I’m So Happy About The New Games.

I don't get why neurotypical people get so bent out of shape when autistic people want to talk about their special interests. I have to pretend to be interested in neurotypical stuff all day long, so why won't you even pretend to listen when I want to talk about sepsis or the Radium Girls?

Made a corn snake stimboard for my awesome friend @poochreon!!

Punishment for stimming is BAD.

I don't care if my blog's not popular, if this post reaches one person it'll be one more person helped. I just had a college class in abnormal psychology where the professor taught us that punishment is a workable and useful therapy to "treat" autistic symptoms such as head-banging, biting etc. What he neglected to tell the class is that those behaviors are forms of self-stimulation (aka stimming) which is necessary for most people with autism to regulate their sensory systems. Specifically the above destructive behaviors are forms of overload stimming, in which the person will turn to types of self-stimulation that blocks out whatever is causing them distress in their environment. For example, head-banging and biting cause pain and so the body is forced to process that instead of what's outside, temporarily interfering with their perception of the world to give them a reprieve. To clarify: this behavior isn't good, it's dangerous. The solution is to replace the overload stims with healthier ones, let them remove themself from the situation, and give them coping mechanisms and plans so that next time they don't have to get to overload levels of upset.

The solution is NOT to punish them for overload stimming. They are not exhibiting bad behavior, they are trying desperately to do what their body needs them to do. If you punish them and they stop overload stimming in response, it's not successful learning: it's abuse. They are not stopping because they 'see the error in their ways,' they are stopping because they are afraid of what you will do to them. All punishment works like that, but it is called for when the person does something wrong, not when they are working to do what their body needs because there is nothing wrong with that.

By the way, this is true for non-destructive types of stimming as well. Preventing any kind of stimming is abuse because it prevents people with autism's bodies from working as they should. Instead stimming needs to be accommodated and respected or, if it absolutely must be stopped, immediately replaced with an equally effective option.

To recap: punishment is designed to stop bad behavior. Stimming is not bad behavior because it is an action that people with autism need to do to regulate their sensory systems. It is abuse to punish someone without cause. Therefore it is abuse to punish someone for stimming. Instead find non-destructive stims and solutions that solve the problem without the damaging consequences.

*p.s. if someone is overload stimming they're already really upset. don't make it worse. it's common sense and so easy to do if you care about that person.*

<3 <3 <3

Final Fantasy XV

Prompto + running to his friends’ sides  (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

Bonus:

Asexual meme of the month: loving and supporting their bisexual brethren unconditionally

MEEEEEE

autistic culture is having your hands or pockets full of small found objects every time you go anywhere.

You know it was probably for the best the Terezi was some recluse who lived in the woods and ate live squirrel meat because if she actively participated in society with other teals they would have fucking necked themselves

Hey soooooo in Beauty and the Beast the rose in the glass case represents a race against time so like is Rudy dying

Oh my

Wow

Oh, Rudy

Of course

Toby, dear Lord.

Guys, I am so in love with this ship now.

Lance in the space mall episode personally saved my Life

That autism feel when a) you're so excited about something that you start getting anxious and upset whenever you think about it and b) you were taught not to stim from an early age so you don't know how to properly deal with intense emotions and because of that your excitement turns into bad feelings