Aw, Come on Josey!

The name is Josey, and this is my journey. I can't promise it will always be exciting, but there's always a story to be found, anywhere & everywhere. I am currently in college, majoring in film and returning to dance after a long hiatus. What is this? ACOJ is a video web series that chronicles my life, the behind the scenes, if you will, as I make my way through my education, the industry and living on the autism spectrum on top of it all. I invite you all o this journey, and hope I can inspire others to overcome the odds and chase their dreams.

[purex-deactivated20241110]

[awcomeonjosey]

Have you checked out my vlogmas special on my youtube channel yet? Check out one of the latest uploads from day Nine above and make sure you head to the channel to like and subscribe! In this ep we saw I, Tonya on the big screen and got to see Margot Robbie AND Allison Janney in the flesh!

[awcomeonjosey]

I’m doing a Vlogmas special over on my channel. On day one I spoke about meeting one of my personal heroes Courtney Act and my own gender identity and so on. Check out my channel and subscribe for regular advent toy reveals and other random holiday madness! Like & subscribe!

[sebastianstabmepls]

[awcomeonjosey]

My king and queen, important parts of who I am today.

[awcomeonjosey]

In this episode we see Paramore in concert and get the emotions rolling.

[awcomeonjosey]

In my sub-series, I explain what it's like to be autistic, from my perspective. This is "Autism and..." the very first episode features how I handle one of my favorite, but quite taxing, entertainments - Horror Nights.

[sebastianstabmepls]

My late nights include dabs of some golden dank & the Golden Girls.

[awcomeonjosey]

I got out with my dear friends and went to a concert, which I haven’t done in a little while. I had a great time, didn’t have a meltdown and even danced quite a bit, even if my body loathed me the next day...oops!!

[sebastianstabmepls]

A poem I wrote last summer I like to call “Empathic”. Yesterday was #WorldAutismAwarenessDay and what we, autistic people, need is understanding & appreciation. Just because you’ve met one autistic person, doesn’t mean you know autism. We aren’t easily fit into jars, we aren’t all a carbon copy just as most organic creatures aren’t. We’ve got a lot to offer the world, we’re god damned magic. Stop trying to cure us, stop trying to make us feel like a burden, like you merely just deal with us. Listen to actual autistic folks, and not just with your ears. We’ve got a lot to say and not always in traditional ways. Stop supporting bullshit groups like Autism Speaks, stop reposting disability “porn” about us when you won’t even listen long enough to deal with what isn’t “normal” about us and praising us when we “act normal”. We’re our own normal, so stop trying to make us what we’re not. Let us live and open your minds to learn, we aren’t vermin, we aren’t lesser than you. Like I said, we’re magic. (at Los Angeles, California)

[awcomeonjosey]

Another day in the life, including happy stimming over Bates Motel!

[cluelessbutch]

nice things about being autistic

-hearing tiny beautiful sounds like water droplets and leaves crunching -knowing lots of fun trivia from special interests over the years -brightly colored things that make ur eyes happy -that feeling when someone asks you to tell them about sth you know a lot about and it’s infodump time !!!!!! -the Good Foods™ -when ur logical and rational thinking helps you solve a problem or think of something other people wouldn’t -nice textures are So Nice: cats, very soft blankets, smooth and cold stones, the inside of a brand new sweatshirt

(we could all use some autism positivity. pls reblog and add ur own! it’s ok if they contradict each other or if u don’t relate to all of them; we’re all different)

[pinkpeccary]

-happy stimming: when you feel so good it overflows into your whole body so all of you is just!!!!! -making connections that no one else sees bc while looking for the words to describe something it just clicks into place with something completely different -crunchy foods -being so in touch with your identity bc you overanalyze everything, including yourself -music that you can’t sit still to -really tight hugs -petting dogs and holding them and hugging them and playing and they never get bored of you!! -the sheer joy of learning something new in your SIs -memorizing things and repeating them over and over in a super SI/echolalia combo -when you find those people who you don’t have to pretend with and can just be yourself without having to worry -seeing yourself in fictional characters who are universally adored

[samualdente]

-being so happy that you bounce up on your toes

-rocking and getting into a rhythm

-when a room has a Good Smell

-swivel chairs

-touching soft things like nice scarves to your face

-when you find a really good mouth noise and repeat it over and over

-spinning in circles

-sweaters with long sleeves so you can play with the cuffs

-when you don’t have to emote like a neurotypicalTM but instead use the body language that comes naturally

-the shimmy joy of paint mixing videos

[strangerdarkerbetter]

Shoutout to autistics who experience emotions intensely

To the autistics who cry over “little things”

To the autistics who get so happy they flap and bounce and squee

To the autistics who have to work so hard to control their anger or who can’t

To the autistics who don’t know what they’re feeling but feel it strongly

To the autistics who have panic attacks easily

To the autistics who are “over emotional”, “too sensitive”, “weird”, or “irrational”

You experience the world intensely and the ways you react to that are valid. There’s nothing wrong with reacting to emotions as long as you don’t hurt others. You are not too sensitive or too emotional, you are exactly as you should be and that is valid and that is good.

Live authentically

Live radically

Live autisticly

[hailsatin420-blog]

Autistic people are so wonderful! There is nothing more beautiful than the way an autistic person’s face lights up when you ask them to tell you about their special interest. It feels so good to see someone so genuinely passionate about something, be it theoretical physics, Star Wars, bugs, fashion, or anything!

[autisticarchive-deactivated2019]

We need to talk about the fact that autistic men can get away with being “rude” and having aggressive outwards reactions to a much bigger degree than autistic women because while men are allowed to be loud and rude and take up space, autistic women are being socialized to be quiet and polite and take up as little space as possible. Autistic women are being forced and penalized into conforming to the sexist, neurotypical norms for how a women is supposed to act and as soon as we manage to conform, we are being told that we can’t be autistic because we don’t act exactly like autistic men. Sexism and socialization plays a major role in why women still aren’t being diagnosed with autism at the same rate as men and we need to talk about that.

[thenerdyautistic]

Post-Meltdown Suggestions

Have a shower/bath - this one really helps me. Maybe add some nice smelling bubble bath or shower gel, and relax for a while. This can be good for muscles that have been tensed during the meltdown. 

Drink - have a glass of water, or your favourite drink, because it’s easy to feeling dehydrated afterwards but not necessarily recognise that it’s dehydration. 

Eat - maybe just a small snack to raise your blood sugar a little, or your favourite food for some sensory heaven.

Special Interests - do something to do with a special interest to feel more positive. Read, watch, write, explore, infodump - just something to do with it!

Nap - sometimes it’s the only way to properly reset your body. 

Deep pressure - a weighted blanket or a very tight and long hug from a loved one or friend can seriously help you calm and feel better. 

Stim - do some positive stimming, rocking, flapping using stim toys or whatever you find best. 

Feel free to add more or expand on these!

[awcomeonjosey]

In this episode we check out our friends art show and get into some shenanigans whilst playing Cards Against Humanity.

[awcomeonjosey]

In this episode I talk about how Toothy Tabs can be less overwhelming than regular toothpaste (texture warning though!) and we get into some shenanigans as usual!