#askcol

I’ve been thinking about this for a while and I think my best answer is balance and understanding. I did my best to give some tips, but also know that these are just sorta the things I thought of and my opinion and tips are obviously only one perspective.

Six Base Tips on Writing Autistic Characters

First, do your research. Research and learn not only what autism is and how it presents, but also look for personal experiences of people who are actually autistic. Get a wide range of demographics and experiences, especially because autism is on a huge spectrum.

Second, know that autism is a big part of a lot of people’s identities, but it also doesn’t have to be the main thing your story is about (and if it’s your first time writing an autistic character- probably shouldn’t be what your story is about). Autism affects my daily life. I bring headphones and stim toys with me everywhere. I block flashing light tags on social media. I have accommodations in school. Autism is a part of me and it’s a part of me I’m happy with, but it also isn’t my whole life, even if it affects my whole life.

Third, be aware of tropes and stereotypes. Don’t play into the “savior caretaker” role. Know that autism falls on a spectrum and people experience it in all sorts of ways.

Fourth, don’t “cure” autism. Just don’t do it.

Fifth, know that a lot of people are self diagnosed due to the issues regarding the diagnosis process. Your character can be self diagnosed. That is accepted in the autistic community.

Sixth, avoid Autism $peaks and ABA therapy. They’re abusive. If you want to know more about them, look up stuff advocates for autism acceptance have to say about them. They’re awful. Avoid “Autism Moms” as well. Avoid functioning labels. 

These are just some base tips. If you have any questions or if anyone wants to add anything on, feel free to. Also, if you do end up writing an autistic character, feel free to ask me to read it over if you like. I can’t promise I’ll have the time or spoons, but you can always ask, I wouldn’t be offended at all.

Other Great Resources:

(Seriously check these out, they’re a lot more in-depth and eloquent then me. Seriously, please read them. I’d rather you read these than my tips tbh)

WRITING AN AUTISTIC CHARACTER WHEN YOU ARE NOT AUTISTIC - A MASTERPOST

I’m just one person so take that as it’s worth, but I personally say absolutely.

I’ve found a lot of my own SpIns through talking with other people and learning about new things. Also, I know for me personally, a way I tend to show that I care about people by showing interest in their interests. A lot of the times I do this, I end up genuinely enjoying their interest and that can certainly evolve into special interest. 

As for creating SpIns through associations, that hasn’t happened to me personally (I think) but I definitely think it’s possibly. I’m big on metaphors, connections, allusions, etc, bc they help me relate to the world around me. I have a bunch of stuffed animals and each one is named after a specific person in my life that I connect the stuffed animal too. I think you could certainly form a SpIn in a similar way.

This was so fun and I have SO MUCH MORE to say so please ask me about Logan and autism please please please

Weighted Blanket

Yes, Logan does have a weighted blanket it and it has a Story

okay so as a child Logan got a weighted blanket bc it was recommended as something that helped autistic kids

and it helps him a lot. The weight is grounding and nice, and it helps him calm down from overstimulation

The Problem: Logan’s parents would take it away whenever he “misbehaved” (ie. meltdowns, shutdowns, overstimulation, etc)

This is v bad, considering these are the times he needed it Most

As he got older, the weight wasn’t proportionate to his own, making it not as effective

His parents refused to get him a new one, insisting that he was “too old for that”

Logan may or may not have had a meltdown over that

As a freshman in college, a new weighted blanket is one of the first selfish purchases Logan makes 

(Remember y’all: selfish does NOT = bad!! it just means doing things for yourself which can oftentimes be extremely important!!)

He still his old weighted blanket to this day, because it is Important to him and he’s not ready to part with it. He pulls it out every once and awhile just to feel it.

His new one- being the correct weight- obviously works a lot better. Logan throws it over himself whenever he needs that nice Heavy feeling. 

His partners also know to grab it if he’s overwhelmed and do so often

Other Stim Stuff

Logan didn’t grow up with a lot of stim toys past the age of 5-7 years old bc he was “too old for that stuff” so he had to improvise

He got a watch before he even knew how to read it just so that he had something to play with

Not Actually Stim Items that he would stim with included his watch, jacket strings (chewing), tapping pencils against other pencils, the nice noise when a mechanical pencil lead is soft on that one side in just the right way, pressing calculator buttons, chewing ice, flipping through books

He isn’t really introduced to the concept of things specifically made for stimming until the second chapter of Exothermic. After he is introduced boy has Good Time.

Stim Toys: marble trap, fidget cubes, keychains with beads, boondoggles, actual chews, those stone things, spinner rings, tangles

He still stims with a bunch of things that aren’t stim toys, but now he also has these

He was very hesitant to get the chews bc internalized ableism telling him that chews are “childish” and shit

He also has what I’m calling “natural stims” which I just mean, stims that aren’t with Other Things

Natural stims: Hands, Bouncing legs, Pulling hair, Chewing on inside of mouth, Watching videos of cool animals (especially ones with colors), Watching illusion like things, Humming, Groaning “Muh” sound from the back of throat, Rocking, Head shaking, Petting Trixies fur

Stims A Lot with his hands and they mean different things

a) Flappy Hands- excitement, fascination, curiosity, pleased, etc

b) Clenched Hands- frustrated, mad, upset, confused, often times mad at himself

c) Wringing Hands- nervous, overwhelmed, confused, out of place, etc

Things That Help Him

I’m interpreting this as things that help him calm down when Overstimulated/Experiencing Sensory Overloads/Meltdowns/Shutdowns/etc

His Headphones

Weighted Blanket

Space but knowledge that Someone Is There

Time

Stim (toy or natural stim)

Reminders afterwards that him experiencing these things is Okay and he is Not Less of a person for these things