Like we're sharing a brain, but you got the better writing skills. I was most upset by the families weaponizing their kid's needs against them by supporting hate speech, and by the dismissal of any Autistic like myself. Even personal attacks that I'm lying about the community and connection I've found with Nonspeakers, how that's how I know we are neuro-family.
It breaks my heart how many Autistic folks of all presentations have been so separated from each other. We can find so much about ourselves together, like we each have different overlapping pieces of this giant spectrum. To me it's beautiful. And tapping into my experiences helps me help my clients. And it goes both ways.
Excellent piece. The part about how autism is described in terms of behaviors instead of what’s happening for someone. I wrote about autism this week as well. The way RFK Jr. likes to portray autistic people as walking stereotypes was upsetting because behaviors are adaptive.
“The hard part is that autistic people aren’t understood, supported, or accommodated. The world’s systems were not designed with us in mind, so we all have to mold ourselves to fit into everything, all of the time. That extra work is viewed as a symptom instead of being seen as the adaptive behavior that it is.
-Swinging and rocking serve a purpose: they help someone regulate their nervous system from the inside out. You’d probably do that too if it kept your brain organized.
-Wearing headphones in everyday situations helps someone calm their nervous system from the outside in. You’d probably do that too if you were sensitive to certain noises.
-Non-verbal communication helps someone tap into pathways in their brains that are easier to access. If talking was difficult, you’d do that too.”
Autistic people need a little more credit than we get. :)
Tiffy, we need more professionals reading this. Having worked in the field for over thirty years, I have felt the diagnostic criteria are too narrow and focus on what is easily seen. For some of the children I've worked with, it goes so much deeper.
Your voice, your thoughts, your message is so important.
This was excellent thank you. We need more people like you to put these ideas into words so eloquently and fight the harmful rhetoric I see everywhere, including in places that should not be welcoming it.
Always so moved by what you share Tiffy, but this one has got so many sparks going off in my mind… thank you.
I think it’s really hard for us to understand the impact of the body not responding how we ‘think / believe’ it should until we witness it up close, over time, and with an open mind… There are so many millions of messages that we are absorbing / processing from our environment that we’re not even conscious of. It never ceases to amaze me how complex we are! Bringing more awareness to this is such a great way of opening up the conversation and I always am in awe of how you do that so well for your family, and for everyone.
You didn’t just shift the frame—you gave us a whole new lens. As someone who teaches connection through reading, this mirrors everything I believe about honoring what’s under the surface.
I’m high masking. If we were going by the support needs language, I would be low support needs. I have motor planning problems. I cannot copy other people’s movements in dance or workouts. I don’t know where my body is in space and bang into things. I spill things on myself constantly. I may not experience autism exactly the way folks with more motor control struggles do, but motor planning problems etc have definitely been a life long part of my experience. This was so validating for me and I think your ideas explain and encompass all of us better than any I have ever heard.
Like we're sharing a brain, but you got the better writing skills. I was most upset by the families weaponizing their kid's needs against them by supporting hate speech, and by the dismissal of any Autistic like myself. Even personal attacks that I'm lying about the community and connection I've found with Nonspeakers, how that's how I know we are neuro-family.
It breaks my heart how many Autistic folks of all presentations have been so separated from each other. We can find so much about ourselves together, like we each have different overlapping pieces of this giant spectrum. To me it's beautiful. And tapping into my experiences helps me help my clients. And it goes both ways.
Excellent piece. The part about how autism is described in terms of behaviors instead of what’s happening for someone. I wrote about autism this week as well. The way RFK Jr. likes to portray autistic people as walking stereotypes was upsetting because behaviors are adaptive.
“The hard part is that autistic people aren’t understood, supported, or accommodated. The world’s systems were not designed with us in mind, so we all have to mold ourselves to fit into everything, all of the time. That extra work is viewed as a symptom instead of being seen as the adaptive behavior that it is.
-Swinging and rocking serve a purpose: they help someone regulate their nervous system from the inside out. You’d probably do that too if it kept your brain organized.
-Wearing headphones in everyday situations helps someone calm their nervous system from the outside in. You’d probably do that too if you were sensitive to certain noises.
-Non-verbal communication helps someone tap into pathways in their brains that are easier to access. If talking was difficult, you’d do that too.”
Autistic people need a little more credit than we get. :)
Yes, yes, yes.
Tiffy, we need more professionals reading this. Having worked in the field for over thirty years, I have felt the diagnostic criteria are too narrow and focus on what is easily seen. For some of the children I've worked with, it goes so much deeper.
Your voice, your thoughts, your message is so important.
I feel like I learn something every time I read one of your pieces. Thank you, as always, for sharing your lived experiences.
This was excellent thank you. We need more people like you to put these ideas into words so eloquently and fight the harmful rhetoric I see everywhere, including in places that should not be welcoming it.
Always so moved by what you share Tiffy, but this one has got so many sparks going off in my mind… thank you.
I think it’s really hard for us to understand the impact of the body not responding how we ‘think / believe’ it should until we witness it up close, over time, and with an open mind… There are so many millions of messages that we are absorbing / processing from our environment that we’re not even conscious of. It never ceases to amaze me how complex we are! Bringing more awareness to this is such a great way of opening up the conversation and I always am in awe of how you do that so well for your family, and for everyone.
Brilliant Tiff!
Thank you
Beautifully written and inclusive. Thank you!
Every word rings true. Eloquently written.
You didn’t just shift the frame—you gave us a whole new lens. As someone who teaches connection through reading, this mirrors everything I believe about honoring what’s under the surface.
I’m high masking. If we were going by the support needs language, I would be low support needs. I have motor planning problems. I cannot copy other people’s movements in dance or workouts. I don’t know where my body is in space and bang into things. I spill things on myself constantly. I may not experience autism exactly the way folks with more motor control struggles do, but motor planning problems etc have definitely been a life long part of my experience. This was so validating for me and I think your ideas explain and encompass all of us better than any I have ever heard.