It will soon be Autism awareness month, that wonderful time of the year when many autistics hit their foxholes screaming "incoming", or take to their bunkers and hide.
"But why?" I hear you ask. "Surely awareness is a good thing?"
Well, obviously yes, normally, but mostly, actually, no. Not in the way this normally pans out, anyway. Because this is the time of year when everything starts getting lit up blue and puzzle pieces start making their appearance and Autism Speaks articles rear their ugly, eugenic, heads. No matter how many times the vast bulk of the autism community explain that these symbols and the organisation that they are linked to, do not bloody speak for us and never sodding will.
Pity-me mothers parade their kids to showcase how terrible their lives are, or how there isn't enough help for their darling children. Which, whilst admittedly this is true for the kids, could be highlighted in better ways. Various celebrities and sports stars come out about the wonders of being diagnosed with autism and the huge change it has made in their pampered lives and puff pieces pop up everywhere about how someone succeeded because of their autistic superpower, or how they wouldn't be where they were now without it, or how someone's a hero, for standing up for their autistic friend. And editors across the land, slap themselves on their backs for such a wonderful job of awareness and here's to the next year and then silence once again falls.
OK, I may be slightly exaggerating this, but unfortunately not by as much as you might be thinking. So many times, even within the good articles and representation, there is the implicit message that only an official diagnosis can do this for you, which is a real kick in the teeth for everyone who has as much chance of getting one of those, as of winning the lottery. That this is something that is seen in us, rather than something that we can see ourselves. And all too often, even with the good stuff, it's always accompanied by the stock, what is autism? answers, from the internet. You know, the ones that just dryly quote the highlights of our disorder, in a way that none of us can actually recognise ourselves in and certainly don't help with others seeing us.
And this is the real problem with awareness month. It's all fine and dandy trying to increase awareness. But of what? Is it the problems and struggles, the difficulty of having autistic children, or being autistic in a world without support? The virtues of finally having your eyes opened to your autistic superpower? Of how the community and others could finally rally around you.
Or is it the different stories that finally allow others to see us, or even for us to finally see ourselves after decades in the dark. That allow the friend or neighbour, or workmate to maybe stop seeing you as the weird, or creepy, or even scary, person. But instead, someone who's just different, who sees and perhaps understands the world in a way that they don't. Not superpowered, or a burden, or broken in any way. Just yourself, just autistic. The stories that lead to acceptance and not just awareness.
@bardmoss @VulcanTourist . NOT what i meant. 😈 I mean like, Self Awareness Month. . It’s not the same. They already know they’re white. They don’t know they’re Allistic.
@bardmoss @VulcanTourist . no, I don’t. . But I don’t think the Autism Awareness Months are working either, is all. One analogy would be like having French language awareness events and your participants don’t know they’re English.
a snippet from television, I don't know, two or three decades ago. It's an ad on the CBC for a comedy/fake info show by . . . blond guy, Andy somebody.
.
@CuriousMagpie The last few years have thankfully avoided the worst of it here, unlike other places from what I can gather. But yes, it can be distinctly unpleasant.
May I ask a slightly related question? The AAC image bank I use at work has an image with puzzle piece for "autistic" and I hate it. Is there any graphic symbol for autism accepted by autistic community?
@murdoc @anxiousspotato Then I heard the image was a sad puzzle piece, I thought that's so sad. So I drew my own puzzle piece in my favourite colour. It happily explores space with stars and a moon in a ufo... 👽
I do like the infinity symbol in many colours a lot, but I haven't come up with a nice image yet. Maybe I can plan to do that in april? Also, what do you think about making april here in the fediverse like we want out autism what-ever- month to look like? We could post more about our hobbies? What hints and observations or good news? 🤔 Or would it trigger you too much because it'd be in April?
Not sure how many know this, or how acknowledged it is, but found this looking up about it:
"Did you know that Autism Acceptance Month was originally called Autism Awareness Month? Over time, the focus of the month isn’t just about making people “aware” of autism, but more on the acceptance of autism.
The month kicks off with World Autism Awareness Day, which was originally founded by Dr. Bernard Rimland in 1970 after his own son was diagnosed with autism. The first Autism Awareness Month was held in April 2007 with the goal of educating people on autism and raising awareness of its existence.
Since then, the movement has occurred yearly, with a new goal—to tell the stories of autistic people. Autism Awareness Month now aims to cultivate understanding and acceptance of autism, which includes the wants, needs, struggles, and triumphs of autistic people."
By the way, yes Autism Speaks sucks. As does their hero William Shatner who has attacked autistic people who dared try to inform him they suck (he even hates anyone who uses #actuallyautistic). And their awful 100 Day Kit for Parents (advertised on Sesame Street and such) which encourages parents to grieve for loss of the "non-austistic child" they thought they had. And compare autism to leukaemia... Bleh.
@Carnivius Indeed. They might as well revert back to calling us changelings and using magic to try and deal with us. Minds carved from ignorance and fear.
@davey_cakes I'm reminded of this book "I Wish My Kids Had Cancer: A Family Surviving the Autism Epidemic" by some dickwad Michael Alan in 2008. I wonder what his kids think about that today.
@Carnivius I think the first I ever heard of Autism Speaks was in a Chris Packham doc about autism and he immediately recognised their approach as a bit fucked up. All about making kids mask up and act as "normal" as possible.
Kept hearing bad things since too but fuckin hell, the bad things keep coming.
@davey_cakes Autism Speaks likes to claim they're a lot better now than when they made this 2009 video (which William Shatner at first claimed was a fake). But all I've seen is evidence (like that 100 Day Kit) that they haven't really progressed much at all.
Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen.
@davey_cakes @Carnivius I have a disabled daughter; we're both autistic. I have a tiny slivver of sympathy for the idea of greiving for my non-disabled daughter — probably not in the way they mean.
I wish she didn't have to deal with the ME, the PTSD, the EDS and even *in a way* the autism, because her life is harder because of all these things.
But the autism is what makes her, her. The "harder" comes from dealing with everyone else. I love her autistic self; she's just like me…
You're autistic - but what does that really mean?Welcome to the ultimate guide to understanding who you are and what it means to be autistic!In this fully illustrated graphic guide to what it means to be autistic and discover the differences between …
@Carnivius That sounds like a horrible choice of words. Grief and mourning for a life you thought you’d have is an ordinary reaction, and a key part of accepting what your life actually is, but framing it as grieving the loss of a theoretical child is just awful.
It seems to me that “autism awareness” has the same issues as most “awareness” campaigns — “adversity porn” that turns people into spectacles and stereotypes. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, as usual. 🙄
This week I attended Business Without Barriers, the UK's largest conference and trade show around disability. Whilst there is so much stigma around neurodivergence, this event was so full of positivity, education, and amazing people, I thought it worth sharing, as often positive stories can get lost. I went on day 2, and even as an #actuallyautistic person, I learned so much from listening. I highly recommend. Also, took 3 people from my company too. Now taking learnings back to push for implementation of some great initiatives naidex.co.uk/naidex-agenda-202…
I've got to say that we are so lucky in Ireland that this narrative has changed and Autism Awareness month really has become more about teaching the public properly. I still hear a lot of complaints about how it's done in UK and US but hopefully it will change.
@niamhgarvey I fear for the states, yes. I think the vile industries that profit from us will only get more powerful and the conversation is going to revert back to whether people have the good kind of autism, functional and capable of working, or the bad.
My sister, who is also ND, but successful, is kicking me out basically onto the street, in this month of Autism Awareness/Acceptance. It is impossible to reason with her, or even talk to civilly.
I just left a reply to a prospective "intentional community" I'd like to be a part of, when they noted they didn't respond to any of my requests bc I didn't include any references. I had to explain that I'm autistic, and tend to become very isolated when shit gets bad 1/2
But that's not the original parody. I did find a similar site, but it almost endorses that nasty hate group, so I'm not going to link it, even though it's kinda funny.
If anyone has a screenshot, please post it. I wonder how that (then) kid is doing now.
@Tooden @anxiousspotato when I first bought fimo, the first thing I tried to make was an infinity badge. It was a thing from the Aspies for Freedom forum. Someone suggested it as a way to recognise fellow members, so I made one. It got a little burnt when I had to bake it.
No one else made one 😅
It fell off the clip in Asda, and I got distressed and had to go back into the store and retrace all my steps until I found it. I still have it, I'll see it I can dig it up.
Speaking of AFF, does anyone remember the Neurotypicalism Speaks parody a teenage member of the forum made? They were 14 iirc. Everyone there enjoyed it, and then #autismspeaks threatened the kid with legal action. They threatened to sue a 14 year old autistic child over a parody site.
I saw it and it was funny and harmless. I'm going to see if an archive version is avaliable anywhere.
That's the kind of group they are. It always makes me rage when I see books with endorsements or even intros from that nasty group. Why would anyone from the autistic community want anything to do with them?
I totally agree with what you are saying BUT I do see an improvement in Ireland- much more focus on own voices. Just last week I was interviewed in the Irish Times about being autistic. Whereas the Guardian and BBC were praising a writer Suzanne O'Sullivan about her book on over-diagnosis. UK and Ireland have very different approaches to autism awareness month. Here's my interview: irishtimes.com/life-style/peop…
@niamhgarvey The language to explain my life. Such a brilliant and true way of describing it and what a wonderful article. It just goes to show what can and should be done. ❤️
@niamhgarvey No, not really. What there is tends to be about much younger people and even the good interviews and pieces, always seem to want to add the stock definitions of autism, which isn't always helpful and maybe comment on how it's on the increase, without, of course, just giving the obvious reason why. It's definitely better, but still biased away from self-diagnosis.
@niamhgarvey I think it reflects how a lot of people, including obviously those who set policy, just don't know how to think about this. In their lifetimes, it's gone from "rain man", or mad scientist, to bloke next door. Hence, I think, why some seem to prefer viewing it as something that is being over-diagnosed and almost a fad normal people are latching onto. In their minds it takes things back to what it should be, what it used to be. It takes time for the new, to become normal and different countries are travelling at different rates, if they are being allowed to travel at all.
@adelinej I think it is largely because Ireland's national autism charity AsIAm was set up by autistic people and is mostly run by autistic people, and they are widely politically active and also involved in communities through their autism friendly towns initiative, where locals get trained in autism. Whereas the UK's autism charity is still a bit stuck in old medicalised ways.
I've got 2 sons with PDD-NOS, the eldest has ADD and can hardly read, write and do math, the youngest has ADHD and can learn well. Two opposite characters, two opposite treatment methods needed and a husband who rejected them, ( which led to divorce) made it impossible for me as a single mother without a job to give them the necessary care they needed. At a young age ( 7 and 9 years old) they were ( after a “fight” on my part not to have them put in a regular psychiatric institution and lack of support from family) admitted to a family substitute home, which worked with the principles of Rudolf Steiner's anthroposophy. Now they are adults, almost 40 and 36 , they have become wonderful grown men, with the oldest still in 24/7 care, the youngest almost entirely self-sufficient living with his girlfriend. The toughest decision I had to make in my life and the hardest fights finally turned out to be the best I ever did.
This whole topic made me make a list with 31 question... I wanted to make a nice paper for them, but got distracted...
Anyhow here's the list. I'd be very happy if someone helped me to fix wording or such ... Here's my ideas: ---------------------------- 1. What is your current hobby(special interst)? 2. Tell us a thing you like about your autism? What do you like about yourself? 3. What is you favourite stim? 4. How would you explain autism to someone who never heard about this? 5. Let's invent new autism logo's, because we don't want to be puzzle pieces. Share your ideas and drawings! 6. What was an occasion where you felt able to unmask and be yourself around others? 7. What is a funny or curious fact you learned from pursing your hobbies (special Interests)? 8. Have you ever been praised for being honest? 9. What would your perfect day look like? Dreaming allowed, doesn't have to be realistic! 10. What's the thing you struggle with most being autistic in everyday life? Are there workarounds that help you? e.h. headphones against noise? 11. I want to make a link-list, so ... What websites do you recommend to learn about autism? 12. Are you late-diagnosed? 13. What is a skill you can do very well? Do you think, it is because you are autistic? 14. Let's make a image! What makes you happy? Drawing stick figures is perfectly fine! 15. Share a piece of advice about how people tic and why. What did life teach you? 16. As a child, what were your hobbies? What toys did you like to play with? 17. Sometimes one feels like one does not belong in with world... Would you like to meet aliens? What would you do, if you did? Alternatively, would you like to travel in space? 18. What tools and tricks help you get along in everyday life? Share your experience? 19. Do you have a favourite plush toy? Let's share cute images! 20. Who has treated you unfairly because of your autism? Let's write them an angry letter, (you don't have to send it...) 21. Who has been surprisingly accommodating to you and why? How did you feel about that? 22. What would your perfect vacation look like? Would you like to travel and see other places or stay at home? 23. What's the best thing about the actuallyautistic hashtag? 24. What kind of research would you like to see about autism? What things are you most curious about and/or what research would be most beneficial for you? 25. What helps you to regain energy? 26. Silly task: Are there foods you like or dislike to eat? Let's draw them with funny faces! 27. What do you do, when energy runs low? What strategies help you through the day? 28. Have you ever been abroad? How does being in a different culture compare to being autistic for you? 29. Do you have a favourite stim toy? Share an image and tell us how you obtained it! 30. What makes you happy about being autistic? 31. What would you like to share with your fellow neurodiverse fellows here on the fediverse? Feel free to post!
It usually goes without saying, but please be kind to each other in the comments, this should be a positive experience. Thanks. Also, of course, only post and share what you are comfortable sharing with others online. Have fun! 😀 --------------------- Think that would be fun? 🙃 😀
I think this should have a hashtag. We could use #AutismApril or something in combination with other hashtags like: #actuallyautistic or #autismacceptancemonth to make the questions&answer toots searchable?
Looking forward to read your answer, and of course I'll write an answer to the questions as well. 😀
@someodd Sorry, I made a bit of a mess of your gopher forum. I kept replying to the wrong threads. It took me a while to realize that the reply links were at the tops of the threads, not the bottom.
@Shawn Hooper (he/him) There's still a surprisingly active gopher community. I've known about it for a bit, but I only really took the plunge into it recently.
!Friendica Support Whenever I see a post with an "invalid" (e.g.: gemini, gopher) link, there doesn't appear to be a way to see what the original link was short of hopping over to the post on the originating server. Is there some way I can get this information from my local server? Being able to copy it to clipboard so I can open it with an appropriate client would be nice.
AFAIK we have got a setup where we can define valid links, but for this I have to look into the code. Possibly @Hypolite Petovan knows this out of his head?
Yeah that's always the case. We like to cook fish and it's the same the whole house smells afterwards. But I do love my fish and I'm partial to a homemade burger too.
#Android phone: Human, a call is coming through! Me: fumbles with phone Phone: did you mean to pull down the notification shade? Me: NOOOO!!! Phone: Here are all of your notifications for you to peruse while listening to your ringtone becoming increasingly frantic! Me: No, no, no! Just let me answer the phone!!! <swipes up frantically> Phone: Yes, sir, I will let you scroll up to view more notifications! I know you certainly were not trying to dismiss the notification shade, considering how important that is at a time like this. Me: NOOoOooOOooo!! Get away, let me answer the call! Ahhhhh!!!!
Oh, my goodness, this struggle is very real! Especially when you go to your phone app and it just shows the dialer while it's still ringing so you have to dive back into the notifications again and by that time the war is lost.
Hot take: Pirating music is MORE ethical than using Spotify. The artists don't get paid either way, but at least piracy doesn't support exploitative corporations.
My partner wants to share a sewing pattern on the internet somewhere. She's not trying to sell it, just have it in a place where people can get it. Is there a thingiverse/printables type place for sewing stuff (that is also free to post things on, and is also not "run your own website")?
things that are not this: - freesewing.org (neat, but does not appear to be a place intended for people to upload their own things) - artisans.coop, etsy, other similar sites (these are storefronts, she literally just wants to share a file, the same thing 3d printing people do with thingiverse) - a git forge (I... guess you *could* do that? is that a thing people do in practice?)
@emily, blinkenlight witch I do not have an answer to this question, but am interested in what comes of it because that seems like it would be a fantastic resource.
@artcollisions @freesewing neat, but seems targeted toward specifically clothing, and also not really a place that expects people to upload new things?
@Granny Art (Shrimp) (Joni) I don't know yet, but I've been toying with the idea of making my own clothing for a while now. So far the most complicated thing I've made has been a pen roll.
including those mentioned on sozowhatdoyouknow.blogspot.com… (I read the latest article from that blog today, just after I had seen this post 😀 )
and honestly, these days I'd recommend *also* posting them on one's own website, in case any platform they are on gets enshittified, but it would be great to have some place like that to both post and *look for* patterns.
It's that time again: time to clean my #BaystateBlue #FountainPen. How many times do you think I'll have to run it through the ultrasonic 'till the water stops turning blue?
Admiral Hopper is an inspiration. The last gate between my LAN and the WAN is always named “hopper” in her honor (and because the pun is kind of irresistible).
@theruran thinking also of Admiral Rickover, an abrasive genius who did what he wanted the way that he wanted to, and the Navy gave him whatever he asked for because they had nothing to gain and everything to lose by getting in his way
Learning to sew was decidedly one of the best investments of my time in recent memory. I was just able to mend a jacket that I really love. It's perhaps not the neatest stitching job ever, but it's pretty secure again and not in a paricularly visible spot.
The cost? A little bit of thread and about a half hour of my time, versus buying a whole new jacket that I probably wouldn't like as much. I'll take that deal any day.
For some reason I can't SSH from my laptop to my #Gitea server via its public interface. It just keeps timing out. It's only the laptop having this issue; my tablet and phone are doing this just fine. I was finally able to push my commits by sending them directly over the LAN instead. I've tried resetting the VPN on the laptop, but it's still not working normally.
I am officially confused.
Edit: Mystery solved. I forgot to pay my VPN provider... again.
@Kofi Loves Efia The HTTPS connection is fine. It's the SSH connection that's not working. A certificate issue would tjrow a warning. Also the fact that it works from other devices is supremely confusing.
That's the public IP your laptop is showing. I was wondering if the three machines are showing different addresses. Typically one would get the same external address for VPN on all three. If for some reason the laptop is getting one that's different, that could explain why you can't get there.
I recently upgraded to the latest version of Friendica (I hadn't noticed there was an update until yesterday) and now when I see a post on my timeline from one of the less popular services (e.g.: BookWyrm) there is no longer an icon in the corner of the post linking me back to the source. There used to at least be an icon for the protocol with a link back to the source post. Is there no way to find this now?
Edit: The problem turned out to be that some of the icons weren't visible against my theme's black background.
Edit 2: Changing the theme and then changing it back fixed the problem for some reason.
@Michael Vogel I tried to share an example of one that wasn't working and found my problem. It was a black icon displaying on a black background. It's there; It's just not visible. I'll have to change my theme.
A common problem on updating web applications is that the browser still might have old data (images, CSS files, ...) cached. Usually a forced reload (Ctrl-Reload or Cmd-Reload) will help in that case.
@M.Scheriau @Michael Vogel I do not believe this to have been a caching issue (at least not on the part of the browser) as the previous icons were not SVG format. I imagine it was a bug in the database migration that changing the theme resolved.
"When newly widowed Elsie is sent to see out her pregnancy at her late husband's crumbling country estate, The Bridge, what greets her is far from the life of wealth and privilege she was expecting.
Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen.
Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen.
there’s also Double-Height Line Top Half (3) and Double-Height Line Bottom Half (4) which can be used as a poor man’s make-your-own-emoji (screenshot from Terminal.app)
Yesterday, after more than four decades of frustration, I finally learned to solve a Rubik's cube. Not content with just that, I decided to get creative today. This was harder than I expected.
Edit: apparently it's *way* easier to do this from a solved cube than the way I was doing it. I feel less accomplished now. 🙃
Assuming you're not just making a joke, you are going to be amused when you find out the simple 3 move method of replicating that pattern.
(I'm assuming you used a cube solving method to create that classic pattern. That would involve a lot of moves, and a lot of visual confusion as your end goal colors are swapped around for the edge pieces.)
@Isaac Ji Kuo @Jonathan Lamothe Yeah, I just used the same solving method. It ended up being harder because instead of just lookong for matching colours, I had to think about what the opposite ones were.
"Let me put this in terms that even the most ideological libertarians can understand. Say you think there should be precisely one regulation that governments should enforce: honoring contracts. For the government to serve as referee in that game, it must have the power to compel the players to honor their contracts. Which means that the smallest government you can have is determined by the largest corporation you're willing to permit."
Called for a tow to take our disabled car to the mechanic. The muffler was dragging on the ground. Not only did they not send a flatbed (which they're now having to dispatch) but the snow under the car has melted and re-frozen so the still somewhat attached muffler is lodged in a block of ice...
First piece of positive news all week, the part that was dragging was a heat shield, not the muffler. It's probably not as bad as we thought. Waiting on the verdict from the mechanic.
The mechanic's trying to price out replacement parts for us. In the meantime, since the car is still technically driveable, we've taken it home. Hopefully, he'll be able to get us a good deal.
In the meantime, I take some solice in the fact that some people pay a lot of money to get a car that sounds like this one.
@Parker51 Better. The previous crisis (of which this was a part) has been tentatively dealt with. There's still work to be done, but I'm in a much better place mentally.
"When newly widowed Elsie is sent to see out her pregnancy at her late husband's crumbling country estate, The Bridge, what greets her is far from the life of wealth and privilege she was expecting.
Edit: Thought it would be less concerning to those who'd seen this post to edit rather than delete. I promise I will seek help if of becomes necessary.
Very familiar with anxiety and panic and here to talk to if you ever need it.
Only good advice is also the most obvious: Take time for yourself. Don't force yourself to do things when you know you can't. The exhaustion builds up and takes a toll. People are generally very understanding in my experience.
@uoou There are some rather urgent things that need my attention, but I'm going to take a day to collect myself before I address them. I wouldn't be doing anyone (myself included) any favours if I attempted to solve this in my present state.
![screenshot of a terminal window, running `printf` with a string that contains the `[ESC] e # 6` escape sequence. The resulting text is printed twice as wide than usual.](https://social.jlamothe.net/photo/preview/640/6431801 "screenshot of a terminal window, running `printf` with a string that contains the `[ESC] e # 6` escape sequence. The resulting text is printed twice as wide than usual.")
VulcanTourist
in reply to Kevin Davy • • •Kevin Davy
in reply to VulcanTourist • • •I'm British, it's all in the understatement. 😀
Goiterzan/Amygdalai Lama
in reply to VulcanTourist • • •.
of coarse we need to start Allism Awareness Month
Bernie Spookily Does It reshared this.
Lukewarm Flystalker 🇨🇦🇧🇧🇲🇽🇬🇱
in reply to Goiterzan/Amygdalai Lama • • •Sure! We'll put it right next to White Pride Day and Men's Day.
Goiterzan/Amygdalai Lama
in reply to Lukewarm Flystalker 🇨🇦🇧🇧🇲🇽🇬🇱 • • •.
NOT what i meant. 😈
I mean like, Self Awareness Month.
.
It’s not the same. They already know they’re white. They don’t know they’re Allistic.
Lukewarm Flystalker 🇨🇦🇧🇧🇲🇽🇬🇱
in reply to Goiterzan/Amygdalai Lama • • •Ah. So we need to explain to them what they are? And you think they're going to hold still while we tell them that?
Goiterzan/Amygdalai Lama
in reply to Lukewarm Flystalker 🇨🇦🇧🇧🇲🇽🇬🇱 • • •.
no, I don’t.
.
But I don’t think the Autism Awareness Months are working either, is all. One analogy would be like having French language awareness events and your participants don’t know they’re English.
Lukewarm Flystalker 🇨🇦🇧🇧🇲🇽🇬🇱
in reply to Goiterzan/Amygdalai Lama • • •Uphill battle, my friend. But if you have the spoons, go for it!
Goiterzan/Amygdalai Lama
in reply to Kevin Davy • • •.
Short answer, yes! 😈
autistics.life/@punishmenthurt…
Goiterzan/Amygdalai Lama (@punishmenthurts@autistics.life)
Autistics Life CommunityAlien Vs Breadator
in reply to Kevin Davy • • •Kevin Davy
in reply to Alien Vs Breadator • • •Thank you 😀
I’m a frayed knot. ⛑️
in reply to Kevin Davy • • •Kevin Davy
in reply to I’m a frayed knot. ⛑️ • • •Thank you 😀
Kevin Davy
Unknown parent • • •All so true. There is far too much about us and far too much industry involved and not enough us simply being ourselves.
TraceyThekla 🎨 Rolandelli
in reply to Kevin Davy • • •Kevin Davy
Unknown parent • • •The last few years have thankfully avoided the worst of it here, unlike other places from what I can gather. But yes, it can be distinctly unpleasant.
Anxious Potato
in reply to Kevin Davy • • •Murdoc Addams 🧛🏻 🇨🇦
in reply to Anxious Potato • • •reshared this
Urban Hermit reshared this.
marionline
in reply to Murdoc Addams 🧛🏻 🇨🇦 • • •@murdoc @anxiousspotato
Then I heard the image was a sad puzzle piece, I thought that's so sad. So I drew my own puzzle piece in my favourite colour. It happily explores space with stars and a moon in a ufo... 👽
I do like the infinity symbol in many colours a lot, but I haven't come up with a nice image yet. Maybe I can plan to do that in april?
Also, what do you think about making april here in the fediverse like we want out autism what-ever- month to look like? We could post more about our hobbies? What hints and observations or good news? 🤔 Or would it trigger you too much because it'd be in April?
Murdoc Addams 🧛🏻 🇨🇦
in reply to Kevin Davy • • •Not sure how many know this, or how acknowledged it is, but found this looking up about it:
"Did you know that Autism Acceptance Month was originally called Autism Awareness Month? Over time, the focus of the month isn’t just about making people “aware” of autism, but more on the acceptance of autism.
The month kicks off with World Autism Awareness Day, which was originally founded by Dr. Bernard Rimland in 1970 after his own son was diagnosed with autism. The first Autism Awareness Month was held in April 2007 with the goal of educating people on autism and raising awareness of its existence.
Since then, the movement has occurred yearly, with a new goal—to tell the stories of autistic people. Autism Awareness Month now aims to cultivate understanding and acceptance of autism, which includes the wants, needs, struggles, and triumphs of autistic people."
From: transitionabilities.com/world-…
World Autism Acceptance Month 2025 - Transition Abilities
Transition AbilitiesKevin Davy reshared this.
Carnivius
in reply to Kevin Davy • • •Kevin Davy
in reply to Carnivius • • •Different instances have different character limits.
Carnivius
in reply to Kevin Davy • • •Darn. That's cool though.
By the way, yes Autism Speaks sucks. As does their hero William Shatner who has attacked autistic people who dared try to inform him they suck (he even hates anyone who uses #actuallyautistic). And their awful 100 Day Kit for Parents (advertised on Sesame Street and such) which encourages parents to grieve for loss of the "non-austistic child" they thought they had. And compare autism to leukaemia... Bleh.
Bernie Spookily Does It reshared this.
Kevin Davy
in reply to Carnivius • • •Indeed. They might as well revert back to calling us changelings and using magic to try and deal with us.
Minds carved from ignorance and fear.
Davey
in reply to Carnivius • • •@Carnivius
"encourages parents to grieve for loss of the "non-austistic child" they thought they had. "
Jesus fuckin Christ.
Not every day is a picnic but if anyone suggested I do that about my kid I'd fucking deck them.
Carnivius
in reply to Davey • • •@davey_cakes
I'm reminded of this book "I Wish My Kids Had Cancer: A Family Surviving the Autism Epidemic" by some dickwad Michael Alan in 2008. I wonder what his kids think about that today.
goodreads.com/book/show/633016…
I Wish My Kids Had Cancer: A Family Surviving the Autis…
GoodreadsBernie Spookily Does It reshared this.
Kevin Davy
in reply to Carnivius • • •Hopefully they've disowned him.
Davey
in reply to Kevin Davy • • •@Carnivius I think the first I ever heard of Autism Speaks was in a Chris Packham doc about autism and he immediately recognised their approach as a bit fucked up. All about making kids mask up and act as "normal" as possible.
Kept hearing bad things since too but fuckin hell, the bad things keep coming.
Kevin Davy
in reply to Davey • • •Carnivius
in reply to Davey • • •@davey_cakes Autism Speaks likes to claim they're a lot better now than when they made this 2009 video (which William Shatner at first claimed was a fake). But all I've seen is evidence (like that 100 Day Kit) that they haven't really progressed much at all.
youtube.com/watch?v=9UgLnWJFGH…
- YouTube
www.youtube.comFish Id Wardrobe
in reply to Davey • • •@davey_cakes @Carnivius I have a disabled daughter; we're both autistic. I have a tiny slivver of sympathy for the idea of greiving for my non-disabled daughter — probably not in the way they mean.
I wish she didn't have to deal with the ME, the PTSD, the EDS and even *in a way* the autism, because her life is harder because of all these things.
But the autism is what makes her, her. The "harder" comes from dealing with everyone else. I love her autistic self; she's just like me…
Franchesca
in reply to Carnivius • • •google.nl/books/edition/Being_…
Being Autistic (And What That Actually Means)
Google Booksreshared this
Bernie Spookily Does It reshared this.
Gregly, but unemployed
in reply to Carnivius • • •@Carnivius That sounds like a horrible choice of words. Grief and mourning for a life you thought you’d have is an ordinary reaction, and a key part of accepting what your life actually is, but framing it as grieving the loss of a theoretical child is just awful.
It seems to me that “autism awareness” has the same issues as most “awareness” campaigns — “adversity porn” that turns people into spectacles and stereotypes. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, as usual. 🙄
Mind Shambles
in reply to Kevin Davy • • •Naidex Agenda 2025
NAIDEXKevin Davy reshared this.
danimo 🏳️🌈
in reply to Kevin Davy • • •Kevin Davy
Unknown parent • • •😊
Kevin Davy
Unknown parent • • •Kevin Davy
Unknown parent • • •Kevin Davy
Unknown parent • • •Flatbush Gardener 🌈
in reply to Kevin Davy • • •Kevin Davy
in reply to Flatbush Gardener 🌈 • • •All too often.
Niamh Garvey
in reply to Kevin Davy • • •Kevin Davy
in reply to Niamh Garvey • • •Niamh Garvey
in reply to Kevin Davy • • •Kevin Davy
in reply to Niamh Garvey • • •mrpieceofwork
in reply to Kevin Davy • • •My sister, who is also ND, but successful, is kicking me out basically onto the street, in this month of Autism Awareness/Acceptance. It is impossible to reason with her, or even talk to civilly.
I just left a reply to a prospective "intentional community" I'd like to be a part of, when they noted they didn't respond to any of my requests bc I didn't include any references. I had to explain that I'm autistic, and tend to become very isolated when shit gets bad 1/2
Kevin Davy reshared this.
mrpieceofwork
in reply to mrpieceofwork • • •Kevin Davy
in reply to mrpieceofwork • • •Kevin Davy
Unknown parent • • •Silver Arrows
Unknown parent • • •@Tooden @anxiousspotato
Article about it: archive.ph/0toCT
Unfortunately I can't find a snapshot of it. There's this:
web.archive.org/web/2008013112…
But that's not the original parody. I did find a similar site, but it almost endorses that nasty hate group, so I'm not going to link it, even though it's kinda funny.
If anyone has a screenshot, please post it. I wonder how that (then) kid is doing now.
NT Speaks
web.archive.orgSilver Arrows
Unknown parent • • •@Tooden @anxiousspotato when I first bought fimo, the first thing I tried to make was an infinity badge. It was a thing from the Aspies for Freedom forum. Someone suggested it as a way to recognise fellow members, so I made one. It got a little burnt when I had to bake it.
No one else made one 😅
It fell off the clip in Asda, and I got distressed and had to go back into the store and retrace all my steps until I found it. I still have it, I'll see it I can dig it up.
Speaking of AFF, does anyone remember the Neurotypicalism Speaks parody a teenage member of the forum made? They were 14 iirc. Everyone there enjoyed it, and then #autismspeaks threatened the kid with legal action. They threatened to sue a 14 year old autistic child over a parody site.
I saw it and it was funny and harmless. I'm going to see if an archive version is avaliable anywhere.
That's the kind of group they are. It always makes me rage when I see books with endorsements or even intros from that nasty group. Why would anyone from the autistic community want anything to do with them?
#fckautismspeaks #BoycottAutismSpeaks
Niamh Garvey
in reply to Kevin Davy • • •Here's my interview: irishtimes.com/life-style/peop…
Niamh Garvey on being diagnosed with autism at 34: ‘You suddenly get the language that explains your life’
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Kevin Davy
in reply to Niamh Garvey • • •The language to explain my life. Such a brilliant and true way of describing it and what a wonderful article. It just goes to show what can and should be done. ❤️
Urban Hermit reshared this.
Niamh Garvey
in reply to Kevin Davy • • •Kevin Davy
in reply to Niamh Garvey • • •No, not really. What there is tends to be about much younger people and even the good interviews and pieces, always seem to want to add the stock definitions of autism, which isn't always helpful and maybe comment on how it's on the increase, without, of course, just giving the obvious reason why. It's definitely better, but still biased away from self-diagnosis.
Niamh Garvey
in reply to Kevin Davy • • •Kevin Davy
in reply to Niamh Garvey • • •I think it reflects how a lot of people, including obviously those who set policy, just don't know how to think about this. In their lifetimes, it's gone from "rain man", or mad scientist, to bloke next door. Hence, I think, why some seem to prefer viewing it as something that is being over-diagnosed and almost a fad normal people are latching onto. In their minds it takes things back to what it should be, what it used to be.
It takes time for the new, to become normal and different countries are travelling at different rates, if they are being allowed to travel at all.
AudhdDespiteNoisyAbleism 🇨🇦
in reply to Niamh Garvey • • •@niamhgarvey Do both of you have an idea/hypothesis why your countries are different?
And Niamh why there is now an improvement in Ireland?
Kevin Davy
in reply to AudhdDespiteNoisyAbleism 🇨🇦 • • •Niamh Garvey
in reply to AudhdDespiteNoisyAbleism 🇨🇦 • • •Wilhelmina58
in reply to Kevin Davy • • •Kevin Davy
in reply to Wilhelmina58 • • •I'm glad they were able to get the help they needed and it just goes to show how different we all are.
marionline
in reply to Kevin Davy • • •This whole topic made me make a list with 31 question... I wanted to make a nice paper for them, but got distracted...
Anyhow here's the list. I'd be very happy if someone helped me to fix wording or such ...
Here's my ideas:
----------------------------
1. What is your current hobby(special interst)?
2. Tell us a thing you like about your autism? What do you like about yourself?
3. What is you favourite stim?
4. How would you explain autism to someone who never heard about this?
5. Let's invent new autism logo's, because we don't want to be puzzle pieces. Share your ideas and drawings!
6. What was an occasion where you felt able to unmask and be yourself around others?
7. What is a funny or curious fact you learned from pursing your hobbies (special Interests)?
8. Have you ever been praised for being honest?
9. What would your perfect day look like? Dreaming allowed, doesn't have to be realistic!
10. What's the thing you struggle with most being autistic in everyday life? Are there workarounds that help you? e.h. headphones against noise?
11. I want to make a link-list, so ... What websites do you recommend to learn about autism?
12. Are you late-diagnosed?
13. What is a skill you can do very well? Do you think, it is because you are autistic?
14. Let's make a image! What makes you happy? Drawing stick figures is perfectly fine!
15. Share a piece of advice about how people tic and why. What did life teach you?
16. As a child, what were your hobbies? What toys did you like to play with?
17. Sometimes one feels like one does not belong in with world... Would you like to meet aliens? What would you do, if you did? Alternatively, would you like to travel in space?
18. What tools and tricks help you get along in everyday life? Share your experience?
19. Do you have a favourite plush toy? Let's share cute images!
20. Who has treated you unfairly because of your autism? Let's write them an angry letter, (you don't have to send it...)
21. Who has been surprisingly accommodating to you and why? How did you feel about that?
22. What would your perfect vacation look like? Would you like to travel and see other places or stay at home?
23. What's the best thing about the actuallyautistic hashtag?
24. What kind of research would you like to see about autism? What things are you most curious about and/or what research would be most beneficial for you?
25. What helps you to regain energy?
26. Silly task: Are there foods you like or dislike to eat? Let's draw them with funny faces!
27. What do you do, when energy runs low? What strategies help you through the day?
28. Have you ever been abroad? How does being in a different culture compare to being autistic for you?
29. Do you have a favourite stim toy? Share an image and tell us how you obtained it!
30. What makes you happy about being autistic?
31. What would you like to share with your fellow neurodiverse fellows here on the fediverse? Feel free to post!
It usually goes without saying, but please be kind to each other in the comments, this should be a positive experience. Thanks.
😀
Also, of course, only post and share what you are comfortable sharing with others online. Have fun! 😀
---------------------
Think that would be fun?
🙃
AudhdDespiteNoisyAbleism 🇨🇦
in reply to marionline • • •@marionline I love your idea! Let’s make this month OUR month and not their. Will answer to the questions later!
@actuallyautistic
marionline
in reply to AudhdDespiteNoisyAbleism 🇨🇦 • • •@adelinej 😆 Yes! Exactly that!
I think this should have a hashtag. We could use #AutismApril or something in combination with other hashtags like: #actuallyautistic or
#autismacceptancemonth to make the questions&answer toots searchable?
Looking forward to read your answer, and of course I'll write an answer to the questions as well. 😀