My natural facial expressions don’t often meet the non-autistic societal expectations of what is appropriate. Because of this, I have to fake my expressions so people will recognize my feelings. This is exhausting. To be clear: I feel emotions of happiness, joy, fear, sadness, & grief. I experience empathy, but it may take me a minute to understand why non-autistics find certain things difficult.

Autistic special interests and stimming both involve repetition, self-regulation, and tapping into Autistic joy. As such, there can be overlap between special interests and stimming.

Here are some examples of how Autistic special interests & stimming may overlap: An Autistic person with a special interest in a certain animals may have a tactile stim of touching the textured fur of their stuffed animals.

Since burnt-out Autistic folks often struggle to process stress & sensory/social input, we may be prone to meltdowns & shutdowns. Our burnt-out brains have been so overwhelmed by long-term stressors that even small sensory & social triggers may bring on a meltdown or shutdown. Meltdowns and shutdowns aren’t only the aftermath of Autistic burnout. Since they are often caused by prolonged periods of sensory and social overload, multiple meltdowns and shutdowns in a row can actually be a sign that an Autistic person is headed toward a state of burnout.

Deficit: Autistics have strong attachments to or a preoccupation with unusual objects.

Redefined: We may develop bonds with items to represent our special interests or happy days and use these items to self-regulate in moments of sensory and social stress. 🧵 Deficit: Autistics fail to have normal back-and-forth conversations.

Redefined: We often enjoy social interactions in which one person (Autistic or non-autistic) takes the lead. This may shift if a conversation is about a shared special interest.

Here's a short list for Autistic traits, redefined from a deficit/symptomatic mindset:

Deficit: Autistics have abnormal social approaches.

Redefined: We socialize differently and often find socializing with one another easier than socializing with non-autistics. Deficit: Autistics take part in restrictive, repetitive movements.

Redefined: We take part in stimming in order to self-regulate, communicate our needs, and express emotions.

Since non-autistics are constantly misunderstanding what a special interest is, here's a thread about what my SpIn is and is not.

1. My special interest is a passion.
My special interest is not a hobby. 2. My special interest helps me understand the world.

My special interest is not a restrictive interest.

There is an expectation that Autistics follow non-autistic social rules in order to show that we care. Rarely does a non-autistic person express their care for
me in ways that I more easily understand. Many Autistics are accused of a lack of empathy. Perhaps we are accused of this, not because of the depth of our actual feelings, but because of societal expectations to “look” like we care.

Autistic unmasking is often talked about as if once we're Dx'd (self- or professionally), then it's a done deal.

But there's trauma. There's a lifetime of fawning in abusive and/or conflict-filled social relationships that can take years to unpack. Fawning is reacting to abusive situations by being overly agreeable/appeasing, especially during (potential) conflicts. Many Autistics find that in addition to fight, flight, or freeze, fawn is a common response.

Let's talk about "culture fit" and how it's often used against Autistic folks to push us out of the workplace. Employment access & inequality for Autistics often begins far before the first day of a job.

Most interviews center around “culture fit.” Culture fit means to seek out new hires that behave in line with an organization’s pre-established norms.

Autistics should not have to be in crisis to be considered Autistic. Seeming "less Autistic" has been on my mind. It's like, in order for Neurotypical folks to see Autism, they have to write it as a tragedy or inconvenience.

I just learned that saying "on the spectrum" is the new "high-functioning" label.

More and more, I'm thinking: Let's just say Autistic. I am a big proponent for finding ways to talk about Autism through a lens that discusses different and dynamic supports needs.

Language is key to gaining access to spaces and being able to request supports of all kinds in a broken system.

Time to step out of the deficit view of Autism for a 🧵. Let's talk about Sensory Euphoria instead.

Sensory euphoria/bliss shows us that Autistics can and do have positive sensory experiences. Sensory euphoria/bliss occurs when one or more of the body's eight senses* experiences positive hyperstimulation. Instead of going through overwhelm, meltdowns, & shutdowns of overload, the result of sensory bliss might be exhilaration, full-body tingling, & happy stimming.

Neurodivergent folks need neurodivergent mental health therapists.

Seeking to be seen and understood by a therapist who struggles to see and understand my challenges is not therapeutic. It is work. As an Autistic person, I often fall in-and-out of therapy and therapists. This is not ideal, and I don't enjoy this at all. It just is.

Why? Because I reach a point where my therapist cannot comprehend my problems, and then I become an educator in my therapy sessions.

Autistic overload can be more than sensory. In fact, there are four main types of overload:

1) Sensory
2) Social
3) Informational
4) Emotional The four types of overload can occur one at a time or at the same time, and may require different types of self-care strategies in order to recover.

I'm willing to wager that I'm not the only Autistic that's feeling increased anxiety levels as April approaches.

Autism Acceptance Month is a wild ride. And here's some reasons why: 🧵 1) Autism Acceptance/Awareness Month was not created for Autistics. It was a day, week, month, whatever that was originally designed by and for those who "speak for" Autistics.

It's a whole month during which Autistics have to fight to have our own experiences centered.

Autistics can often hear the sounds of electrical appliances that others' tune out.

It is not in our imagination. While allistic individuals may hear electrical sounds when someone points them out, they can generally ignore the sounds. This is due to habituation, or the physiological process of diminishing our responses to stimuli. Autistics, however, don't usually habituate in the same way.

Punishing an autistic person for a meltdown will not prevent a future meltdown.

Demanding answers for an autistic person's meltdown immediately after the crisis can cause another meltdown. As a kid and as an adult, I have often been made to feel at fault for my meltdowns. This led me to have cycles of meltdowns, days in a row, because my fear of upsetting people with my meltdowns would compound my other meltdown triggers.

Let's talk about stimming and synesthesia. 🧵 Music: "U" by Belle x Millennium Parade

Have you ever been given two options by a non-autistic, and you choose an option, and then you're told, "No, you should pick the other option."

This almost always causes me to meltdown and cry.

Why was I presented with two options in the first place? I'll give two examples:

Example #1: I purchased a dress from a small business. I was told I could provide 19 measurments or 3 measurements. I requested the 3 measurments option. I was then badgered for two days that I should not go with that option. I broke down in tears.

Controversial opinion that shouldn't be controversial:

Echolalia isn't random or meaningless. Echolalia is a form of autistic communication. 🧵 Most people when they look at me would have no idea that I am: 1) autistic , and 2) have echolalia.

In other words, autism & echolalia isn't a look. Here's what echolalia is, with examples:

Let's talk about task initiation. 🧵

Task initiation is hard for many autistics, whose brains may be geared toward staying in the midst of a few high-intensity interests. Task initiation is an executive functioning skill that involves knowing how to begin an activity. For many autistics, getting lost in the midst of a task comes naturally, but actually kicking off the task is the hardest part.