*the Sirens Are Muffled, The World Is Muted, A Fog That Settles Over Everything Like An Illusionary Blanket.

Things to Know About Writing Autistic People

Autism comes on a spectrum. Some of us require more support than others. Some of us are better at masking/fitting in with our peers. Some of us are nonverbal, while some talk a lot. Some stim openly and publicly, while some don’t.

It’s fine to say “autistic person.” You don’t have to say “person with autism.” Person-first language implies that having autism or referring to us as autistic is bad, when it isn’t. You wouldn’t say “person with shortness” to refer to a short person, would you?

Autism is NOT a mental illness, and it doesn’t need a cure. It is classified as a developmental disorder, not any sort of mental illness. Every autistic person that I’ve talked to has been adamantly against a cure, because there’s nothing wrong with having autism.

There are many different types of stimming. Hand-flapping isn’t the only one. Chewing on things (shirts, chew necklaces, etc), rocking, fidgeting with our hands, playing with a stim toy (tangle, fidget cube, etc), bouncing, tapping, and even vocal stims are also common and valid.

Our special interests are varied. Sure, things like trains or space or dinosaurs may be special interests that a lot of autistic people have, but switch it up a little. My special interests, for example, are rainforests, witchcraft, movies, the Periodic Table, and random fun facts.

While we’re on that topic, special interests are basically like diamonds to us. When I think about my favorite movies or TV shows, I get all happy and I can’t help but smile. I can literally talk about my special interests for so long. Often, after I introduce myself to someone new, I’ll say “Have you seen [insert favorite movie or TV show]?” And if they say they have, my heart will explode and I will just start gushing.

Social skills aren’t the only thing that we can have difficulty with. Some of the hallmark characteristics of autism include having trouble making or keeping friends, not making a lot of eye contact, and speaking in a monotone voice. Please try to add in some symptoms other than just “awkward around people.” Personally, I can only make eye contact with someone if I have a connection to them or if I know them well - and even then it’s so draining. When I try to make eye contact, with anyone else, I look away quickly. It feels strange and difficult and I don’t like it. 

For the love of all things holy, do not use the term “mental r*t*rdation.” It’s outdated and isn’t used anymore by doctors. Plus, you know, the r-word is a slur. 

The world is strange and hard to understand sometimes for us. It feels like allistics have these rules that I have to follow that are so dumb, and sometimes I don’t even know the rules, but I’m expected to follow them anyway. Oftentimes, I will say something that sounds funny in my head, but when it comes out of my mouth it wasn’t funny and no one acknowledges it.

Allistics can be sooooo frustrating. If you’re going to write an autistic person accurately, you’ll want to add in some annoying and unwarranted comments by allistic people. Such as: “You don’t look like you have autism!” “I couldn’t tell you were autistic!” “People with autism are so much better than normal people - they never lie, and are never mean to anyone.” “My child has autism, and I wouldn’t have it any other way! I’m so strong for dealing with them!” “Vaccines cause autism.” 

News flash: Autistic people aren’t angels. We can lie. We can cheat. We can be mean just like anyone else can. It all comes down to the individual. We are not perfect little golden children just because we have autism.

Sheldon Cooper is not a good example of an autistic person. He is just a stereotype. Media either portrays us as super-smart geniuses, or as robots who don’t understand anything that’s going on around us. Don’t perpetuate the stigma.

*soon, the kitten sees that they’re in a plane. above land. and there’s no floor.* ._. *they scamper into their jacket to hide*

*He adjusts his jacket so that the kitten has a bit more room. He can always fix it later.*

¶No need to worry, planes are safe.¶

*as the kitten drags the box, they see him struggle. they hope he'll be alright* meow meow

°He glances over at them, his breathing had picked up, he needed to hurry. I'm ok, we should find him soon. He begins scanning the street signs, making sure not to look directly at them for too long, least they change on him.°

*The doll calmed down and started chanting again. The room glowed purple.*

°If Disney had taught him anything, it was that purple and green were not safe in these contexts. His mind was still reeling from what Neb had said, but if self-preservation hadn't convinced him that he needed to get out, his brother being in danger had.°

°Let. Me. Go.°

*Knocks on the door, a bunch of stuff in hand* CJ?

°*there's the sounds of several locks being undone before the door opens. He's there, and looking more than a little exhausted* Doc? Yeah come in he is in the living room- *he moves to leave a clear path, walking over to the matress on the floor*°

*the twins look at you two for a moment, apprehensive and concerned. But RJ breaks the silence.*

"...Ok Google"

°CJ braces, ready to defend or run if things go bad°

@anon-jims . Ẃé áŕé héŕé. @anon-host áńd í őńĺӳ ẃáńt tő héĺṕ. Dőń't ӳőú tŕúśt úś?

My face is having uncontrollable spasms. Great. It hurts really, really, really bad.

I think part of why I have trouble explaining pain to the doctor is when they ask about the pain scale I always think “Well, if someone threw me down a flight of stairs right now or punched me a few times, it would definitely hurt a lot more” so I end up saying a low number. I was reading an article that said that “10” is the most commonly reported number and that is baffling to me. When I woke up from surgery with an 8" incision in my body and I could hardly even speak, I was in the most horrific pain of my life but I said “6” because I thought “Well, if you hit me in the stomach, it would be worse.”

*Alright he's just- he's just going to go. With the plane landed and a hotel room sorted, the Newscaster sends a text. It's worded a little stiffly, but the reply of just °K° was maybe not the friendliest either.*

*NJ's foot maybe bounces in the car ride over, just a bit.*

*He's knocking, and CJ opens the door. The Cameraman's expression isn't the easiest to read, but after a moment, he seems to come to a conclusion. A small sigh, and CJ offers a small smile. NJ manages one back. The Newscaster enters, and it's not the most calm situation, but he's here, and a bit of back and forth between the twins in sign he can't follow has RJ offering him a similar small smile.*

*Maybe this wouldn't be so terrible after all.*

*The snake keeps slithering though the void.* Yσυɾ Ⴆσƚԋ ɠσιɳɠ ƚσ Ⴆҽ Ⴆɾαιɳɯαʂԋҽԃ, ʂσσɳ. ⏳

*it took a moment of shocked silence before anything happened, then-*

"Oh... No, no hey no, you can't do that I'm not doing this nO-! LET US OUT!!!"

*RJ attempts to pry the snake's jaws opened, looking a mixed of frightened and angry*

°CJ is now attempting to kick the snake, aiming his foot to connect with the right side of the snake's mouth. He hits harder than he seems like he would. Nobody is stealing his brother or him if he can do anything about it.°

👁️🌟💛🔥🙃🌌🎇👀❤️🦕

(∆I don't understand-∆)

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