#the infinity symbol is the symbol for asd

[kristiliqua]

my fav song in msr is trying not to think about it bc its bittersweet feeling and resonates with me the most (by a long shot) .

is that worrying orrr . like what does that say about me . erm

[autism-coded]

i had sent an ask to @intervex / @ipso-faculty some days ago, but since it wasn't answered yet (no pressure, it's fine if ze doesn't want to!), i decided to go ahead and make my own post for it since i initially mentioned that i might.

anyway, while looking through zer .SVG files on zer wikimedia commons page and appreciating the works in public domain, i noticed that, although i'm not sure if it was done intentionally in the first place by the original designer, the "concentric open infinity loops with red/green gradient" has the exact same colors as the 2021 ROYLG flag, so i went ahead and combined the symbol with the stripes instead of the red infinity loop:

i don't think it would be great for physical print, yet i don't know honestly + i hope i could be wrong, but i love the design in theory! i think it would look really nice for image edits and whatnot, such as graphics & icons to use online.

the yellow loop might be hard to see, so i added a version with a very faded white outline to help...

image descriptions are included in alt tab

for reference, even though they're linked above, here are the default images i used:

[muzsmocsing]

I went to my autism evaluation freaked out that I'm just a poser there for attention when 20 minutes earlier I fully had to take my headphones off because I couldn't smell the cherry blossoms over the music

[cutiepieautistic]

Tbh/autism creature stimboard

×/×/× ×/× ×/×/×

[lesbian-honey-lemon]

this autism acceptance month I would like for everyone making posts/art to STOP using the rainbow infinity symbol to represent ONLY autism. The rainbow symbol is for ALL NEURODIVERGENTS. This includes disorders completely separate from autism such as Down Sydrome, ASPD, NPD, schizophrenia, Angelman Syndrome, and many other disabilities. It is not a symbol for autism in specific. The Autism Colors are red and gold (red for Red Instead, gold for AU)

Please use red and gold infinity symbols for when you talk about autism specifically, and save the rainbow symbol for when you talk about neurodiversity in general.

[potstism]

yellow/gold variants of the autism infinity symbol flag [ARCHIVED]

by u/gjvnq1 on reddit

IMPORTANT INFORMATION / DISCLAIMER UNDER THE CUT

this post is meant to be an unbiased archive that you can (not) interact with at your own will. for a couple of reasons, these flags may be considered controversial:

it looks too similar to the most popular intersex flag

the last two images use the puzzle piece symbol, which has been labelled as harmful by the autistic community due to its associations

if these things make you uncomfortable, YOU ARE UNDER ZERO OBLIGATION TO USE THEM! please do not feel like you have to because it's common to see, will satisfy certain groups, or whatever else may convince you otherwise. it is entirely up to individual choice about what they like best. there are plenty of other options out there alternatively ─ i personally much prefer to use this flag & this flag, for example.

[neurospicyyy]

Neurodivergent infinity symbol gif by @neurospicyyy - free to use! - no need to credit! (But it would be appreciated) - anyone can use it [source | where i made the gif]

[sprinkleofquirk]

Lots of symbols are problematic- I just know there’s no way I’m supporting anything that associates with Autism Speaks

For me, the puzzle piece comes with more baggage than the infinity symbol does;

It comes with anti-vaccination support, neo-nazi support, continuous misuse of funds and donations, stigma, sexism, relying on non-autistic voices, etc.

Neurotypical people think my brain is confusing? I’ve been trying to solve the “puzzle” of how their brains work my whole life. Most don’t care to understand how my brain works- they’d rather I just ‘fit in since I can’t and ‘act autistic’ on my own time (yes, actual quote).

So, no, I won’t be using the puzzle piece; but that doesn’t mean that anyone who does should be attacked for their choice to do so.

https://www.altogetherautism.org.nz/autism-no-puzzle-nothing-wrong-with-us/#:~:text=To%20autistic%20people%2C%20the%20puzzle,the%20past%20referring%20to%20autism.

https://embrace-autism.com

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.

[nonspeakers-r-us]

It's OK to have different opinions about your Autism than the mainstream ASD community

It's OK to feel like you were benefited from your experience in ABA. It's OK to prefer the term "nonverbal" over "nonspeaking" for yourself. It's OK to prefer puzzle pieces. I know I do. It's OK to prefer "person with Autism" instead of "Autistic person". It's OK to be different. Now, what isn't ok is forcing others to conform to your preferences. If you feel the infinity symbol for Autism is better than puzzle pieces, you shouldn't be unkind to Autistic people who prefer the puzzle piece. And vice versa. This only applies to other members of the Autism community. People who don't have Autism should listen to those on the Spectrum, not what they as Allistic people personally believe is right.

Stop the fighting. Stop generalizing "all Autistic people do/prefer/like [insert thing here]". It's a Spectrum. And that's OK.

[zoobiefish]

So, I nearly missed out on Auctober again, whoops! I am now 9 days behind, woohoo 😂😅 I’m an Autistic university student, so I may not always have the spoons to commit to this daily challenge, or at the very least I may not be able to draw something for each prompt…I may have to just write a little blurb about what that day’s prompt means to me lol But ideally I would like to contribute as many pieces of art to this challenge as I can! For now though, to catch up on all I’ve missed, I’m going to make individual short blurbs for the prompts I’ve missed thus far:

Day 1: Autism Plus

For myself, in addition to being Autistic, I’ve been diagnosed with ADHD, OCD, EDNOS, and generalized anxiety. I also suspect I may have hEDS (hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome). Fun stuff!

Day 2: Infinite

The most popular symbol for Autism Spectrum Disorder to my knowledge is a golden infinity ♾ symbol (sometimes I see a rainbow-coloured one in use as well, though my understanding is that the rainbow infinity symbol is used for neurodiversity as a whole). For a long time, the infamous puzzle piece 🧩 symbol was used to represent ASD—but most Autistics HATE this symbol!! I recognize that I don’t speak for all Autistic people, but this is the common opinion on the puzzle piece symbol and the one I share as well: The puzzle piece symbol is problematic because it suggests that Autistic people are inherently “missing a piece” or that we are “a puzzle to be solved.” Plus, this symbol is used by the evil corporation Autism Speaks. I would prefer not to go on a rant right now about why they’re evil; if anyone is curious, I would recommend doing research on why Autistic people HATE Autism Speaks. But the short version is that they support eugenicist policies around Autism and seek to eradicate us from existence. They treat us as non-humans under the guise of doing “charity work”—they are absolutely NOT a charity. Do NOT support Autism Speaks under any circumstances—any supporter of Autism Speaks (or as most of us spell it, “Autism $peaks”), is NO friend of mine!

Day 3: AuDHD

This is a fun little term I’ve seen in the Autism and ADHD communities! It’s a portmanteau of “Autism” and “ADHD” in case it wasn’t obvious heh! I myself do have AuDHD; it’s a very common comorbidity! It’s certainly…an interesting experience because the two often conflict with each other, as if I have 2 wolves fighting within my brain 🤪

Day 4: Music

Music is one of my favourite coping mechanisms. If I’m understimulated or need inspiration (especially for art or writing), I’ll put on some fun, energetic music to get the juices flowing and will dance and/or pace around the room to get the energy out of my system! If I’m overstimulated, relaxing videogame soundtracks are often my go-to—especially music from The Legend of Zelda, Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing etc. Another aspect of my being on the spectrum is that my thoughts are very vivid and visual. Often times when I hear music, I can’t help but see colours, shapes, images, and even stories with characters and whatnot going along to the music. It gives me great ideas for animatics and artwork! I love this fun little bonus feature in my brain haha 😛

Day 5: Verbose

This one is rather interesting for me. I find when I feel safe around a person or I have just TOO much energy to control myself, I WILL talk—and talk—and talk—etc. I feel so bad for those who fall victim to my “infodump sessions”—but just know that if I do that to you, it’s my way of showing affection. If I talk and never seem to shut up around you…I probably really like you (platonically) 😁 Other times however, I am dead silent. This is usually around people I’m uncertain of, don’t know well enough, or I may just be burntout/too tired to talk 😅

Day 6: Individuals

As the saying goes: If you’ve met ONE (1) Autistic person, then you’ve met ONE (1) Autistic person! We are NOT a hivemind, people!! Just because I’m not like your “friend’s cousin’s aunt’s 3-year-old stepson” doesn’t mean I’m “not Autistic.” The stereotype with Autism is a white cishet dude—but we are just as diverse a population as any other demographic. We all have our differences and similarities, but we are unified in our shared diagnosis—and that’s it!

Day 7: Neuroscope

Ah yes, the “superpower” Autistic people seem to have in which we can all “sense each other” 😂😂😂 I find this to be scarily accurate actually—the majority of the people I’ve become friends with at uni turned out to be Autistic, and long before they mentioned they were on the spectrum I was able to tell. The funniest part though is that they all the said same thing about me! 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Day 8: Non-Speaking

So of course Autism is a spectrum, and among the ways in which Autistic people can differ from one another is whether we possess the ability to verbally speak or not. I do not want to talk in length about what being “non-speaking” means as I am not non-speaking myself and don’t wish to talk over those who are. What I do know though is that some of us are unable to verbally speak and may use alternative methods to communicate (whether through the use of sign language, AAC devices, or other means), which are equally valid methods of communication that deserve to be respected. Once again, I must iterate that I am fully capable of verbal speech and I am in no way non-speaking myself. That being said, sometimes I do have a reduced capacity to speak or feel it takes far more physical effort to speak when I am tired, stressed, overwhelmed, in sensory overload, or in the midst of a shutdown. This does NOT mean I am non-speaking—that label is exclusively for Autistic individuals who cannot verbally speak at all. I’m not sure what the proper terminology is for my specific situation (if anyone knows of it, I’d appreciate if you let me know in the comments!) but because of these situations, I am currently trying to learn ASL so I can still communicate in some way during these episodes.

And that’s it for now! I am hoping to have a drawing done by the end of today for Day 9, but we shall see! In the meantime, check out @autiebiographical on Tumblr! They are the one who started Auctober in the first place to my knowledge and they create amazing comics and other content that educates people on Autism Spectrum Disorder! Happy Auctober y’all!

[genderdenied]

☆ㅤfrilly ASD alt

pt: frilly ASD alt :end pt

!!ㅤ;ㅤfor : anon

﹒ ㅤdefinition :

similarly to the HPD alt posted yesterday, this is a cute frilly pink alternative flag for anybeing with ASD, because pink frills ^_^

﹒ ㅤmight make more of these alts, because everybeing deserves a cute frilly flag if they want a cute frilly flag !!

; userboxes by ghosting-plural-userboxes

; copy-pastable IDs and pt below !!

header id: A lace header, it curves downwards and is coloured with pastel pink. It has multiple outlines going dark pink, white, baby pink, dark pink. In the center is the words " frilly ASD alt " coloured white and outlined similarly :end id

divider id: A simplistic orange divider. It has an orange crescent moon on each side and is all outlined in brown, white, orange and brown again. In the center is the word " genderdenied " outlined similarly :end id

flag id: A decorated rectangular flag, it has 5 variously sized strips with different colours and patterns respectively. Going in top-to-bottom order they are: large baby pink with frilly border, medium pastel pink, small pink tinted white, medium pastel pink, large baby pink with frilly border. At the top and bottom of the flag is a strip of frilly darker pink coloured semi circles with hearts and dots decorating them. In the very center of the flag is the ASD infinity symbol coloured white with a pink tint and pink outline :end id

footer id: A lace footer, it curves upwards and is coloured pastel pink. It has multiple outlines going dark pink, white, baby pink, dark pink. :end id

userbox 1 id: A red fox themed userbox. The picture is of a red fox sleeping peacefully, tongue sticking out slightly. The text reading " This being appreciates reblogs and comments " :end id

userbox 2 id: A red fox themed userbox. The picture is of a red fox having it's head held. The text reading " DNI: Radqueer, TransID, Syscourse and NSFW " :end id

pt: for anon. Definition, similarly to the HPD alt posted yesterday, this is a cute frilly pink alternative flag for anybeing with ASD, because pink frills ^_^[joyful face]. Might make more of these alts, because everybeing deserves a cute frilly flag if they want a cute frilly flag :end pt

; tagging : @radiomogai @liom-archive

[ametistapp]

Since it's Autism Awareness Month, here's

Why the puzzle piece is offensive to the Autistic Community

[Large text: Why the puzzle piece is offensive to the Autistic Community]

Unfortunately, the most commonly used symbols to represent autism are all puzzle related, like the ones bellow.

These symbols and similar ones are typically used by Autism Organizations that are run by allistic people rather than autistic, Autism Speaks being the best-known example across the internet, but not the only one.

I'm not going to go deep into how bad Autism Speaks is, but just to leave you with the tip of the iceberg, know they used to put out ads that demonized autistic people (and even one in which one of the organization's leaders spoke about wanting to drive herself and her autistic daughter off a bridge).

Autism Speaks, and many others, attempt to "teach" people about autism, without hearing what actually autistic people have to say, and that's their biggest (but not at all only) problem.

Now, stay with me as we dive into history...

The puzzle piece was first used as a symbol for autism in 1963, by UK's National Autism Society, later on being adopted by Autism Speaks, which made it more popular.

Back then, autism awareness campaigns were viewed as being similar to, for example, cancer awareness ones, because autism was seen as an illness, a disease (which it is not).

As I've made clear before, the puzzle piece is heavily associated with organizations that spread misinformation about autism, making it, of course, already a bad symbol to represent us, but there's something I personally feel bothers us a lot more, and that is the symbolism of the puzzle piece.

The puzzle piece represents an idea of "mystery" and — you guessed it — being "puzzled".

And us, autists, don't really appreciate being called confusing.

Not only that, these words were often used to describe autism offensively in the past (and still are). And, on top of that, most times, when you find a puzzle supposed to represent autism, it is incomplete.

Isn't the message clear enough?

We're people, not puzzles that have to be worked out. We're not incomplete and we're not "puzzled".

So

Which symbols can you use for autism awareness?

[Large text: Which symbols can you use for autism awareness?]

The infinity rainbow symbol is common for all neurodivergent people, while the golden infinity is specific for ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder, in case you didn't know the acronym).

The infinity symbol represents the complexity and vastness of neurodivergence and autism.

Autism is less about "severity" and more about different struggles in different topics and areas (though not a lot of people seem to understand that, unfortunately). After all, autism is a spectrum, not a scale.

And if you're interested in why golden is the color of choice for us, that'd be because the periodic symbol for gold is Au, which I think is very clever, haha.

Some people also like to use red or plain yellow, I don't know a lot about that, but I'd recommend you research it.

And since we're on the topic of color, just a warning: in the Autistic Community we kind of avoid using blue to represent us, especially because it is heavily associated with Autism Speaks' "Light It Up Blue" movement.

Blue is seen as a representation of feelings like sadness, as well as being commonly associated with boys (this is important because women and other AFAB are often misdiagnosed and underdiagnosed because many people still think autism is only found in boys, and because many traits are viewed as "normal behavior" in AFAB people).

This isn't to say you can't use blue in the title of your PowerPoint presentation about ASD, it's just a thing we try to avoid.

Well, that should be all.

I decided to make this post because I've seen many people post about which symbols to use for Autism Awareness Month, but no one explaining why.

Thought this could help some poor lost soul understand it, lol

Happy Autism Awareness Month, my beloved Yippies, and a thank you to everyone who stopped to read <3 (heart).

Now I'm gonna go clean my search history and my gallery, just reading "Autism Speaks" gives me the ick.

[whalien-flags]

ADHD + OCD + ASD/Autistic Combo Flag

Also I forgot to post this here! It is a common combo to have and I couldn't find a flag for it for some reason! (could just have eluded me)

Colors are based off of the 3 different existing flags + the general neurodivergent symbol on top. Also, I know ASD and Autistic are not necessarily completely interchangeable but for this flag it is definitely either/or, you don't need to be professionally diagnosed to use the flag!

[Image Descriptions:

Flag on the left has 5 stripes with the color order from top to bottom being red, orange, gold, teal, and dark teal. There is an infinity symbol on the flag that has a path of different colors of the rainbow blurred into each other but is not overly bright or intense in coloring. There is a thin white outline around the infinity symbol. Flag on the right is version with no infinity symbol on it.

End of descriptions.]

[cutiepieautistic]

I made two new stim toys today,and I made two more things with some beads(which i will reblog with pictures of in a moment)

I made the autism/nd rainbow infinity symbol out of pony beads and some string,and I made a chanukah sensory jar out of assorted beads,and three rubber bands with some glitter sprinkled in for good measure. Container is just an old dice storage bottle that I emptied out specifically for this project.

The bottle has chanukah color beads and glitter,and some letter beads that spell out chanukah,I really enjoy this one! I think it turned out really well. (Blue,white,gold,and silver are the typical chanukah colors, fyi) I didn't have any gold stars;so I just used yellow instead lol. Close enough Haha.. I want to use some chanukah confetti once I get some too!

[willowshine61]

As a sufferer of OCD, I am very passionate about OCD awareness and understanding. I think there should be a symbol that represents OCD, like there is for ADHD and ASD. However, when I look up "Mental disorder symbols," the one for OCD is an image of a checklist inside someone's head. Personally, I feel like that isn't an accurate representation for ALL subtypes, and the teal ribbon for OCD awareness also has other meanings. So, I've decided to design my own symbol; one that I think truly represents all subtypes of OCD.

-The teal color is a nod to the teal ribbon

-The shield split in half represents how OCD can make us FEEL like our compulsions are protecting us or others, but they are actually hurting us.

- The chain looping around the halves of the shield in the shape of an infinity symbol represents the feeling of being trapped in a never-ending cycle of obsessions and compulsions.

Please, please, PLEASE let me know what you think of it and/or if you have any ideas to add to it or change about it. I welcome anyone with OCD who likes designing to design an OCD symbol, too. I just want there to be a symbol for OCD made and approved by the OCD community.

[disabled-sysboxes]

[TEXT ID: this system has ASD and NVLD]

[IMG ID: A medium yellow, rectangular box with the autism flag on the left - a flag with 5 stripes, a red, orange, yellow, light green, and green and a white infinity symbol in the middle - with text that reads 'this system has ASD and NVLD' on the right.]

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