#autism tips

this is a pic of mine. it contains:

loop earplugs on the zipper

prescription glasses with a clip on sunglasses attachment

my public transport discount card

a pen

a glasses cloth + wet glasses wipes (which can also be used to clean my hands if needed!

wireless earbuds in case my headphones give out

tips for my apple pencil + silicon covers if i need a different texture/the sound is too loud

a sanitary pad (not for me, as i had a hysterectomy, but i like carrying one around for my menstruating friends)

a pouch with hair ties for when my hair bothers me

autism lanyard (not pictured, as i put it in after i took it)

will i use these every day? not necessarily. but it’s good to have these all in one place in a little pouch so it’s easy to throw into my bag as i use different ones for different occasions. that way i don’t have to think about all these things individually.

it might seem like common sense for some people, but i didn’t think of this until recently. so i wanted to share this in case it could be handy for other people. some more ideas for what to put in your bag under the break. you can make this as big or as small as you like so some ideas may seem a bit big

Thank you, with a protracted vowel sound around the 'an', and the same, heightened protracted vowel sound on the 'o' in you, and a quick cut off around the 'u' sound so it doesn't sound sarcastic

Then, often, you pay them a compliment in return, often to the same degree/significance as yours to them

Such as,

'Hey, I like your jumper'

'Thank you! I like yours, too'

Add a 'too' if it is about the same concept, item, inversed onto their person

Or,

'I like that little flop in your hair'

'Thank you. like how you styled yours. The curls are pretty'

Or,

'Hey, I love your artstyle'

Here, we come to a conundrum, as, unless we are in an art class, we may not know (or visibly see, often important) their art, so this is what we say

'Thank you-,'

And then, something about it to clarify, often WHY they might like certain thing

Say,

'I've been working on it. Glad you like it'

Or,

'I've been practicing colour matching'

Or,

'Interesting that you like (*this style here*). It's one that really fascinates me'

Guaranteed to help smooth conversations, improve your image in other people's perspective, and potentially, gain freinds

From years of research

Bonus tip:

If you want to make eye contact and you are struggling, look into the corner of one of their eyes, or pick an eyebrow to look at. Mimics eye contact very well without actually making it. Do not forget to look away briefly, to say, a cheek or the tip of their ear, on average, every thirty seconds, for a duration of less than half a second, before looking back, if you really want to sell it

People can be real jerks when it comes to an autistic person stimming, that's no doubt. I've compiled a list of some very low-key stims that I use every day, that I've never gotten comments on! These might not be the best for situations in which you want to verbally stim, but for random moments of the day they're nice.

(Below the cut)

starting your own cookbook.

My cooking proficiency got so much better since I switched to "take a recipe, do test run, analyze the result, annotate until it has all the notes I need it to have" method. It doesn't matter that no one else needs these details specificied, I do, if only to take care of Future Bad Brain Me.

A recipe's excerpt that’s crystal clear to neurotypical people:

Scrub thoroughly the oranges and lemon with a brush and slice them, peel and all, into thin slices.

My AuDHD ass cookbook:

Scrub thoroughly¹ the oranges and lemon with a brush and slice² them, peel and all, into thin³ slices.

¹ “Scrub thoroughly” = “under hot water, the entire surface, quickly; don’t aim to remove the protective wax, just the dirt that settled on the wax during transport/sale; a few dozen seconds per fruit max”

² They will release juice while slicing: drain it regularly.

I went to the dentist a few weeks ago and I told her I'm autistic and that causes me sensory issues that make brushing my teeth regularly harder, and she was great about it and gave me some tips!

Use disclosing tablets - you can get these on Amazon and at pharmacies. They colour your plaque so you can see where you need to brush.

Brush your teeth at night and use mouthwash in the morning - it’s better to brush your teeth at night because it’s after you’ve eaten food so your teeth are easier to get properly clean then. Obviously, if you can, brush your teeth both times, but if you can only handle brushing your teeth once a day, do it at night.

Use an electric toothbrush, if you can afford it. If you can’t brush your teeth that frequently, it’s better to use an electric toothbrush because it’ll clean your teeth better than a regular toothbrush. It’s better to get ab electric toothbrush either way, but especially if you don’t brush your teeth that often.

Get a toothbrush with super soft bristles, this will make brushing your teeth less harsh on your mouth.

If you struggle with mint toothpaste, it's ok to get a different flavour of toothpaste or just brush dry

These have helped me with my dental hygiene since, and I hope they'll help some of you guys