A Google For Autistics!

If you have an autism related question, whether it be the definition of a term, where to find the best stim toys, or how to deal with problems, we'll try to answer them all! We'll even sift through Google answers so you don't have to worry about seeing ableist content! Mobile links: http://autistic-google.tumblr.com/mob

[autistic-google]

Do you need mods?

So. I would want to confirm this with the other mods, but as far as I can tell I’m the only mod that’s been active for a while. And I’m not that active to begin with. So… maybe? No promises. Send me a pm @chronicleofhumanity if you’d be interested, I guess.

-mod Ari

[autistic-google]

i'd be okay with this. when i made this blog i really didnt intend to ghost it like i have ahaha.

-mod birb

[strangerdarkerbetter]

Interested in giving back to the Autistic community?

Consider donating to Give the Gift of Stimming to help get stim toys to neurodivergent people in need.

The Give the Gift of Stimming campaign has received a tremendous response. I am amazed at the outpouring of love and support.

About 100 people in need signed up to receive stim toys, and while this campaign has received some very generous donations, I wasn’t sure we’d be able to afford stim toys for everyone. 

So it was that I reached out to Cynthia Kim of @stimtastic to see if there was any kind of bulk discount available due to the volume of the order. 

When I received Cynthia’s response, I cried. 

This amazing human being who has already done so much for the autistic community offered to match my order, in essence, doubling the amount of stim toys I was able to procure. 

Thanks to Cynthia’s generous donation, I now have in my possession stim toys for everyone who signed up to receive one. You can check out the video at the end of the post to see the unboxing. 

However, despite the generous donations this campaign has received, I don’t yet have enough money to be able to ship everything to the recipients. 

So, I’m asking that if you are willing and able to do so, please donate to Give the Gift of Stimming to help these stim toys reach people who really need them. 

Many of the recipients are from unsafe homes where they are unable to buy their own stim toys or even have these gifts mailed to their own homes. Others simply cannot afford their own stim toys due to high rates of unemployment and underemployment in our community. 

If you want to donate and are able to, please follow this link. It will take you to a pool where money is being collected to purchase stim toys for those who need them.

Let’s help make the holidays a bit brighter in our community!

Live boldly

Live radically

Live autistically

[autistic-google]

Do you need mods?

So. I would want to confirm this with the other mods, but as far as I can tell I'm the only mod that's been active for a while. And I'm not that active to begin with. So... maybe? No promises. Send me a pm @chronicleofhumanity if you'd be interested, I guess.-mod Ari

[autistic-google]

is it common for autistic people to have opposite side effects from medication? I took some pain killers that said they'd make you drowsy and I wound up with insomnia instead and was wondering if this was why

A lot of autistic people have unusual reactions to medication, yes.

-mod Ari

[autistic-google]

I think I might be autistic, but I live in a country where no one knows what it is. Psychiatrists are VERY rare. I'm afraid to self diagnose myself because everyone would think I'm faking it.

Places where professional diagnosis isn’t practical is exactly why the autistic community is accepting of self-diagnosis. You should do some research (our resources and diagnosis tags are a good place to start), but if what you find confirms that you’re autistic then there’s nothing wrong with self-diagnosing. Neurotypicals might think you’re faking and you should be careful about who you tell irl, but the majority of the autistic community is accepting of well-researched self-diagnosis. And at the end of the day, realizing you’re autistic is about you, not other people.

-mod Ari

[autistic-google]

Sorry, what is tone tracking please?

Uhh. I’m not sure. what was the context for this?

-mod Ari

[autistic-google]

Is it an autism thing to have a strangely fluid accent? I know most people do this to a certain degree, but sometimes i sound full blown american and then other times I have really strong irish accent (im irish). I never realised i did this until my friend pointed it out to me.

Yes, that’s common with autistic people.

-mod Ari

[autistic-google]

hello. i think i am autistic, and i show most of the signs. but i'm also really skeptical. because i know i'm adhd, but i show a lot of signs that are more autistic. i'm both terrified, and eager to know. do you think i should mention to a doctor or just accept adhd? salutations

ADHD and autism overlap a lot, so it’s totally possible that the ADHD is a misdiagnosis or that you’re both. I think you should bring it up to the doctor.

-mod Ari

[autistic-google]

is it possible to be autistic without having meltdowns or shutdowns? is it possible to have them but not recognize them when they are happening? i sometimes feel really irritated and overwhelmed and i feel upset, but i can't tell if anxiety is causing me to feel that way, or if i feel anxious because of being overwhelmed. is there a way to tell the difference? thanks for the help! -L

2/2 hi, it's L again. i forgot to add something to my first ask (the one about whether it's possible to be autistic without having meltdowns/shutdowns). would it be possible to start to have a meltdown and then it goes away? if i can take a rest for a bit when i start to feel like that, it goes away. sorry for asking all of these questions, and thanks again for your help! -L 

Yes, you can be autistic without having shutdowns/meltdowns, and yes you might not immediately recognize a shutdown/meltdown. Generally, shutdowns and meltdowns are an autistic response to being overwhelmed. Shutdowns consist of withdrawing physically and emotionally from the world, whereas meltdowns are extreme physical and emotional responses to things that don’t seem important to neurotypical people. Generally, I’d say something’s a shutdown if your response is really obvious to other (neurotypical) people and they think you’re “overreacting”. Like I said though, it’s possible you either don’t have meltdowns/shutdowns or they’re rare for you. If you’re able to take a rest when you feel like you’re about to meltdown, that can prevent them. That might be why you never/rarely have them.

-mod Ari 

[autistic-google]

Is my disliking intense sexual stimulation (while enjoying it before it becomes "too much") related to autism? I don't have many stimulation related things, and it's been difficult my whole life to pick out what is and isn't because I'm autistic. So just curious.

Yep, that’s a sensory thing!

-mod Ari

[autistic-google]

Hi I'm 14 and a girl and I'm very certain that I am on the spectrum. I would like to pursue a diagnosis but I'm very sure that my parents wouldn't entertain the idea of me having something like that because I'm """gifted""" what would be the best way of getting a diagnosis? Also, if I ask the doctor myself and they think there is a concern, could my parents shut the diagnosis process down themselves? I'm a US citizen, and I've mostly found info on UK diagnosing processes. Thank you in advance!!

It’s very difficult in the U.S. to get a diagnosis without your parents’ support. Generally, I’d recommend waiting until you’re 18. Your parents could shut down the process themselves even if you bring it up to a doctor, yes, but a doctor might be able to help you convince your parents that an evaluation is important.

[autistic-google]

Sometimes when I'm stressed out my sensory sensitivities go through the roof and I just want to hide my hands in my sleeves and shut my eyes tight. During times like this my tone control goes out the window and I sound completely monotone when forced to talk. Is this a shutdown or a meltdown? Or neither? I'm really confused.

That sounds more like a shutdown to me. They’re similar, but meltdowns are more external (shouting, crying, aggression) and shutdowns are more internal (going nonverbal, trouble expressing emotion, hiding under/inside things)

-mod Ari

[autistic-google]

I have been very consistently nonverbal recently, almost full time. In a lot of situations, I have been forcing speech which is very uncomfortable. In general, I don't care about speech as long as I can communicate, so I use an iPad with text to speech. When I told my parents about this they got really focused on me "recovering" or "overcoming" this so that I can be successful. I'm scared because I want to be an engineer and now I'm worried that if I can't speak, that won't be possible. 1

I don't really want to do anything to "recover", besides give it time. But I also don't want it to cost me a future as an engineer. I haven't been able to find any resources online for either problem. There's nothing on adults becoming nonverbal full-time, or tips on how to help it. But there's also nothing about the feasibility of a nonverbal engineering career. Can you help me? 2

It sounds like you have a way to communicate, so I don’t think being nonverbal is too much of a barrier. You might choose to learn sign language so you can communicate with an interpreter if you continue to be nonverbal full time. If you don’t think “recovering” is important, and you have a way to communicate, then don’t worry about it too much. There’s no reason you couldn’t be a nonverbal engineer, and in the U.S. the ADA protects your right to reasonable accommodations (like a text-to-speech app) in the workplace.

[autistic-google]

Hi, I was wondering if that "myth" about autistics being emotionless/having no empathy is JUST a myth stemming from NT's not understanding us, or if it actually is an autistic trait in some cases? I've realized I am a lot less emotional than everyone else, was wondering if this is just me or if it could be affected by autism. I rarely feel much except related to sensory experiences or excitement about interests. Or is my alexithymia just so bad that I don't even notice I HAVE Feelings?

Low empathy is actually common among autistic people. It’s also common to only have emotions about things that neurotypical people would find odd. It might be partly alexithymia, but if this is unusual for you then it can be part of depression, which is comorbid with autism.

-mod Ari

[autistic-google]

Is having trouble with self-reflection, writing about yourself, writing from your personal perspective, and overall issues with self-observance an autism thing or a symptom of abuse? Can it be both? I've been trying to puzzle out whether or not I'm autistic and I display many symptoms, but I still struggle with whether or not I'm faking it or applying symptoms to myself that don't actually apply to me.

Yeah, autistic people tend to have issues with being self-aware. This can also be alexithymia or depersonalization. Alexithymia is difficulty identifying and talking about one’s own emotions and can be caused by autism or abuse. Depersonalization is caused by abuse and is when you don’t really feel like your body/thoughts/etc are your own.

-mod Ari

[autistic-google]

Iiaat to smile every time you talk, even if you're talking about something thats not happy because you arent sure what other facial expressions to make?

Not knowing what expressions to make is an autistic thing, and that sounds like an adaption to that trait. So, yes!

-mod Ari

[autistic-google]

I'm 14 but the state of Pennsylvania allows me to consent to inpatient and outpatient care. Does this mean I can consent to an autism evaluation for possible diagnosis even if my parents don't want me to?

Yes, but note it will be expensive and you should check with the provider beforehand to see if they’ll take you.

-mod Ari