I've met people who seem genuinely confused as to why other people don't act exactly like them. It's like they can't grasp the fact that they aren't the default.

undiagnosed autism culture is..

telling someone you think your autistic snd they laugh and say

“no youre not autistic, i can tell”

!!

It hurts because when I have a meltdown I hit my head against the wall because the rhythm and intensity calm me down while also injuring me. It hurts because I struggle to make friends. It hurts because my family doesn’t understand when I’m sensory overloaded and need to leave a crowded restaurant. It hurts because I push my husband away because I struggle with touch.

It also has formed an unbreakable bond between my autistic husband and I. My autism allows me to see the world so differently than others and pick up on patterns. It helps me focus on inane repetitive tasks that would bore anyone else.

Autism is absolutely disabling. My husband and I joke that together we make one fully functional adult because our autism presents in such complementary ways. The things I find overwhelming or impossible he does with no issue and visa versa. It sucks, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

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.

Hey, if we get along really well, you're probably neurodivergent.

I saw a funny post by @emergentdivergence and just HAD to do something with it.

I’m sure most of my followers at least will be just fine. 😉

[Image description:

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball, done in collaboration with David Gray-Hammond.

1: A Red/Purple figure with gray glasses and a lip ring says, “April is Autism Acceptance Month, and you know what that means…”

2: A bunch of NT and ND figures stand all together (some looking happy, some looking not bothered, and some looking quite bothered indeed) while Red/Purple continues offscreen with, “Anyone not accepted by an Autistic person before April 30th will be yeeted into the sun.”

3: Close up of Red/Purple who says, “But don’t worry…”

4: Red/Purple continues, “We’ll only make you work as hard for our acceptance as we’ve had to work for yours.” To the left is a yellow/gold figure holding three heavy books entitled Autistic Communication, Unlearning Ableism, and Masking. To the right is a light blue/blue figure holding three more heavy books entitled Stimming, Autistic Social Skills, and Neurodiversity 101.]

i bring a sort of autistic vibe to the conversation that people probably dont like but i cant tell because im too busy wondering if I'm making a normal amount of eye contact to pay attention

There’s nothing like having flashbacks because a show portrayed a PTSD flashback.

I hate when people ask you the same question over and over and your only answer is “I don’t know”. But they keep asking like something is going to change. And when you start get tired of saying that you don’t know, they tell you to “watch your tone” or “stop being snippy”. I genuinely don’t know how else to tell you that I do not know the answer to your question. I don’t have enough context to answer it. You asking it repeatedly in different ways is not providing me the requisite context. So stop fucking asking me.

My FAVORITE THING is researchers who wholeheartedly embrace the Ms. Frizzle aesthetic and wear their field of study on their literal sleeve. Everyone in the invasive crayfish consortium has tiny lobster-print shorts or socks. All the middle-aged dad scientists here at the lab have shirts with fish and/or fishing tackle patterns on them. My moss specimen and ammonite earrings keep getting noticed by women who are wearing silver fishbone-shaped or native plant-themed earrings themselves. Every single person on the outreach team has at least one shirt with an anchor pattern on it from Old Navy, and almost all the younger researchers have tattoos featuring their research interests – one fisheries biologist has a half-sleeve of native species she literally uses as an outreach tool. We are self-aware and having a blast with it, honestly.

Please Reblog is Your Blog is Safe for Non-Binary People.

If my mutuals can’t rb this then we can’t be mutuals

in recognition of World Down Syndrome Day on March 21

made a meme for all of my fellow neurodivergent folks out there

(alt text: can i offer you a nice spoon in this trying time?)

spoon is meant in the neurodivergent spoon=energy way

made with: https://imgflip.com/memegenerator

Funny little reminder that my husband once nailed a job interview bc they asked “How do you interact with people who are a little bit different? Like special needs individuals.” He said “My wife is autistic,” and they had no further questions.

Listening to “A Disability History of the United States” by Kim E Nielsen. It’s fascinating. Also so hard to wrap my head around the things that I take for granted not being a given. Definitely worth a read