BC AUTISM
Saved by @Jacobtldr

Things You Need to Know About Autism - a thread for sharing.

I try to raise awareness, understanding and acceptance of #autistic people. Have a read and hopefully it will help.

#thread #autism

 1. Autism has always existed, as far as we can tell. Any increase in the number of autistic people is due to better diagnosis and growing population. There are historic figures who display many autistic traits, such as Isaac Newton. #autism
2. Autism is not an illness or disease. It cannot be caught, nor does it appear to spontaneously happen. You are born autistic and you will die autistic - it is not 'curable'. #autism
3. Autistic people do not lack empathy, nor are we emotionless robots. We often struggle to communicate emotion, and we can have alexithymia, making identification of emotions hard, though. #autism
4. Autism affects the entire demographic - doesn't matter your gender, sexuality, age, class, skin colour, culture. Autism is a human condition. #autism
5. Autism is not a childhood condition. Autistic children become autistic adults; they may learn to hide it but it's there. #autism
6. Autism is not a learning disability in and of itself. It can occur alongside learning disabilities, but not always by any means. #autism
7. Attitudes to whether it is a disability vary. Some autistic people see it as disabling, others do not. Neither is wrong, both have their good points and arguments. I personally believe that it is a disability. #autism
8. Autism is often undiagnosed, especially in demographics that aren't young white males. This means self diagnosis is often a requirement to get an official diagnosis. Some cannot get this dx, but still deserved to be heard. #autism
9. Autistic people are not childlike, nor are they incapable of communication. Many are writers, thinkers, creatives, professionals. This does not make them 'less autistic' in some way. #autism
10. Autistic people generally will benefit from reasonable adjustments in work and school, though there are no hard and fast recommendations as we are all different, with different needs. #autism
11. Autism can be hugely beneficial, yet it can also be quite disabling. Often it is both, often simultaneously. This means autistic people can seem both needy and independent. #autism
12. Autistic people suffer from much higher rates of depression, anxiety, suicide. There are many reasons for this but most could be alleviated by a more tolerant society. #autism
13. Autism can make communication difficult, as we seem to be using a different operating system to non-autistics. Thus it helps if we're given more processing time, and remember communicating is a two way street. #autism
14. Autistic people are disproportionately victims of abuse, either from family, officials or others. The most dangerous may be police violence, which can often be used on autistic people who simply need help but ard perceived as a threat. #autism
15. Autism is not the same as ADHD though they have similarities and are frequently co-morbid. #autism
16. Autistic children are disproportionately kicked out of education, often when small easy fixes would help if anyone thought to implement them. #autism
17. Autism can cause hypersensitivity to sensory input in various ways, through sound, smell, touch, bright lights and so on. #autism
18. Autistic people can experience meltdown if put under sustained unavoidable stress. The thing is, more things cause stress for us in thd world so you're more likely to see us snap, unfortunately. #autism
19. Autistic people, especially women and POC are too frequently accused of 'faking it', due to outdated stereotypes and bigotry. This is very damaging. #autism
20. Autistic people can lead successful happy lives, if allowed to do so. Some of us require more help than others. #autism
I would like to make writing and communicating about #autism my main career one day - any contributions really help towards that goal. Thank you.

https://t.co/qonxXX3C91

More from Pete Wharmby

Pete Wharmby
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@commaficionado
30 things you can do that might help #autistic people in your lives.

A thread. Please read and share widely, and add to it as you see fit.

#autism #autistic

1. Let us decompress in quiet areas when we need to. Our desire to be alone is not judgement on you, it's simple self preservation. #autism

2. If you need us to do something, give us very clear, unambiguous instruction. Don't feel like you're being rude doing this, but don't sound irritated or patronising! #autism

3. Do not expect us to react to things in a way you would expect. That way lies disappointment. We often show our emotions in very different ways to what you might expect. #autism

4. Don't assume we aren't capable of thought and feeling if we're non-verbal. Don't assume we're incapable of communicating in other ways either. #autism
LIFE
Pete 'stay' Wharmby 'the fireplace'
Pete 'stay' Wharmby 't...
@commaficionado
How to help the #autistic people in your life get through Christmas - a practical thread of advice.

Please read and share!

(This is based on my own experiences of being autistic)

#autism #christmas

1. Give #autistic people an easy escape route they know they can take without judgement - knowing you can dash off to recharge without being questioned can help so much!

2. Don't play Christmas music really loudly around the house. No one needs that anyway but if you must, make it not too intrusive as it can be difficult for #autistic people to handle. Christmas music is *so* 'busy'!

3. Don't expect clear and unambiguous response to Christmas presents when opened. Many #autistic people struggle to show the appropriate emotional reaction, and are also terrified of making you feel bad. We show appreciation in our own way.

4. Don't forget #autistic friends and relatives may not be as excited about meeting up with family members as you are. There is likely a lot of anxiety there, especially this year. Be mindful of this and don't force it.
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Pete Wharmby
Pete Wharmby
@commaficionado
Autistic behaviours that are generally discriminated against, despite being harmless and just how we are.

A thread🧵

1. Stimming - repetitive physical movement to help regulate our stress levels. They feel nice and are really helpful but people seem to hate to see it. #autism

2. No eye contact. We generally find this too intimate and intense, and will avoid. It can even cause pain if forced. But people don't trust us even though we inform them we're autistic. #autism

3. Sitting in 'odd' positions. We're often very bendable - remember Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is a common comorbidity - and loads of feel more comfortable in slightly contorted positions. People always comment 'you can't be comfy like that'.

Yes. Yes I can. #autism

4. Stammering when excited. We can get so passionate about some subjects that we struggle to get the words out as they all get caught in the annoying bottleneck of actually having to leave our mouths. But it irritates people, makes them assume we're somehow lesser. #autism
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Pete Wharmby
Pete Wharmby
@commaficionado
Once again I'm reminded that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. The recent push by a large number of autistic people to 'own' their diagnosis and try to raise acceptance and dispel harmful myths has kicked up a minority of autistic people to fight against this.

This may seem bizarre - who fights against improved acceptance? - but actually has clear roots in the ongoing culture war the West seems engaged in. The identity positive autistic movement, of which I am a part, is viewed by some as another manifestation of 'wokeness'.

This is the right-wing definition of 'wokeness', of course - ie a modern equivalent of the pejorative take on political correctness, but it's definitely at the core of this 'neurorealist' movement - the idea the autistic community is being hijacked by 'woke lefties'.

They believe that the push for acceptance of neurodiversity and rejection of the medicalisation of autism is misguided and drawing attention away from those autistic people who, in their view, need more help and intervention.

The trouble is, this view is pretty much baseless. Firstly, there is little evidence that autistic advocates who push for acceptance are in any way harming autistic people who require more help and support. Second, the view effectively silences those of us who are able to share.
HEALTH
Pete 'stay' Wharmby 'the fireplace'
Pete 'stay' Wharmby 't...
@commaficionado
Why do #autistic students get excluded so frequently from school?

Some thoughts, based on my own experiences. If we have an understanding of the 'why', it's easier to address the results.

Please read and share! /1

Autistic students often find themselves being punished more than average at school. Frequently this can escalate to temporary exclusion and similar 'punishments'. Are autistic students generally just more naughty? Of course not. So what's the deal? /2

Everything about the fundamentals of a school day is designed around neurotypical children. Most school day elements are also very old, and have been around since long before people became more 'autism aware'. /3

What we see as the core experience of doing subjects for around an hour, before moving to the next subject, between the ages of 5 and 18 dates back *decades*. So where do autistic students fit in? /4

Well, they don't. Students with an autistic or ADHD neurotype quite simply do not slot into this structure. The only way they can is by essentially squashing their own needs in order to fit in with the majority. If they can't do this? That's where the 'punishments' come in. /5
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