That autistic feel…. Lol but seriously these food separators are great!
I do that too. But i don’t have food seperators like that. So i just put the food as far away from each other as possible. I don’t really like when my salad get’s mixed with other kinds of (warm) sauces on my plate, i have nothing against it if i put it on myself.
So it’s kinda fun to look at my familys plate vs mine. Bc they aren’t bothered by it at all.. and i’m like ‘no no go away!’ almost everytime my food touch each other. If the food cold has touched the warm food i usually wont eat it. So my parents usually tell me i put too much food on my plate.
Question: How do you as an autistic person show affection? We all have our different ways of showing affection. Some of it may not be the (neurotypical) traditional way of showing love.
Answer: I occasionally hug people but not a lot. I’m not very affectionate. Sometimes getting hugged, cuddled or embraced in a hug (if that makes sense…) feels like a cage to me. Idk why but it makes me uncomfterable.
Wby you? How do you feel about affection from others? Or how do you show affection?
(I’m sorry i haven’t been updating much. But i just started in high school… and im very tired when i come home. But luckily its an all autistic class.. so we’re all autistic in that class)
Who else feels depressed whenever there comes changes in your life? I’m finishing high school very soon and i just feel so depressed and it happens every time. Does anybody know how to cope with changes in your life? Because these few weeks i have felt so depressed due to the big changes that are happening soon.
Sooooo this summer i think i will start looking for a job. I have never had a job before,, but i have always wanted to have one. I hope to find a job nearby that’s somewhat “autism friendly”.
Sorry i haven’t uploaded in so long,, i’m currently writing a huge assignment on 10-15 pages. Plus i’m finishing my HF/highschool (højere forberedelses) this summer and i have quite a bit of exams to study to as well. Happy autism awarness month between!
(This was a couple of years ago lmao.. it has been sitting in my drafts for ages now. This was kinda at the start of quarantine in Denmark i think in 2020)
Today i went to pick up my package at the other side of the town i live in. When i said my name he picked up the wrong package. The person apparently had the same name as me. But it was the wrong package because it wasn’t the right adress on it. Then he finally found the right package and then he jokingly said “You must have a sister in this town” or something like that… Then i replied that i didn’t have a sister annndd then he said he was joking.
Ever get that feeling when you nothing or too much to hyperfocus on? I’m currently watching squid game… but i’m also watching ‘the uncanny counter’, and just watched the first 5 minutes of 'mad dog’ on netflix. My brain doesn’t know what to do.. and i tend to feel empty when i don’t have something to hyperfocus on.
I also have a though time finishing movies, reality shows, series, short films etc. Anybody else who does that as well?
I got my drivers lisence almost a month ago yet i’m still afraid to drive.. especially in the nearby city (where i even have driven?? before loads of time during my driving lessons).
In like 14 days i have to eat at a restaurant with my youth club. And i’m afraid to even drive there. Does anybody else struggle with this who is autistic and have a drivers lisence?
That moment when somebody tries to touch you and looking directly into your eyes.. my dad that sometimes. He puts both hands on my shoulders and look directly into my eyes. It’s so uncomfterable.. He got mad at me yesterday for flinching away and saying “don’t touch me”. He also thought it was violently embarrasing.. Sometimes i’m okay when people touch me and sometimes i’m not. Has anybody else experiences this or something similar? I’m sorry i haven’t posted in months.. i didn’t know what to write about plus school has been draining me for the past three months.
Hello! Me (Eryn Star) & my research partner Laura K. Anderson are both Autistic people doing actually Autistic research! We are interviewing Autistic survivors of emotional abuse from teachers when they were in K-12 public school about their experiences and thoughts about how those experiences impacted their lives. I’m an undergraduate student at Albion College and Laura is a PhD Special Education student at the University of Northern Colorado. A few examples of emotional abuse are if a teacher or more than 1 teacher repeatedly called them names, shamed them, refused to pay attention to them, and/or intentionally pressured them. Participants need to have: -graduated high school at least a year ago. We’ll also accept participants who dropped out of high school & got their GED. -went to public school in the US -be between ages 18-26 We hope that our research will help start conversations amongst Autistic survivors and the education profession about how to address teacher-student emotional abuse. Would you be willing to let me interview you? Please share this post with anyone who may be interested in an interview! If you’re interested in learning more & wish to be interviewed, please contact me, Eryn Star, at [email protected]. Thank you!
Still looking for interested Autistic participants!
For those who are seeking diagnosis, think they might be autistic or are already diagnosed/self-diagnosed but just confused
Routines/rituals aren’t just getting up at the same time every day.
What can routines look like for an autistic (just general examples, not an exhaustive list):
Getting dressed in the same order. A change of this feels very upsetting.
Eating your food in a particular way. This may be eating each food individually, combining food in certain ways, not letting foods touch etc .
Getting ready for the day in a very particular way, specifically the order and time given to each activity. Being forced to rush or skip an activity is very upsetting.
Only going to certain shops, even if they are out of your way, because you’ve been there before. The same shop in a different suburb is too distressing.
Driving the same route to places. Suggested short cuts, or lane changing without mental preparation etc is very distressing. You would rather stay in the slow lane you 100% know takes you home than go down a new street.
Showering/bathing in the same order.
Stacking dishes or cleaning in a very specific order such as sink first, then counters, then stove etc. This order feels important but you cannot state why.
Work plans or school plans are day specific. You struggle to do banking on a Thursday, because that’s a Friday activity, even though Thursday is just fine. But it’s a Friday activity…so can’t do it today.
To outsiders these routines/rituals seem to have no purpose but they are sacrosanct to the autistic individual. Changes must be given time, with lots of notifications and check-ups to ensure we’re accepting the changes.
Spectrum 10k - Autism Scientific Research Study (UK)
To all my autistic friends, I want to know what your thoughts are on this new scientific research study. If you don’t know what Spectrum 10k is, it is a scientific study of autistic people’s DNA and information. A quote from their website states: “We aim to better understand how genetic and environmental factors affect the wellbeing of autistic individuals, including their physical and mental health. We hope this increased understanding will lead to an improvement in the quality of support and care for autistic people and their families.” They ask for autistic people to take part in a survey as well as send them a DNA sample.
A lot of autistic people are incredibly worried about this study, claiming that it is eugenics and is created to find a cure. However on their website they state that they will not look for a cure for autism and that they are ethically opposed to any form of eugenics.
Another concern is who will have access to the data collected, and if it could end up in the wrong hands and be used for eugenics in the future. They’re response to this was: “To access any anonymised data collected by us researchers will have to submit a full proposal, which then will have to be approved by us. To be approved it must align with our aims of no cure, no eugenics, not harmful etc. and have value to science and the autism community.” They also say that autistic people are part of their committee which makes the decisions about who to share data with. They don’t state how many autistic people are on this committee however.
People are also worried that Autism Speaks is involved but apparently they are not, they stated: “Autism Speaks is not involved with our project, we have not spoken to them about it. The Wellcome Trust funds many projects but we are not working with Autism Speaks and have no plans to do so.”
Coming from a non-biased point of view, what are the positives and negatives of this study?
The positives that I can see would be that they are exploring co-occurring conditions. About this they stated: “Genetic data can help identify meaningful subgroups of autistic individuals. This can allow for different types of support. This includes rare syndromic forms of autism with specific co-occurring conditions. One example is the gene CHD8 where autistic individuals are more likely to have severe gut difficulties. Some co-occurring conditions like epilepsy and certain forms of gut difficulties are overwhelmingly genetic. Understanding the genes underlying these conditions can help develop better medical support targeting these conditions in autistic people.” They say that through this research they will improve the wellbeing and support for autistic people which if true, is very much needed. Autistic people are very misunderstood in society and this could possibly raise more awareness and acceptance and create better support for autistic people.
The negatives would of course be that autistic people are sharing their DNA which will go into a database that could possibly be used to research some type of cure. Also there is concern about minors (those under 16) being forced to take part in the research by parents and carers. There is the argument that minors are unable to consent to a study like this, especially since their DNA sample will be stored and possibly used in other studies in the future. Part of me understands why they want data from a variety of ages, however, I think the study should only be for adults (16+) to participate in. I don’t feel that children are able to consent to a research study like this and I don’t like the fact that parents and carers can force their children to participate.
After doing my own research on this study I am still wary and unsure whether or not I would personally want to participate. Part of me wants to because I love science and I think more understanding of autism and co-occurring conditions is needed. The other part of me is worried that this could be used to look for a way of preventing autism or curing it. We need to understand why exactly this research study has been created and what the end goal is. We need to be confident that this is not a cover up for a eugenics study. I think I am willing to trust what is being said, that they are against eugenics and are not looking for a cure. I know that could just be my trusting nature (which can get me into trouble sometimes) but I like to think that the intentions of this study are pure and the goal is to help get better support for autistic people and their families.
Let me know what you think about Spectrum 10k. You are welcome to share any opinions and feelings you have whether they are positive or negative. I have linked the website incase anyone wants to have a more detailed look, they have a list of FAQs and explain more about the study there.
Something I just want to add: If you see that an autistic person has decided to take part in the study it is NOT OKAY to bully them or shame them for their decision. I’ve seen comments on Twitter from autistics who have decided to take part and have been attacked by other autistics who disagree with the study. They were accused of supporting eugenics and the eradication and abortion of autistic people which is absolutely disgusting. It’s not okay to shame people like that, you don’t know their reasons for participating and you have no right to judge. You can have your opinion on the study but don’t accuse people of those sorts of things, it’s really just uncalled for.
Spectrum 10k - Autism Scientific Research Study (UK)
To all my autistic friends, I want to know what your thoughts are on this new scientific research study. If you don’t know what Spectrum 10k is, it is a scientific study of autistic people’s DNA and information. A quote from their website states: “We aim to better understand how genetic and environmental factors affect the wellbeing of autistic individuals, including their physical and mental health. We hope this increased understanding will lead to an improvement in the quality of support and care for autistic people and their families.” They ask for autistic people to take part in a survey as well as send them a DNA sample.
A lot of autistic people are incredibly worried about this study, claiming that it is eugenics and is created to find a cure. However on their website they state that they will not look for a cure for autism and that they are ethically opposed to any form of eugenics.
Another concern is who will have access to the data collected, and if it could end up in the wrong hands and be used for eugenics in the future. They’re response to this was: “To access any anonymised data collected by us researchers will have to submit a full proposal, which then will have to be approved by us. To be approved it must align with our aims of no cure, no eugenics, not harmful etc. and have value to science and the autism community.” They also say that autistic people are part of their committee which makes the decisions about who to share data with. They don’t state how many autistic people are on this committee however.
People are also worried that Autism Speaks is involved but apparently they are not, they stated: “Autism Speaks is not involved with our project, we have not spoken to them about it. The Wellcome Trust funds many projects but we are not working with Autism Speaks and have no plans to do so.”
Coming from a non-biased point of view, what are the positives and negatives of this study?
The positives that I can see would be that they are exploring co-occurring conditions. About this they stated: “Genetic data can help identify meaningful subgroups of autistic individuals. This can allow for different types of support. This includes rare syndromic forms of autism with specific co-occurring conditions. One example is the gene CHD8 where autistic individuals are more likely to have severe gut difficulties. Some co-occurring conditions like epilepsy and certain forms of gut difficulties are overwhelmingly genetic. Understanding the genes underlying these conditions can help develop better medical support targeting these conditions in autistic people.” They say that through this research they will improve the wellbeing and support for autistic people which if true, is very much needed. Autistic people are very misunderstood in society and this could possibly raise more awareness and acceptance and create better support for autistic people.
The negatives would of course be that autistic people are sharing their DNA which will go into a database that could possibly be used to research some type of cure. Also there is concern about minors (those under 16) being forced to take part in the research by parents and carers. There is the argument that minors are unable to consent to a study like this, especially since their DNA sample will be stored and possibly used in other studies in the future. Part of me understands why they want data from a variety of ages, however, I think the study should only be for adults (16+) to participate in. I don’t feel that children are able to consent to a research study like this and I don’t like the fact that parents and carers can force their children to participate.
After doing my own research on this study I am still wary and unsure whether or not I would personally want to participate. Part of me wants to because I love science and I think more understanding of autism and co-occurring conditions is needed. The other part of me is worried that this could be used to look for a way of preventing autism or curing it. We need to understand why exactly this research study has been created and what the end goal is. We need to be confident that this is not a cover up for a eugenics study. I think I am willing to trust what is being said, that they are against eugenics and are not looking for a cure. I know that could just be my trusting nature (which can get me into trouble sometimes) but I like to think that the intentions of this study are pure and the goal is to help get better support for autistic people and their families.
Let me know what you think about Spectrum 10k. You are welcome to share any opinions and feelings you have whether they are positive or negative. I have linked the website incase anyone wants to have a more detailed look, they have a list of FAQs and explain more about the study there.
as a general rule, if you’re seriously asking yourself “but what if I’m faking?” then odds are you’re not faking.
Very important for autistic people to hear! I get messages often from autistic people worried that that they are faking their traits or stims. To every autistic person who is worried about this, you are not faking. You are on a journey of discovering and accepting your true autistic self!
So, I’m a semiverbal NYC based autism. I realized today that I go through a lot of things without talking so I’d thought I’d share. I also completely rely on wakling and public transport to get places. Feel free to add!
1. If you’re buying something off a cart and you can physically grab it, just grab it and hold it up to the cashier. They will give you the price and you can pay them and give them change all without talking. If you can smile at them before walking away, they usually don’t give a shit that you didn’t say thank you.
2. This also applies to bodegas, drug stores, etc. If they ask cash or card, you can just hand them the proper one. Yes and no questions can be answered with nodding for yes and shaking for no.
3. If I can’t hear someone or understand what they are saying, I usually will just point my ear towards them and point at it. Usually, they’ll just repeat it at and eventually I can figure it out.
4. You are totally allowed to just ignore strangers trying to talk to you. If you can get some over ear ear defenders or headphones, they are more likely to leave you alone. If someone asks for directions and you don’t know or don’t have the energy to give it, you are totally allowed to shake your head no. You are allowed to just keep walking. If someone won’t leave you alone, you are totally allowed to give them the middle finger.
5. If you can stand it, I highly recommend carrying a small backpack with sensory survival supplies. You probably know what works best for you but this is what I carry: medications that are useful to me (including over the counter stuff like ibuprofen and antacid), small collection of stim toys, ear defenders/headphones, phone/phone charger, sunglasses, compression gloves, a mini umbrella, something related to a current special interest, a water bottle, extra layers or a pair of shorts depending on weather, etc. I do alter this based on wear I’m going and what I’m willing to carry and so on.
6. A pollution mask can be a wonder for blocking city smells. You can even put a dab of an essential oil you like inside it if you choose. Then, you’re entire day can smell like that. Though, I hate the smell of things with a smell so just the pollution mask tends to work.
7. At least in NYC, if you need to stim, stim. Cities can be overwhelming and so can life. Stimming can help you regulate your body and if you need to just do it. There is probably something weirder happening then you stimming and even if not, people tend to mind their own damn business
8. If you use an AAC app, you can just use it. People tend to figure it out. I personally like Speech Assistant cause it’s free and the show button makes the text really big so you can just put it in front of someone. This tends to work better for me then the synthesized voice because people have difficulty hearing that.
9. If you need a place to chill during normal hours, I highly recommend public libraries. They tend to be temperature regulated, open to the public and quiet. Plus, they have books to read. All the benefits
