SydBee Australia

“Vestibular sense provides information about where the body is in relation to its surroundings. This is the sense that helps you understand balance, and it connects with all the other senses.

When the vestibular system does not develop properly all other senses will struggle to function properly. Without a strong vestibular sense, kids will have no choice but to fidget, get frustrated, experience more falls and aggression, get too close to people when talking, and struggle with focusing and listening. Because they literally cannot help it.”

“Here are a few ways to support your child’s vestibular sense:

Spinning in circles.

Using a Merry-Go-Round.

Rolling down a hill.

Spinning on a swing.

Going upside down.

Climbing trees.

Rocking.

Jumping rope.

Summersaults or cartwheels.

Using monkey bars.

Skating.

Going backwards.

Swimming.

Dancing.

Wheel-barrel walks.”

Yeeting kids, spinning them, flipping them upside down, tossing them in the air, and otherwise disrupting their balance temporarily, is Important For Their Development, specifically for their vestibular sense.

We all seek proprioceptive input, leaning against walls, pushing against the steering wheel when driving, giving your body a squeeze to wake yourself up, the list goes on! When we ‘crash’ kids into soft things like pillows or beds, we’re waking their bodies up AND calming their bodies down! In other words, getting them into this super nice zone of “just right” regulation. 

When I see a child who is bouncing off the walls and can’t seem to stand still for more than a few seconds? I start wrestling with them, crashing them into pillows, giving their body the right amount of input they need to feel good and organised. And suddenly, this kid is able to sit and play attentively or do their handwriting practice. It’s amazing! If you want to know more about why the vestibular and proprioceptive systems are awesome at making your body feel good, google those two words (and sensory processing) and read through some occupational therapy websites! 

Side note: As adults, does your body ever feel jittering/jiggly/wiggly/like it needs to move or calm down but you just can’t figure out why? That’s your sensory system saying Hey! I need to feel differently in order to function better! Here’s what you can do:

Jump up and down (vestibular and proprioception)

Give yourself big squeezes (proprioception)

Place your hands on a wall and do push ups (proprioception)

Do cartwheels (vestibular and proprioception)

Get someone to give you the biggest bear hug for at least 10 seconds (proprioception and social connection, also proven to help regulate your sensory system into just right zone!)

Get a drink of water and drink it through a straw OR blow bubbles into the water (way more fun!) (oral motor input and respiration)

Have a shower or a bath (tactile)

Stretch and do exercise (vestibular and proprioception)

Eat something crunchy or chewy (like chips or gum) (oral motor input)

Listen to some music that suits your mood (auditory)

etc etc etc! I’m sure you already have a strategy that your body has figured out works for you. I personally like to chew gum when I feel like i need to eat something but I’m not actually hungry and just need that chewing sensation in my jaw. 

Tilt and move your phone three times like this”

the problem begins when this behavior is hidden, feels shameful, arouses fears of weight gain (this is a BIG one), leads to compensatory restriction or promises of “healthy” eating starting tomorrow, is the “last time,” “ruins” your diet, or is otherwise judged to be bad and wrong. disorder festers in shame and hiding and fear.

eat the thing you want when you crave it! and eat your meals, and your snacks. and when you have the extra thing/s bc your gf broke up w you, eat it openly and w relish! ice cream is always there for you! then eat breakfast, lunch, snack, and so on… and repeat as needed.

My grades slid dramatically. I was having to appeal nearly all my results with my professors, and was mercifully granted extensions by all but one of them. (Which, if you’re out there Ronald: stub your toe and step on lego for the rest of eternity.) And then our Revolutionary Cultures prof. assigned a group project, and paired us at random with our classmates. And I knew, I knew I was just going to be a dead weight so I went to my new buddy and told them we should go to the profs office and ask for her to be switched to someone else who wasn’t just going to drag them down. And my new best buddy for the rest of the semester looked at me, looked at our assigned project, and very gently started to cry as she told me “I was just about to say the same thing to you,” and then tearfully told me her mum was dying, and the only reason she hadn’t dropped out to take care of her was because her mum wanted to see her graduate. She’d been given six months and we graduated in five. Provided we finished this class. And we were both out of appeals and leniency time.

It’s probably one of my most vivid memories from the whole college experience, just sitting on the floor of the Renaissance Lit corridor hugging someone who until a moment ago had been a relative stranger known only in passing, and trying to tell them it would be okay, we’d get the paper done. And we did. We scraped a C- together between the two of us and we managed to coast over the passing mark for the class and were allowed to graduate with abysmal but passing marks.

And I still think about her all the time. Especially when I wind up in group projects for work, and it feels like no one else is shouldering any of the burden, I make a note to reach out and say “hey, you don’t seem to be engaging with this much, are you okay?”

And a lot of the time it shocks people. They’re not expecting earnest concern for their lack of interest, and you find out things like their kid is sick, their dog just died, they’ve got health issues going on, or sometimes they just don’t know where to begin with the project and didn’t want to tell you that because they were frightened of being judged or perceived as lazy when they’re just overwhelmed.

We assign roles (note taker, summarizer, facilitator, etc.). We actually give students the words they need to have these conversations. “I disagree because...” “I want to add on...” “Can I elaborate by adding...” etc.

Check if your city has this program!!!

"We're working with several partners to serve different communities around the country. @UnitedWay offers immediate assistance and access to rides at https://t.co/bNqtYzSOz9. For info on how to work with our other partners, check out https://t.co/yyaIw36gKT"

Basically... go through their links to every different agency... contact each of them... and ask each of them how to do it?

Fortunately, the United Way (which runs 211) was a little clearer.

Basically, if you're in one of these cities:

Atlanta, GA 

Austin, TX 

Baltimore, MD 

Boston, MA 

Cleveland, OH 

Cincinnati, OH 

Denver, CO  

Des Moines, IA  

Detroit, MI  

Houston, TX 

Jacksonville, FL 

Louisville, KY  

Minneapolis, MN 

Omaha, NE 

Philadelphia, PA  

Pittsburgh, PA 

Salt Lake City, UT  

San Diego, CA  

San Francisco Bay Area, CA 

Springfield, MA 

St. Louis, MO 

Tacoma, WA  

Tallahassee, FL 

Tampa Bay Area, FL 

Ventura, CA  

You can call 211, or text 898211, to ask about the program. (Tbh they'll probably make you call, to ask you a few questions so they know if you qualify.) Then they'll tell you what to do to use it.

Every website uses a language called JavaScript; long story short it’s a website language that allows developers to do the crazy shit you see on websites. Now the easiest thing to do is to disable JavaScript to stop them from knowing you have an adblocker:

Oh no! I’m blocked from viewing the website. It would be a terrible shame if I were able to right click and select the “inspect” feature

Click the three dots in the top right and open the “Settings” Menu

And then scrolled down to “Debugger” and checked the “Disable Javascript Option”

And then just refreshed the page

a neurotypical: you can’t! self diagnose! autism!!! onLy a dOctor can do that!!!

most doctors: don’t know what autism looks like in people other than nonverbal white cis boys

most doctors: recommend abusive therapies for autistic kids and teens

most doctors who specialize in diagnosing autism: refuse to evaluate adults

an autism evaluation for a minor teen who wants one: requires having supportive parents who understand that autism is not a tragedy and looks different for every autistic person, and that many autistic people can talk, have friends, do okay in school, and otherwise fake looking neurotypical

an autism evaluation for an adult: very expensive and often not covered by insurance in the U.S., also extremely difficult to get in France

an on-record autism diagnosis: can be used to deny you custody of children, to have your kids taken away, to forcibly institutionalize you

autism advocacy orgs that actually help autistic ppl like ASAN, AWN, AANE: Here are some resources for figuring out if you could be autistic. Professional diagnosis is a very personal decision and is not required for knowing that you’re one of us. We support you as an autistic person even if you don’t have a paper diagnosis.

“Are you comfortable with me ranting about my day for a few minutes?”

“Oh, this is your poetry? Would it be okay if I read it?”

“Do you mind if I use your phone for a few minutes?”

“Wow, your meal looks awesome. Could I try some?”

It will save a lot of grief, especially in a developing relationship. Eventually, with consistent “yes’s” and “no’s” you can figure out more permanent boundaries and guidelines.