#category: stim toy collections

[lackeyhenchman]

I greatly dislike it when people act as if autism is only special interests and whatnot .. there's so much other stuff that goes into it but collecting and specialized interests seem to be the most.. marketable, I suppose? The vibes of it are not great

AGREEEEEED on all points, especially your use of the word “marketable”— it doesn’t escape me that this has recently become a big consumer category. The world is a stim toy! Do you know how many things I can do with an extra napkin??

It also makes me wonder what people think neurotypicals do all day. They do have feelings and interests and passions. I promise, some of them are even big and/or cool.

[selfindulgenttiger]

Childhood Clues

I was discussing with someone today the fact that, to be diagnosed with autism as an adult, you have to have shown signs in early childhood. Depending who you ask, that's before age 6, age 8, age 11, or age 18. With so many people (women most often) being diagnosed as adults, some people are questioning the frequency of diagnosis. (Untreated C-PTSD and PTSD symptoms can manifest very similarly to autism.) That started me reflecting on my own childhood behavior and what clues were missed or dismissed. I wanted to catalogue them (because I'm autistic and that's what we do with information). This is stuff from early childhood to pre-teen years. Category A: Deficits in social communication and social interaction

This area of the diagnostic criteria is the hardest for me to judge, because you don't really see your own deficits in this area. If you don't understand what the social rules are, you don't see how you are breaking them. What I can say is that I never made friends easily, and I wasn't particularly bothered by that until I was old enough to realize I was perceived as weird because of it. From second through fourth grade, I don't remember having a friend. I typically spent recess walking in a circle around my favorite tree, which I enjoyed. I was the outsider everywhere. I didn't make friends in Brownies, I didn't make friends in my performing arts classes, I was even "the weird kid" among the gifted kids. Another part of this is your nonverbal communication. There are literally dozens of photos of me with a flat affect from early childhood. Smiling never came naturally to my face. And I assume there was something off about my eye contact and general manners, because I remember my dad explicitly teaching me to make eye contact, smile, use people's names, and express warmth. (He had read it in a book, so obviously this was novel information to Dad, too, that he felt compelled to share.)

Category B: Repetitive behaviors and restricted interests.

This? Not so hard to spot. I knew I was different in this way. I just didn't understand that it meant something. The first point is basically stimming. Where to begin? Lifelong constant knuckle-cracking. Nail, cuticle, and lip biting till I'd bleed. Knee-bouncing. Echolalia in the form of this high-pitched screech sound I enjoyed making, and singing the same songs again and again and again and again. (I still sing them when I'm really stressed.) My interests were definitely what they mean by "restricted interests" which is basically what we'd call "obsessed" in the lay vernacular. Like I became obsessed with mice from around 7-12. I accumulated 41 mouse stuffed toys that I did not play with but arranged in a tableau. I wanted pet mice, even though they're very short-lived compared to other pets and I'd have total meltdowns when one died. I would talk my parents into getting me another and tell them I'd be able to handle it this time, but I never could. (I also collected Weebles, Barbies, Smurfs, and Cabbage Patch Kids, but no other stuffed animals. Most kids have a mixture of different stuffed animals, but I only wanted mice. I didn't actually really play with the other toys either. I just liked having collections and creating tableaux.) Star Trek was such a fixation from elementary school on. Every year they'd have a 3-day Labor Day weekend marathon on one of our local stations. I would try to stay up for all three days. One year, on day three, I yanked the phone out of the wall for having the temerity to keep ringing during a favorite episode. I had all 79 episode titles and descriptions memorized. I sneakily studied my uncle's copy of the technical manual for the Enterprise, even though he didn't want me touching it because it was collectible. One of the greatest disappointments of my young life was not convincing my parents to take me to the convention. I never played soccer or particularly liked soccer, but I went to all the Strikers games with my dad. He would buy me a program and I would memorize the roster of every team. Then when he'd say "great play by number 12" I would tell him all that person's stats. I didn't love the game, but boy, did I love the stats.

Another thing that falls under this category is sensory sensitivities. I had the stereotypical autistic girl hypersensitivity issues (which for the record are screaming when your hair gets brushed, rejecting blue jeans and socks because of the seams, and complaining about the sound of electricity in the walls or bugs walking). But I also have my own oddball ones, like rejecting shoes. I had to have the tips of three toes reattached before age 10 because I wouldn't even wear shoes when riding a bike or walking outdoors. My poor parents had to take me to the ER so many times. (I still cannot bring myself to keep my shoes on any more than is strictly necessary.)

I also rejected any clothing that was textured (so no corduroy in the 70s) or had heavy seams (no jeans even at the height of the Gloria Vanderbilt trend). I would steal my dad's work shirts because they were smooth. For several years, I went to school in scrubs I got at a yard sale. (Scrubs. In middle school. You can guess how that went.) And finally, of course, the overstimulation issue. I had a meltdown and ended up fighting with my mom or crying at every holiday gathering ever. I ran away from my own 10th birthday party and hid for half an hour because my grandmother was going to give me a kiss. My mother loathed taking me on vacation because I invariably got super excited and then overstimulated and then had a meltdown. By the time I was a teenager, she swore she'd never take me again.

When I look back, yeah, it was very clearly there but no one knew what it was. I just seemed like an unruly, melodramatic, weird kid. (And maybe not all the weird in my family.)

[thecouncilacesideblog]

We are collectively/bodily autistic, but it presents differently in each alter

This was answered by Ace ^.^

1) Because of our medications, we have poor thermal regulation, and are bothered by both hot and cold temperatures

2) I love sweets (like caramel, cinnamon sugar, vanilla, ect) and mint (candies, but NOT toothpaste)

3) I like and use fidget toys as a diversion from self-harming stims (scratching, ect), but don't typically use them in general... we have a flippy chain and a tangle, but can't do foam/stress balls

4) Yes! I love weighted blankets, and have one, but also enjoy pressure stim so much that I ask partners to squish me too ^.^

5) Not really... whenever there's Too Much Sound, I put in our earbuds and play heartbeat noises, but not often/regularly

6) Mhm! We use AAC, have an emotional support stuffed animal (Jeff), and lots more

7) Yup! Beanie bounce (excited bouncing up and down) and happy body wiggles (full body wiggles from side to side) and probably more but I don't keep track

8) ADHD, but it's more mild (mostly AU-dhd), psychosis, anxiety, depression, cPTSD, DID, ect - have too many disorders/conditions to bother listing

9) Foxes! They're one of my longest held special interests ^.^

10) It's technically not merchandise, because that's typically associated with a particular brand/franchise, but I have/collect a LOT of various fox-oriented things

11) My headmates? My partners?

12) Mm... I think mostly sensory avoident, with occasional sensory seeking (I like soft things)

13) Not really, they aren't my thing

14) No?

15) There are a category of "foxes" that aren't actually foxes - the only "true foxes" are members of the vulpes genus. People call them foxes anyways though

16) Don't know... most of our support needs are because of our physical disability and psychosis though, so I don't know if it counts

17) Soft! Also, round (like smooth rocks)

18) My favorite color is silver (a soft/muted shimmery grey type, not metallic like a mirror silver)

19) Very much so. There is some flexibility, I think, as long as it's prepared for (for example, "okay there's gonna be a change in plans on x day")

20) Organized and familiar. New things are scary and overwhelming, and I don't always handle them well

Autistic ask game:

1 : Do high and/or low temperatures bother you?

2: Which flavours do you prefer?

3: Do you enjoy fidget toys,if so what kinds?

4: Do you enjoy weighted blankets? Do you own any?

5: Do you use ear defenders?

6: Do you use any other kinds of disability aids, besides just stim toys and/or ear defenders?

7: Do you body stim?

8: Do you have any comorbid conditions? If so,do they affect your autism,or vice versa?

9: what's your most favorite,or most recent special interest/s?

10: Do you collect merchandise of your special interests?

11: who are your favorite autistic character/s and/or autistic person or people? (Includes autistic headcanons,and suspected but currently undiagnosed people)

12: are you more sensory seeking,or sensory avoident,or do you experience both to varying degrees,at different times?

13: Do you enjoy using and/or creating stimboards?

14: Do you have any favorite autistic content creators?

15: tell me a fact about your special interests/stim toys/etc etc.

16: are you low support needs,medium support needs,medium to high,or high support needs?

17: what textures do you prefer?

18: which color/s do you prefer?

19: Do you rely on routines?

20: Do you prefer chaos/things to be sporadic,or for things to be more organized and familiar?

[stimtoybox]

[image description: a photo of various red stim toys on a quilt cover depicting silhouettes of trees against a starry sky. Toys include a Crunchimal bear, a weighted heat bag plush, watermelon squishies, a dinosaur squishy, putty, silicone chew pendants on black cord, Tangle Jrs, a Wonder Woman Fidget Cube, a fidget spinner, a cube spinner, hedge balls, a prickle dinosaur fidget, a Boinks Fidget, a serpent puzzle, a plush watermelon zip pouch, a ladybird popper, a Mickey Mini Tsum Tsum plush, a massage ball, a water-bead watermelon ice pack, a marble maze, a marble loop, an apple squishy, a massage roller, a fidget stick and a mini bean bag.]

Given that it’s April, I thought an updated photo of all my red stim toys seemed appropriate. I’m still thrilled that I have the red Tangle Jr Fuzzy! Aside from Tangles, my most used items are the apple squishies, the prickle/massage ball (it helps a fraction with my chronic pain) and the Mickey Tsum Tsum plush. My newest favourite is definitely the Crunchimal!

This post should be going up while I’m having another biopsy on my hand, but once I have reasonable movement back (the site is really inconveniently located) I’d like to experiment with making DIY Crunchimal-style plush.

[themslash]

ive been lowkey collecting stim toys for years and so far the finding is that the humble cube charms and compells me

[escher-room-with-a-view]

elaborating on my autism headcanons!!

- sarah -

her special interests are usually between one and three. once she develops a special interest, it stays with her for years; in fact, some of her interests, like reading and writing, have been with her for as long as she can remember. her other special interests are theatre and arts and crafts; the latter is quite a broad category, but it includes things like sewing, felting, embroidery, watercolor painting, book binding, and making collages. sarah delves further into her interests the more they’re encouraged, but she also uses them as coping mechanisms to feel better about or distract herself from the real world around her. in the cases of acting and crafts, she uses these to express how she feels, whereas reading and writing are used more as forms of escapism. her favorite genre of literature is fantasy, though she doesn’t mind any particular fantasy subgenres and is willing to broaden her knowledge of the genre by reading most of them. meanwhile, she isn’t anywhere near as selective when it comes to theatre. so long as there’s a soundtrack and cast that resonates with her, she doesn’t care if it’s opera or ballet, tragedy or comedy, contemporary or dating back thousands of years. indeed, she doesn’t ever feel like her knowledge of theatre is complete—and while it feels unattainable, she’d like to develop at least a cursory knowledge of every play there is.

sarah stims by talking to herself, chewing on her lips or hair, pacing, doing needlework, doodling, and absentmindedly writing. she also has echolalia, repeating the same word or phrase to herself either out loud or in her head; certain phrases can get stuck in her head for weeks on end. she’s rather quiet when she talks to herself—in fact, most of the time, she just whispers or mutters. furthermore, when pacing, she walks in circles or back and forth. she doesn’t use stim toys very much because they don’t appeal to her, though she does like the idea of making her own stim toys and other objects, such as slime or reversibles.

her relationship with routine is complicated. on the one hand, she doesn’t take change well and has difficulty adapting to new situations, especially those that are unfamiliar and stressful. this means that, to some extent, she prefers it when things stay the same. however, this is more of a general status quo sort of sameness that she likes to maintain. on a smaller level, she’s easily bored by sameness and likes it when at least one novel or interesting thing happens each day. for instance, if sarah has gone to the same school her entire life, she’s going to be upset—even devastated—if circumstances force her to change schools without any sort of preparation or warning. however, if her commute to the school every day is identical, she’ll grow bored of it easily and may one day consider taking a different path there just to see what happens.

sarah tends to struggle with eye contact and, on the rare occasions that she wants to maintain it, has to force herself to do so. it makes her immensely uncomfortable to look someone in the eye for an extended period of time. while irene sometimes mistakes this for her not listening, sarah is trying to explain that it’s not something within her control.

she is hyposensitive to (and indeed fascinated with) colors and lights. however, loud noises bother her and can be painful for her. sarah also prefers not to be touched unless she initiates the contact first. being touched without her permission startles her and makes her immensely uncomfortable, as does being surrounded or cornered; all of these can easily overwhelm her in the right circumstances. she hates haunted houses for this exact reason. her hyposensitivity also extends to texture and physical sensations, albeit not in the same way; rather than being obsessed with or actively seeking out sensations and textures, sarah is so hyposensitive to both of them that she sometimes doesn’t even notice sensory input unless it’s excruciatingly painful or needs constant adjusting. her senses of taste and smell are neither above nor below what’s considered average, though she has a preference for sweets, white meat, and anything crunchy. 

something else that she and jareth have in common is the fact that their living spaces, specifically their rooms, both have to be organized in a very specific way. any alterations in this organization are bothersome and overwhelming to the both of them; this includes rearranging or removing objects, changing the location of the room entirely, or changes in things like how much light or air the room receives. 

- jareth -

he tends to have a lot of special interests at a time, and they change often. his current ones are architecture, illusions, astronomy, fashion, humans/anthropology/sociology, various pseudosciences, and surrealist art. however, in the past he’s been interested in ornithology, geology, romanticism in art and literature, the labyrinth’s prehistory, wordplay and rhetorical/literary devices, cats, different types of governments, letter writing, collecting trinkets and antiques, choreography, and many, many more. living for such a long time has provided him with the opportunity to both develop and engage in a wide variety of passions. in fact, some of these past special interests still remain with him today and simply aren’t considered his “main” ones anymore because they’re not as strong.

his favorite pseudosciences are graphology, phrenology, and astrology. he also likes to try and determine the future via methods like alectromancy, astromancy, augury, scrying, and lithomancy.

he stims using crystals/via contact juggling. this is usually when he’s understimulated, absentminded, or just needs something to occupy himself with. it’s also enjoyable to him. he has other ways of stimming, though, many of which are meant to self-soothe. for instance, feeling nervous or excited might drive him to shake one leg or hand; he also feels compelled to chew on things in such instances. when overwhelmed, he scratches his arms as one would if they had an itch. jareth is trying to stop doing this and is thus looking for alternatives. he views stim toys as some of humanity’s greatest inventions. if he lived aboveground, i imagine he’d have different versions of the same stim toys for different purposes: neutral colors when he needs to prevent overstimulation, bright colors when he’s just stimming because it makes him happy.

he doesn’t mind loud noises, but he is sensitive to bright lights and colors. in fact, he’s so nonchalant toward noise that, when he listens to music, he likes for it to be as loud as possible. in his mind, good music is never quite loud enough. there are certain textures and tastes he doesn’t like, which drives him to be very selective with what he wears and what he eats. with regards to clothing, he likes silk and leather but can’t stand wool, denim, anything baggy or distressed, or velvet. because he conducts magic through his hands, he has sensitive palms; his gloves allow him to touch things without being bothered by them, while also allowing him to use magic undeterred. he’s especially sensitive around food, preferring things that are bland or savory and refusing to eat anything with a consistency that’s too soft. for instance, he finds eggs revolting in most forms.

without a routine, jareth tends to become dejected or burnt out. unfortunately, though, his frequent executive dysfunction makes it difficult for him to plan out and adhere to routines without frequent reminders—which, when they come in the form of goblins, usually annoy him more than anything else. this is why he hasn’t had a proper schedule in years. it’s a bit of a vicious cycle; his unhappiness has led to a lack of motivation, and his difficulty creating something he can stick to has made him even more unhappy. he works best with clear, written instructions that are placed where he can see them. he especially needs specific times to eat and sleep; without them, irritability and physical discomfort set in. in the event that he does have a routine, changes that might seem small to others are often nerve-racking to him.

though he sometimes uses eye contact and close proximity to others to intimidate, he genuinely feels uncomfortable without eye contact and has difficulty remembering to mind others’ personal space most of the time. he can be quite touchy-feely when he cares about someone—even platonically—and isn’t afraid of showing it, but he doesn’t really know when or if to back off unless explicitly told to.

- didymus -

when it comes to special interests, he and sarah have a lot in common. they both love drama and literature; however, didymus has a particular interest in folklore, both that of humans and that of the labyrinth. he only has two special interests: literature (including plays) and history. both of these influenced his desire to become a knight and continue to influence his behavior, as he seeks to emulate the idea of a noble and valiant knight to a T. he has some difficulty responding appropriately to or understanding various social cues. as a result, he spends most of his nights and some of his mornings scripting out how his day is going to go: how he’s going to speak to other people, how they might respond to him, and how he’s going to respond to their responses. whenever didymus makes a new friend, he puts effort into studying their mannerisms and personality so he can adequately pinpoint how they might behave toward him and thus figure out how he’s going to interact with them. furthermore, he speaks and acts like a gallant knight from a fairytale or play because of his constant reading. his consumption of literature provides him with a consistent model of behavior that’s bound by a set of rules, unlike the behavior of people in the real world—which can often be unpredictable, and whose rules are less coherent. as a result, didymus believes that emulating the kinds of characters he admires will make others admire him in turn, and make him easier to understand. 

his favorite earth authors are william shakespeare, miguel de cervantes, and alexandre dumas. he is also especially fond of arthurian legend and various human mythologies, such as norse, celtic, and japanese.

one of his favorite ways to stim is by chasing or wagging his tail. he also stims by absentmindedly practicing swordfighting moves with his cane, scratching behind his ear with a hind paw, pacing, and talking to himself. pacing is the only one out of all of these that doesn’t lift his spirits; rather, he does it when he’s thinking because it helps his ideas flow. didymus is most inclined to chase his tail or scratch his ears when he’s bored, practice his parries when excited, and talk to himself when he’s overwhelmed. in the last case, this is often combined with pacing; together, both stims provide a good release for emotions he has difficulty expressing otherwise. when didymus talks to himself, he is unlike sarah in that he doesn’t do so quietly. his volume remains the same as it usually is in a conversation; when he grows passionate, it raises accordingly. sarah introduced him to stim toys; his favorite ones are the ones that make noise, whether they click or woosh or do something else. he also uses dog toys as substitutes and enjoys the ones that squeak, though he has to keep his own set somewhere where ambrosius won’t find it.

his strongest sense by far is his sense of smell; it isn’t necessarily a lot of scents at once that can be upsetting for him, but rather scents that he finds unpleasant. these include sharp or chemical smells such as vinegar, ammonia, spices, perfume, citrus, alcohol, cleaning products, and herbs. aside from these, there aren’t any smells he can confidently say he doesn’t like. he also has hypersensitive hearing and prefers soft classical music, hymns and chants, or music that dates back thousands of years. he hates the sound of bells chiming, loud drums, or thunder; the last of these especially bothers him, though he would never admit it. he was once bothered by the sound of metal objects clanging together when he was a kit, but he appears to have outgrown that in particular. he has poor color vision, as do most canines, so bright colors don’t affect him at all. he finds flashing lights mildly frightening in some cases and annoying in others.

to didymus, routine is the thief of joy. he craves adventure every day and hates when things are the exact same; even having to do the same task in the same way as he did the day before, for instance, is enough to bore him out of his skull. as a result, he likes to mix up how he does things by placing his daily activities in different orders, doing them with his friends, or replacing some activities with others entirely. for instance, he, hoggle, and ludo take turns with household chores—not only so that they can share responsibilities, but so that didymus can have time to go off and pursue his knightly dreams. much of the time, his friends are willing to accompany him on his adventures so long as he’s able to keep them safe—and so long as they can be home by dinner.

he doesn’t really like eye contact, but he tries to maintain it because he thinks doing so is respectful. he does see one perk to his small stature; he’s too short to meet eyes with most people, so his lack of eye contact usually isn’t judged. it wouldn’t be either way because almost everyone in the labyrinth either is ND or knows someone who is ND, but he really does want to maintain eye contact because the books he reads make him think that it’s the proper thing to do. his friends are trying to convince him that he doesn’t need to make eye contact if it makes him uncomfortable; however, because he seems to believe that it’s a rule, he has difficulty convincing himself not to follow it. in fact, didymus is very much inclined to follow the rules that are provided to him and becomes anxious when encouraged or required to break them. without clear rules, the world becomes nonsensical and unpredictable—and therefore upsetting—to him. it was his idea to propose a set of rules for his friends’ home; they accepted and have worked together to write them down so that guests know how to behave.

he gets along really well with the wiseman; despite his typical impatience, didymus is one of few people who actually have the patience to listen to the wiseman. in fact, didymus isn’t just patient with him; his ramblings actively intrigue didymus, and whenever he has the opportunity he makes his contributions as big as he possibly can. didymus really appreciates it when his friends let him infodump, and he figures it’s only fair that he should let others do the same. in fact, didymus also places a lot of value on fairness; it’s the whole reason he opposes jareth in the first place.

[moved-to-introject-boards]

Intro Post:

Hi! We’re the Stardust Collective. Here we post stimboards, moodboards, stim/care kits, and outfit boards of alters requested by systems.

You can find our main account here: @thestardustcollective

Requests: Closed

IF YOU ARE NOT A SYSTEM BUT STILL WANT TO REQUEST SOMETHING HEAD TO @moodystimmy

How to request and DNI under the cut

How to request a stimboard/moodboard: Send the name (and source if applicable) of the alter you wish to have a moodboard or stimboard of, as well details such as the aesthetic, types of stims, colors, etc., you are looking for. You may also send a center image if you like! For introjects we will usually find a center icon from their source to use unless you specify you do not want a center icon. Don’t forget to specify whether you want a moodboard or a stimboard! If you do not specify we will have to assume either way.

How to request a stim/care kit: Same as above, send the name (and source if applicable) of the alter you wish to have a stim kit made for, as well details such as the types of stims toys, colors, etc., you are looking for. You may also send a center image if you like! For introjects we will usually find a center icon from their source to use unless you specify you do not want a center icon.

How to request an outfit board: Same as above, but no center icon required, simply send what kind of stuff you / the alter is looking for (i.e. aesthetic, type of clothing, colors, accessories) and we’ll do the rest! We will always use clothes that are available to buy and link back to the sites you can buy them from, so if you have a price range then you can specify that too!

!! DNI !!

If you fall into any of these categories, identify with, or support:

Racist

Antisemitic / N*zi

If you hate anyone for their religion (i.e. islamophobic)

Homophobic or any lgbtq+ phobic

Pedophilic (NOMAP / MAP / PEAR / etc)

Misogynistic

TERF

SWERF

Support Trump

Support Blue Lives Matter

Endogenic Systems

Syscourse

Anti-kin

[roseltheteacup]

Aight, it's SWSH Headcanon time.

Leon and Hop are both autistic and have adhd.

Quite a few categories overlap, which is why I originally had a hard time deciding one over the other. But they show signs of being both, actually. I'll be updating this as I go because mobile tumblr's image limit is 10 and that's ass.

1. Special Interests

Hop's overall attitude towards becoming champion feels very much like a special interest. He finds it difficult to talk about anything other than the league, championship, and Leon. He's constantly going on about it.

He even opens a conversation with Marnie about her fans, Team Yell, because it relates to the league, and it's something he can talk about easily.

Bede even specifically points out how Hop's interest consumes him so much, leading him to not really be his own person without it. He's obviously psycho-analysed the kid and it hits Hop HARD. He's got his hyperfixation BAD and can't tear his attention away from it until Bede picks on him after Kabu's gym, where from then on he struggles to continue keeping up his routine of collecting gym badges, and actually falls behind you in Circhester.

Leon's special interest seems to be on pokemon and battling. Both Sonia and Magnolia, people he's grown up around, mention his obsession. Unlike Hop, he's able to control his urge to talk about his interests, but as we've seen in his tutorial segments he lets go of that restraint from time to time.

2. Body Language

Hop tends to wear his excitement on his sleeve, as many times he's seen "revving up" almost. He does this same animation a lot in game, and Leon even has his own varient, being only a more suppressed one.

Unlike some people on the spectrum, both of them have no problem maintaining eye contact, and that's actually really nice. Not all people have the same symptoms, after all. For a person who personally hates eye contact it gives me the heebie jeebies though pffff

Hop regularly does this wink/wince, which I believe is a tick. He does it both in casual and stressful situations, and it's always his left eye. Get this lad a stim toy.

And speaking of stimming. His jacket AND wooloo both being fluffy means they could be used as such. Which is just plain cute.

[welcome-to-the-petting-zoo]

Hey guys! I was wondering if any of you could offer me some tips on calming yourself down or lessening stress? Because of my contamination fears and the fact that I live in the U.S. everything has been piling up. My family doesn’t rlly take me or anything seriously either. So I’ve been falling into fits of “I’m not going to be able to leave the house in years, what’s the point in being here” and general other bad thoughts so I wonder if anything you known could help calm me down? Thanks!

Hey there Anon,

TP here. I'm so sorry you're struggling like this, and especially that your family can't/won't provide you with the support you need.

I'm going to try to collect some general advice and some healthy coping techniques, maybe you can find something here that can relieve your stress. I don't know enough about your lifestyle, specific issues and circumstances to tailor the list to your needs too much, but I'll try to bring up some varied points so maybe there is something you'll find useful.

There are things you can do in the moment to relieve stress and then there are things that are more preventive or work over a longer period, I'll try to cover both categories.

Let's start with in the moment relief:

Grounding. The same way grounding techniques can help with dissociative symptoms, they are also a great tool for stress relief. If you can take a moment to collect yourself, it can help you avoid blowing up or imploding into a depressive mess. There are great breathing exercises geared towards stress relief, but you can also do some physical practices, like putting your hands together in front of you like you were praying, and pressing your palms together as hard as you can, for as long as you can. This will release the physical tension in your body and with that, some of the emotional charge will dissipate too.

Depending on whether your stress manifests as anger, you can also do anger relief exercises, such as trying to rip a piece of cardboard in as many pieces as you can, or, my personal favourite, taking an old pair of sneakers and throwing them against the ground or an outdoor wall, because that won't harm either the wall or the shoes, and it's loads better than turning that anger on yourself or another person. Of course if you can manage your anger without having to act on it, all the better, but if you feel like you're about to explode, blowing off the steam in a non-dangerous way that still allows you to express your destructive urges can work.

This is extreme, but if you have the environment (e.g. you can go to a place away from humanity), you can even try to just scream as loudly as you can. I've never tried this method, but some people swear by it.

Remove yourself from the situation/environment. I know it can be super hard during the pandemic, but if you have the chance, just taking a walk, especially if you can go somewhere devoid of people in nature, is one of the best ways to clear your head and give yourself the space you need to calm down. What I often do is, I get on my bike and take a long ride on some abandoned back roads, which of course is a very special privilege most people don't have, but if you can carve out a little space for yourself somewhere, that can do wonders.

If you can't leave the house because of your fear of contamination or any other reason, I would advise you put on a pair of headphones, if you have noise cancelling ones, those are the best, but basically any pair will do, lie down on your bed and listen to music or nature sounds for a while. I live listening to the sea, or forest noises. There are several free apps you can download that let you create your own sound scapes from different sound elements, so you can tailor your experience to your specific tastes. If lying still is too hard or distracting, you can also try pacing while listening, just make sure you keep to a slow and steady stroll so you won't end up accidentally winding yourself up even more.

You can try doing some yoga, workout or sport. There are a lot of exercises you can also do indoors and generally, moving your body is a wonderful thing, it relieves stress, releases some happy chemicals and tires you out so you won't feel anxious anymore. Basically how this works is, emotions have physical "symptoms" and they work both ways. If you're experiencing the bodily sensation, you'll get the emotion as well, which also means, if you can stop the physical symptom, the emotion will go away too. For example, if you make yourself smile even though you're in a bad mood, you'll soon start feeling better, or the thing when people get anxious or angry because they are hungry and they can feel a knot in their stomach... It works just like that with anxiety/stress as well, if you can relieve the tension from your body, you'll also feel less stressed.

You can try stim toys or other equipment that's geared towards people with sensory integration issues. These tools were developed for people who get easily overwhelmed, so they are extremely efficient for relieving stress. There are tons of different kinds, so you can experiment with what feels right for you. Maybe it's a squishy toy, maybe a weighted blanket, or something you can bite into or a logic puzzle to stimulate your brain. As I said, there are loads of resources out there, and I'm positive there is something you could benefit from, and well, these tools are there for anybody who needs them, so feel free to experiment with them!

Okay, so let's take a look at the longer term things.

Meditation is one of the most awesome things ever. If you're not into spirituality, or if you think it's bullshit, rest assured, that's where I came from too... Until I've tried it. It helped me so much with my insomnia and other stress related issues, and well, it's not like I'm suddenly a hardcore Buddhist or something (not that there is anything wrong with that either, meditation and spirituality/any religion can absolutely go hand in hand), because in the end I like being my weird pragmatic self, but even so, meditation is something I love doing, it gives me peace and teaches me how to relax and come closer to understanding what my body needs and how to pay attention to it. There are also very cool resources for that, both apps and podcasts/YouTube channels that have guided meditation materials or that teach you different techniques.

If you have the spoons, please, do exercise! It is so damn helpful and important, but I also know it's something that can be super hard and I also struggle with it a lot, but whenever I actually manage to move around just for a few minutes, I feel so accomplished and so well physically and mentally.

Try to express your emotions in different ways. Create awesome vent art (your skill level doesn't matter, you can literally be scribbling on a piece of paper, or squishing a block of clay into a shapeless lump, it's not about artistic quality)! Experiment with different media and techniques, write, draw, sculpt, make collages out of magazine cuttings, press flowers, knit emotional sweaters, whatever your preferred method is, creating is a truly healing experience. It allows you to collect your thoughts and emotions and express them in a way that engages your brain in a different way than just thinking about it does, and it turns the negative emotions into positive experiences of creation and relaxation.

Ask someone to give you a massage. Again, back to the whole body and mind influence each other thing, not to mention that massages feel awesome and if it's a friend or loved one giving it, it also creates intimacy and a shared good moment which in and of itself can help a lot.

Talk about it! Seriously, fuck those people who tell you it's somehow wrong to talk about your issues or that you're being a burden. YOU'RE NOT! If you're in distress or you just feel like you need a talk, just do it! If you have noone to talk to, just get back to me, I'll be happy to listen if that means you're feeling better. There will ALWAYS be people who would happily listen to your venting if that would make you feel relief.

Finally, if this is something that's an option for you, consider talking to a therapist or your healthcare provider. They might be able to point you in the direction of some resources or talk about the possibility of temporary medicinal treatment until the pandemic blows over.

I hope this helps a little bit, and of course, if you have any follow-up questions, I'll be happy to elaborate on any of the points. I'm sorry for not including specific links or resources, but I'm a disabled weirdo and right now typing this out is all I have in me. But if you can't find something, or would like specific recommendations, get back to me and I'll look into the specifics for you.

Best of luck,

TP

[autism-asks]

Resources

Hello lovely followers! This page is a collection of resources to help you with your questions. These are all resources that are frequently referenced on this blog. They are broken down into categories based on the subject matter. As always, if you have any questions, send us an ask!

General Autism Resources

What is Autism?

Another What is Autism?

What is Autism? (ASAN)

What is Autism? In Plain Language

Dictionary of Autism-related Concepts

Inclusive Autistic Traits

Myths About Autism

Autism FAQ

ASAN’s About Autism

Ask an Autistic (videos about autism by an autistic)

Don’t Mourn For Us

Autism Resources

Autism Masterpost

Autism 101

Self-Diagnosis Resources

DSM-V Criteria

ICD-10 Criteria

A Self-Diagnosis Masterpost

Autism Self-Diagnosis Masterpost

A Diagnosis Checklist Masterpost (contains checklists for many neurodivergencies not just autism)

Autism Does Not Reside in a Medical Report

My Stance On Self-Diagnosis

Positively Autistic: A List of (Positive) Autistic Traits

Adult Diagnosis

DSM Criteria for Autism Explained

Simplified Diagnostic Criteria

Autism Quizzes

Adult Diagnosis Series

ASD Paper Diagnosis vs. Self-Diagnosis

I Think I’m Autistic

Autism versus…

Autism vs. PTSD

Autism vs. BPD

Autism vs. ASPD

Autism vs. StPD

Autism vs. SzPD (follow-up)

Autism vs. Schizophrenia

Autism vs. Psychosis

Autism vs Social Anxiety

Shutdown/Meltdown vs. Sensory Overload vs. Panic Attack

Autism and ADHD

What is the differences between autism and ADD/ADHD?

Autism With a Side of ADHD

Differences between autism and ADHD

ADHD Self Diagnosis

Sensory Processing Topics

What Is Sensory Processing Disorder? (video)

SPD Checklist

SPD Resource Center

Understanding Sensory Processing Issues

Masterpost Sensory Differences

Sensory Sensitivities and Atypical Sensory Processing

How to Reduce Sensory Overload

Processing a Sensory Overload

Autism A-Z: I is for Interoception

Sensory Processing Disorder Resource List

Meltdowns and Shutdowns

What Does a Meltdown Feel Like?

“Shutdown” What It Is and What It Isn’t

Where I Go When I Shutdown

Anatomy of a Meltdown

Shutdown: A Specific Type of Meltdown

Autism A-Z: M is for Meltdowns

Autistic Burnout

Autistic Regression and Fluid Adaptation

“Help! I Seem to Be Getting More Autistic!”

Autistic Burnout

What is Autistic Burnout?

Autism A-Z: B is for Burnout

What is Autistic Burnout? Infograph

Echolalia

The Naked Mechanisms of Echolalia

Echolalia: That’s What She Said

Alexithymia

What is Alexithymia? (video)

Alexithymia Question

Emotional Dysfunction: Alexithymia and ASD

What Alexithymia Feels Like for This Autistic

Hyper-Empathy

Hyper-Empathy In Autistic Individuals

On Emotions, Hyperempathy, and Hypersensitivity

Hyperempathy Feels FAQ

The Intense World Syndrome- An Alternative Hypothesis for Autism

Executive Dysfunction

Executive Dysfunction

Executive Function Series

The “Joys” of Executive Dysfunction

So What Is Executive Dysfunction?

How to Live Better With Executive Dysfunction

Special Interests

What’s So Special About a Special Interest?

Special Interests

How Do I Know for Sure What My Special Interests Are?

Autism A-Z: S is for Special Interests

Stimming

Stimming 101, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Stim

What Is Stimming?

Types of Stimming

What is Stimming?

The Stimming Checklist

The High Cost of Self-Censoring (Or Why Stimming Is a Good Thing)

Where to Buy Stim Toys

Stimtastic

A Sense of Self

Fuzzwumpet

Weird Faeles

SpacerobotStudio

Ruthdoodle

Autistic Rabbit (weighted blankets)

Fidgetopia

The Fidget Shop

Fat Brain Toys

Neurodivergent Creators

The following are people from our community who create products that are helpful for autistic people such as stim toys, communication tools, and more! Check out their shops as a way to support neurodivergent creators!

PangeaMea by Francis Mark (autism, OCD, ADHD, anxiety, depression) sells stim toys, sensory friendly clothing, noise muffling beanies and headbands, padded arm protectors, and skin picking simulators.

StimForTheWin by Exo (autism and ADHD) sells tangles and fidget cubes with silicone spikes on them for maximum stimming, communication necklaces (also with silicone spikes), and marble mazes/ donuts.

StrangerDarkerBetter by Mod Sabrina (autism, ADHD, schizoaffective, PTSD, depression, anxiety) sells visual schedules and communication cards.

PieFanArt by Pie (autistic) sells mostly plush toys, art and jewelry but also weighted plushies and scented plushies!

WagglesStudio by Dailyspeal sells stim toys

Identity First Language

Identity First Language

I Am Disabled: On Identity-First Versus People-First Language

I is For Identity First Language

Why I Dislike “Person First” Language

Autism A-Z: P is for Person First

Autistic In the Workplace

Autistic in the Workplace Inforgraph

Autistic in the Workplace: Autism and Interviews

Autistic in the Workplace: Change

Autistic in the Workplace: Professional Dress

Autistic in the Workplace: Hallway Conversations

Neurodiversity and Autism Acceptance

Why Acceptance

Neurodiversity: Some Basic Terms and Definitions

Autistic Pride and What You Need to Know

Autistic Community

Welcome to the Autistic Community

Autistic Culture

A Love Letter to the Autistic Community

Defending and (Re)defining Self-Advocacy

The Social Model of Disability

Disabled Not Disordered: Autism and the Social Model

Social Model of Disability Animation (video)

Understanding Disability Models

A Social Model of Disability Analogy

What’s Wrong With Functioning Labels?

Functioning Labels Masterpost

Functioning Labels 101

Decoding the High Functioning Label

Functioning Labels Comic

On Functioning and “Functioning”

F*%$ Your Functioning Labels

More Problems With Functioning Labels

Fluctuating Functionality

Asperger’s and Autism

Why Autism $peaks is Bad

What’s Wrong With Autism Speaks

Why I am Against Autism Speaks (and you should be, too)

Updated Autism Speaks Masterpost

Boycott Autism Speaks

I Resign My Roles With Autism Speaks

A Few Selected Autism Speaks Quotes

How the “Autism Speaks” Charity Failed the Community It Set Out to Serve

What’s Wrong With ABA?

ABA Masterpost

Why I Oppose ABA as a Method of Instruction

ABA 101

Trauma and Autism

What ABA Is Like From the Point of View of a Former Therapist

Why I Left ABA

Anti-Anti-Vaccination

On Vaccines, Autism and Systemic Bigotry (masterpost)

Vaccines Don’t Cause Autism, but That’s Not the Point

Vaccines Don’t Cause Autism, but So What if They Did?

Everything Wrong With Vaxxed (video)

[beckettsthoughts]

Hey there! Dunno if you remember me, but I'm the anon that came to you a while ago because I think I might have autism? So here's a couple'a related questions. Do you like to stim? With what? What are some textures you can't stand? What are some of your favourite colours?

Ooh, this is a great question! I’m always happy to answer questions like this, my friend, especially when I know it can be helpful to others.

Firstly, I do stim. I stim a lot. Before I was diagnosed and throughout my childhood these were primarily small and fairly subtle ‘body stims’. Things such as biting my nails, twisting my hands together, playing with my hair, and shaking my leg. Heck, I didn’t stop sucking my thumb until well into my childhood. I had a few other habits I now recognise to be stims. I would always carry a packet of mints in my blazer pocket to chew during class, I folded paper into little shapes and I would always click pens when I was trying to listen. What I didn’t realise was how these things were helping me, I just thought that they were quirks of habit. 

Since learning more about stimming and neurodivergent behaviours, my primary stims have shifted a little. I still tend towards body stims, but I really like flapping my hands and rocking back and forth, shifting my weight from foot to foot when I’m standing. I also learned about stim toys, and I have a sizeable collection now. My first stim toys were a chew necklace from @stimtastic and some Tangle Jrs, both of which remain my favourites to this day. However, last year there was a dramatic increase in the market of fidget and stim toys which allowed me to access so many different things, including the much-awaited fidget cube from Antsy Labs! I also have an infinity cube, a relatively new favourite that I acquired a couple of weeks ago, and while it’s a little heavier than most of my other toys it’s still a really fantastic and subtle way to stim. I also do have some fidget spinners, although they’re not my favourite stim toy they’re still a good way to channel my focus and the feel of the weight as they spin is really satisfying. 

There are many other, less “official”, stim toys as well. Some of my favourites include those coiled-up plastic hairbands, stress balls, tennis balls, kinetic sand, slime, rubber wristbands, and craft supplies like foam clay or playdough. These make amazing stim toys if you can’t access some of the specially-designed ones, and I actually really love this innovative method of finding things to stim with. I often go to toy and gift shops with the purpose of searching out potential stim toys, and my friends and I often tell each other about our finds.

The last thing I want to give specific attention to here is stim jewellery. I’ve already mentioned my chew necklaces, but there are also aromatherapy necklaces, spinner rings, chew bracelets and fidget necklaces (also available from Stimtastic, as well as various other sources). These, especially some of the metallic fidget jewellery or Stimtastic’s chewable dulcimer pendant, can look very professional and allow users a subtle way to stim without relying on noticeable “toys”. I relied on stim jewellery a lot when I was in secondary school, and even now I’m learning in less formal settings there are still so many rarely discussed benefits of this particular category of toys. The one I benefit from the most is how easily transportable they are; you never have to worry about having a Tangle in your bag if your necklace is a stim toy in itself, and they’re incredibly useful for travelling as well. 

Now, onto textures. There are many I dislike, though it’s hard to describe exactly which ones. I find my texture aversions are most obvious when looking at my diet. Almost every food I dislike is because of texture, from my distaste from smoothies and soups to my hatred of meat fat and onions. Those slimy textures, like the meat fat, make me shudder just thinking of them, the idea of swallowing them makes me feel sick. I also have a dislike of certain fabrics and weights of clothing, like how I really can’t stand the feel of certain carpets or materials like taffeta and tulle. It’s actually a lot easier to pick out textures that I really love, but that’s another essay for another answer. If you’re interested, though, I’d be happy to talk about my favourite textures in another answer!

Lastly, colours. I like most colours, as long as they’re not obnoxiously bright. I like purples, dusty pinks, sunset oranges and rich ocean blues. I tend to associate the colours I love with things that I love, as well, and that certainly has an influence. A lot of the colours I consider my favourites are associated with my favourite crystals, my favourite albums or my favourite places. From the vivid teal of chrysocolla stones to the deep purple theme of Fall Out Boy’s album Mania, that’s how I determine most of my favourite colours. 

Thank you so much for asking, my friend! This was a lot of fun to answer, I really appreciate it

[ryttu3k]

I have a pencil case for stim toys!

For the miscellaneous stuff, assuming you’ve already decluttered (gotten rid of anything you know is junk and can be thrown out or given away), do you have any smaller categories? Like I have a small collection of like... Ikea bits and pieces (wall fastening kits, allen keys) that fit under ‘Miscellaneous’, but still are grouped together. Light bulbs, batteries, all sorts of stuff that can be grouped together - if you can group them, do so. You can sort of make a collection of Miscellaneous Things (like a junk drawer, basically) but keep them categorised in their own containers.

You do not have to rush out and get a whole bunch of perfectly sized custom containers. You can use cardboard boxes, old packaging, egg carton segments for tiny objects, tupperware, envelopes, et cetera. I have some stuff stored in an old cutlery tray!

For closed, non-transparent containers: labels. If you glance at your drawer and see something clearly labelled ‘spare chargers’, that’s where you’re more likely to put it next time.

Place items where you use them. Having one miscellaneous catch-all drawer works for some, but if you’re always using [x] over at the desk, or always forget to grab [y] before doing something in the kitchen, keep them there!

The most important part is to make it logical for you. When you think ‘batteries’, do you associate them with ‘spare chargers’ or with ‘screws and nails’? (Electronics vs household, basically.) Whatever associations you make, if you ask yourself, “Where can I find batteries?” and your response is, “With the chargers”, then that’s where you put them. You can use ‘how to organise’ guides to get ideas, but ultimately, the best system will always be one that fits the way your brain works.

so what the FUCK do you guys do with your "miscellaneous stuff that doesn't have a home" stuff? because it's the BANE of my cleaning life and as SOON as I have something that doesn't have a suitable home, I swear to god my room just suddenly explodes in mess because "oh no, can't put it away" and for some reason my brain decides to also apply this to everything else.

I mean, yeah, "find it a home", but I'm talking about a collection of stuff that doesn't fit with anything else, so if I made it its own home then there'd be nothing else in there to go with it.

Miscellaneous drawer? Box under the bed? I don't know

[peachyandahalf]

I know this is really long but here it is! My stim toy collection for day 13 of @stimtastic's giveaway :) First I have it in categories: jewelry, sqishies, weighted, glitter bottles, slime, brookstone brand sand, and then these cute rubber critters my gf got me! The last pic is an overhead of my bedside table, where I keep most of this stuff.

[stimtoybox]

[image description: a photo on a dappled white and blue night sky quilt cover, showing an assortment of stim toys. From top to bottom, left to right, toys include: a purple unicorn Squeezamal, a plastic tin of Super Brain Putty, a cake scroll squishy, a DIY sponge doughnut squishy, a Mickey mini Tsum Tsum plush, a black infinity cube, a purple metal Slinky, a knobbled pink sensory shape in a pyramid, a marble maze in a sheep print, an orange-red prickled ball, a purple-spotted bean bag, a pink/white/yellow/purple knock-off Tangle Relax Therapy, four hedge balls, and a pink/blue/green Twiddle.]

Today I had to throw out one of my stim toys--a powder-filled balloon-type squishy/stress ball--because the rubber had split from age.

So I thought I’d put together a list post of the stim toys that I find durable--ones that don’t break on me (like Tangles and squishies), don’t deteriorate or become sticky as the plastic degrades (like vinyl cooler packs, silicone squishies, stretchables) or need to be thrown out after a certain amount of time through aging (like slime). If you can’t afford to keep replacing stim toys, these are the ones I’d be looking for in building a stim kit. It’s worth noting that I’m not the most forceful or aggressive stimmer due to my chronic hand pain: some of these things may not be so durable in another stimmer’s hands.

I’ll also give an honourable mention to mermaid sequins (not pictured) although I tend to find sequins on my floor (they do come off) and the pencil cases (especially the K-Mart ones) have issues of zippers stiffening over time. In the main, though, they’re reasonably durable.

For short discussions on why I like the aforementioned toys, please hit “keep reading”:

Squishables

I’m a fan of the many varieties of squishy plushies (the major brand name is Squeezamals, but there’s many knock-offs and imitations) now available. They’re a plush (usually animal) or faux fur coating over a memory foam sphere, and while they’re a little more dense than most squishies, they don’t crack, split, tear or yellow like a commercial foam squishy.

They do cost more than a commercial squishy, but they last a lot longer, and the plush can be wiped over with a damp cloth or baby wipe.

DIY squishes, the kind made from a memory foam or sponge base and covered with layers of fabric paint, are much more durable than commercial foam squishies. They’re more expensive to make, but my doughnut has lasted for almost a year with no cracking or splitting; none of my other active-use squishies has lasted anywhere close to as long.

The one commercial squishy that seems to be stacking up for durability is the Squeeze Eez scroll squishy. The paint is peeling off mine, but the squishy underneath isn’t cracking or splitting, and I carry mine in my backpack where it’s getting smushed between my wallet, water bottle and keys.

Putty

I’ve stopped using slime altogether, although I have kept a few of my favourites. It’s wet, it’s oozy, you have to wash your hands before using it, it melts with time or heat, and it isn’t that portable. Putty doesn’t have the same poking sound, but it’s clean, portable, has no residue (but is slightly drying--use hand lotion after) and while it does soften more in warmer temperatures, it doesn’t melt, mould or discolour. I can leave a tin for six months and find it in much the same state it was when last I used it.

Most brands are fairly decent. Thinking Putty is too expensive here in Australia; my favourite local brand is Ultra Putty.  K-Mart’s Super Brain Putty is a little more brittle (depending on colour/formulation) but its easy to find (and the Super Cosmic Sparkle variant has the prettiness and add-ins of many fancy slimes).

All the putties I’ve liked are as perfect now as they were two years ago, whereas I’ve made and thrown out a lot of slime. The putty just seems so much more cost-effective to me.

(I also like putty over playdough; it doesn’t dry out or collect dirt and dust anywhere near as badly.)

Plush and Soft Toys

If you like fabric textures, these are always going to be among the more durable stim toys. They’re soft, they can be washed when needed and well-made plushies/soft toys are difficult to damage under most stimming conditions.

I like Miniso plush for softness and size (some are as big as pillows) and mini plush like the Disney Tsum Tsums for portability and the texture of the embroidered details and different fabrics.

Slinky

The brand name Slinky is pretty difficult to damage (unless you’re intentionally seeking to do so). I’ve got a few paint chips on mine, but that’s it. It still works as a Slinky despite these cosmetic flaws, and the thicker metal comprising the loops means it’s harder (unlike cheap knock-offs) to get the Slinky tangled in on itself or kinked in the wrong way. It’s not the most subtle or portable of toys, but the sound it makes is amazing.

I’ve used real and fake Slinkies, and if you can get the real one, I do recommend it. It’s easier to use, less prone to tangling, and sturdier; the difference in sound and hand-feel is worth the higher price.

Marble Maze and Bean Bags

Most fabric stim toys, if they’re well-sewn, are going to hold up: the worst that will happen is that a stain doesn’t completely wash out.

I will observe here that I sew my own and I double-seam everything so the fabric or thread will start to rot before it unravels or frays. The durability here may depend on the ability and time of the maker, but if you’re making your own, you have control over the sturdiness.

It’s worth noting that if you fill your bean bag with anything other than plastic pellets or aquarium gravel, you shouldn’t wash it. Unstitch a seam, remove the filling (dried beans, rice, soup mix) and wash the outer before refilling and sewing the seam back up. You can wipe over the outside fabric of bags with mould-prone fillings with a dryish-damp cloth (like a baby wipe) for minor cleaning, if you’re careful not to let the filling get wet.

Infinity Cube

I admit that this isn’t my favourite stim toy, since there isn’t a lot of variation in how I use it. Short of dropping something heavy on it, I don’t think I can break it. It hasn’t stiffened, it hasn’t cracked or broken, and can be wiped over with a baby wipe should it get dusty or dirty.

I wouldn’t toss it loose in a bag for fear of cracking a hinge, but under normal stim usage, the worst I’ve done to it is scratch it.

Tangle Relax Therapy

I love Tangles, but they’re not the most durable stim toy. They’re just not. This said, I haven’t yet managed to break my (knock off) Relax Therapy. For that reason, I’ll cautiously suggest that it may be more durable than other Tangles, perhaps in part because it isn’t designed to come apart as easily as a Tangle Jr.

Twiddle

I don’t like these as much as a Tangle, but they’re designed to break apart and clip back together more readily than a Tangle. There’s no stress on the connector pieces when I do so, in large part because they fasten together by means of a tiny ball slotting into an equally-tiny depression on the opposite piece (making it far more durable than the Tangle peg-and-slot connection). Even when I’m forceful, I see no white stress marks on the pieces.

The real issue, I’ve found, is the risk of losing a piece when the Twiddle is pulled apart.

Prickle Balls and Hedge Balls

Short of taking a pair of scissors to these (or losing the mini hedge balls under the bed) I’m not sure how I’d break these. Likely by putting them under something heavy; running over them with a 4WD might do it! The hedge balls with the stretchable fronds are more prone to breaking and tearing, but the others are just textured balls for rolling, pressing down on and massaging. I’ve had a prickle ball shoved in a bag for a couple of years and other than the ball turning black from the outer bag leeching dye, nothing’s happened to it.

[flowisk]

A-Q :3

(A) Do you have any autistic friends? What are your favourite things to do together?You’re autistic dude. And I looove to infodump and rant about SIs we share, that’s the glorious shit right there. idk i do so much shit together with you it’s kind of hard to think… i love our talks, i love playing games w you, and i love you introducing me to your interests and getting the chance to share my interests with someone who’s patient and gets it. nice shit.Weirdly not a lot of people closest to me (minus you, the Closest to me) are autistic? I know other peeps who are autistic but for w.e reason I’m often not super close.(B) What sense do you most like to stim with (tactile, visual, proprioceptive, etc.)?hmmmm probably audio. It was a Big one in my childhood. i used to carry a cd player and my specially constructed playlists everwhere. i’ve always been esp fond of playing amvs on repeat, so id say that has audio/visual components, but visual on its own doesnt do as much for me. probably, that’s the funnest one as well.maybe this category is vestibular? my ‘anxiety’ stim tho is touch, pressure. i’ve recently become more aware that when im overwhelmed i have a tendency to lay down or wrap myself up. hug my dog. i pace a lot unconsciously if im worked up or anxious but… for reasons i tend to try to avoid this as it draws comments. i have to doodle, rip something up or play a phone game when im sitting for long periods of time, otherwise ill start fuckin w my face.(C ) What are some of your favourite stims?you ever get some of that synthetic sand shit? fuckin cool. neatest fuckin stim toy i got.i like my scented shit, the erasers and pencils. i just think theyre fuckin neat and they do help w concentration. huff that minty scent.but #1 is probably amv watching, since it’s cheap (free) and fun, and i can get really into it. most exciting, viscerally.(D) What was your first special interest? Do you remember anything about it?oh jeez haha i was gonna say bats, and although that was a little more alienating, pokemon actually was my SI before themluckily pokemon made me friends, bats didn’t as much. only gifts i wanted for christmas had to do with pokemon. i remember the one year i was like ‘all i want for christmas is a pokedex’ and my mom lied and said santa got it to me ahead of everyone, but it was a well-intentioned lie. you inputted the pokemon’s number manually and it gave you little facts. i was super into pokemon before i could even read, kindergarten. i can remember my dad reading the episode where all the pokemon are stuck on the island together to me (which was one of my favourite episodes). he hated it. i remember relatives used to tease me when i was 6-7 by saying something like they ‘saw a pikachu’ outside and id run out. relatives still tease me about how obsessed i was w pokemon as a baby, and i cant deny, i was. actually i really only have five memories or so of my grandpa (he died when i was 8), and one of them most vividly is showing him my pokemon collection and telling him all their different names.there was a kid i visited once a year and played pokemon with back in 2000 when my uncle thought he’d try to start a ski lodge or some shit and every year we’d exchange one pokemon toy.when i was… 8? my arm went through my family’s front window. literally painless, if you’ve ever doubted what going into shock feels like. anyway i remember clearly when the ambulance showed up that my last request to my panicking mother was to ‘grab my gengar and lickitung’ (two pokemon small plushie toys id gotten from a canadian tire that i was super attached to and used to ‘fake train’ by throwing around the backyard and giving speeches to)i bought those little silly straws w pokemon attached and id rip the pokemon off them to ‘free them’.i dont talk about it a lot, but i was actually Quite An Obsessed Little Pokemon Fan haha.anyway i was into bats for awhile after that, i read the book silverwing in… what must have been grade two or three? because i vividly remember drawing a bat for my ‘science book’ cover page in gr.3 based directly off its cover. i used to go around parroting bat facts in a little ‘bat fact notebook’ i made that was a little notebook id gotten from halloween with an orange cover and little black bat on the front. gr 3 kid: ‘hey whats ur name’me in gr3: ‘hey did u know they attached bombs to bats in ww2′anyway i remember once a parent on a school trip tried to correct me spouting my bat facts by condescendingly telling me ‘bats lay -eggs-’ and i got so furious w them until the teacher had to awkwardly admit they were wrong(TBC bc im sorry, im rambling)

[ao3feed-yurionice]

Autistic Creative Challenge: Yuri!!! on Ice

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2Gjcfky

by bookwormgir1LH

A collection of ficlets written about my Yuri!!! on Ice autistic headcanons, and inspired by uniqueaspergirl’s Autistic Creative Challenge .

These ficlets focus on the following characters, all of whom I headcanon as autistic: Yuuri, Yurio, Otabek, Minami and Seung Gil. They are about stimming, self acceptance, special interests and everything that comes with being autistic.

Words: 631, Chapters: 1/30, Language: English

Series: Part 3 of Neurodiversity!!! on Ice, Part 173 of Autistic Headcanons, Part 30 of Aspec Characters, Part 278 of Tumblr Prompt Fills

Fandoms: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Multi

Characters: Yuri Plisetsky, Katsuki Yuuri, Otabek Altin, Minami Kenjirou, Lee Seung Gil, Victor Nikiforov, Phichit Chulanont, Other(s)

Relationships: Otabek Altin/Yuri Plisetsky, Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, Katsuki Yuuri & Minami Kenjirou, Victor Nikiforov & Yuri Plisetsky, Phichit Chulanont/Lee Seung Gil

Additional Tags: Autism, Fluff, Autism Spectrum, Autistic Creative Challenge, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Autistic Katsuki Yuuri, Autistic Yuri Plisetsky, Autistic Otabek Altin, Autistic Minami Kenjirou, Autistic Lee Seung Gil, Fluff and Angst, Stimming, Social Issues, Ableism, Friendship, Established Relationship, Holding Hands, Kissing, Crying, Special Interests, meltdowns, Shutdowns, Spoon Theory, Sensory Overload, Asexual Character, Demisexuality, Agender Character, Gay Male Character, Bisexuality, LGBTQ Themes, Canon Character of Color, Canon Queer Relationship, Asexual Yuri Plisetsky, Demisexual Katsuki Yuuri, Gay Lee Seung Gil, Bisexual Victor Nikiforov, Pansexual Otabek Altin, Pansexual Character, Hugs, Cuddling & Snuggling, Established Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, Pride, #redinstead, Autism Acceptance, Agender Yuri Plisetsky, Yuri Plisetsky's Nickname Is Yurio, Swearing, Stim Toys, Minor Jean-Jacques Leroy/Isabella Yang, Minor Leo de la Iglesia/Ji Guang-Hong, Ficlet Collection

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2Gjcfky