#autisticworld

[theblackautist]

Posted @withregram • @aussieautismfamily Autism Acceptance Month! ♾ 💛 Day 21 I am the first to admit that I used to use these functioning labels, and cringe everytime I hear myself say them in an old video. But we learn, and then we learn more and then we know better… I would encourage you to share these posts so that you can inform your own circles, and altogether we will reach so far! . . . #autismfamily #autism #specialinterest #autismacceptance #autismmum #specialneeds #motherhood #motherhoodunplugged #mumlife #motherhoodthroughig #autistic #autisticworld #sociallyem #aussiemum #autismcommunity #foryoupage #themotherhoodcorner #inclusion #asd #aussievlogger #youtuberaustralia #realmotherhood #autismacceptanceday #autismacceptancemonth #autisminclusion #autistic #eloping #absconding https://www.instagram.com/p/Ccp9EJ1uwMm/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[autisticcountrygirl]

#4leafclover not finding 1 but 2 #fourleafclover in the garden 🍀💕 bring it on with the #goodluck #goodluckclover #clovers When I see a group of #clovers i’m lost in my OWN #autistic #autisticworld and feel So happy 🍀

[autisticworlds]

Hi, I just discovered this. I am autistic and I am a dreamer. I have created, collected and recycled many many daydreams during my life. Daydreaming is like a disorder to me because of the negative impact (personally), but I do find it amazing and if there was a way to live with it in a good way, I would love that. I think first step for reaching that state -to me- is making my daydreams relevant to my real life instead of a seperate thing. I believe in sharing imagination. I like this blog(1/2)

“(2/2)Same guy as (hopefully) the previous one. Sorry, I write a lot. I was wondering what the criteria are for submitting things here? I would love to share my stuff here since it’s all very related to both autism and daydreaming. But I don’t know what people typically share here or what is and isn’t allowed. I have a tumblr full of doodles I would like to share, but linking to my tumblr on your tumblr is shameless self-advertising isn’t it?What does a thing have to be in order to share it here?”

Hello! I’m glad that you are enjoying this blog. Autisticworlds is for all kinds of people, and every neuronarrator is welcomed here, no matter how you view your daydreaming. I’m not sure if you would like advice on it, but there are certainly ways to get more control over neuronarrative and make its impact less negative. Check out the masterposts (links in the about/FAQ) to read all about controlling daydreaming.

As for your question, there really are no criteria for submitting stuff. Everything that is related to creativity and imagination of autistic people will do. I post a lot of creations here, like writing, art, poetry, music and so on, but I’ll happily post any questions, stories or confessions about daydreaming as well. This blog is a community and I think people are interested in discussions and interactions with other creators and/or neuronarrators.

Also sharing a link to your art blog is not shameless self-advertising! Feel free to do it. I aim for making autistic creators more well-known and I will happily promote them in any way. Submissions of art and links to posts you’d like me to reblog are a-okay and encouraged. And if someone wants to advertise their commissions or etsy shops or anything of the sort, as long as they are autistic, that’s also totally fine.

[scriptautistic]

my character spends a lot of time daydreaming heavily (ive seen "autistic fantasy" used to describe this but im not sure if its offensive to use) because people act suspicious and angry towards him a lot for things that werent his fault bc of some past plot drama. plus he's nonverbal, so people pressure him a lot to speak. is it realistic (or offensive?) for him to do this? and what might it look like to another character? could a character he's very close to "wake him up?" thank you!!

      Hello there! Interesting questions. I’ll adress the daydreaming with a 1) and the nonverbal part with a 2) and the what might this look like with a 3).

1) You seem to be describing maladaptive daydreaming, the intense, hours-long daydreaming some people do. It isn’t limited to autistic people, but it affects them differently. I’ve read a bit about it, since I used to maladaptively daydream a lot.

It’s called ‘maladaptive’ by those in the field of psychology because, as an example, some people use it as an escape method to get away from their current world - or at least that’s the idea psychologists have documented. For something to be maladaptive, it has to get in the way of someone’s health and daily life. If an action like daydreaming is so immersive it prevents people from showering and eating and sleeping most of the time, it could be considered maladaptive because it interferes with their health and work. Some primary literature in psychology has described the experience as somewhat dissociative.

I’ve read other accounts and opinions of this long, immersive daydreaming in the context of autistic people, and the opinion is quite different. Since the line between adaptive and maladaptive can get fuzzy, this type of daydreaming you describe may help autistics somehow, as is the opinion of the blog autisticworlds. Whether its helpful or not could be heavily debated, as there can be detrimental effects, combined with executive dysfunction, like forgetting to take care of oneself. It can though, serve several functions for autistic people:

if they do not get enough socialization/are isolated, they can imagine or practice social interaction and get some stimulation

autistic people tend to create very rich inner worlds, like discussed on the blog mentioned earlier. This is helpful for creativity and goes against misconceptions that autistic people aren’t creative

daydreaming can be very soothing, motivating, and a safe space/refuge to return to every time the daydreamer gets overwhelmed or needs something to focus on, etc.

the reasons people daydream are very numerous, but autistic people may be drawn so much to it because they tend to become very hyper-focused.

2) As far as being nonverbal goes, the reason people have trouble communicating is because of a processing issue. I am not nonverbal, but nonverbal autistic people describe the difficulty as not having enough time to come up with apt words on the spot. Semi-verbal and some verbal people also struggle with this, but not to the same extent or under most conditions. Some people are able to verbalize but only when they are relaxed or not having to deal with too many stimuli.

To pressure someone who is nonverbal to speak can be extremely detrimental to that person. Not only would it likely make it even more difficult to think of words, but it would add stresses on top of all the stimuli in the environment and may lead to meltdown or shutdown. Not only is it offensive, but it is harmful. It would be realistic to present people pressuring your character to talk, because this happens in real life. But do not present this pressure as having a positive effect on your character’s ability to communicate. It would likely stress him out, as nonverbal people tend to be particularly aware of the pressure on them to talk, even if unspoken in any specific moment. People who pressure nonverbal autistics to speak and treat them like they can’t understand words are doing abusive behaviors, even if those people have good intentions.

Talking is certainly not the only form of communication. Many nonverbal people develop ways to communicate with those around them, including writing if they can, selecting words on a tablet to generate a message, emotionally reacting to any situation, series of sung pitches or gestures, etc. The modes of communication nonverbal people like to use vary between person to person. With that, I’ll get into how you could depict your daydreaming nonverbal character.

3) A positive relationship your character could be in would be with someone who does not pressure him to speak, but works to understand the communications methods he uses. That other person may speak to your character like they would to anyone else, but give him time to process their words, then accept however he wants to communicate and works to understand what he intends to say. There may be trouble with this task for those who haven’t had the time to learn his communication methods. As long as that person or people who treat him well don’t treat him like he isn’t intelligent simply because he is nonverbal, and recognize his personhood fully, that would be a good relationship.

Daydreaming can be done with eyes open or closed, or both depending on the situation. He might appear to be very spaced out, and others might have trouble getting his attention if he is very hyperfocused on his daydream. Some may not be, but someone who is understanding and supportive would be very patient with him. He might be sensitive to stimuli when he’s daydreaming, and it might be very easy to get his attention but might be alarming to him. There are a lot of ways to depict this depending on what he is particularly hyposensitive or hypersensitive to. It might be very easy to get him out of a daydream in some scenarios and environments, and perhaps very difficult in others. That likely depends on what made him want to daydream in any given moment. He might even be comfortable sharing what his daydreams are about, but he might be very secretive about them. Depends on his personality and what the daydreams are about.

Thank you for your question!

 - Mod Siena

[chaosdreamchronicles]

Maladaptive Daydreaming Dictionary

None of these terms, other than Maladaptive Daydreaming (Disorder) and Fantasy Prone Personality are official. Some of them, such as para and character, are synonymous and just a matter of preference. Therefore don’t feel as though you have to use any of these, this is just a reference for people who want to understand more about their condition and the terms used by the community.

actuallyMaDD: A tag used by maladaptive daydreamers to share their experiences. Coined by @bpdrotten . see also: MaDD

character: A person who appears often in your daydreams. Can be fictional, original or real (such as a celebrity). Maladaptive daydreamers usually develop strong emotional attachments to their characters and characters can be very well developed with detailed personalities, relationships and backstories. see also: para, para-

Compulsive Fantasy: a lesser used term for Maladaptive Daydreaming. see also: Maladaptive Daydreaming

daydreamingart: a tag used by maladaptive daydreamers to share art or writing about the content of their daydreams. Coined by @queenofdissocation . see also: maddart

daydreaming: Just as in regular English, daydreaming refers to imagining scenarios while losing track of the real world. It is important to note that when maladaptive daydreamers refer to daydreaming they are usually referring to doing it for hours at a time if uninterrupted, whereas other people might think of daydreaming as zoning out for five minutes when bored.

daydream crash: A) when a maladaptive daydreamer is forced to come to terms with the fact their daydreams are not real, leading to discomfort and sadness or B) when these daydreams no longer have the same effect that they used to and no longer feel as good. Coined by @maladaptive-daydreams .

daydream self/dream self (or any variation): many though not all maladaptive daydreamers have daydreams that involve themselves. They may imagine a version of themselves that is realistic or idealised or anywhere in between. This character is your dream self. see also: parame

(daydream) trigger: something that leads to a craving or compulsion to daydream. The most common trigger is music, followed by other forms of media such as TV, video games and books.

daydream universe/daydreamverse/dreamverse: the imaginary world or worlds where daydreams are set. see also: paracosm

fantasy/fantasising: see daydreaming.

Fantasy Prone Personality (FPP): a personality trait that means someone has a strong, lifelong involvement in fantasy and imagination. Signs of FPP include delusions and hallucinations (such as having intense spiritual/paranormal experiences, experiencing imagined sensations as real and confusing daydreams with real memories) as well as spending over half your waking time daydreaming. Maladaptive Daydreaming is more likely to affect those with Fantasy Prone Personality, however being a maladaptive daydreamer doesn’t necessarily mean you have FPP. Check the Wikipedia article for more information.

imaginary friend: an imaginary person that someone pretends to interact with in the real world, for the sake of companionship, entertainment or (for children) play. Not the same thing as a character or para. Maladaptive daydreamers interact with their characters/paras in their daydreams, whereas imaginary friends are imagined as existing in the real world. Maladaptive daydreamers can also have their characters as imaginary friends, however. compare: character, para

inhabitant: a less common word for para. Short for daydream inhabitant. Coined by @avpdkaneki . see also: character

linear universe: a daydream universe with only one world, which usually has one main storyline (i.e. one series of events which the maladaptive daydreamer daydreams about). Coined by @ni-ghtdreams . compare: multiple universes, non-linear daydreams

MaDD/MADD/madd - acronym, short for Maladaptive Daydreaming Disorder.

maddart: see daydreamingart. Coined by @queenofdissocation .

Maladaptive Daydreaming (Disorder): a mental illness characterised by compulsive daydreaming that takes over a large part of someone’s life, to the extent that it interferes with or replaces things like work, school, real-life relationships, hobbies, getting up and going to sleep. When daydreaming, maladaptive daydreamers are content and also feel the emotions that their characters/paras are feeling. At the same time, daydreamers often engage in a repetitive activity (e.g. pacing or rocking back and forth). When not daydreaming, they experience regular cravings to resume their daydreams and often have trouble concentrating the world around them. It is debatable whether Maladaptive Daydreaming is a disorder, addiction or other type of mental illness. Currently, it is not officially psychologically recognised as a mental illness, therefore it is impossible to have it diagnosed by a therapist. The term was first coined by Eli Somer in 2002. see also: MaDD, MDD, MD, maladaptive daydreamer, Fantasy Prone Personality

(maladaptive) daydreamer: a person with Maladaptive Daydreaming.

MDD: mistakenly used as an acronym for Maladaptive Daydreaming Disorder. In fact, MDD stands for Major Depressive Disorder and the community has asked that we stop using the tag. To avoid confusion, use the acronym MaDD. see also: MD, MaDD

MD: an acronym short for Maladaptive Daydreaming, proposed as an alternative to MDD. However there is still some confusion in that it could stand for Major Depression. It’s best to use the acronym MaDD. see also, MDD, MaDD

multiple universes: a daydream universe with more than one world or timeline which the maladaptive daydreamer fantasises about. Coined by @ni-ghtdreams . compare: linear universe, non-linear daydreams

neuronarrative: the intense, divergent imaginings of fantasy prone people. Neuronarrative refers to extensive daydreams that are often accompanied by a repetitive activity, although these daydreams/narratives are not necessarily maladaptive and do not necessarily make it difficult for someone to live their life. In other words, the term has no negative connotations. All maladaptive daydreamers are neuronarrators, but not all neuronarrators are maladaptive daydreamers. Coined by @autisticworlds . see also: neuronarrator, Fantasy Prone Personality, traveling compare: Maladaptive Daydreaming

neuronarrator: a person who experiences neuronarrative. compare: maladaptive daydreamer

non-linear daydreams: daydreams that are not all based in one world or a series of worlds - daydreams that are more random in nature and don’t have much in common in terms of timeline and setting. Coined by @ni-ghtdreams . compare: linear universe, multiple universes

para: see character. Due to the level of emotional attachment and the amount of time spent interacting with them, some daydreamers feel that ‘characters’ isn’t a strong enough word to describe the people in their daydreams. Para is used as an alternative. It comes from the word paracosm and was coined by @schizotypaldaydreamer .

para-: a prefix that can presumably be used in front of anything to show that it is from your daydream universe, though it is almost always used for people. For example, a para/character who is your friend in your daydreams would be referred to as a ‘parafriend’. see also: para, character, daydream universe, paracosm

paracosm: an imaginary world. Typically a paracosm is quite developed and may have its own imagined geography, laws, people, places, customs, history, language, etc. A famous example of a paracosm is Middle Earth. You do not have to be a maladaptive daydreamer to have a paracosm. Check the Wikipedia article for more information.

parame: see daydream self. Short for ‘parallel me’ and also coined by @schizotypaldaydreamer . see also: para-

thisverse: a word for reality/the real world, in comparison to a daydream universe or paracosm. Coined by @schizotypaldaydreamer .

traveling: a term created to be synonymous with Maladaptive Daydreaming but without the negative connotations, for those who don’t find their extensive imagining to be a problem. It has since been replaced by neuronarrative, which is not synonymous with Maladaptive Daydreaming. Coined by @autisticworlds .

Feel free to add any other terms that you think are relevant, as long as they’re being used by more than one person (otherwise it’s just individual preference).

[iamthestrangerinmoscow]

3, 9, 13 and 23? (For the ask thingy)

3) what order do you write in? front of book to back? chronological? favorite scenes first? something else?

95% of the time I write exactly as it appears in the final product, first page to last page, simply because I easily get confused and it’s easier to not change anything. Occasionally I will write down a scene/dialogue I came up with and liked a lot and didn’t want to forget, then put it in the story later. What goes on in my head though… that’s a different story.

9) what, if anything, do you do for inspiration?

Read other books. Sounds boring/predictable enough but for me it’s the best way. If I’m stuck at something, sometimes I just grab a book I have read many times, open it in the middle and read a few pages. It helps with switching to writing mode.

13) your strengths as an author

None? It’s easier for me to write dialogues but I wouldn’t say it’s my strength. I am also very prone to getting attached to my characters and mirroring their emotional state and then being sad for days because of the thing I wrote myself… also wouldn’t say that’s a strength, although hell knows.

23) any obscure life experiences that you feel have helped your writing?

If anything, neuronarrative/daydreaming. If you don’t know what that is, check out one of my blogs, @autisticworldsA lot of my “experience” is actually fake and comes from daydreaming, but like… if it wasn’t for that, I wouldn’t have that “experience” at all. With neuronarrative, at least I’ve lived through it, sensory, emotionally, whatever - and that definitely helps with writing.

[autistickitten]

about maladaptive daydreaming- when i was little this was a real problem for me, but i always tended to draw whatever i was daydreaming about. it was constant, so i always drew in my own time. thats sort of how i became an artist- i daydreamed so much i just. had to put them all somewhere, and i kept going until they looked like how i imagined them. i still do that today, and thats why i find it so hard to focus sometimes- i end up just drawing, its a ritual, my special interest, and my career

@autisticworlds has a post on maladaptive daydreaming and neuronarratives btw, in case kittens are questionning whether they have maladaptive daydreaming or just plain daydreaming

[nikkilbook]

@autisticworlds, would any of your followers be interested in reading this? It would only be a few thousand words at most.

Prepping for a Critique—Call for Readers

Hey all! So I’m up for a critique of my second chapter in my creative writing class on Monday, and I’m working through the revisions this weekend. I would really appreciate a few sets of eyes on it, especially fresh ones. I always work better when I can get the story out of my head and into the wild.

This novel’s a middle grade fantasy, currently titled GOBLIN MARKET, about a girl named Siobhra, who lives in a village near a goblin mound, who has to choose whether or not to make a dangerous deal to find out where she belongs. The setting is inspired by 10th Century Ireland, so if there are any history buffs out there, I’d love your eyes on this!

If you’re interested, shoot me a message/comment below/reblog this and lemme know, and I’ll send you the link to the Google Doc. Normally I’d use my WordPress blog for this, but the prose is in such constant flux at this point I thought it would be more hassle than it was worth.

Thanks!

(p.s. - This story features one of my autistic characters. If you are also autistic, I’d love to hear how the descriptions and characterization worked for you. I’m autistic, but I’m also only one person, so I’d like to crowdsource this a bit.)

[letkeithinfodump]

Hey, is it okay to reblog your headcanons for the Autism Creativity Month that a blog called autisticworlds is organizing? Week One is about autistic characters (canon and headcanon) and since no allistic can pilot the lions but I have a lack of imagination, I'd kind of like to link your headcanons to the month, if that's okay.

oh yea!!!! you can definitely do that!!

[weathersrabbits]

I've been afraid to tell you this so I'm making a cake that explains...

[uncorkedhead]

Ok since I guess everyone is talking about maladaptive daydreaming nowadays (?), can someone point me in the right direction of somewhere to learn more about it? I’ve been a super intense daydreamer my entire life, and while it’s just sort of a pastime now, it used to be super distracting/impactful of my daily life.(Also i narrate my life sometimes like a book but idk if that’s related or just the product of reading too much haha)

So I’d like to know more about what maladaptive daydreaming actually is/ if I could consider myself a maladaptive daydreamer but idrk where to start? I liked @autisticworlds’ word ‘neuronarrator’ since that seemed to describe my experiences but their tag was a little hard for me to navigate so I never found their original explanation of the term

For anyone that can help I’d really appreciate it :)

[myfriendscallmegoose]

@autisticworlds in honour of your return feel free to reblog any of my art or writing, as an autistic artist I'd love to contribute!

Dark Forest

Haha, I haven’t posted any writing since July, so I think it’s safe to say I failed my goal of posting one writing piece a month. Not to worry, we’re nearing next year, I’ll try again then. In the meantime here’s a little thing I wrote for my dear friend @idrawflowerswhenimdrunk. As you can see, it’s very D&D themed, because that’s the idea I was working with.

Sunlight rose over the horizon that day, as it did on most days, its glow bathing the land in an orange warmth as it travelled across plains, over hills and down into valleys, eventually finding its way to the borders of the Dark Forest, filtering through the trees and letting only a small amount of light pierce through the darkness that had pervaded the woodlands throughout the night and still persisted within thanks to the thick coverage granted by the tall trees. The sunlight glinted against the morning dew that formed on the young saplings and soft fern bushes scattered around within it. Not too long after the sun’s initial rise, the light found its way through treetops parted by a strong breeze, into the darkest corner of the forest, streaming down through the branches and hitting a scaly, green, closed eyelid. 

Keep reading

[autisticworlds]

Autism Creativity Month

In April, autistic people celebrate autism acceptance, as opposed to awareness promoted by A$. We want to be seen, we want people to listen, and we refuse to be silenced. We speak for ourselves. This year AutisticWorlds will feature and April event - Autism Creativity Month! I'm taking autistic creativity and imagination to a new level, and for four weeks of April I will also introduce you to fiction that means a lot to autistic people (and not just creations by autistic people). I hope it will distract you from A$ propaganda and make this month happy. How it will work: starting from Monday next week, there will be four weeks of ACM. Week One: autistic headcanons and canon autistic characters Week Two: fiction and creations as special interests Week Three: fiction by actually autistic people Week Four: autistic imagination, daydreaming and neuronarrative My activity will include reblogging and posting submissions, as well as writing my own posts. I will post specific instructions for week one tomorrow. Until then, share this post and get ready! And remember: #autismacceptance #redinstead (PS: idea suggested by @autisticawesomeness - thank you! Be sure to check out the blog)

[autism-asks]

If I made an OC with autism, can I tag you or submit it to you?

That is not the purpose of the blog.

However, if you are autistic, @autisticworlds would be one place to submit your oc and any creative things.

You can also tag me on my main @owlsofstarlight as I love hearing about people’s oc and their writing.

Os

[sowhatifimmadd]

MY TIME HAS COME! OK dearest, come with me and I shall do my best to explain.

When you look into MaDD, which is the main fucking symptom? Vivid daydreaming. It feels real and better than reality. But is that the only symptom, I ask you?

No!

The second main symptom is being addicted to daydreaming! It affects your life! You daydream for hours, your grades drop, you stop talking to your friends… Ya know, this sort of thing.

Now do you remember when in math class your teacher told you all squares were rectangles but not all rectangles were squares and you didn’t get a word of it? That’s the logic!

Everyone that experiences those lucid, vivid daydreams is a neuronarrator and experiences neuronarative. But not all these people have Maladaptive Daydreaming, because we’re not exactly addicted to it.

This must sound confusing, let me give you solid example.

Me! Myself! I!

Je suis a neuronarrator. I spent quite a lot of time daydreaming, but I don’t just decide that I’ll daydream, put earphones on and pace for hours. I’m okay daydreaming in the car, when walking through the streets, when I should be studying and paying attention to class. And I don’t feel distressed, I just kinda miss my paras.

Also, my daydreaming doesn’t interfere in my life. Even though I do dose off when I’m studying occasionally, I always get very good grades.

Some common characteristics between MaDDers and neuronarrators (at least if you consider me as the neuronarrator, I’ve never met any other) are:

•I prefer my paras to my friends and family

•my daydreaming sometimes keeps me from studying or sleeping

• My friends want to put me in a sanatory because I’ll start laughing or make faces out of nowhere

•apparently we really like making our paras suffer…

•the daydreams are so darn complex

BUUUT we’re not distressed by it. It doesn’t affect our life too much, we’ve got the best of both worlds!

That concept, as far as I’m concerned, was first developed by @autisticworlds. I always use the term because I love it, but all credit to him/her/them (if you see this post, just know that I love you and please tell me if I explained anything wrong!)

hey there! could y’all like/reblog this post if you’re a MADD/neuronarrative blog? i need people to follow! <3

[iamthestrangerinmoscow]

1, 5, 18

1. What are four tabs open in your browser right now?

I have like a hundred and fifteen tabs open, but the four most recent are “how to correctly write address on a letter” (I sent a letter to Chase Ross to Canada! I drew a bee for him), a Polish shop that sells stim toys, yandex (which is a Russian email site) and USOS (which is a university system site)

5. Does anyone know your deepest, darkest secret?

I don’t even know what is my deepest darkest secret. Maybe my daydreaming but it’s not dark and two and a half thousand people on AutisticWorlds as well as a thousand here know that. I’d say that one is probably the biggest because for pretty much my entire life I have a second imaginary life which no one among my family or any friends I’ve ever had irl knows about. But on the Internet, damn so many people know. Other than that, can’t really think of any tbh.

18. Biggest mistake you’ve ever made?

I’ve literally no idea. I don’t wanna search my memory for that, but being a nerd, I’ll probably pick some mistake I’ve made on a test/exam. I didn’t get to make many important decisions in life, yet. So didn’t have a chance to mess anything up.