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i hate that the part about stede i relate to the most (other than wanting to bone ed desperately) is that he heard a term he'd never heard before -doggy heaven- and from context is now trying to guess when it's appropriate to use it and failing miserably
Hi, I’m sorry if this has been answered somewhere but I’m using mobile Tumblr.. can you explain how image descriptions are useful for autistic people? I don’t know much about autism. (Like the written descriptions that people sometimes add to screenshots or other images.) Thank you if you get the chance to answer.
I believe they're more useful to visually impaired people. But if there are used for autistic people, I'd love to hear about them! Anyone can feel free to answer here!
I don’t like when people say they are neurodiverse because they have depression or anxiety (and not autism, ADHD, etc), I feel like that’s not what neurodiversity is. Am I wrong?
Neurodiversity was coined by Judy Singer in 1998. Here’s the definition:
Neurodiversity is the diversity of human brains and minds – the infinite variation in neurocognitive functioning within our species.
Neurodiversity is a biological fact. It’s not a perspective, an approach, a belief, a political position, or a paradigm. That’s the neurodiversity paradigm (see below), not neurodiversity itself.
Neurodiversity is not a political or social activist movement. That’s the Neurodiversity Movement (see below), not neurodiversity itself.
Neurodiversity is not a trait that any individual possesses. Diversity is a trait possessed by a group, not an individual. When an individual diverges from the dominant societal standards of “normal” neurocognitive functioning, they don’t “have neurodiversity,” they’re neurodivergent. (source)
Then because people were starting to use “neurodiverse” to only mean autism and such and not the diversity of human neurology, Kassiane Sibley came up with Neurodivergent, a term explicitely made to include everyone who has a brain that diverges from the norm.
I coined neurodivergent before tumblr was even a thing, like a decade or more ago, because people were using ‘neurodiverse’ and ‘neurodiversity’ to just mean autistic, & possibly LDs. But there’s more, like way more, ways a person can have a different yet fucking perfect dammit brain.
Neurodivergent refers to neurologically divergent from typical. That’s ALL.
I am multiply neurodivergent: I’m Autistic, epileptic, have PTSD, have cluster headaches, have a chiari malformation.
Neurodivergent just means a brain that diverges.
Autistic people. ADHD people. People with learning disabilities. Epileptic people. People with mental illnesses. People with MS or Parkinsons or apraxia or cerebral palsy or dyspraxia or no specific diagnosis but wonky lateralization or something. (source)
Hope that helped.
- Sister Cat
I'm getting official dx in like 7 days help
Congrats on getting an evaluation !! :D
If you need to, write down everything you have to bring to the appointment, and how you’re going to get there, and what you want to talk about.
If you’re nervous about forgetting to bring up something, we often advise to print and annotate a copy of the DSM-5 criteria ! During the evaluation, just do whatever you need to do to feel calm, bring stim toys if you need to, and be honest. Don’t exaggerate your traits, but don’t underplay them either. If something has a great impact on your life, say so !
And in case the evaluation is negative, don’t panic. Not everyone that gets evaluated is actually autistic, and that’s ok ! People can have autistic traits without being autistic. However, that doesn’t automatically mean that you are neurotypical or that you don’t need help !
Remember, the process starts with diagnosis. Even if it turns out that you aren’t autistic, your therapist should still do their utmost to figure out what you do have and help you find supports and accommodations.
It feels good to find a word and connect with a community similar to you, but if there’s a better word for you out there and another community that’s ready to embrace you, that’s also great news !
Good luck !!
- Sister Cat
Do you know of it could you provide a list of both typical and atypical signs of autism in a child? If possible, specifically female? Thank you very much!
Autism traits are the same in childhood and adulthood, it’s just that kids and adults are put in very different situations so the traits might appear differently :)
See here for the autistic-made criteria, and here for some atypical autism traits that are more common in cis girls (but not exclusive to them).
And here’s the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria:
A. Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts, as manifested by the following, currently or by history (examples are illustrative, not exhaustive, see text. Must meet 3/3):
1. Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity, ranging, for example, from abnormal social approach and failure of normal back-and-forth conversation; to reduced sharing of interests, emotions, or affect; to failure to initiate or respond to social interactions.
2. Deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviors used for social interaction, ranging, for example, from poorly integrated verbal and nonverbal communication; to abnormalities in eye contact and body language or deficits in understanding and use of gestures; to a total lack of facial expressions and nonverbal communication.
3. Deficits in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships, ranging, for example, from difficulties adjusting behavior to suit various social contexts; to difficulties in sharing imaginative play or in making friends; to absence of interest in peers.
B. Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities, as manifested by at least two of the following, currently or by history (examples are illustrative, not exhaustive; see text. Must meet at least 2/4):
1. Stereotyped or repetitive motor movements, use of objects, or speech (e.g., simple motor stereotypies, lining up toys or flipping objects, echolalia, idiosyncratic phrases).
2. Insistence on sameness, inflexible adherence to routines, or ritualized patterns or verbal nonverbal behavior (e.g., extreme distress at small changes, difficulties with transitions, rigid thinking patterns, greeting rituals, need to take same route or eat food every day).
3. Highly restricted, fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus (e.g, strong attachment to or preoccupation with unusual objects, excessively circumscribed or perseverative interest).
4. Hyper- or hyporeactivity to sensory input or unusual interests in sensory aspects of the environment (e.g., apparent indifference to pain/temperature, adverse response to specific sounds or textures, excessive smelling or touching of objects, visual fascination with lights or movement).
C. Symptoms must be present in the early developmental period (but may not become fully manifest until social demands exceed limited capacities, or may be masked by learned strategies in later life).
D. Symptoms cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of current functioning.
E. These disturbances are not better explained by intellectual disability (intellectual developmental disorder) or global developmental delay. Intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder frequently co-occur; to make comorbid diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability, social communication should be below that expected for general developmental level.
Hope that helped !
- Sister Cat
so ive been questioning if i have adhd for a while now, and the more i research and learn, the more i feel that it fits, and explains a LOT of things. however, when bringing it up to my parents, they kind of laugh it off ? bc im not "hyperactive" in a visible way. they also say that a lot of the things i bring up (that are adhd traits) are just autistic traits. (i also think my dad maybe sees this as me attempting to be more "special"/different, rather than something serious)..... help ?? ty
Ok, so there’s a lot of overlap between autistic traits and adhd traits, that’s true. But it is possible to have both ! I have both, and quite a lot of other autistic people have both as well. It’s one of the most common autism comorbidities.
And you don’t need hyperactivity to have adhd. Your parents are probably thinking of ADHD-C (combined type) or ADHD-PH (predominantly hyperactive), but there’s a third type: ADHD-PI (predominantly inattentive), formerly known as ADD.
Here are some posts that could help you explain the difference to your parents ?
- https://autpunk-archive.tumblr.com/post/144256017778/what-are-some-of-the-major-differences-between
- http://neuroatypically-speaking.tumblr.com/post/140618104023/gaydux-golemprivilege-dovaahkiins
- https://actuallyadhd.tumblr.com/post/114618565078/what-are-the-overlapping-symptoms-between-autism
Good luck !
- Sister Cat
Hygiene advice
Just pooling the advice from different asks/replies/reblogs :)
- The consensus is that showering/bathing too often is bad, and that about once a week is best, so that you don’t get skin issues.
- You hair can really benefit from showering two to three times every fourteen days, because your scalp produces less oil after a while and it takes longer to get oily. You can wash your hair in the sink, or use dry shampoo/baby powder/cornstarch, and brush your hair more often in between showers. (http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Dry-Shampo)
- Wipe your whole body (or just your armpits, kneepits, feet, boobs if you have them, neck and face) with baby wipes, a damp washcloth, or “wash towels” that can be found with camping supplies.
- Wear deodorant and shower if you get super sweaty or have to do something gross.
- Make sure you’re keeping “down there” clean!
If you’re got a vagina, use a washcloth and warm water, no soap, no baby wipes (that’s how you get ph imbalances or infections or super irritated skin/mucus membranes.) Make sure there’s no debris (like lint or dead skin) hidden away in any folds (especially keep clean under the clitoral hood, a speck of dust in there will Ruin your whole day). Damp cloth and water is fine for a penis. Same rules apply; make sure you get out any skin, dust, lint, dirt, whatever.
Dry thoroughly. Too much added moisture and your skin might get red and irritated and rub wrong while you walk.
