Tag: autism tag

pb8:

it really bothers me that so many people on this site treat ableism like it’s black and white.

just now i saw a post where op was like “i’m glad that spinners are popular because it normalizes fidgets and decreases stigma” and someone replied like “no!! it’s absolutely TERRIBLE that neurotypicals are using these fidgets because when they get in trouble they make things harder for mentally ill kids!!” and like you guys do realize that? you’re both right? it isn’t a decisive fact that neurotypicals using fidgets is either good or bad, there are both benefits and consequences that need to be taken into consideration.

a few months ago there was a post going around that was like, *neurotypical voice* why are you bouncing your leg, and somebody reblogged it saying that the post was ableist because autistic kids can get overstimulated by leg bouncing. i go to a school for the mentally disabled, and i’ve been in this exact scenario, my classmate wasn’t able to focus because i was bouncing my leg and although i felt bad i told him that i wouldn’t be able to stop for long because i do it subconsciously due to my adhd. he wasn’t being ableist for asking me to stop, and i wasn’t being ableist for saying i couldn’t, we just both had different needs. in the end, our compromise was that i went to work in the computer lab.

you have to understand that there is always more than one side to issues like these, and that we should be striving for understanding and balance over demonization of one side and blind support of the other. this is especially relevant when people on both sides are mentally ill or disabled, because sometimes symptoms will clash and you just need to deal with it.

High-Functioning is Not a Compliment — a Poetic Rant

thedreamer001:

You call me high-functioning because I can speak in words, and you say I’m articulate

But that doesn’t account for the times when the words get trapped inside of me, and speaking seems as hard as running a marathon.

You call her low-functioning because her voice is hard to understand

But she has just as much to say as I do; you just have to listen.

You call her low-functioning because you see her rock her body and flap her hands

But you don’t think about the joy this brings her, how satisfying it is to move to the beat of her mind.

You call me high-functioning because you don’t see me playing with my hands under the table

But you don’t know how much I want to rock and flap just like she does, how it makes me feel finally comfortable in my own skin.

You call me high-functioning be cause I can socialize

But you don’t see my constant internal prompting of what to say, the years it took me to get to this point, or the internal agony when I think I’ve made a mistake.

You call her low-functioning because she often repeats the same phrases over and over again

But you don’t see the meaning in these phrases, or the way she uses them to communicate.

You call me high-functioning because I can go to social events

But you don’t see the exhaustion that comes afterward, and the toll that takes over time.

You call her low-functioning because she melts down, yelling and banging her head on the ground

But you don’t see how hard she has been trying all day long to hold together.

You call me high-functioning because you don’t see me cry and scream

But that’s because I’ve internalized, and my meltdowns happen when the world becomes too fast and swirling and nothing makes sense any more.

You call her low-functioning because she loves to talk about one TV show, and hardly ever talks about anything else

But you don’t see how much joy this brings her, and how it has allowed her to connect and make friends.

You call me high-functioning because I can talk about things I’m not interested in

But you don’t see the pure joy of infodumping about my interests, and how painful it is to keep that all inside

You call her low-functioning because you knew right away that she was not the same

You call me high-function because you never would have known anything was different about my if I hadn’t told you

But maybe I’m tired of the sameness.

High-functioning is not a compliment

When all you’re doing

Is comparing me to her.

Autism

fanimation4231domination:

Autism is a highly misunderstood neurological spectrum disorder, but as we move forward, we are learning more and more.

We can be extroverted
And we can be introverted
Or in the middle

And thats okay

We can be talented or geniuses
And we can be average
Or less than average

And thats okay

We can be challenged
And we can overcome
Or maybe not

And thats okay

We can be hypersensitive
And we can be hyposensitive
Or we can be both

And thats okay

We can have lots of friends
And we can have just a few
Or maybe none

And thats okay

We can empathize
And we can express it
Or maybe we cant

And thats okay

We can love affection
And we can avoid it
Or we can be indifferent

And thats okay

We can communicate
And in any way we can
Or maybe we cant

And thats okay

We can be passing
And not passing
Or somewhere in between

And thats okay

We can have autism
And in any form
Or display

And thats okay

Because not all of us are the same
Our spectrum a color wheel
Each of us with a unique palette of colors
Thats makes up the painting of who we are
But it is not what defines us

And thats okay

when i was a child, i couldn’t tolerate certain fabrics, so mom only bought me soft clothes. and i would still wear the same things all the time. i was a very picky eater, so she had to do her best to make the food i agreed to eat, because i wouldn’t eat otherwise(we were poor so it wasn’t easy). my grandmothers were frantically making the only two meals i agreed to eat. i could throw up if the texture was bad. i had my own way of walking and loved space. i’m 22 and it still hasn’t changed.

April is “Autism Awareness Month”, so here are a few reminders for you to keep in mind:

thenicestangelyouhave:

  • Autism Speaks is a hate group.
  • The reasoning behind “Light It Up Blue” (that there are more autistic boys than girls) stems from a tendency in doctors to base their autism diagnoses on stereotypes and sometimes refuse to diagnose girls.
  • Most autistic people don’t want a “cure” for autism and don’t support Autism Speaks.
  • Autism Speaks has given abusive/ableist parents legitimacy by portraying autism as a terrifying, life-ruining affliction and sympathising with parents who have contemplated killing their children, or actually killed them.
  • The views of autistic people are more important in this topic than the views of our allistic family members and peers.
  • Autism is not a disease.
  • Very little (about 4%) of Autism Speaks’ proceeds go toward supporting autistic people. More of it goes toward catering.
  • Autism is not a tragedy.
  • What autistic people need is acceptance, not awareness. 

Edit: Since some of you can’t take 60 seconds to google it rather than insist that you know more than actual autistic people, here: https://thecaffeinatedautistic.wordpress.com/2013/03/05/why-i-am-against-autism-speaks-and-you-should-be-too-2/

https://autisticbeekeeper.wordpress.com/2016/03/29/this-is-the-last-time-im-going-to-say-this/

darthvcder:

okay but can we talk abt how having asd makes u really vulnerable to abuse and it’s fucking awful??? like. being unable to fully distinguish between sarcasm, jokes, and when someone’s just being an asshole means that it’s incredibly easy to gaslight you. any time someone hurts you or says something blatantly abusive/rude they can just say “i was just joking” and sometimes even go so far as to say “i was just joking it’s your autism making it difficult”. anything you do or anything that upsets you can easily be excused by your abuser as you “overreacting” because you’re autistic. and of course, there’s the abuse that happens in General to autistic people, like teachers/caregivers who abuse you bc you’re “misbehaving” or parents who refuse to get their children diagnosed until the damage is already done bc they want a “normal” child and don’t want a crutch… anyway i just wanna say that if you’re autistic and have been abused because of it or it’s been used as an excuse for people to abuse you, you’re not making things up or overreacting. it’s okay to have feelings and be hurt.

twofingerswhiskey:

neurotypicals and even some nd people need to realise that, those psychology posts about lying are bullshit. i have adhd. i will not maintain eye contact. i will look around the room, be unable to sit still, fiddle, rub my nose and ears, blink a lot/blink too little (depending on where i am dosage-wise), add unnecessary details, randomly go off on tangents about related topics – everything that you think makes me out to be “telling lies” is just me being neurodivergent and attempting to communicate while you hold me to standards that are not correct for what my brain is like. i’m sorry but your sherlock ass can stop