Day 1.      Make yourself known.  Tell the world your name and age.  Talk about your diagnosis.  Are you self or professionally diagnosed?  Do you think self-diagnosis is valid?  When did you realize/find out you were autistic?  Post a photo of yourself if you’d like.

I’m [deadname] (my first name) and I’m 16, 17 in June. I was professionally diagnosed at 8 or 9, but I wasn’t aware of it. I started doing research and found it fit me about a year or two ago, so that's when I started asking my parents about it, and I found out that’s why I had an IEP and stuff. Yes, I think self - dx is valid. You know yourself better than anyone. I found out last year or two years ago, they’ve kind of blurred together. 

Day 2.      Talk about passing and/or being out.  Are you out as autistic?  How have people reacted?  Do they treat you differently after they found out?  Do you attempt to pass?  If you do try to pass have you experienced autistic burnout from trying to pass?

I’m sort of out, and by that, I mean at school. I’ve told the girls in my grade, but not the boys. I don’t trust them. I don’t trust most of my grade in general though. I haven’t noticed a huge diffrence... but I’m so oblivious to it that it may be there and I just don’t see it. Before the diagnosis I had to try and pass, and it was frustrating. I would cry a lot. 

Day 3.      Talk about relationships, both platonic and romantic.  Do you have anyone special in your life?  Have your relationships been affected by your being autistic?  Have you found it hard to make and maintain friendships?  Do you have a lot of friends or very few?  

I’m not in a romantic relationship, and right now, I don’t need one. I relate diffrently to people than neurotypicals, so yes, they’ve been impacted. Usually I can’t tell when I’m anoying someone, so they may end up distancing themselfves from me (the people I try and become friends with) so... yeah. I have found some good friends who accept me for me and that makes me really happy, because compared to before, when I had no friends, its much better. They’re all not normal (two aren’t neurodivergent as far as I am aware, but they certainly aren’t societies definiton of normal, and two are autistic.) I really enjoy hanging out with them. 

Day 4.      Talk about your family and support.  Who in your life has helped you?  Have medical and mental health providers served your needs?  Do you feel like your family is supportive of you being autistic?

My family has done a lot for me. They’ve tried to get me as many accommodations as possible, and they’ve stormed to schools and yelled at staff before. It’s really nice when they help. My mom’s neurotypical, so it can be difficult relating to her sometimes, but she does her best. My dad is on the spectrum as well, so we have some good times together. My brother is bmy brother. He’s annoying, but he’s caring. I think they’re supportive. 

Day 5.      Talk about employment and your career.  What do you do to support yourself?  Are you on disability?  Was it hard to get or maintain?

I’m in high school, and I don’t really have a job. We usually have meetings with the teachers to talk about my classroom things at the beginning of the year. 

Day 6.      Talk about music, art, writing, and other forms of creativity.  Are you a creative person?  What do you create?  Do you include autistic themes in your creations?  Does your creativity help you to deal with your autism?

I do like to sketch. I can’t do people at all, but doing anime style helps a lot. I write a lot. I write fanfiction, little rants, and just stories I have to delve into at some point. I’ve done some things this month around for Autism Acceptance month. I think being creative does help, it’s how I decompress after a long day at school or something difficult. 

Day 7.      Talk about community.  How are you treated by your local community?  Do you participate in any online communities?  How have they reacted to you being autistic?

I suppose the main “communities” I’m in would be my school and AHG. I think I’m a part of the Autism community on Tumblr? I’m relatively new. Am I a part now? I don’t want to come in and completely mess everyone up, so I suppose I’m standing in the doorway or corner, unsure of myself and shy and quiet, having no idea of what to do. 

Day 8.      Talk about traditional media.  Have you been influenced by autism themes in the media? Have you had to correct misinformation about autistic people that others got from the media?

If by made extremely angry by “Hollywood Autism” is what you mean by influence, then yes. Most of the time Hollywood portrays Autism as something horrible and something to be eradicated, and while we may have difficulties with certain things, WE. ARE. NOT. A. DISEASE. WE ARE NOT A STAIN. WE DO NOT NEED TO BE “FIXED”. 

Autism is a part of me just as having brown hair and eye is. You can put on colored contacts and dye your hair, but underneath, I’m still a brunette and brown eyed. You can “mask” the Autism, but it’s still there, just itching to be released and explode upon the world. 

Another thing that irritates me is the Autism Moms™. I find them to be incredibly selfish. They only care about their struggles in appearing normal, in their own exaustion and their own frustrations. They don’t realize their children have lives. They don’t care that their children are beautiful, awesome children just like any other child, they care that their children aren’t NORMAL. 

Autism Moms™ irritate the hell out of me. 

I’ve had to steer others away from A$, does that count? 

Days 9 and 10 are a little different in that they have two prompts.  I know the issues that many autistic people have with autism speaks and with cure culture so for these days there is an alternative prompt should you feel uncomfortable talking about those topics.  You can answer either/both/any combination of the prompts that you wish and I’ve attempted to have the secondary prompts be more fun/lighthearted.

Day 9.      Talk about Autism Speaks.  Do you support them?  What’s your opinion about their policies? And/or  Talk about special interests.  Do you have a special interest?  What is it?  Feel free to infodump.

Frick no. They do NOT care about autistic people, they just want money and to get rid of something that isn’t “normal”. Their policies are crap and they are crap. 

Day 10.  Talk about a cure.  What is your opinion about seeking a cure for autism?  Do you want a cure?  Why or why not?  And/Or  Talk about stimming.  Do you stim? How?  What are your favorite stims?  Do you have different stims for when you are happy or agitated?

I don’t want a cure. I would lose a lot of what I am, because the things that make me different make me who I am, and I don’t want to take away the good I get from it. Honestly, I feel like a cure would be widely misused. 

Day 11.  Talk about sensory issues.  Do you also have sensory processing disorder?  What kind of clothes do you wear?  What foods do you eat?  Are you sensitive to light or sounds?  How do you deal with overstimulation?