"there weren't as many autistic folks back in the day" oh sure your grandfather who infodumped about postage stamps and ate the exact same lunch every day was the epitome of normal
I like hearing about your autistic grandpas
here is mine. he dressed formally every day and always had blueberry ice cream with lunch
when I was a kid, my family would say, "you are so much like your grandfather..."
while you're here, look at my Lego
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saw a headline that said "nobody likes self-checkout"
but as an awkward semispeaking autistic who likes to bag my own groceries a very specific way, I actually do like self-checkout
please I just wanna leave the grocery store without being perceived
this tweet has left my normal circles, so
1. yes I know self-checkouts are a way to cut real humans' hours, I think those humans should be paid better and have more pleasant jobs (I've worked grocery for years) 2. yes I know regular lanes are accessible in different ways
sounds like a good opportunity to discuss some of the awful things I've witnessed as an autistic substitute teacher working in alternative schools that practice ABA
cn: restraint
one of the most jarring things to witness is of course the restraint
I've seen children wrestled to the ground by multiple adults at once
for "safety"
there was an elementary kid they put in a vest that was sort of like a straitjacket
another thing I've seen a lot is that an autistic child will feel distress-- maybe a classmate is absent, maybe the room is too loud-- and try to communicate the distress nonverbally
this is usually seen as "attention-seeking behavior"
I was inspired by this thread, so I want to share some of the signs from my childhood that I was neurodivergent.
Photo: One of these children is being forced into a social situation. "Go swimming with the neighborhood gang!" they told the autistic kid. "It'll be fun!"
I did not babble or speak when I was supposed to. Eventually, I began asking "What's this?" and "What's that?" but said little else. When I started to speak, I used complete sentences and formal language. I began school, and people noticed I was selectively mute.
2. Developmental Delays
Aside from speech, I also had delays in potty training and other milestones. I drank from a bottle until I was seven. I carried stuffed toys/puppets with me everywhere but school, where I was not allowed to do that.