April 19th-26th - 30 Days of Autism Acceptance
April 19: Talk about scripting. Is scripting something that you normally do? What kind of situations do you have a script for? Does it help you?
Yes, scripting is something I do on a regular basis. The most common example of scripting with me is how I have a plan to say โIโm good, how are you?โ every single time someone asks me how Iโm doing. Without fail, I say that exact same thing every single time since it is one of many prepared responses I have.
Scripting does help me a lot. It allows me to not have to worry as much about figuring out the proper thing to say.
April 20: Discuss stimming. In what ways do you stim? What does stimming mean to you? What do individual stims that you do mean? Do you have any stim toys? What would you like people to know about stimming?
I stim vocally, sometimes visually, and more often than not, through touching fabrics or doing repetive motions.
Stimming is a way for me to help decompress and self-regulate. However, I donโt always stim when experiencing a bad emotion. If I am overly excited or happy, I will start to stim then too. It just helps me cope with the powerful emotion Iโm experiencing (I stim mostly in accordance with strong, negative and positive, emotions).
I havenโt exactly figured this out yet. All I know is that when I made this one specific sound (itโs hard to describe), it usually means that Iโm overwhelmed in a bad way either by fear, overstimulation, et cetera. However, my most common stim, clenching my hand into a fist and shaking it kind of like you would a maraca, is something Iโve yet to place any specific thing to. It do this stim almost all the time and I donโt know why; it just helps.
Yes, I do. I have a tangle, quite a few stress balls, and a few other miscellaneous items that I like to fiddle with or touch. Additionally, I have this game thatโs supposed to mimic bubble popping. Thatโs literally all there is to it: You just keep inverting the rubber (silicone?) circles over and over. It keeps me occupied for far too long XD.
I would like people to know that stimming is an aid to us and that we arenโt doing it to annoy people. I wish that I wasnโt so embarrassed when I stim, but most people think itโs weird when you start flapping your hands and that of the like.
April 21: Give a shoutout to some of your favorite autism blogs/autistic bloggers
I am still new to Tumblr and am very inactive on here so, I havenโt really found too many autistic bloggers except for the person who created this challenge. If anyone has any suggestions for people to follow, please let me know! :)
April 22: What are some social rules that do not make sense to you/that you don't understand?
I donโt quite grasp the concept of not revealing too much to other people and I donโt understand why people donโt just say what they mean. As a person who over-shares way too much for my own good, I easily get carried away and people often get annoyed with me. I just donโt know when to stop. On the subject of the other concept, Iโd rather you tell me Iโm irritating then continue to pretend to enjoy our conversation.
April 23: Do you have any internal rules? What are they?
Well, whenever I feel the urge to stim, I have a rule to myself that when in public, I have to make it look as inconspicuous as possible as to not call attention to myself. I also have to tell myself to at least try to make eye contact every so often, not start spilling tons of information on my special interests even if theyโre mentioned, and so on.
April 24: Talk about community. What does the autistic community mean to you? Is it important? How does it feel?
I donโt know much about the autistic community as Iโm not really an active participant in it. Yes, I spread knowledge and awareness about autism, but I havenโt really done much to talk to others actually within the community. Iโm a little socially awkward and shy so, thatโs partially why. However, I still think it is a beautiful thing. The community allows for autistics, who feel alone or just need someone to relate to, to find help with their specific struggles and to find people who share similar difficulties. I think that that opportunity is a wonderful thing.
April 25: Do you know any other autistic people off the internet? Is anyone else in your family autistic or are you the only one? Do you wish you knew more?
Yes, one of my best friends, who happens to still be in high school, is autistic. I have met her in person numerous times because we grew up in the same area (she still lives there) and our parents are friends. Now, I stay in touch with her over social media and texting.
When it comes to my family, there are at least two others who are autistic. There is a male cousin of mine on both sides of my family who are autistic, but I hardly know either of them.
I do wish I knew more people who are autistic, though if I have too many friends, Iโll start to get overwhelmed. My statement still stands nevertheless.
April 26: In what ways can allistic people better accommodate you and other autistic people? What would you consider helpful?
I think the biggest thing that would help would be for people who arenโt on the spectrum to come with an open mind. Donโt poke fun at us, judge us, et cetera. Let us stim if we feel the need to, donโt make fun of us if weโre socially awkward or donโt talk at all, and just overall, be kind and accepting. Weโre human just like you.
