Things I wish allistics would remember about autistic people

autisminwomen:

sbroxman-autisticquestions:

Social skills can be a foreign language to us: We can learn it, but what comes natural to you doesn’t come natural to us. Don’t call us rude if we prefer to be alone, don’t laugh at our social struggles, we’re trying, and any ableist reaction isn’t going to help us

What you can tolerate may be intolerable to us: We process things differently. We often can’t cope with certain sounds, too much visual information can drive us into overload. Certain textures can also be intolerable. We’re not exaggerating if we say something is too loud, we’re not lying if we can’t cope in a busy area

Meltdowns are not tantrums, and we may need time to shutdown: I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, meltdowns are not tantrums, we are not doing it intentionally. We are doing it as a fight-or-flight response. And likewise for shutdowns, don’t question if we go non-verbal, and please understand we may need time alone

Stimming is generally a coping mechanism: This is a trait commonly mocked by ableists. We use stimming as a way of coping. It may look weird to you, but we do it for many reasons. To keep us focused, to calm us down when feeling overloaded, to express emotion

Special interests aren’t weird or dangerous: If I had a penny for every time an allistic person implied my special interest was unhealthy and should be discouraged, I’d have quite a lot of pennies. It’s only weird to you because you don’t understand the joy it gives us. And you may worry that infodumping about one topic could discourage people from talking to us. I can’t speak for all autistic people on this, but I for one would rather be friends with someone who accepts my special interests, at least then I’m being myself

Just because some of our stims look different, and may be “socially acceptable” behaviors like listening to headphones of using a seat warmer, that doesn’t mean we need them any less to cope.

college gothic

indigo-night-wisp:

  • someone in your class mentions communism. they speak about it at length. you are in biology class.
  • you text your mother. she does not respond for 3 days. you text her again and then realize that it has only been 2 hours since your first text.
  • freshmen travel in packs. what are they afraid of.
  • your class is in room 153. the numbers start at 201. you cannot find the first floor.
  • someone is talking about communism. it is not the same person as last time. this is an english class.
  • your transcript says you have an A in philosophy 3310. you do not remember taking this class. what did you learn? what did you do?
  • you meet your elevator buddy. you do not speak. you never do. you ride in silence. one day, they are not there. you miss them.
  • your advisor refers you to the registrar. the registrar refers you to admissions. admissions refers you to both the registrar and your advisor. you have spoken to two people who do not exist and one who has been dead for ten years.
  • the boy who sits next to you wears the same clothes everyday. you think this is strange but when you mention it, he tells you that this is the first time he has worn this outfit. you realize that you have lived this day before.
  • you pass someone sleeping in the quad. he has always been there. stop looking at him.
  • someone answers, “communism.” it is not someone who has been previously mentioned. the question was, “what is an example of the art of ancient greece?”
  • you have a doppelganger on campus. you have never met them. they know all of your friends.
  • the seniors speak only to professors. their eyes are dead. they have given up the safety of the pack long ago.
  • the professor is talking about STD’s. your math class is very strange.
  • the powerpoint is in comic sans. you suspect that your economics professor is an extraterrestrial being after all.
  • “communism,” the man serving you lunch insists. wearily you nod. that’s what everyone says.