#the background is red to symbolize redinstead!

[smuglemon]

you're something special. happy autism acceptance month <3

[friendlyneighborhoodborg]

Nathaniel Kurtzberg - Autism Acceptance Month 2019.

Here’s a little piece I did (slightly late) for the occasion, featuring the Miraculous fandom’s favorite emo artist.  I’ve headcanoned Nath with Asperger’s Syndrome/Autism Spectrum Disorder for a long time, and this month I want to show that off in a fun way.

Below the cut, some words on the headcanon and on the art piece itself.

Don’t repost.  Please credit.  Much thank.

Thoughts behind the headcanon

There isn’t really a single reason why I think Nathaniel’s on the spectrum, other than I’m on the spectrum and it feels sort of right to put him on it as well.  I really don’t know, but I see a lot of myself in him, sorta- like, I’ve noticed some of my symptoms in him- keeping to himself and his habits, nervous in social confrontations, doesn’t emote a lot... he’s probably on some higher-functioning end of the disorder.  Maybe I’m just imagining it, but this idea... well, it’s kinda comforting to me.  We do see some evidence of some traits common to people with AS on the show, though.

For example, in Reverser, he jumps to conclusions about Marc’s and Marinette’s intentions, probably because of an inability to read people.  He’s obsessive over his art- to the point where he suffers in class because he’s drawing meticulously-detailed comics in class (as shown in Evillustrator).  The comics themselves can also be seen as escapist scenarios, a common trait among people with Aspergers.  He has, like, two friends, Marc and Alix, and he doesn’t really interact with anyone else in social situations- he actually moves to sit in the back of the classroom once space opens up back there in the Origins episodes.

So that’s sorta why I see him like that.  I do have some headcanons for AS!Nath: Nathaniel is one of those types who gets really passionate about his special interests (superheroes and art, mainly), to the point where he just tunes everything else out.  He probably has weighted pencils that he spins as a fidget tool; multi-functional.  Drawing was originally a therapy exercise, but he loved it so much he decided to take it up as a hobby, and he soon became really good at it.  He also gets very nervous in situations when he’s on the spot unprepared, and he’ll start flapping his hands around as he paces, constantly shifting his weight.  He’s always in the background, never really engaging in what’s happening in a room unless it involves him somehow (like when he’s hanging with his best bud, Alix, or talking about his art projects).  He always has to plan out what he’s going to say, and sometimes it takes him minutes to form an answer (particularly if someone is asking for his thoughts and feelings on something).  If he tries to talk ahead of his brain, the words tend to choke up in his throat until he calms down.

(I should point out that about half of the above paragraph also applies to me, so this may be projecting.  Just a little bit.)

Thoughts behind the piece

So, in expressing this, I really wanted this to be a visual piece.  A while back, I came up with the idea of taking the rainbow infinity symbol used for neurodiversity positivity, and making a play on that and turning it into a domino mask (which, y’know, has roughly the same shape).  I really thought this fit my headcanon perfectly, with Nathaniel’s love of superheroes and comics, and his artistic talents.  So, that’s what he has in the picture- one of the art kids probably painted it on with makeup, because they all love their nerdy spectrum friend.

I was inspired to do this piece recently when I learned about #RedInstead, which, come on, we make fun of Nathaniel’s hair all the time, it’s perfect.  He’s fidgeting with his pencil while trying to come up with the next scene, while playing with his hair (which has the added bonus of exposing the whole mask) and absolutely failing to sit in his chair upright.  I also removed the jacket, both to show off that red shirt, and also because it’s April/May and it’s getting too hot for jackets.

(Done with MS Paint 3D, because I haven’t learned how to use anything else, and also it sucks because I always have trouble drawing people shapes.  Maybe that’s an AS thing?  I don’t know, but practice makes perfect, as they say.)

[chaoticautie]

I was crying earlier because I discovered CEASE, another organization that is trying to "cure" autistic kids. They do this by poisoning them with vitamin C to make them "behave," and I was inspired to make this. We can make it through anything together! Strength in numbers ❤ [ID]: A red background with a rainbow infinity symbol on it, and it says "" We are not a burden. We are not a disease. We are not a death sentence. We don't need a cure. We need love and acceptance. Stop silencing us. #REDinstead ""

[butterflyinthewell]

Large red text on a white background:  #REDInstead

Smaller red text on a white background: #AutismAcceptance is presuming competence and respecting all forms of autistic communication. This is especially important when interacting with autistic people who are nonverbal / nonspeaking, need lots of daily help and use behavior to express themselves. Sometimes, that means being a detective to find out the reason behind a behavior and redirecting to a suitable substitute or resolving whatever is causing it instead of stifling it because it bothers you. Some difficult behaviors have complex triggers and require a complex approach to find a comfortable redirect or resolution.

Image description: [A small rainbow infinity neurodiversity symbol marks the center point of a four photo collage framed in red. 

All four photos feature two people in profile. The OP is a petite pale skinned autistic woman wearing a leopard print bandanna “pirate style” on her head and a white T-shirt. She has her long auburn-brown ponytail draped over her left shoulder. She is at Disney’s California Adventure, interacting with a cast member-- Groot. 

Groot is a tall, sentient humanoid plant from the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. He has bark like a tree that is peppered with spots of green moss. His total spoken vocabulary consists of the words “I am Groot” and occasionally “we are Groot.” He’s speaking when he says this, but only certain characters in the franchise can understand him, so most of his communication is body language and facial expressions.

The height difference in the photos is quite amusing-- the top of the OP’s head barely reaches the bottom of Groot’s chest.

Photo 1 is Groot expressing curiosity by poking at the OP’s shiny yellow-green Tangle (a stim toy) with a twig-like fingertip. She is delightedly holding it up for him to see it more clearly. They���re making eye contact with each other, albeit briefly. 

Photo 2 is Groot leaning over and biting the OP’s Tangle while she laughs.

Photo 3 is the OP smiling and showing Groot her black Dulcimer pendant, which is a stim toy actually meant to be chewed on. Groot is looking down at it intently, hanging on every word she says.

Photo 4 is Groot looking down at the smiling OP and rubbing his stomach to indicate he thinks her Dulcimer must be yummy. She doesn’t have the heart to tell him it doesn’t really have a taste.]

#actuallyautistic #autism #REDInstead #AutismAcceptance #Groot #Guardians of the Galaxy #California Adventure #neurodiversity #autistic headcanon

[autistic-space-dragon]

Listen to autistic people.

Don’t support Autism Speaks. Don’t ‘Light it Up Blue’ this April. Go red instead and support autistic people and our voices.

[ Image Description: A picture with a red background and a rainbow coloured neurodiversity ‘infinity’ symbol in the middle. In front of the neurodiversity symbol is a drawing of an autistic person stimming. 

They are wearing red headphones, a red pendant chew necklace, and a grey hoodie. A red tangle is poking out of the hoodie pocket. They are smiling with their eyes closed and stimming by flapping their hands. 

On the top of the picture, above the symbol, it says in capital letters “Listen to autistic people”. Below the symbol, at the bottom of the picture, it says “#REDinstead for Autism Acceptance”.] 

This is version 2. Version 1 of this picture with just the symbol and no person can be found here: version 1 link

I wanted to make a picture for Autism Acceptance and anti “autism awareness” this April so here it is.

[theghostinurattichasautism]

Why Autism Speaks Does Not Speak For Me

They support aba therapy, in which Autistic children are abused for stimming and not looking people in the eyes.

They support a cure. Sounds nice? No. It's not a disease. It comes with disadvantages, but some of the world's greatest thinkers were autistic. Albert Einstein. Abraham Lincon. Tim Burton. Why would you want to destroy something like that.

They support families who killed their autistic children. Enough said.

They use a puzzle peice logo. That is harmful because it symbolizes "finding the missing peice" in autistic people. Sorry no, they're whole people.

They have no autistic people on their board. They have an anti vaxer though.

They don't give money to autistic people. Only 2% of all money donated to them actually gets used to support autistic people.

They are not a good charity. They are a hate group. Do NOT light it up blue. Do not use "Autism Awareness". How about you accept it and use "Autism Acceptance" #RedInstead

https://thecaffeinatedautistic.wordpress.com/2017/04/04/autism-speaks-still-does-not-speak-for-me/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilywillingham/2013/11/13/why-autism-speaks-doesnt-speak-for-me/

Here are some charities you can support!

Image description: a white background saying support these: in red lettering. There are pictures on it. The first is a pink lowercase a with autism womens network written beneath it. The next is an octagon with rainbow colors twisting on it and ASAN written in big letters beneath it. Under the ASAN it says Autism Self Advocacy Network. The next picture is a green outlined square. In the square it is half blue and half green split down the middle. The top of the square has Boycott written in green, in the middle there is a blue equal sign crossed out with one line down the middle, and the bottom says autism speaks written in green. The next is the picture of a book cover. It has a yellow background, and Neuro Tribes is written in Pink across the top. Under the pink letters it says in black The legacy of Autism and The Future of Neuro diversity. In the center of the cover there is some tall green plants with butterflies covering it. At the bottom it says Steve Silberman written in pink. The next image is a rainbow infinity sign with Neuro diversity written across it in thin gray letters. The next image is 3 stars in rainbow coloring next the the words Autism Acceptance Month. The next image is a red hightop converse style sneaker with a # where the converse symbol usually is. The final image is a blue puzzle peice that says autsim speaks written in big letters under it and in smaller letters under that it says its time to listen. It is circled in red and crossed out with a single red line. There is a blue arrow pointing to it and next to the arrow in blue letters it says not this. And the bottom of the picture it says #nothing about us without us

[rainbowlack]

[IDs:

The first image shows a person with brown hair, wearing a red patterned shirt and sunglasses with a red frame. They are holding the sunglasses against their face. The person is holding a sign, which reads: "Autism Speaks still pretends it never did any harm. But autistic people remember, and we won't let anyone forget. #ScrewBlue (neurodivergence symbol) #REDInstead."

The second image is a GIF of a waving, cartoon-style, asexual pride flag on a white background.

End IDs.]

Autism Speaks is trying to cash in on Pride Month on twitter.

Tell them they aren’t welcome at Pride, and tell them why.

They push Lovaas ABA therapy that squishes away all autistic traits, which is related to gay conversion therapy.*

Now they want to take our stories from us, too.

LGBTQIA+ autistic people’s voices are not theirs to exploit.

Let’s make noise.

*not to be confused with therapy that isn’t ABA, but calls itself ABA for insurance coverage purposes. This notABA doesn’t force things like quiet hands or aversives. Sadly this causes confusion, hence me addressing this briefly.

[autistic-space-dragon]

Listen to autistic people. 

Don’t support Autism Speaks. Don’t ‘Light it Up Blue’ this April. Go red instead and support autistic people and our voices. 

[ Image Description: A picture with a red background and a rainbow coloured neurodiversity ‘infinity’ symbol in the middle. On the top of the picture, above the symbol, it says in capital letters “Listen to autistic people”. Below the symbol, at the bottom of the picture, it says “#REDinstead for Autism Acceptance”.]

I actually have two versions of this picture. This one and one with an autistic person stimming in front of the neurodiversity symbol. Im gonna post that version as well. 

I wanted to make a picture for Autism Acceptance and anti “autism awareness” this April so here it is.