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There’s a new tradition to autism. It’s slowly rising in on-line communities. Most individuals don’t understand it exists, however you will discover it in case you dig round on-line. It’s in every single place. t is a tradition of adults with autism in search of to seek out their voices.
Sandra Jones (2022) acknowledged, “A fast take a look at some TikTok Stats reveals that greater than 38,000 posts beneath the hashtag #Autsim or #ActuallyAutistic have greater than 200 million views.”
Fb teams and Instagram pages are innumerable. I believe this tradition is much more poignant to girls with autism. Ladies with autism are underdiagnosed, misdiagnosed, and forgotten. We’re invalidated and informed by professionals, our household, and our buddies that our diagnoses have to be a mistake. The internal world of hardship, isolation, nervousness, and desperation is ignored and belittled. But, in these on-line communities, we’ve a voice, and we discover connections with different girls with autism that see us as we’re. This can be a highly effective factor and extremely empowering factor.
The tradition of autism is a spot of security, studying, and validation. It’s a place the place a brand new language is rising to elucidate the expertise of autism. It’s a place the place the lecturers, large organizations, professionals, and oldsters’ voices are quieted and the place #actuallyautistic individuals can create their very own language. This language is the place many people have lastly begun to really feel secure and free being ourselves. On-line influencers with names from TikTok, YouTube, Fb, and Instagram are redefining what it means to be a lady with autism.
A few of my favourite pages, individuals, and teams are The Autistic Witch, Our Neurodivergent Life, The Neurodivergent Cleansing Crew, The Artwork of Autism, Neuroclastic, Sensory Tales by Nicole, I’ve Been Autistic All Alongside? And My Autistic Soul are creating a brand new world for ladies with autism. We’re free to have a voice of our personal, and even people who find themselves nonverbal can discover a voice within the written phrase. The brand new vocabulary rising within the autism group permits us to precise our feelings about many issues in a language we are able to perceive and relate to. Listed below are just a few of my favourite components of the brand new autistic vocabulary. These are simply the tip of the iceberg, however they’re examples of the language of autism.
Neurodiverse/Neurodivergent
Neurodiverse or neurodivergent describes somebody whose mind variations affect how their mind works and their habits.
Masking or Camouflaging
Mashing or camouflaging refers to overlaying up or hiding your autistic traits so you’ll be able to mix in higher with neurotypical society. Masking and camouflaging are related to most of the detrimental psychological well being signs related to autism. It contributes to despair, nervousness, and suicide. Folks with autism masks/camouflage as a result of we’re skilled from early childhood to behave regular. Social abilities coaching, ABA, and normative parenting encourage the autistic youngster to cease being bizarre and tough and study regular life abilities.
Neurotypical/ Alltistic
A neurotypical individual doesn’t have any neurodivergence. An alltistic individual is somebody not on the autism spectrum.
“Samefooding”
Some individuals with autism battle with meals aversions and fixations. The time period “samefood” refers to individuals with autism’s tendency to eat the identical meals for days, weeks, or months. I’ve at all times samefooded, however till my prognosis with autism, it was an oddity I used to be usually mocked for. The extra pressured I’m, the extra I samefood. One time I ate solely Kix cereal for 3 months. We are sometimes criticized and yelled at for this habits by neurotypicals, but it surely brings us peace and solace.
Infodumping and SpIns/Hyperfixations
Most individuals with autism have at the very least one hyper fixation or particular curiosity that’s so highly effective it’s consistently of their minds. This yr, I’m watching each episode of Star Trek over once more. The hyperfixations differ by period and kind, however they at all times eat up lots of our time and our mind energy. We love them. They’re our passions. Hyperfixated pursuits are required as a part of the autism prognosis and are clinically known as “hyperfixated and stereotyped pursuits.” Within the autistic group, they’re usually known as particular pursuits or spIns. Infodumping is the autistic tendency to start out speaking about considered one of these hyperfixations and simply hold speaking. We hate small discuss, however in case you allow us to infodump, you will discover a world of data you by no means knew existed.
Glimmers
Glimmer is a satisfying sensory delight that fills somebody with fervent ecstasy. It’s the reverse of a set off (a stimulus perceived as threatening and unsafe). A glimmer is a supply of limitless surprise and fascination. I like bones and issues that sparkle. I can stare at sparkly issues for hours. I like comfortable sweaters and yarn. These are my glimmers.
Autistic Shielding
This time period refers to radical acceptance of our autistic traits. That is while you, as an autistic individual, embrace the bizarre, odd, and atypical and reject neurotypical acceptance. Reclaiming phrases that was once used to harm and bully autistic individuals is a large a part of this. We embrace phrases like freak, weirdo, tough, and loner. We love ourselves precisely as we’re and reject any try and make us conform to alltistic tradition.
Autistic Shutdown
We’re simply overwhelmed, and typically when stimuli and life grow to be an excessive amount of, we should retreat to a spot of stillness and sensory calm. We grow to be sleepy and nonresponsive and will search quiet locations like closets.
Autistic Meltdown
Once we grow to be overwhelmed, our feelings can take over, and we’ll soften down.
Stimming, Flapping, Pleased Palms
Motion can convey us peace. Stimming is transferring our palms or physique repeatedly when we’ve lots of emotion. I stim when I’m anxious but additionally when I’m actually completely happy. When I’m completely happy, I bounce and typically flap my palms. When I’m anxious, I wring and twist my palms and rock.
Sensory Overload
When you will have autism, you expertise the whole lot in another way, and the way we expertise sensation is commonly totally different and overwhelming. When issues are too vibrant, too loud, or an excessive amount of, we frequently grow to be so overwhelmed it’s tough for us to perform. That is sensory hell or sensory overload.
