some neurodiversity and autism self-diagnosis resources that helped me
In celebration of me completing my Herbs on the windowsill fic series! Endless thanks to @sharkodactyl and @imaginariumgeographica for helping me put this together and for the continual cheerleading this whole time.
Remember, autism an extremely diverse and multivariate spectrum that intersects in very complicated ways with other identities. People have wildly different experiences and presentations. These are just some resources that I personally found helpful in learning about myself. A lot of Veera's experience is drawn from mine, so if the stuff in the fic feels familiar, it might be that you'll find these helpful too.
Understanding the spectrum (infographic)
Autism FAQ
Autistic created alternative autism criteria
Autistic Self Advocacy Network (Resource Library)
Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network (AWN) (Resource Library)
"Aspie Quiz"
The Invisible Day to Day Struggle for Autistic Women (article)
Self-diagnosis masterpost
Why Disability Visibility Matters (article)
Self-diagnosis misconceptions
Thinking about autism acceptance
One of the most critical parts of my self-diagnosis process was just spending a lot of time reading personal blogs (and fiction) written by autistic people. I found it far more illuminating and relatable than actual medical diagnostic material, which tends to be written from an outsider perspective as well as often cruelly pathologizing, which is not helpful when you're questioning. Also, even though I tend to pass as neurotypical (at great cost), I often found that the words of those who do not pass at all (the non speakers, the big stimmers, users of AAC and sign language, etc.) were particularly relatable as well as perceptive and compassionate. We're all part of the same brain family and deserve the same respect, access, support, and agency.
Autistic Hoya blog
Dani Alexis (tagged neurodivergence)
Non Speaking Autistic Speaking
Autism through the Medium of Cats
Neurowonderful Youtube channel
keep healing and growing y’all 🌱
