements, such as rocking or flapping fingers or hands

May be too sensitive or less sensitive to certain things around them, such as lights, sounds, touch, or taste

Has rituals

Needs routines

The symptoms of ASD may look like other health conditions. Make sure your child sees their healthcare provider for a diagnosis.

Other Characteristics

Most people with ASD have other related characteristics. These might include:

Delayed language skills

Delayed movement skills

Delayed cognitive or learning skills

Hyperactive, impulsive, and/or inattentive behavior

Epilepsy or seizure disorder

Unusual eating and sleeping habits

Gastrointestinal issues (for example, constipation)

Unusual mood or emotional reactions

Anxiety, stress, or excessive worry

Lack of fear or more fear than expected

It is important to note that children with ASD may not have all or any of the behaviors listed as examples here.

Treatment

There is currently no one standard treatment for ASD.

There are many ways to increase your child's ability to grow and learn new skills. Current treatments for ASD seek to reduce symptoms that interfere with daily functioning and quality of life.

Starting them early can lead to better results.

ASD affects each person differently, meaning that people with ASD have unique strengths and challenges and different treatment needs.

Treatment plans usually involve multiple professionals and are catered to the individual.

Living with ASD

How ASD impacts everyday life. Living with a person with ASD affects the entire family. Meeting the complex needs of a person with ASD can put families under a great deal of stress—emotional, financial, and sometimes even physical. Respite care can give parents and other family caregivers a needed break and help maintain family well-being.

Transitions. The transition from high school to adulthood can be especially challenging for a person with ASD. There are many important, life-changing decisions to make, such as whether to go to college or a vocational school or whether to enter the workforce, and if so, how and where. It is important to begin thinking about this transition in childhood, so that educational transition plans are put in place—preferably by age 14, but no later than age 16—to make sure the individual has the skills he or she needs to begin the next phase of life. The transition of care from a pediatrician to a doctor who treats adults is another area that needs a plan. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends transition planning for all adolescents starting at age 12 years that includes the healthcare provider speaking with the adolescent separate from family members, discussing the transition to adult care, and coaching the adolescent in taking charge of their own care.

Physical activity. To stay healthy, people with disabilities need the same basic health care as everyone else. They need to eat well, exercise, get enough rest and plenty of water, and have complete access to care, including regular physical and dental check-ups. It is important to find healthcare providers who are comfortable caring for people with ASD. Sometimes when people with disabilities have a behavioral change or behavioral issue, it may be because they have a medical problem they cannot describe. For instance, head banging could be related to a disability, or it could be due to a headache or toothache. For this reason, it is important to find out if there is a physical problem before making changes in a person's treatment or therapy.

Safety is important for everyone. We all need to be safe in order to live full and productive lives. People with disabilities can be at higher risk for injuries and abuse. It is important for parents and other family members to teach their loved one how to stay safe and what to do if they feel threatened or have been hurt in any way.

Sources: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 ⚜ More: Notes ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

You can find more details I wasn't able to include in the sources. Speaking with someone with ASD would also provide valuable information you could incorporate in your story. All the best with your writing!

Writing about Mental Health Conditions

More useful references:

https://autisticadvocacy.org [Download the free PDF, "Guide for Parents of Autistic Kids" here]

https://neuroclastic.com

https://www.autistica.org.uk

https://www.autism.org.uk

https://autismacceptance.com/ [Read more articles here — from autism facts, knowing about disability rights, to being an ally]

Thank you to @jxwmv for these helpful resources! Read their addition to this post. I learned so much from their insights. They have some apps and book recommendations that I myself added to my to-read list, and I'm looking forward to reading more articles in the above sites. The free PDF from autisticadvocacy is such a valuable guide as well.

[incognitopolls]

Quoted from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, referencing the levels as described in the DMS-5:

Level 1. "REQUIRING SUPPORT": Individuals with this level of severity have difficulty initiating social interactions, may exhibit unusual or unsuccessful responses to social advances made by others, and may seem to have decreased interest in social interactions. Additionally, repetitive behaviors may interfere with daily functioning. These individuals may have some difficulty redirecting from their fixed interests.

Level 2. "REQUIRING SUBSTANTIAL SUPPORT": Individuals with this level of severity exhibit marked delays in verbal and non-verbal communication. Individuals have limited interest or ability to initiate social interactions and have difficulty forming social relationships with others, even with support in place. These individuals’ restricted interests and repetitive behaviors are obvious to the casual observer and can interfere with functioning in a variety of contexts. High levels of distress or frustration may occur when interests and/or behaviors are interrupted.

Level 3. "REQUIRING VERY SUBSTANTIAL SUPPORT": This level of severity causes individuals with ASD severe impairment in daily functioning. These individuals have very limited initiation of social interaction and minimal response to social overtures by others and may be extremely limited in verbal communication abilities. Preoccupations, fixed rituals, and/or repetitive behaviors greatly interfere with daily functioning and make it difficult to cope with change. It is very difficult to redirect this person from fixated interests.

–

We ask your questions anonymously so you don’t have to! Submissions are open on the 1st and 15th of the month.

[five-thousand-loaves-of-bread]

quick reminder that autism levels is medical term defined by DSM 5 (so not all autistic ppl labeled w one if they not in place that use DSM, n some may not identify with one regardless), it about overall average amount of support you need for your autism symptoms ONLY [plain text: overall average amount of support you need for your autism symptoms ONLY], separate (if possible) from all other disabilities & disorders. there two catagories: 1. social communication & 2. restrictive repetitive (interests, behavior, & sensory). it not based on adaptive functioning, bADLs iADLs, etc.

sometimes a level 1 autistic is low support needs, a level 2 autistic medium support needs, & a level 3 autistic high support needs, but this not always the case & two should not be used interchangeably because

low/medium/high/[everything in betweeen] support needs is community term (though high support needs sometimes used medically) about overall average support you need for basic & instrumental activities of daily living (bADLs & iADLs) that include all your disabilities [pt: overall average support you need for basic & instrumental activities of daily living (bADLs & iADLs) that include all your disabilities]. it not autism specific term. someone w level 1 autism may have other disabilities that make them have high support needs. but even without other disabilities, amount of help need for autism symptoms not always neatly translate to support need for iADL bADL & adaptive functioning.

both terms is not compare to nondisabled people alone [pt: alone]. autism levels compare to all autistic people & support needs compare to all disabled people (or all people which still include all disabled people). low =/= no.

[argue about “autism levels = ableist” get blocked]

[autismaccount]

I've reached 35 responses! They're very interesting, but the sample size is still small, and I don't think it's at all representative of the Tumblr autism community. If I can't reach at least 100 responses, I don't think I'll be able to analyze Tumblr community views on support needs in depth. I'll still post descriptive statistics for the overall sample, but I won't have the statistical power to do anything else.

I'd really appreciate if everyone could help by taking the survey and reblogging this post to their followers!

As a reminder, the survey is meant to understand how people use support needs labels. For example, what makes someone low support needs and not moderate support needs? The survey also helps show what the community is like in general in terms of demographics and experiences!

A summary of the current survey results are under the Read More. Again, especially if a community that you're in is under-represented, please help by spreading the survey link! I'd especially love to hear from more people AMAB, racial/ethnic minorities, people who are not yet diagnosed or were diagnosed as adults, and higher support needs individuals!

Age: Most participants are young; 60% are under age 25%, and 20% are under 18.

Gender: Over half of the sample is AFAB nonbinary, almost 1/3 is trans men, and almost all of the remainder (14%) is cis women. Only 2 people who are AMAB have taken the survey.

Race/Ethnicity: Non-Hispanic White people are very over-represented, making up 82% of the sample.

Diagnosis: 57% are professionally diagnosed, 20% are informally or soft-diagnosed, and 14% are seeking a diagnosis. Only 9% are neither diagnosed nor seeking a diagnosis.

The most common diagnoses are ASD with no level (33%), level 1 ASD (25%), and "mild autism" (13%).

16% were diagnosed before age 8, 24% between ages 9 and 15, 32% between ages 16 and 18, 12% between ages 19 and 25, and 16% over age 25.

Autism Support Needs: The most common self-identified support needs label is "low-moderate" (43%), followed by low (23%) and moderate (14%). Most would benefit from but do not need weekly support (31%), only need accommodations and mental health support (17%), or rarely need any support (6%).

Autism Symptoms: On a severity scale of 0 (not applicable) to 3 (severe), the average is 1.7 overall, 1.8 socially, and 1.7 for restricted-repetitive behaviors. The most severe symptom is sensory issues (2.1), and the least severe are nonverbal communication and stimming (both 1.5).

83% are fully verbal, and 97% have no intellectual disability.

38% can mask well enough to seem "off" but not necessarily autistic. 21% can't mask well or for long.

Most experience shutdowns (94%), difficulties with interoception (80%), meltdowns (71%), alexithymia (71%), echolalia (69%), and autistic mutism (66%). Very few experience psychosis (14%) or catatonia (11%).

Self-Diagnosis: 20% think it's always fine to self-diagnose autism, 29% think it's almost always fine, 31% think it's only okay if an assessment is inaccessible, 71% think it needs to be done carefully, and 11% think it's okay to suspect but not self-diagnose.

15% think it's always fine to self-diagnose autism DSM-5 levels (including if the person has been told they don't have autism), 15% think it's fine as long as autism hasn't been ruled out, 21% think it's almost always fine, 18% think it's only okay if an assessment is inaccessible, 36% think it needs to be done carefully, and 36% think it's okay to suspect but not self-diagnose.

26% think it's always fine to self-diagnose autism support needs labels (including if the person has been told they don't have autism), 29% think it's fine as long as autism hasn't been ruled out, 37% think it's almost always fine, 29% think it's only okay if an assessment is inaccessible, 43% think it needs to be done carefully, and 6% think it's okay to suspect but not self-diagnose.

Disability: 71% feel disabled by autism, 17% feel disabled by another condition but not autism, and 11% are unsure.

Comorbidities: The most common mental health comorbidities are anxiety (68%), ADHD (62%), and depression (56%).

The least common mental health disorders are schizophrenia spectrum disorders (0%), bipolar disorders (3%), tic disorders (6%), substance use disorders (6%), personality disorder (9%), and OCD (9%).

The most common physical health comorbidities are gastrointestinal issues (29%), connective tissue disorders (29%), autoimmune disorders (24%), neurological disorders or injuries (24%), and hearing/vision loss (24%). All others are below 20%.

Overall Support Needs: When considering comorbidities, the most common self-identified support needs label is moderate (37%), followed by low-moderate (31%) and low (17%).

[autismdoll]

Long post about Repetitive Restrictive Behaviors, OCD, and Stress

I’ve been struggling a lot with Repetitive and Restrictive Behaviors

More specifically tactile stims and tics. Some of these things i can recognize as more voluntary tactile stims that ive done for a long time. But i often get locked into a restrictive and stressful loop of doing these stimulatory actions.

This has brought to mind some questions about the overlap and differences between Autism and OCD, with comorbity in mind.

since a kid i’ve had a few long with standing tactile stims/tics:

Hard, repetitive, excessive blinking.

Snorting

Excessive toe curling and interlocking of toes

Hard, repetitive, excessive scrunching and stretching of nose and philtrum

Clenching teeth

Picking and peeling skin

Uncontrollable nail biting

Rolling eyes back with eyes closed

Pattern walking by way of trying to step on cracks with consistent foot coverage and pressure

Some of these are a lot more visible than others but the visible ones gave me enough trouble in the past that i involuntarily developed more covert habits that stimulate the same area

which brings me to a tic that has been plaguing me for over a year now:

Excessively and roughly pressing my tongue against my soft palate

This is something that started as a self regulatory behavior triggered by emotional and environmental stimuli. Now i get into these loops where i can’t stop doing it and it stresses me out and hurts lol.

The same is true for the list of tactile stims above. I think i start doing them to self soothe then once i make the specific sort of contact i get fixated on how the pressure, contact, or motion should feel and then can’t stop repeating it.

This makes me wonder about the possibility of certain things manifesting as autism symptoms, ocd symptoms, or both.

To give some more context, I’m not diagnosed or self diagnosed as OCD. I am diagnosed ASD and ADHD. However, at the start of my mental health treatment journey the psychiatrist i was seeing identified and notated disruptive OCD symptoms that they expected my previously prescribed Prozac to help with. It did help but it also made me manic so they banned me from Prozac. (long story for another time or another blog lol)

In more recent psychiatric visits my intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors were outlined noted and proclaimed to possibly be elevated by my newly prescribed Abilify which i haven’t taken yet as i struggle with change and especially change in self care routine.

All that is to say that there does seem to be some overlap between ASD and OCD in my experience. This was corroborated in conversation with my friend who is diagnosed OCD we related when i mentioned these compulsive behaviors

Accidentally touching something in passing only to have to return and touch it properly with the “correct amount of pressure”

Intrusive thoughts of harm scenarios involving self and others

Intrusive thoughts surrounding health anxiety

drinking things in intervals of eleven

applying a correct numbered increment to actions and avoiding certain numbers

having to flip a switch or hold an object in just the right way

constant redoing of motions until they feel right

Something that initially made me unsure regarding classifying these behaviors as OCD is the fact that there doesn’t seem to be an anxious “what if i dont do this, something bad may happen” feeling triggering these things. That perspective may be naive or ignorant on my part tho which is why i’m diving deeper to learn more.

One thing positive i can say is that writing this post helped me redirect my nervous system while i was suffering due to these repetitive restrictive behaviors right before writing this. i’ve regulated a little

[fictionadventurer]

Having recently read The Blue Castle for the first time, I'm fascinated by your idea of a dystopian retelling! Would you be willing to share more about it?

I shared the plot summary as an Imaginary Book Rec, but since I'm not going to give in to the impulse of writing this story at the moment, I may as well jot down the other details I have.

Valancy lives in a society that's completely ruled by AI (or, at least, AI overseen by humans who totally buy in to this program). There's large-scale AI that controls wider societal functions, but every household is also ruled by a Motherboard that watches every move they make and micromanages their schedule down to the minute.

It's believed that strict adherence to these rules will keep society efficient and safe. Any deviance is strictly punished.

This society views itself as the last bastion of civilization in a post-apocalyptic world. After the disasters that destroyed civilization, this society arose to provide perfect safety and security. Its citizens believe that the world outside the city walls is a dangerous, toxic wasteland, full of beasts and bandits and disease, and that banishment from the city is a death sentence.

(This society calls itself Sterling because they're aiming for perfection after the mistakes of the past).

Imagination and art are deemed useless. Every minute must be spent in some useful activity.

Valancy is a cog in the machine. The AI has labeled her as having no special potential, so she works at repetitive manual labor--I'm thinking janitorial work--and has not been allowed to be paired for reproduction. (I'm thinking the society allows arranged pairs to meet and reproduce, but all children are taken from families and raised in groups, possibly by robots)

Valancy is outwardly a perfect citizen, but internally, she has a rich inner life, and survives by imagining a more romantic world.

The works of John Foster are a major inspiration. The Motherboard deems them acceptable reading, since they're scientific texts about the state of the natural world before the apocalypse, but the AI analysis can't see the human emotion that goes into these works, and how Foster subtly inspires his readers to want more than their perfectly organized society.

(I envision an early scene where Valancy wants to read. The Motherboard protests that this is unacceptable, because she wasted 17.24 minutes in idleness yesterday, but relents when Valancy points out it's a useful scientific text.)

When Valancy starts having heart trouble, she gets analyzed by the infallible medical software, which coldly informs her that she has a year to live and is not worth saving. This is Valancy's breaking point--she's not going to live her last year under the Sterling restrictions.

She starts doing shocking things like expressing emotion, making jokes, and deviating from her schedule. The family dinner scene is replaced by an incident where she displays some of these rebellious behaviors at dinnertime in front of her fellow assigned house-mates, who all think she's gone crazy.

She meets Cissy, who has been cast aside by the Sterling society. She committed the crime of engaging in sex outside of AI-approved encounters, so she's no longer part of proper society. She's not banished to the Wilderness, but she's not allowed medical care, no one's supposed to interact with her, she has no job/food/housing and has to scrounge where she can. Valancy decides to help her out.

Valancy meets Barney Snaith a couple of times. He was banished to the Wilderness but gets to come to the gate sometimes for reasons (maybe Sterling City gets some resources from outside its walls?). There are tons of rumors about the crimes he committed that got him banished.

Eventually, Valancy's work with Cissy gets her (maybe both of them?) banished to the Wilderness. Barney helps Valancy to give Cissy a proper burial in the woods. He then recognizes that Valancy won't be able to survive on her own, and offers her shelter at his place. (I don't think they necessarily need to marry in this scenario. But of course they fall in love over the course of the story).

Valancy learns that the Wilderness, while dangerous, is also full of wild beauty. Barney helps her learn to survive in it and to love it.

Barney's got some major secrets--he'll go off sometimes for mysterious purposes and he refuses to let Valancy come with.

Valancy eventually learns that Barney's part of a rebellion to take down the Sterling society. His father leads the rebellion (he accidentally invented some technology that can take down the AI). Barney used to be a bigger part of it until he was betrayed by a woman he loved and banished to the Wilderness. After nursing his wounds for a while, Barney decided to help the rebellion in a different way, with his writings as John Foster.

But by the end of the story, Barney's father comes back in the picture, and Valancy learns she's not actually dying so she doesn't need to be protected from the stress of the rebellion, and she and Barney join the rebellion in a more active way, helping to take down the Sterling society and put the new government in power.

Making this AU helped me to realize that The Blue Castle already is a dystopian story--all about rebelling against an oppressive society--so putting it in this genre is a really natural fit.

[sh1nsoukoku]

Pls tell me all dazai autism traits in ur list

OMG I AM SO GLAD YOU ASKED, yes yes yes…

I want to preface this by saying this is in no means supposed to be canon facts or a diagnosis, I just think he is a very autistic-coded character coming from my own experiences as an autistic adult!

Long post under the cut because I don’t know how to stfu!!!

We will start with my main reasoning:

As we know, Dazai and his ability are based off of the work No Longer Human. Dazai being similar to the main character Yozo. Yozo is a kind of “stand in” for the real life author Osamu Dazai as No Longer Human contains a lot of real events from the author’s life. BSD Dazai and Yozo’s main similarities are the disconnection from others and high masking. Here are two quotes from the book:

“All I feel are the assaults of apprehension and terror at the thought that I am the only one who is entirely unlike the rest. It is almost impossible for me to converse with other people. What should I talk about? How should I say it? - I don’t know.”

This is incredibly similar to the lived experiences of Autistic people. I used to feel like an alien, or just fundamentally different than others. We tend to also struggle with communicating and other social dynamics. Dazai feels isolated from others, let’s very few people close, and searches for meaning by observing other humans and life and death itself. He quotes this as his reason for joining the Mafia. He also processes emotion differently, at odds with people around him.

“I managed to maintain on the surface a smile which never deserted my lips; this was the accommodation I offered to others, a most precarious achievement performed by me only at the cost of excruciating efforts within.”

This is one of the best descriptions I have read of Autistic Masking. Dazai HIGHLY masks. Dazai is known for not showing his true thoughts/feelings/opinions often in BSD. He can code switch easily, serious in one moment and then covering it with his over the top silly/unusual/maniacal personality. In NLH this is described as “clowning.” I also think Dazai’s genius “always according to plan” thing is sometimes a mask, so he doesn’t show the fact that he’s working hard to pull strings and figure things out.

He does have some insane pattern recognition though which is also an autistic attribute!

And now for the more surface level reasons:

Repetitive Behavior/Media Consumption: Dazai reads the same book over and over again. The Ultimate Guide to Suicide is a book he’s had with him since his PM days and he tells Atsushi that he already knows everything it says because he’s read it hundreds of times. A very common autistic trait!

Restricted Diet: Dazai seems to have a limited diet consisting of alcohol and canned crab! It’s a same food/safe food he has often. His room was described to be full of discarded cans of crab and bottles. Limited diets are common in autistic people.

Stimming: Dazai stims! He is a very wiggly and stimmy person. There’s several scenes where he is seen humming and singing or making little silly noises.

Dazai and his headphones are so important to me.. he seems to wear them frequently around the office. It could be noise cancelling or auditory stimulation that he likes.

The man never sits normally on a chair which is something I think a lot of neurodivergent people can relate to.

And of course floor time! Shown by him rolling around when stressed, laying on the rooftop and a few instances in Wan! like the marshmallow scene.

Also you can’t tell me that this is not two burnt out autistics after overworking their brains…

[bathask]

大人の発達障害やアスペルガーとか自閉症スペクトラム概念無い幼い頃の毎日来る暗闇の夜の恐怖。戦慄の天井の隅。生まれつきの自閉スペクトラム症ASD,光るもの熱中DSM-5診断基準で闇に輝く昭和レトロなネオンやヘッドライト,街灯。自閉症こだわり常に過緊張高不安の中で見る影へ伸びる繊細微妙な光加減

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Novel Editing

Below are 4 different types of novel editing. Revising in the right order is essential if you want your book to be in the best shape possible.

Developmental Editing

Comes first.

Involves looking at the story as a whole.

Also called structural editing, or content editing.

Base components. Plot, structure, characterization, pace, viewpoint, narrative style, and tense:

Plot: Sequence of events that take the reader from the beginning to the end.

Structure: How the plot is organized. Even if B occurred after A, the reader might learn about B before the events of A are unveiled.

Characterization: How characters are represented such that we can make sense of their behavior as we journey with them through the story.

Pace: The speed at which the story unfolds. Effective pace ensures readers feel neither rushed nor bored. That doesn’t mean the pace remains steady; a story can include sections of fast-paced action and slower cool-downs.

Viewpoint: In each chapter or section, readers should understand who the narrator is—whose eyes they are seeing through, whose emotions they have access to, whose voice dominates the narrative. It also means understanding the restrictions in play such that head-hopping doesn’t pull the reader out of the story.

Narrative style: Is the narrative viewpoint conveyed in the first, second or third person? The choice determines a narrative’s style.

Tense: Is the story told in the present or the past tense? Each has its benefits and limitations.

Notes: On Developmental Editing

Types of developmental edits:

Full-novel edits in which the editor revises (or suggests revisions) that will improve the story;

critiques or manuscript evaluations that report on the strengths and weaknesses of the story; and

sensitivity reads that offer specialist reports on the potential misrepresentation and devaluation of marginalized others.

Different editors handle developmental edits in different ways.

One might include an assessment of genre and marketability; another might not.

Some editors revise the raw text; others restrict the edit to margin markup.

Check what you’re being offered against what you want.

Developmental editing isn’t about checking spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Line Editing

The next step in the revision process; it is stylistic work. 

A strong sentence elevates story; a poorly crafted one can bury it.

This level of editing revises for style, sense, and flow.

Also called substantive editing or stylistic editing.

Editors will be addressing the following:

Authenticity of phrasing and word choice in relation to character voice

Character-trait consistency and unveiling

Clarity and consistency of viewpoint and narrative style

Cliché and awkward metaphor

Dialogue and how it conveys voice, mood, and intention

Sentence pace and flow, with special attention to repetition and overwriting

Tenses, and whether they’re effective and consistent

Told-versus-shown prose

Notes: On Line Editing

Types of sentence-level edits:

Full-novel line edits in which the editor revises (or suggests revisions) that will improve the line work;

line critiques that report on the strengths and weaknesses of the line craft; and 

mini line edits in which the editor revises an agreed section of the novel such that the author can hone their line craft and mimic the edit throughout the rest of the novel.

Different editors define their sentence-level services differently.

Some include technical checking (copy editing) with the stylistic work, while some do the stylistic and technical work in separate passes.

Check what you’re being offered against what you want.

Line-editing stage is not the ideal place to be fixing problems with plot, theme, pace and viewpoint. Fixes are likely to be inelegant and invasive.

Copy Editing

The technical side of sentence-level work.

Editors will be addressing the following:

Chapter sequencing

Consistency of proper-noun spelling

Dialogue tagging and punctuation

Letter, word, line, and paragraph spacing

Logic of timeline, environment, and character traits

Spelling, grammar, syntax, punctuation, hyphenation, and capitalization

Standard document formatting

Notes: On Copy Editing

Some editors offer line editing and copy editing together in a single pass. That combined service might be indicated by what it’s called, e.g. ‘line-/copy editing’. However, it might be called just ‘copy editing’ even though it includes stylistic work.

Check what you’re being offered against what you want.

Novel copy editing is best done in a single pass:

When an editor works on separate chunks of text, inconsistencies are likely to slip through.

One pass of a sentence-level edit is not enough to ready a novel for publication. Final quality control is necessary.

Proofreading

The last stage of the editing process prior to publication.

Every novel, whether it’s being delivered in print or digitally, requires a final quality-control check.

What a Proofreader Does

Looks for literal errors and layout problems that slipped through previous rounds of revision or were introduced at design stage.

Authors preparing for print can ask a proofreader to annotate page proofs. These are almost what a reader would see if they pulled the novel off the shelf.

Others ask proofreaders to amend the raw text, either because they’re preparing for e-publication or for audiobook narration.

Proofreaders are more than typo hunters

They check for consistency of spelling, punctuation and grammar, but also for layout problems such as (but not limited to) indentation, line spacing, inconsistent chapter drops, missing page numbers, and font and heading styles.

The art of good proofreading lies in knowing when to change and when to leave well enough alone.

A good proofreader should understand the impact of their revisions—not only in relation to the knock-on effect on other pages but also to the cost if a third-party designer/formatter is part of the team.

Notes: On Proofreading

A proofread is rarely enough, no matter how experienced the writer. It’s the last line of defense, not the only line of defense.

Be sure to clarify with an editor what you want and which mediums the editor works with. Proofreading designed page proofs requires an additional level of checking that a raw-text review doesn’t. And some editors work only on raw text, some only on PDF, and some only on hard copy.

Proofreading is about quality control. The proofreader should be polishing the manuscript, not filling in plot holes or trimming purple prose.

PROOFREADING CHECKLIST

Author:

Title:

Prelims

Title page. The title of the book, the author’s name & the publisher are correct

Copyright page. Check that author name and date of publication are correct, and that the copyright statement is present and correct

Dedication. The spelling/punctuation style are correct & consistent

Acknowledgements. The spelling/punctuation style are correct & consistent

Foreword. The spelling, layout and punctuation style are correct and consistent

Preface. The spelling, layout and punctuation style are correct and consistent

Table of contents. Check against all chapter titles & subheadings in main text for consistency of spelling/capitalization; Check page numbers against main text

Figures, tables, maps, plates. Check against all entries in main text for consistency of spelling/capitalization; Page numbers against entries in main text

List of contributors. Check consistency with chapters in main text Are the names spelled correctly and rendered consistently (e.g. A. B. Smith, AB Smith, A.B. Smith, Alan B. Smith etc.)?

Pagination. Check that all prelim pages are numbered consecutively and correctly in Roman (i, ii, etc. unless brief specifies Arabic); Check that size and position of page numbers is correct and consistent

Running heads. Check that running heads in prelims are correct and consistent (size, font, colour, position on page)

Main Text

Pagination

Check that all text pages are numbered consecutively in main text

Check that size and position of page numbers is correct and consistent

Check that first page of the first chapter starts on a recto (right-hand page)

Check that all odd page numbers are on rectos

Running heads

Check that running heads match chapter heads (or abbreviated forms of them)

Running heads are correct/consistent (size, font, colour, position on page)

Running heads and folio numbers have been removed from landscaped figures and tables

Check that running heads have been removed from part- and chapter title pages

Chapter titles and headings (incl. subheadings)

Consistency of font, spacing, colour, size & position on page for each heading level

Check that capitalization is correct and consistent for each heading level

Check that each chapter drop is consistent

Check that space above and below is consistent within heading level

Lists

Check that spacing above and below lists is consistent

Ensure line spacing of list entries is consistent

Check that bullet style is consistent within list type

Check that end-of-line punctuation is consistent within list

Page depth

Check page depth is consistent throughout

Look out for uneven page depths on facing rectos (right-hand pages) and versos (left-hand pages)

Page margins

Is the text area consistent throughout/adequate for printing/readability purposes?

Notes and cross-references

Ensure all notes are cued/numbered consecutively by chapter or through the book

Check that the note numbers given match the in-text note markers

Check each note appears on the appropriate page; if footnotes run over to the next page, there should be a short rule above the continuation (or other indicator as given by house style)

Check any cross-references in the text to chapters, figures or tables

Highlight any cross-references that still need to be completed

Ensure that in-text citations are presented according to preferred style and can be located in the book's references or bibliography

More layout problems to look out for:

Uneven spacing and leading

Irregular indentation of extracts

Crooked lines, especially in captions and headings

Wrong or inconsistent typefaces or type sizes

Bad word breaks that might trip the reader (e.g. cow-orker, trip-od)

Widows and orphans

More than two end-of-line hyphens stacked on top of each other

Paragraph indentation (first paragraphs in a chapter or section are often not indented)

Hyphens that should be dashes (e.g. when used parenthetically/in number ranges)

Double spaces after full stops (periods)

Rogue spaces at the beginning and end of paragraphs

Extracts

Check punctuation of sources

Check that extracts are set consistently (size, font, colour, position)

Query any missing acknowledgements/permissions

Figures, tables, maps, plates

Check that quality is acceptable

Is numbering correct and consistent?

Is the design consistent (font, size, colour, spacing)?

Check captions against lists of figures, tables or illustrations in the prelims

Check spelling, punctuation/grammar of figure labels and table column headings

Check alignment of columns in tables and positioning of ruled lines

Check that all illustrations provide a credit/source acknowledgement and query if any appear to be missing

End Matter

Notes

Ensure all notes are cued & numbered consecutively by chapter/through the book

If notes are grouped at the end of the book, check the text and the page numbers given alongside to ensure they match the main text and the contents page

Check that the note numbers given match the in-text note markers

If running heads include cross-references to page numbers, check these are correct, or fill in if required

Glossary

Is the list in alphabetical order?

Check that the layout is consistent

Afterword

Check that the spelling, layout and punctuation style are correct and consistent

Appendices

Check that the layout is consistent

Check that the numbering is consistent and matches any in-text cross references and the contents list

Bibliography/references

Is the list in alphabetical order?

Has the preferred reference style been used correctly and consistently?

Pagination and layout

Check that all text pages are numbered consecutively in the end matter

Check that size and position of page numbers is correct and consistent

Page depth

Check page depth is consistent throughout

Look out for uneven page depths on facing rectos and versos

Page margins

Text area is consistent throughout & adequate for printing & readability purposes

Running heads

Check that running heads match chapter heads (or abbreviated forms of them)

Check that running heads are correct and consistent (size, font, colour, position on page)

FINAL NOTES

Authors need to take their books through all the types of editing.

That doesn’t mean hiring third party professionals for each stage.

Writing groups, self-study courses, how-to books, and self publishing organizations are all great sources of editorial support.

If you decide to work with a professional, invest in one who can help you where you’re weakest:

You might be a great structural self-editor but prone to overwriting. Or you might have nailed line craft but need help with story development.

Pay attention to the order of play when it comes to revision.

Fixing plot holes at proofreading stage might damage previous rounds of editing.

Source More: On Editing

[bornfreediedcaged]

in this blog post, i will be explaining why i, faggot autist, believe that Dexter Morgan is autistic by laying out the DM5 symptoms for autism and telling you how or if he relates to each;

umbrella of social diagnosis; persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts - i think this one is pretty self explanatory, Dexter finds it hard to process emotions and react well in social interactions in his younger and older years and will become either apathetic or very agitated if he hasn’t.

Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity, ranging, for example, from abnormal social approach and failure of normal back-and-forth conversation; to reduced sharing of interests, emotions, or affect; to failure to initiate or respond to social interactions - Dexter quite literally believes that he has no feelings, meaning he is often apathetic to people’s feelings and does not reciprocate them in the way that others would want, he often takes himself out of situations that he doesn’t want to be in by ignoring people or acting as if his job is keeping him late, the only interest that Dexter ever shares with anyone else is killing, which is quite literally the only interest he has.

Deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviors used for social interaction, ranging, for example, from poorly integrated verbal and nonverbal communication; to abnormalities in eye contact and body language or deficits in understanding and use of gestures; to a total lack of facial expressions and nonverbal communication - the only time we see Dexter not actively speak to get his point across is during the ITK case and he only understands what the ITK means because he’s a murderer himself, it’s shown in multiple occasions that Dexter’s resting face is blank and while he doesn’t use body language badly, he doesn’t do it very often either.

Deficits in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships, ranging, for example, from difficulties adjusting behavior to suit various social contexts; to difficulties in sharing imaginative play or in making friends; to absence of interest in peers - the amount of evidence for this one is overwhelming so I’ll keep it short, Dexter cannot even maintain relationships with family members because of his general lack of traditional emotion toward them, Dexter cannot understand why people want to have sex or be in relationships in season 1 and Dexter fails to hold himself back and adjust to the content when he knocks out Paul and drags him out. Dexter is shown to not have many friends outside of his workplace in almost every season and they end quite quickly and often in gruesome ways but he is quite imaginative, he quite literally says to Harry when he’s a teenager that he isn’t interested in anyone else and doesn’t want to date anyone.

repetitive nature of actions and behaviours umbrella; Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities - Dexter is quite literally a creature of habit, his kill ritual barely changes each time and when it does he becomes agitated and upset and may even meltdown in the middle of it. Dexter tries to stop killing multiple time and even succeeds but he always goes back to it because it is a comforting repetitive thing for him in the strangest way.

stereotyped or repetitive motor movements, use of objects, or speech (e.g., simple motor stereotypes, lining up toys or flipping objects, echolalia, idiosyncratic phrases) - there isn’t much for this one, Harrison portrays this symptoms better rather than Dexter, i guess the stabbing his victims in the chest could be a repetitive or his ‘I am Switzerland’ comment but there just isn’t enough evidence on this one.

insistence on sameness, inflexible adherence to routines, or ritualized patterns or verbal nonverbal behavior (e.g., extreme distress at small changes, difficulties with transitions, rigid thinking patterns, greeting rituals, need to take same route or eat food every day) - if we take the intro into perspective, it implies that Dexter does this routine when he wakes up, every time without fail, Dexter becomes agitated and upset when Doakes tails him and when Lila interrupts his scheduled time with Rita with her voicemail and multiple other times he reacts badly to changes in his routine or plan. Harry’s code is almost all Dexter thinks in, he quite literally has rules for living and killing and almost exactly adheres to these rules. I think i can just apply a big ‘Dexter intro’ sticker on the last two to even it out.

highly restricted, fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus (e.g, strong attachment to or preoccupation with unusual objects, excessively circumscribed or perseverative interest) - i think this perfectly describes Dexter’s need to kill and his interest in blood and death, he is completely hyperfixated on the idea or taking someone’s life for the greater good, an idea and hyperfixation that Harry practically groomed him into having but it’s the principle of it.

Hyper- or hyporeactivity to sensory input or unusual interests in sensory aspects of the environment (e.g., apparent indifference to pain/temperature, adverse response to specific sounds or textures, excessive smelling or touching of objects, visual fascination with lights or movement) - Dexter doesn’t often slow down or react much past a groan if he is injured unless he is badly injured or thrown off his balance and isn’t able to catch up with his victims, Dexter sometimes has an adverse reaction to blood in a visual and or tactile state and occasionally feels overwhelmed and unable to think while in crime scenes and or hearing loud noises.

symptoms must be present in the early developmental period (but may not become fully manifest until social demands exceed limited capacities or may be masked by learned strategies in later life) - Dexter shows signs of the same behaviours and reactions to the world when he is very young, Harry teaches Dexter to mask around his mid childhood to early teenage years and is taught strategies to prevent people from ‘thinking he’s a psychopath’ (even though he’s like twelve years old.. get it together Morgan, just send your kid to a non-delusional therapist please.) Dexter’s ability to use these tactics deteriorates though but he gets new masking techniques the more he studies people.

Symptoms cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of current functioning - Dexter is absolutely hopeless when he isn’t masking or is blindsided in social situations, he isn’t a social person, Dexter’s symptoms have sometimes lead to him being excused from work and caused trouble with co-workers.

in conclusion, due to the overwhelming evidence on the part of autist Dexter, i rule this Dexter Morgan, fictionally diagnosed as autistic. Bangs my gavel or whatever they’re called

[autismaccount]

Survey About Support Needs Labels

Hi all! I have autism with level 2 social-communication difficulties and level 3 restricted repetitive behaviors. I mostly post in Reddit MSN/HSN autism communities, but I was recently made aware of this community.

I like surveys a lot, and the Reddit communities that I'm in have recently had several surveys that touched on support needs labels. It got me thinking about what people mean when they say they have "low support needs" or "moderate support needs." For example, what kind of daily life support needs do people have? How is it affected by their autism symptoms? What about their overall support needs, taking into account co-occurring health conditions?

I created a survey to see what other people think! I'll share the results when I have them. I'm curious if Tumblr and Reddit autism communities tend to agree on support needs labels or if the different communities have different ideas of what the labels mean. I'm also really curious if people who are undiagnosed, those with level 1 diagnoses, and those with level 2 or 3 diagnoses (or those from countries that don't use the level system but have LSN compared to MSN/HSN) all respond differently. I'd really appreciate if people could take the survey and especially if you could also show it to people that you know!

If you already took the survey on Reddit, you don't need to retake it here (it's a different link but the same questions), but I'd still appreciate you reblogging it!

Thank you!