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The Autisticats

5 Jul, 10 tweets, 2 min read

If you’re averse to candid discussions about bathroom topics, this thread is not for you.

For everyone else, welcome to this thread about autism and using the bathroom.

This is an important topic that is often seen as too taboo to discuss openly, but it’s vital to talk about.

What are the reasons an autistic person might eliminate waste in places other than the toilet, even if they’re “potty trained”?

I won’t be going into details about my life and the lives of other autistic people I know, but I have a lot of personal experience in this area.

Let’s look at some reasons an autistic person might be eliminating waste in inappropriate places:

1. They have an underlying medical condition that is causing them to need to use the bathroom more frequently and/or urgently

(This reason should be investigated first)

2. They’re having trouble with interoception (sensing internal body states)

3. The bathroom itself is causing sensory issues (ex. using the bathroom after swimming can be unpleasant because the seat gets wet)

4. They’re having trouble communicating when they need to go

5. They’re intentionally eliminating waste in inappropriate places, because they’re stressed out/feel overwhelmed, and are trying to regain a sense of control over their environment.

Here’s a really great article about this reason: psychologytoday.com/us/blog/peacef…

And last but not least:

6. There is a desirable sensory experience resulting from eliminating waste in places other than the toilet.

For this reason in particular it’s important to investigate what sensory aspect they’re seeking, and then try to find replacements for it.

The root causes of all these reasons boil down to 4 main factors:

1. Physical health

2. Sensory experiences and perception

3. Stress and overwhelm

4. Communication challenges

My goal in making this thread is to show everyone that this issue is not really a “behavioral problem,” even when it’s intentional.

And trying to get rid of the behavior without addressing the root cause is only going to make things worse long-term.

Aim for understanding.

The reasons I had trouble with these things when I was younger were interoception issues, social anxiety, communication barriers, and stress.

If someone had used a token chart or time-out system to “correct” my behavior (even when it was intentional!) it would have backfired.

I needed empathy, and for adults in my life to be willing to examine the root causes.

Especially when the cause was stress (usually from the ways adults were treating me due to my autistic traits, meltdowns, etc.)...

I really needed others to change their behavior.

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More from @autisticats

The Autisticats

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24 Jun

After an autistic person is officially diagnosed, their family members and friends may start noticing their autistic traits more.

This can lead to accusations that the autistic person is exaggerating for attention, being inauthentic, etc.

But that’s rarely (if ever) true.

The reason why others may notice the person “acting more autistic” is twofold:

1. Now that there’s a word to describe the person’s traits, they are ascribed to autism instead of just being seen as “weird,” and

2. The autistic person feels less pressure to mask who they are.

This dynamic is often especially present in people who were diagnosed later in life, or who have the ability to mask their traits.

I was diagnosed pretty early (between 8 and 9 years old), but I can mask my traits when I’m feeling pressured (though not always convincingly).

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The Autisticats

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22 Jun

Ableism and anti-autistic attitudes within families can have a significant negative impact on autistic people’s self esteem and mental health.

When the outside world is not accepting or safe, and home isn’t either, we have nowhere to turn.

Many autistic people are trapped.

My family has come a long way over the years, mostly due to my own stubbornness and self-advocacy.

In 2017 my dad said this to me (I wrote it down directly afterwards, so this is verbatim) when he heard me vocal stimming:

I brought it up the next day and he denied that he said any of it, but when I pushed he admitted to some of it (then defended it).

Later that year, I ordered the book “Loud Hands” (an anthology by autistic authors) and forced him to read it.

Suddenly, his behavior changed.

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The Autisticats

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16 May

During AAPI Month, it’s important to listen to the voices of AAPI individuals. For example, me! I’m Abby, Eden’s girlfriend.

First, some background: My grandmother is Korean and my grandfather is Japanese. This makes me 1/4 Korean, 1/4 Japanese, and 1/2 French Canadian.

The beginning of this month has made me think a lot about my Asian identity, and how it intersects with my neurodivergent identity.

I have never felt truly “Asian,” for a number of reasons- like my mixed race, light hair and eyes, and the assimilation my ancestors went through.

However, there is conflict between the model minority stereotype and how I behave due to autism or ADHD.

The stereotypical Asian is quiet, compliant, well put together, good at math, likes spicy food, etc.

This is the “ideal Asian”- an identity that white people constructed.

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The Autisticats

@autisticats

16 May

Autistic people’s sensory sensitivities are not “phobias.”

We are not “afraid” of loud noises, etc. for some irrational reason.

We become distressed by those things because they are causing us physical pain and overstimulation.

Let us wear ear defenders and earplugs!!

@AnnMemmott

@AnnMemmott posted a thread today about a study (link.springer.com/article/10.100…) where an autistic boy’s auditory hypersensitivity was treated as though it was a phobia.

Very unsurprisingly, the “coping skill” he chose the most was the use of earplugs.

I wonder why? 🙄 /s

Autistic people are “afraid” of loud noises in the same way that everyone is “afraid” of falling face-first into a cactus.

It’s not hard to understand at all.

When we’re exposed to loud noises we experience significant distress, and then we exhibit signs of distress.

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The Autisticats

@autisticats

8 May

If you are someone who, like me, finds it difficult or impossible to speak when you’re overstimulated:

You don’t have to keep all of your thoughts in your head just because it’s “easier.”

You’re allowed to use AAC, sign language, text-to-speech apps, etc. In fact, you should.

Yesterday I went to the mall with Abby and two of our friends. I had forgotten how busy malls can be.

One of the shops we went to had colored strobe lights inside that I had to move & look away from. Others had loud music playing. There were people and bright lights everywhere.

These stimuli weren’t a very big deal to the people I was with, but they impacted me significantly.

I could feel myself withdrawing, and losing speech.

Without me having to ask, Abby knew I needed earplugs and gave them to me. I was very grateful.

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The Autisticats

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6 May

I’m doing a linguistic ethnography for my final paper in one of my classes this semester.

I’m going to be comparing autistic people’s speech when they’re talking to other autistic people, versus when they are talking to non-autistic people.

In order to accomplish this, I need autistic people who are 18 or older to email me recordings.

You should to collect two different recordings:

One of a conversation with another autistic person(s), and one with a non-autistic person(s).

You can stop each recording after 5 minutes. The recordings don’t need to be about any specific topic, and you don’t need to censor yourself (cursing is fine, etc.)

These should be natural conversations where you talk to the other person/people the way you normally would.

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