Anti Anxiety.

∆A brief interlude here. It's past midnight, so I have to retire for the night. I'll be back in the morning though, hope you guys have a good night- Admin∆

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.

hey just a heads up/warning for those of you who don’t do well dealing with the heavy subjects or videos portraying violent acts, sandyhook promise has a new gun violence school shooting PSA that is probably going to be going viral and is slated to play on television and in AMC movie theaters and it’s pretty heavy, especially at the end. I know it’s a topic that needs to be discussed but it’s not a video that everyone will be able to watch, so just a warning for those of you that might not be able to handle it.

∆*yells in "where did all of you come from"* You folks are amazing, this blog hasn't even been here for that long?? Thank all you stars∆

"Ready to roll, Jim?"

°nod°

"Perfect! I'm excited, are you excited Jim?"

°another nod, accompanied by a smile°

"Yeah, this is going to be so cool. Usually we're the ones out there- asking the big questions. It'll be interesting, to say the least, to have a chance to be the ones with the questions asked of us. Otherwise though- we proceed as normal, we never know when the next big scoop will show up! We have to be vigilant, Jim."

°the sounds of a camera being turned on can be heard, it is time to begin°

[[Reporter Jim and Cameraman Jim are now available for Questions]]

Learn Holidays Signs | Learn American Sign Language | Nyle DiMarco [x]

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Would you rather..

This or that

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Love/hate

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Anything you want!

soft asks to get to know people

what song makes you feel better?

what’s your feel-good movie?

what’s your favorite candle scent?

what flower would you like to be given?

who do you feel most you around?

say three nice things about yourself (three physical and three non-physical).

what color brings you peace?

tag someone (or multiple people) who make you feel good. 

what calms you down?

what’s something you’re excited for?

what’s your ideal date?

how are you?

what’s your comfort food?

favorite feel-good show?

for every emoji you get, tag someone and describe them in one word.

compliment the person who sent you this number.

fairy lights or LED lights?

do you still love stuffed animals?

most important thing in your life?

what do you want most in the world right now?

if you could tell your past self one thing, what would it be?

what would you say to your future self?

favorite piece of clothing?

what’s something you do to de-stress?

what’s the best personal gift someone could give you (playlist, homemade card, etc.)

what movie would you want to live in?

which character would you want to be?

hugs or hand-holding?

morning, afternoon or night?

what reminds you of home (doesn’t have to mean house… just things that remind you of the feeling of home)?

*They walked through the portal with CJ.*

°He glanced around, blinking in the new space. It looked like... downtown? There's a tension in the air though, and the colors are muted, like the world is a bowstring strung tight through a camera filter. It's familiar, and not just because it looks like the streets he'd driven down with RJ a thousand times.°

°...°

°He starts walking forward°