#infinity symbol autism awareness

[noisycowboyglitter]

The Euro Divergent Rebel's Playbook: Strategies for Success in Turbulent Times

A "neurodivergent rebel" refers to an individual who embraces their neurodivergent identity while challenging societal norms and expectations. Neurodivergence encompasses various neurological differences such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and others. These individuals often advocate for acceptance, understanding, and accommodation of diverse neurotypes.

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The term "rebel" in this context doesn't necessarily imply defiance for its own sake, but rather a commitment to authenticity and self-advocacy. Neurodivergent rebels may:

Reject societal pressures to "mask" or hide their natural behaviors

Challenge misconceptions about neurodiversity

Advocate for inclusive practices in education and workplaces

Celebrate their unique strengths and perspectives

Push for neurodiversity-affirming approaches in therapy and support

Question neurotypical-centric social norms and expectations

These individuals often use social media, blogs, or public speaking to share their experiences and insights. They may participate in or organize neurodiversity pride events, create art that expresses their neurodivergent identity, or engage in activism for disability rights.

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The neurodivergent rebel movement emphasizes the value of neurological differences and seeks to reframe them as natural variations in human cognition rather than disorders to be cured. This perspective aligns with the broader neurodiversity paradigm, which views neurological differences as an important aspect of human diversity.

Autism Awareness Month, observed annually in April, is characterized by a vibrant color palette that symbolizes the diversity and complexity of autism spectrum disorders. The primary color associated with autism awareness is blue, often referred to as "autism blue." This hue has become widely recognized and is frequently used in campaigns and merchandise.

However, the color scheme has expanded to include a spectrum of colors, reflecting the multifaceted nature of autism. These colors typically include:

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Blue: Representing awareness and acceptance

Red: Symbolizing energy and determination

Yellow: Signifying hope and positivity

Purple: Denoting pride and dignity

Green: Representing growth and new perspectives

Orange: Symbolizing inclusion and understanding

These colors are often incorporated into puzzle piece designs, ribbons, and various awareness materials, creating a visually striking representation of the autism community's diversity and unity.

The autism puzzle piece is a widely recognized symbol associated with autism awareness. Originating in 1963, it was designed to represent the complexity of autism spectrum disorder. The puzzle imagery suggests that autism is a complex condition with many interconnected parts.

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While some embrace the symbol as representing hope and ongoing research, others in the autism community criticize it. Critics argue it implies people with autism are incomplete or need fixing. As a result, alternative symbols like the infinity loop have gained popularity.

Despite controversy, the puzzle piece remains common in autism awareness campaigns, merchandise, and organizational logos worldwide. Its meaning continues to evolve with changing perspectives on autism.

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

The Problem With Puzzle Pieces

Autisticality

[dino-boyo-agere]

Autism Spectrum Plush Bunny

It'll be available soon!!

.･｡»･⁠°✧❗I don't consent to NSFW interaction❗✧°･«｡･.

.ﾟ｡.･.*.ﾟ☆❗only interact if your blog is SFW❗☆ ﾟ.*.･. ｡ﾟ.

[tis-tics]

SO how we feeling about kaylynn's proposal about the autism symbol?

[threshie]

Happy Autism Awareness Month!

I was still figuring things out last year, and now I'm slooowly coming out as my neurodivergent self everywhere online. Heyo. I figured out about this real late, so I'm not up to speed on The Rituals for how we interact online.

Anyway, I that know we avoid Autism Speaks, the "light it up blue" thing (in fact, we light it up red instead), and puzzle pieces during this month. I'll be sticking with the pretty infinity symbol that promotes autism acceptance and neurodiversity in general. ♥

[a-and-w-online-shopping]

Today, I want to talk about a very important topic that is close to my heart: Autism Acceptance. As a society, we have come a long way in terms of understanding and accepting autism, but there is still a long way to go.

One of the ways we can show our support for autism acceptance is by wearing the Autism Acceptance Infinity Symbol Accept Understand Love shirt. This shirt is not just a piece of clothing, it is a symbol of our commitment to acceptance and love for individuals on the autism spectrum.

The infinity symbol on the shirt represents the endless potential of individuals with autism. It signifies that their abilities and talents are infinite, and that we should never underestimate what they are capable of achieving.

The words "Accept, Understand, Love" on the shirt serve as a reminder of the attitudes we should all have towards individuals with autism. We should accept them for who they are, understand their unique experiences, and love them unconditionally.

By wearing this shirt, we can raise awareness about autism acceptance and start conversations about how we can create a more inclusive society. We can also show support for individuals with autism and their families, letting them know that they are not alone.

It's important to remember that autism is not a tragedy or a burden. It is simply a different way of experiencing the world, and we should celebrate that diversity. Let's work together to create a world where individuals with autism are accepted and valued for who they are.

So, if you want to show your support for autism acceptance, consider getting yourself an Autism Acceptance Infinity Symbol Accept Understand Love shirt. Wear it proudly, and let's spread the message of acceptance and love far and wide.

https://koji.to/@aandwonlineshopping

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

I would recommend removing the puzzle pieces. It is has been used by Autism Speaks and other various hate groups targeted towards autistic individuals. And it represents us as ��puzzling” or that there’s something “missing” from us. It also implies that we need to “fit in” with others around us, instead of being our genuine selves. It has also been used by hate groups such as Autism Speaks. The infinity symbol is what is used now.

Accepting My Own Neurodivergence

I know it's Thursday, but there's something I need to share and a few changes it temporarily brings. Better late than never, right? Hello, my name is Lynn, and I have #autism. Read more about this diagnosis by clicking the link below. #neurodivergent

Hello, my name is Lynn, and I have autism. Photo by Tara Winstead on Pexels.com Like many of you, this came as a shock to me, but then again, it didn’t. It rather came with a sense of relief, vindication, mingled with grief and indignation for not knowing sooner. You may recall how I have spoken about being an INFJ at great lengths, emphasizing that was the reason for my difference in…

[fizzyvitals]

Greetings, happy April which means happy autism awareness & acceptance month.

As we state every year, Autism Speaks isn’t the “autism advocacy” support group you think it is. Autism Speaks is full of ableism (and 🧩). Autism Speaks is primarily focused on autistic CHILDREN, they refuse to acknowledge that autistic children turn into autistic adults. So please, don’t go buying that AS (BS) merch at Walmart.

What’s wrong with 🧩?

Puzzle pieces say that there is something wrong with autistic people, therefore “there is a missing piece” or that we need a cure for our autism.

What can I use instead of 🧩?

The infinity symbol. ♾️ After all, the infinity symbol signifies unity.

What organizations can I support instead of Autism Speaks?

There’s organizations like Autistic Women & Non-binary Network (AWN) and Yellow Ladybugs who both support autistic women & gender diverse individuals.

And as always, we need acceptance AND awareness, not one or the other. Let’s also acknowledge the whole spectrum of autism, not just bits and pieces.

This is just a short piece I wanted to write up. Let’s also acknowledge that April is also for sexual assault awareness and deaf history.

Ciao,

Azhtynn E. Myllo 🏳️‍🌈

[crabussy]

it’s autism acceptance week!! some information and reminders for our non autistic allies:

- autism speaks is horrendously harmful to the autistic community. I won’t go into it here but research it if you’re curious!! don’t support them or donate to them.

- “light it up blue” and the puzzle piece symbol are both disliked by the majority of autistic people, as they were both coined by autism speaks as well as the ironic fact that blue lights can be extremely unpleasant and painful to autistic people with sensory issues. The puzzle piece implies that we are a puzzle to be solved, which removes agency from autistic people and is generally hurtful and disheartening.

-autism acceptance week > autism awareness week!! this one doesn’t need too much explanation, acceptance is always better than just awareness (:

- better symbols to show your support include the rainbow infinity symbol!! this symbol was coined by neurodivergent people and is a much more appropriate and appreciated choice than the puzzle piece.

- asperger’s is a term a lot of autistic people are trying to phase out of language used for ourselves, as it was coined by a man who was extremely involved with nazis and has roots in eugenics. It's origin is complicated, but overall it's a label most autistic people dislike for many reasons.

- high functioning and low functioning are also labels we are trying to get rid of as they remove agency from autistic people with high needs and diminish the chance of accommodations for low need autistics. (low needs is the new high functioning and high needs is the new low functioning!!) these new labels address the needs of autistic people without referencing functioning abilities, which are often arbitrary as our needs are more important than our ability to process things (:

- autistic people are sexy and awesome and deserve your patience, respect, and support!! want to show your support in the little ways? ask your autistic friend questions about their special interest(s) or hyperfixations!! try to up your use of tone tags, as they’re necessary to many autistic people. and just be normal about us!! dont act like we’re special or more worthy of attention than others, and don’t ignore us or throw us under the bus. happy autism acceptance week!!

please reblog to share this so it reaches more people (:

[alexandraisyes]

Gotta say, the ASPD bunny is really off, especially in comparison to the other mental health plushies. I even went and looked over the mental health collection, and it’s such a contrast to the others. I’m sorry this isn’t a good representation of ASPD.

So I’d like to know. How would you redesign the plush to better represent you and others with ASPD?

Okay so I thought long and hard about this design, and consulted my fellow ASPD haver @zthesheep for a second opinion.

First off fuck the “bunny”. I like cats more. So it’s a cat.

Obviously I used the colors of the ASPD flag (flag design by @aspdsolace ) with the scale symbol. I wanted to keep the design cute and pleasing to look at, so I used the pinks/purples as accents. Every color of the flag is on the plush.

I wanted to use button eyes instead of detailed eyes because I wanted to stay true to the fact that people with ASPD don’t emote very well with their eyes (from personal experience, as well as self-reporting from others with the disorder). But without using the bead eyes that might be seen as creepy. Buttons are cute, and I honestly prefer them design wise in general.

The heart locket is my personal symbol for neurodivergence. I know the infinity symbol exists, but that’s most commonly associated with autism, and I don’t want to encroach on their symbolism, even if it is now associated with more. I thought about using an umbrella, but looking into it that’s apparently more a symbol for the LGBTQ+ community so same issue.

I like the locket because it’s supposed to symbolize a need for compassion as a key to understanding neurodivergent minds, especially since there’s so many different flavors of neurodivergency. Obviously the heart is supposed to reflect the compassion aspect of that. It’s also representative of the fact that many people who are neurodivergent are guarded of their emotions and tend to “lock a part of themselves away” in order to properly mask.

I wanted to put the symbol for ASPD on the back, somewhat “hidden” instead of the front since many people who have ASPD don’t know it, or don’t understand what it means, as well as the fact that in a public setting you won’t know someone has it or not unless they tell you or allow you to see those parts of themselves that the world thinks are “scary”, which leaves them vulnerable, and at risk of being stabbed in the back for showing someone the truth of themselves. So I wanted to put in on the spine, to symbolize that.

I also like the thought that people who don’t see the back may not understand what the plushie is supposed to represent because it’s hidden away, but those aware of the meanings will know regardless, representing other people with ASPD and people without that choose to inform themselves.

I made the face neutral/blank to show a lack of active emotion, many people with ASPD struggle to retain emotions in their full, and don’t have the energy to hold onto strong emotions long enough to properly experience them the way other people can. Many of our emotions are superficial, so it’s supposed to show someone with their metaphorical mask off, that’s trusting enough of the people around them to not force themselves to emote if they don’t have the energy. Many people with ASPD are constantly fighting emotional burnout just from trying to fit in, and everyone needs a safe space where they don’t have to pretend.

Overall this design was really fun, and I wouldn’t mind designing more of these mental health kitties. A friend told me they’d love to buy this if it was real, and maybe one day it could be. I’d love to have this little guy on my shelf.

[river-neurodivergent-willow]

As an autistic person who uses and supports the puzzle piece as a symbol for autism,

I have not had ANY issues using it from allistics, but here's some things autistic people have done about it:

•been told I'm not apart of the autism community

•been told i support a hate symbol and am ableist

•been told I'm not autistic

•been told to delete my accounts and never come back online

•been told I'm a horrible person

•told I have never been told I am a problem before/made assumptions about the way people have treated me

It's the "educated" autistic people, who think you are more educated than people who use the puzzle piece. I am bullied for using the puzzle piece by my own community and told I'm not even apart of it. I'm fake claimed and invalidated.

The main harm that the puzzle piece causes. Is ignorant autistic people bullying the parents and carers of autistics or autistic people for using it.

(In detail explanation about this under "read more")

Did you know the 🌈♾️ rainbow infinity symbol was popularised by aspie supremacists? on "autistic pride day" a day that https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspies_For_Freedom aspies for freedom, a group of aspie supremacists, created, was represented by a rainbow infinity symbol, this was the start of the rainbow infinity symbol being associated with autism. Aspies for freedom believed autism isn't always a disability, and called themselves aspies.

I don't use it, because why the heck would I want to associate myself with aspie supremacists? It's still very common amongst aspie supremacists to this day.

The puzzle piece was agreed to be a symbol for NAS, an autistic person was in the room whilst they decided this, this was 60 years ago. It was intended to represent autism is a puzzling conditon. Which is true. Let me list some more things it can represent:

•a diagnosis was the last piece in the puzzle

This can be especially relatable for people who when they where very young doctors spent years testing them for different things wondering about their developmental delays, and a diagnosis finnaly making sense. This can also be relatable to people who spent their entire life undiagnosed until their 20s or 30s etc and a diagnosis made their childhood all make sense.

•autistic people are all different but we come together as a community

•an autism diagnosis helps the puzzle of your life

•an autism diagnosis helps you find the other missing pieces of your life for example other diagnosis or services

And more!!!

Helping the puzzle piece become more popular, directly helps the nonverbal/nonspeaking, level 3, HSN and BIPOC autistics in the autism community such as rivers brother who is black and level 3 and nonverbal. He uses is a puzzle piece top to represent to police in America that he's autistic so they don't (consciously or unconsciously, mosr people have internalised racism, wether pepple want to or not behaviour they would label as simply innocent in a white person they will label violent in a black male) perceive him as violent and potentially cause serious harm, or even shoot him.

You using the puzzle piece helps it be more common, and more widely known, which helps autistic people like rivers brother be even more safe out in public.

Autistic people like rivers brother will never EVER need to stop using the puzzle piece this idea of "phasing out the puzzle piece" is not safe, it puts people like rivers brothers lives at risk. You will not be able to successfully phase it out when there is so many people who rely on it and can't risk spending a few months-years waiting until you have successfully re made all the plans with the infinity symbol instead and not the puzzle piece (because yes, they exist, in some places people with a nonspeaking or a child who elopes put a puzzle piece sticker on their car window so emergency services are aware) and you have made it so people world wide know about the rainbow infinity enough so pepple can rely on it.

"Just use the sunflower lanyard!" It's only really a big thing in Britain, it's also a sensory issue for many to wear the lanyard, it's also not as well known as the puzzle piece. If someone out in public wore a sunflower top would you think they are autistuc or would you think they are just wearing a sunflower top? It's also for all invisibly disabilities.

[noisycowboyglitter]

Autism Celebration: "I'm a Proud Autism Poppy - Honoring My Grandchild's Unique Journey"

I'm a Proud Autism Poppy: Celebrating Your Grandchild's Unfolding Journey

Being a Poppy is a special title brimming with love and a desire to watch your grandchildren blossom. But when your grandchild walks the path of autism, that love takes on a whole new dimension. You become their unwavering champion, celebrating their unique unfolding journey, no matter the twists and turns.

Buy now:19.95$

There might be unexpected detours on the road, moments of confusion or frustration. But your unwavering love and acceptance become their constant anchor. You create a safe haven where they feel understood and cherished for their unique perspective on the world. You become a patient listener, a source of gentle guidance, and a fierce advocate for their needs.

Being a "Proud Autism Poppy" is more than a title; it's a badge of honor. It signifies your unwavering dedication to your grandchild and a heart overflowing with pride for their unique strengths. You witness their world unfold in ways that might surprise you, and you embrace it with open arms. You are a cheerleader, a confidante, and a pillar of strength, celebrating your grandchild's unique light and all the incredible things they are and will become.

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This journey may have its challenges, but it's also filled with moments of pure joy and wonder. You'll witness your grandchild's brilliance unfold in unexpected ways, their resilience inspire you, and their love fill your heart to overflowing. As a "Proud Autism Poppy," you get to witness a world unlike your own, a world filled with beauty and a love that blossoms in its own unique way.

The puzzle piece is a widely recognized symbol associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Introduced in 1963, its meaning is debated.

Originally, the interlocking shapes might have symbolized autistic individuals finding their place with support. However, some view it as implying autism is a puzzle to be solved, which can be insensitive.

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An alternative gaining popularity is the infinity symbol . It represents neurodiversity, the idea that brains and behavior come in a wide range of variations, and all are valid.

Today, some people use both symbols together, acknowledging the complexity of autism and celebrating neurodiversity.

The awareness ribbon for autism is a light blue ribbon . Light blue evokes calmness, trust, and the support offered to autistic individuals and their families.

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While the puzzle piece is another well-known autism symbol, there's been some discussion about its meaning. The awareness ribbon offers a clear and universally understood message of autism acceptance and support.

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

Well, I read a very upsetting article about how Kansas librarians sued after putting up the rainbow infinity symbol that represents neurodiversity, with the text saying: “We all think differently”

This is was the Vice Chair of the Library Board had to say:

On June 22, a temporary summer library employee complained about the display to Michelle Miller, the vice chair of the library board. Miller texted Wheeler, saying: “I do not want any kind of rainbow display especially in this month. We have a conservative town and as a library do not need to make political statements (see Target and Bud Light as negative examples). I certainly do not want the library to promote LGBTQ agendas.”

Stop making every single thing about politics. This is about inclusivity and acceptance. Not some stupid political agenda.

What the fuck is wrong with people?

Here’s a link to the article if anyone wants to read through it:

[intervex]

Some new, bright variants of the Disability Pride flag (with historic colours)

The diagonal stripe Disability Pride flag design by @capricorn-0mnikorn et al is flexible about the specific colours used for the red, yellow, white, blue, and green stripes - there are a variety of versions ranging from full saturation to reduced saturation.

For fun -- and to lean into my proposal for the stripe colours to be about different models & causes of disability -- I thought I'd make variant versions where the stripe colours come from historic flags and symbols made by disability organizers!

These are intended as supplementary variants of the main versions for circumstances where we want to talk about disability history. (I think the standard, desaturated version is the best general-purpose disability pride flag!)

The versions on the left have a silver grey (#cfd1d0) background from the Eros Recio disability flag. The versions on the right have the original black. The black/grey is to mourn disabled people who have died due to eugenics, violence, neglect, and illness.

Red: disability caused by violence and/or neglect (itself a form of violence). Also models of disability like debility and disabled black feminist theorizing which focus on how disability is used as a tool of violence to enact societal oppression.

The red (#f71d20) comes from the red AIDS ribbons (1991) used to protest the societal neglect of the AIDS pandemic. HIV/AIDS was ignored by governments for years because they either didn't care - or thought it was a good thing - that massive numbers of gay, black & hemophiliac people were dying.

Similar reds are now used by the Millions Missing (2016) campaigns to advocate for research and treatment for ME/CFS, another disease which disproportionately affects disadvantaged groups (mostly women) that has been widely neglected and dismissed.

Yellow: disability caused by natural differences. Models like the affirmative model and evolutionary models which view disability as providing positive benefits to individuals and/or society.

The specific golden yellow (#FDD70A): comes from the intersex flag (2013). Intersex is an umbrella term for natural bodily variations that don't neatly conform to ideas of "male" or "female". As a result we are medicalized when there is nothing actually wrong with us. (We intersex folks also belong to the queer community because of how we threaten binary ideas about sex/gender.)

Gold also appears on the Eros Recio disability flag (2017). More recently (2018), gold has become associated with autism, another natural difference.

White: disability caused by unknown or other factors. Models like the human rights model, which focus on how disabled people - regardless of how or why they are disabled - are deserving of basic human/civil rights and liberties.

The specific white (#FFFFFF) is from the neurodiversity flag. I have been unable to track down the first one from 2005 but a large variety of rainbow infinities on white backgrounds have been used ever since for neurodiversity.

Neurodiversity is a large umbrella category, and can be caused by many factors.

Blue: situational disabilities. Models like the social model and the radical model which posit there is nothing wrong with us. The problem is how society excludes us.

The specific blue (#009ee0) comes from the Deaf flag (2011). Many Deaf people feel there is nothing wrong with being Deaf, the problem is that the rest of society does not use signed languages, provide captions & transcripts, etc.

Green: disability due to natural illness. By "natural" I mean not socially imposed like how how treatable diseases are allowed to persist due to sociopolitical oppression/neglect. This is associated with medical models of disability.

Honestly I struggled for a historical flag for green - seems green is not a colour that disabled organizers seem to have been using until very recently(?). There are a bunch of green awareness ribbons from the 00s such as for kidney cancer, mitochondrial disease, hepatits B, and lyme disease. But I could not find evidence that any of them were made by the people with the relevant disabilities.

If anybody knows of any disability-led designs that prominently feature green that were used before ~2016 please let me know!

Green has been used as a colour for mental illness since at least 2013, and judging from my google image search results for "green ribbon awareness" this has been the most popular green ribbon awareness campaign.

But everything I can find gives me the impression this green ribbon campaign was created by sane people, though some celebrities who have been open about having mental health problems have backed the campaign.

The green sunflower lanyards used to indicate hidden disabilities started in 2016 in the UK, from which I got this green (#1f9a4b).

Purple: disability as a community. Models like the social construction model which focus on how the category of disability is socially constructed and maintained.

The purple (#82609b) is from the mad pride flag (2013). Mad pride has its origin in the psychiatric survivor movement, which has been critical of how psychiatry defines and punishes madness.

Madness in particularly has a long history of being socially constructed. For example, in how sociopolitical oppression can be twisted into individual pathology: black slaves who fled slavery were diagnosed with "drapetomania" rather than for society to understand slavery as oppression. More recently, terms like "climate anxiety" and "climate grief" have been used to individualize the climate crisis.

Including purple in the place of green in the flag is as a means to include mad pride & mutual aid communities when talking disability history. The five colours of the standard disability pride flag are to symbolize all of humanity, being the most common colours used in national flags.

Swapping out the green for purple for talking about disability history kind of represents how we disabled people have been on our own, not really represented by nation-states.

[forrestbrine]

doing this finally (catching up on Auctober)

warning this is a super long post that isn’t really about Minecraft. It’s Auctober!!! I finally found some time to do this so I’m gonna do all of it then try to stay on the schedule:)

Day 1: Autism Plus

I have autism and adhd. I really like touching surfaces that are bumpy or running cloths on my face. It’s just something I’ve always done 💀 I never knew why it gave me such joy until I started researching autism. I’ve known I was ADHD since I was 12 but I always did things that didn’t exactly line up with ADHD, like literally screaming when my friends sung the “we all scream for ice cream” song when we were young and telling my friends obsessively about horses. I struggle a lot with working memory and executive function, but I am working on it every day. :)

Day 2: Infinite

I very much like the infinity symbol more than the puzzle piece. It represents that autism is a lifelong condition; forever and ever, I will always be autistic, not just in my childhood. I also like it because the infinity symbol loops back into itself, to me that represents autism affecting multiple parts of my life, not just in school or work.

day 3: Audhd

hey!!! That’s me !!!! I already talked about it in day 1 a lot :) but autism and adhd are very comorbid. I think the percentage is 30% of autistic people have adhd traits and vice versa. I think that’s neat that there’s a lot of other autistic people who also have adhd and can understand me.

day 4: music

i wear headphones with music playing a lot when im able to. Mostly it is a self-soothing measure for me and a way to block out outside noise. I like that I can control what music I listen to, whether it be sad or happy or loud or quiet.

day 5: verbose

im such a yapper when it comes to my special interests/hyperfixations. It’s weird because very very little people at my school/work want to hear me talk about minecraft lore and history 😭 I could honestly go on for hours. I would love to teach history lessons about stuff too. I love american history.

day 6: Individuals

every person with autism is different. Autism is a developmental disorder and every persons brain is different, hence it affects our brains differently. I really hate when people go “you don’t act like my autistic family member” or “you don’t (insert autistic stereotype here)” because it really shows how little people know about autism. I wish there was more social awareness around the fact that it’s a spectrum and not just totally different “types” of autism.

day 7: neuroscope

I have two friends and they’re both also neurodivergent. I also have online friends and we’re all neurodivergent. I think we attract each other like magnets at this point 😭

day 8: non-speaking

I experience this sometimes, where I have verbal shutdowns. it’s due to stress and overstimulation 😔 thankfully at work a lot of my coworkers know I’m autistic and are very accommodating and understanding :)

day 9: community

I have been in the neurodivergent community for a while, and it has been very nice! A lot of understanding people who just get me. :) I’ve met people with many different ideas, and learned a lot about myself and many other conditions I didn’t know about before. day 10: self advocacy

I’ve had to self advocate for myself in places like school and work to ensure I have an experience that doesn’t totally wipe me out. It’s a tiring process but definitely worth it. I have also advocated for myself online about my specific needs, like blocking things out that may upset or overwhelm me. I used to think that doing things like this was a sign of weakness, but now I understand that I should never be ashamed of doing something that keeps me safe and happy.

day 11: unlearning ableism

when I was about 9-10 years old I was really struggling in school. It was very hard for me to pay attention to topics and schoolwork. I didn’t know what adhd was and my teachers said that I was lazy and choosing not to pay attention. I was called sensitive and forgetful. I never knew why or how these things happened, they just did. It’s been a really hard journey for me to unlearn a lot of the stuff I was told in my childhood, that I was lazy, stupid, gullible, sensitive, a crybaby, etc. After researching things like autism and adhd I understood *why* these things happened, but it didn’t erase the subtle ableism that had been instilled in me. I have been getting better, and being kinder to myself.

day 12: wired differently

my brain is different than a neurotypical person’s brain. All of our brains are different! That’s why autism isn’t some “curable” disorder. It’s from birth and affects us throughout our entire lives. It’s not just one part of our brain, it’s all of the brain that is affected.

ummm that’s it! updates will be soon I think

[vexy-hexy]

Friendly reminder that April is Autism Awareness month (should be Autism Acceptance month, but whatever IG 😒)

Anyway, remember that the Autism community has denounced Light it Up Blue, the puzzle piece symbol, ABA, and Autism Speaks (also Sia, but I won't get into that rn)

Instead, to show your support, please look out for posts by actually autistic people, remember autistic people have chosen the colors red and gold to represent ourselves, along with the infinity sign

In general, please just be kind to one another

Also, just to get it across, I want to say:

Fuck Autism Speaks

They can kiss my autistic ass 🖕