#personally I headcanon that she’s autistic with an intellectual disability and it’s so important to me

[zombielink5]

There’s an article that’s a review of DIA where the writer called the characters neurotypical. Baby how are you as an autistic gonna look at Patty, someone who is TEXTUALLY neurodivergent and her entire character arc revolves around it, gonna call her NT??? Do you think her parents infantilize her for fun? Do you think her parents only suggest jobs with no customer interaction for fun? Patty is literally not allowed to use kitchen appliances when home alone, do you think that’s just for fun? And what about being called slow and the r slur by everyone? You’re really gonna write that off as just shock humor? Patty also dropped out of her college program, and is on five different medications, some of which are sedatives. Again, ask yourself why these things are in the movie.

I need people to never speak on this movie actually, stay away from my developmentally disabled wife.

[verdantmeadows]

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Verdant/Edric/Hop/Lance/Izzy (I also go by Sun, Sal, Kells, Wukong, Randall, Randy, Kirbs, and happily any names you associate with me! I previously went by Luke/Luwuke online if you know me by those names. Also kin names are strongly encouraged!)

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Personal post tag is #book of kells

I have many disabilities but one important one is I am intellectually disabled and autistic which affects how I talk and interact with others. But please talk to me how you'd talk to anyone else!

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I am a multishipper! (This means I ship multiple pairings that might be "contradictory", i.e., A x B and B x C separately without it being poly ships)

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I post nsfw jokes and may post suggestive art. I always tag those as nsfw joke, NSFW text and/or suggestive cw. I don't post pornography as of right now.

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Pride flag in icon doesn't reflect my identity (although it can), it reflects headcanons for the character/what I think looks visually good

My personal post tag is #book of kells

I'm autistic and intellectually disabled and a system. This all affects how I talk and interact very much!!! If I say something weird point it out. I'm also very psychotic and might post weirdly because of this. I'm weird and disabled! I have undisclosed physical disabilities

Mass likes/reblogs are okay and encouraged

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[autistic-characters-of-the-day]

I told my sister about the Monica Geller headcanon, and she says that Monica is just a Type A person and we should say we relate to the traits, but not the character because it takes away from others who relate to her for other reasons, but like allistics have a zillion characters they can relate to. She also said that there's no way they'd write an autistic character in the 90s. Uh. I dunno if it's just me, but I detect a slight amount of ableism in that logic. :/

I’d say that there’s slight ableism there but it seems internalized rather than outright blatant ableism. It’s probably something your sister is unconscious of and should try to unlearn, especially if she’s allistic (not autistic).

If she’s allistic, then she can’t speak for autistic people and it’s important for her to know that if she does or tries to, then she’s just erasing our voices for her own abled one.

However, again, I wouldn’t call that outright ableism but it does seem internalized to erase a headcanon and a character for her own needs.

Also she’s wrong as there are quite a few shows and movies from the 90′s about/with a autistic character. The only issue is that almost none of them present autism in an accurate light in the slightest because it wasn’t as understood back then as it is now.

I’ll give examples below but tw for ableism for a few of them (I am NOT supporting these films and I have never seen them; I am merely giving examples to prove your sister wrong. Even if they’re not the best examples, they’re still examples of media from the 90′s with canon autism):

Take the movie “Molly” (1999) for example: “A bachelor becomes the unwilling guardian of his autistic, intellectually disabled sister; then an experimental treatment works a dramatic change in her brain and his attitude.”  Clearly this one is blatantly ableist my fucking god. Again I do not support ableist films, I’m just giving examples.

Or “Silent Fall” (1994): “An autistic boy witnesses his parents’ double murder. Richard Dreyfuss as a controversial therapist, seeks to probe the child’s mind in order to solve the case.”

“Mercury Rising” (1998): “Shadowy elements in the NSA target a nine-year old autistic savant for death when he is able to decipher a top secret code.”

“David’s Mother” (1994): “A woman estranged from her husband and family insists on caring for her autistic son alone.”

“Rain Man” (1988) yes this isn’t a 90′s film it’s even earlier: “Selfish yuppie Charlie Babbitt’s father left a fortune to his savant brother Raymond and a pittance to Charlie; they travel cross-country.” Now the summary on IMDB doesn’t talk about autism but here’s another summary that does: “It tells the story of an abrasive, selfish young wheeler-dealer, Charlie Babbitt, who discovers that his estranged father has died and bequeathed all of his multimillion-dollar estate to his other son, Raymond, an autistic savant, of whose existence Charlie was unaware.” Note: “Savant” seemed to be a term for “autistic” back in the 80′s and the wikipedia page for Rain Man goes over how this term is inaccurate as fuck at least so there’s that.

But anyways there’s a shit ton I could list so I’ll just give you the list. It includes films from the 80′s, 90′s, and 2000′s.

Again, if a film is inaccurate or ableist, I do NOT at all support it. But your sister is wrong because there are quite a few characters from the 90′s who are autistic (not as much as allistic characters obviously and the representation sucked ass because of prejudice and ableism, but it’s still quite a bit for an era that was prejudiced against autism… which many people still are today).

I’d maybe show my response to her lmao or at least the part that lists a bunch of films from the 80′s, 90′s, and 2000′s with autistic characters in it.

[tgautism]

Introduction Q&A

I found some excellent Autism-related questions on @neurowonderful​‘s blog that might help people understand me a little better.

1. When did you discover that you are Autistic? I was almost 16 when I found out.

2. What are your favorite stim toy(s)? If I'm wearing a fluffy sweater, I will use that to stim. If I'm not wearing a sweater, I have a shawl that feels just like a sweater that my aunt knitted for me. I also have a bunch of crochet blankets that feel like sweater. I call them sweater blankets. Anything that feels sweatery is an awesome stim toy for me!

3. What are your favorite stims? I love rubbing my hand against my sweater/shawl/sweater blankets, rubbing them against my face, or cuddling with them. I also repeat the word “sweater” in a funny voice, or I squeal softly.

4. How do you calm down after a meltdown? My meltdowns usually involve sobbing, or if I'm having a meltdown triggered by anxiety, heavy breathing, stammering, or freezing up. Sometimes, I vacate to a room where I can be alone if I can, or if someone comforts me, that calms me down, too.

5. What method(s) of communication do you prefer? I prefer speaking with my voice.

6. What are your special interest(s)? Music and writing, but especially music!

7. What kind of sensory inputs do you find very unpleasant? Okay, this is going to be a long answer, because there are a lot of negative sensory imputs for me. You've been warned. Clothing-wise, I can't stand wearing pants or jeans. They feel very confining and unbearably uncomfortable. Shorts are okay, but they have to be lose and elasticated. I also hate wearing buttons and zippers, hate it with a passion! Zippers are uncomfortable. I don't like the feel of them against my body. Even more, I hate buttons! I hate touching them, feeling them against my body, looking at them, and I even hate the word itself. For me, they feel gross! Other negative sensory imputs include loose change, small metal objects, and doorknobs that make my hands stink. I hate metallic smells, and I cannot stand jingling sounds, like loose change, keys, and heavy tambourines in music. I can handle Christmas jingle bells. They don't bother me. I have other sensory issues, but this is already long enough.

8. What kind of sensory inputs do you like the most? Anything sweatery!

9. What are your thoughts on self-diagnosis? I don't see anything wrong with it if you really do your research. My aunt was the one who diagnosed me. She has two Autistic sons, and she's done her research.

10. What is one thing that you wished everyone knew about Autism? I wish people would understand the importance of patience and acceptance. It really hurts me whenever people get frustrated with me, especially people I care about, because it makes me feel ashamed of myself. It makes me feel like I'm burdening them, and it makes me feel like I did something wrong. It can really take a tole on your self-esteem when it happens over and over. I also wish people would stop trying to “cure” or “fix” us. We're not sick, and we're not broken. I'm not saying we don't need extra help with our struggles, because we do. However, there's a difference between helping us and fixing us.

11. If you could repel one myth about Autism, which one would it be? Autism is not an “epidemic,” and it is not caused by vaccines! Even if it was, that doesn't mean we're broken or messed up! Stop trying to find the “cause” of Autism, so you can find a “cure.” Instead, listen to our stories, and don't brush us off like what we say means nothing. We just want to be accepted and loved. Is that asking too much?

12. What are some of the things that allistic people often expect you to do that make no sense to you? I've luckily never had to deal with any of that yet, not that I can recall.

13. How do you feel about being Autistic? I'm going to say it like it is. It's a pain in the ass sometimes, but it's also awesome!

14. Describe a place/room/situation that would be sensory heaven to you. My favorite music group of all time is Celtic Woman. If I ever went to a Meet & Greet, and they were all wearing fluffy sweater dresses, I would think I've died, and gone to sweater heaven, especially if they all pulled me into a big group sweater hug! You'd have to surgically remove me from them!

15. Describe a place/room/situation that would be sensory hell to you. My high school graduation is a perfect example! Our gowns zipped up in the front, and of course, I hated it! I had a major meltdown, but I couldn't take off the damn gown. I was in hell throughout the whole ceremony, but I was so relieved when I finally got to take off the gown. Another example is when I was seeing a psychiatrist as a teenager, he didn't understand my sensory issues, and thought the only way for me to “get over being afraid of” buttons was to make me wear a shirt with buttons on it everyday for about a half hour. It didn't work at all. It only made me miserable and ashamed of myself.

16. Do you have any mental illnesses/other kinds of neurodivergence? How do they interact with/affect your Autism? I don't have any other neurodivergences, but I am visually impaired, which means I can't see very well. It often clashes with my Autism, and makes some tasks even more difficult than they would be if I only had one or the other.

17. Do you prefer person-first or identity-first language? Either way is fine with me, but I totally understand why a lot of Autistic people prefer identity-first language.

18. What are your Autistic headcanons? I have no idea what the heck an Autistic headcanon is! If I find out what it is, I might update this answer.

19. Are there any books/shows/movies that you would recommend to other Autistic people? I am actually writing my own book, an autobiography, and it explains my struggles with Autism  and my visual impairment. I guess I would recommend that when I finally finish it, because maybe it can help them in one way or another.

20. What are some of the Autism-related problems you often have in your everyday life? Some of the people in my life get frustrated or impatient with me when I display one of my Autistic behaviors. I know they don't mean to, but it really makes me feel bad when it happens. I feel like I did something wrong, or like I'm a burden or embarrassment to them.

21. What are your favorite Autism-related blogs/websites? I actually don't read a lot of blogs, but there are a couple of amazing Autistic YouTubers I love to watch. One of them is Amythest Schaber, who has a series on her channel called “Ask an Autistic,” where she explains different Autistic traits. The other one I love to watch is streamofawareness. Her real name is Cyndi, and she's actually one of my best friends. She explains all of her own Autistic traits, talks about her struggles, displays her traits on camera (stimming, meltdowns, shutdowns, etc), and she has a beautiful singing voice! I highly recommend you guys check them both out on YouTube! I've learned so much about myself and my own trails, because of them!

22. What do you like about being Autistic? I love that I have special interests, and a deep passion for them! I also just love being different. I used to be ashamed of it, but over the years, I've realized that it's okay to be different. If I'm not hurting anyone, I can do what I want. I've learned to take it as a compliment when people call me weird. I am weird, and I'm proud of it!

23. What do you dislike about being Autistic? I hate meltdowns and shutdowns. I hate that I get my feelings hurt more easily. I hate that I feel guilty over things I shouldn't. I hate that I feel stress more, and can't handle it very well. I hate that I can't pick up on social cues, and can't always tell if someone is joking or not. I also really hate that I can't take criticism very well. In fact, that's one trait I'm stil very ashamed of, because as a musician, people are going to criticize me. All these negative traits have let to so many people telling me to grow up, toughen up, deal with it, get over it, or that I'm getting upset over something stupid. I've had to deal with so many people shaming me for my behaviors, and I really hate that. I've had so many friends turn their backs on me, and so many relationships go up in smoke due to it. I really wish people could learn to be more accepting and patient.

24. If there was a cure for Autism, would you want to take it? Hell no! You know what I want cured instead? Ignorance! Cure that instead, because I'm not the sick one here!

25. What topics are you most likely to infodump about? Celtic Woman is probably the biggest one for me! I'm such a huge, huge fan of theirs that I keep up with the latest information on them, and I know so much about them. If you were to ask me to talk about them, I would never shut up!

26. Are there any stereotypes about autistic people that you fit? I would say the one I fit is that Autistic people are intellectually disabled. Obviously, that is not true for everyone on the sepctrum, but it sort of is for me. There are some subjects that my mind just cannot grasp, which is why I struggled so much in school, and even moreso in college. To get me to understand them, you'd have to dumb it down, and sometimes, even that wouldn't work for me. Some things are like Jibberish to me.

27. Which ‘social rules’ do you often have trouble with? I cannot, CANNOT, handle eye contact. A lot of Autistic people can't. For me, eye contact feels very invasive and overwhelming. It's even more uncomfortable for me, because one trait of my visual impairment is Nystagmus, which means my eyes wiggle, bounce, and move around a lot. It's because my retina is messed up, and it's very embarrassing for me when other people see that. It's even more embarrassing when they point it out.

28. Can you pass for neurotypical? Nope, but I really don't care.

29. Have you had any previous special interests? What were they? I used to love to draw and color. I haven't done that in a few years. Now, I like to create art on my computer.