Seeing Supposedly 'neurodivergent Friendly' Creators (who Are Usually Autistic/ADHD) Stigmatize NPD,

So, I have a morbid curiosity issue but also OCD and anxiety, so sometimes, when I fall down a rabbit hole of something just a bit too creepy (especially when it comes with creepy pictures, like this schoolboy9 thing,) I find myself irrationally afraid of stupid things. Like twenty-ish minutes ago, I was afraid of seeing that schoolboy9 guy in my closet if I got up to go to the bathroom. I knew it was irrational, but I was too scared of that to get up. So here's a solution that worked for me;

Reaction content for kids under twelve.

Seriously. Azzyland, Kyutie, and Reaction Time, Azzyland and Reaction time slightly more but Kyutie does have some more adult-geared content if you'd prefer that. I just watch a couple videos and boom, I'm feeling better and I can get up and do what I need to do. I recommend it.

(Also, those merging games! I know there's a trick with Tetris, where if you see something scary you can play Tetris for a while and it helps you forget whatever than thing was, but I've never been good at Tetris. But merge gemstones games, like Candy Crush or, my favourite, Enchanted Kingdom; Eliza's Adventure, those help me take my mind off of whatever I saw. Plus they're easier.)

The fact that John Oliver is anti-autism and pro-"cure" is really disappointing.

Don't tell me you're tired too!

I have ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis) also known as chronic fatigue syndrome. People seem to think that it's just that I'm a bit tired and i often get comments like "I'm tired too" or "i think I've got a bit of that".

I am NOT "just tired"

Most people fail to understand the differences between fatigue, chronic fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome (ME), so I'll explain:

Fatigue is extreme tiredness caused by mental or physical exertion or illness.

Chronic fatigue is extreme fatigue that doesn't go away with rest and last for a long period of time usually due to a chronic illness. While not an illness in itself it is a symptom of many chronic illnesses.

Chronic fatigue syndrome (ME) is a chronic multisystemic neroimmune disease (meaning it affects a lot of stuff and lasts a long time). While chronic fatigue is the most well known symptom it is not the only one. ME/CFS can cause a wide variety of problems including but not limited to, sleeping issues, cognitive functions, muscle and joint pains, headaches and migraines, soar throat and glands, flu-like symptoms, dizziness and feeling sick, breathlessness, hypersensitivity and heart issues such as palpitations. ME/CFS can last anything between months, years, decades or even life. No matter how much you rest it doesn't go away. There is no cure and no effective treatment. It is NOT just tiredness!

I AM NOT JUST TIRED!

I have soul crushing chronic fatigue that you probably can't even imagine and it plagues every moment of my existence. I am in constant pain. My clothes hurt my skin, the light hurts to look at, the sounds make my migraines worse. It hurts to move, if i so much as breathe it feels like I'm being stabbed a thousand times. My brain no longer works correctly, i have brain fog all the time. I can't sleep no matter how badly i need it and when i do it's filled with nightmares and i wake up at 3 in the morning crying from the pain. Even if i had the best sleep of all time i would still wake up the same, more sick than i previously thought possible.

So I'll say it again,

I AM NOT JUST TIRED!

sonic sez

more character should have speech impediments &/or stutters. for me. for my specific benefit

The r slur is a nasty, nasty word and I do not understand how so many otherwise progressive people hurl it around like confetti. A lot of yall have zero solidarity with those who are intellectually disabled. You are not ""reclaiming"" it when you use it to insult someone. Be real, you just wanna use it cuz it gives you a little surge of catharsis whenever you are Big Mad. Fuck you.

Obnoxious how most anti-infantilization activism in many low support-centric autistic communities seems to rely on arguing we don't need support rather than reducing the stigma attatched to needing support.

Simply put, most anti-infantilization autistic activism I see is about how we don't need to be talked to slowly, need 24/7 care, don't need help with going to the toilet, don't need help shopping, etc. because we 'aren't toddlers'.

Which is a bad kind of activism, because, uh, many of us DO need those things. This is a fact. Ignoring it won't make it go away. And saying that only children need those things IS infantilization.

What we SHOULD be arguing is that adults who have medium to high support needs and who need help with or just can't do basic tasks, can't speak or can't speak well, need to have things explained slowly/repeatedly, etc. are still adults and deserve to be respected as such. Having higher support needs isn't childish.

No, people shouldn't assume that all autistics have higher support needs. But autistics with lower support needs also shouldn't erase those who do, when they are ALWAYS the ones most impacted by infantilization.

put spikes on your wheelchair's handles. wrap barbed wire around your cane or crutch so it'll hurt like a motherfucker if someone kicks or grabs it from under your hand. wear a personal alarm and pull the pin every time someone moves you without your consent, leans on your chair, takes a seat on your rollator, taps your hearing aid, steals your AAC device. scream for help when you're abducted. wail like you're in agony when people trip you up or knock into you. take pepper spray to the grocery store. take a knife to the club. leave cards that say "fuck you" under the wipers of inconsiderately parked cars and scratch access codes for bathrooms on the outside of the door. we are not begging for mercy, we're fighting dirty. we have to.

I know.

I know why your autistic child screams in public.

I know why they "do weird things".

I know why they repeat you.

I know why they repeat a word over and over.

I know why they dont like that food.

I know why they dont like hugs.

I know why they repeat themselves a lot.

I know why they are who they are. But you wont listen to me to help your child. Your child could thrive if you listened.

And why do I know all this? Because I'm an autistic adult.

An unpopular opinion that actually makes sense when I explain why I have it. (Well makes sense if you're not abelist)

I'm not too fond of the "I don't want to be led by the people that ate off of led paint and played in asbestos." Criticism against baby boomers.

Obvious abelism aside (the criticism is implying that baby boomers are less fit to lead because asbestos and lead severely negatively impacts cognitive functioning.)

But both of these mass disabling events are centered around a lack of knowledge that asbestos and lead has such a severe impact on cognitive functioning.

And I don't like that because many people today are also victims of a mass disabling event caused by a lack of information.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.

Up until 2013. The only fetal alcohol diagnosis that existed was Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. And it's caused by severe alcoholism in the pregnant person, and the baby tends to have withdrawals after they're born.

Back then. It was believed if you drank while pregnant, you could still get lucky, and your child can be born "completely fine".

But very recently (I think it was in the early 2000s?) People started saying "No. They're not 'completely fine'. They don't have the classic signs of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, but they're still impacted by the alcohol on the developing fetus." And it was in 2013 they realized that yes. Even "just one or two glasses" causes Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

It's estimated 1 in 10 pregnant women between the ages of 15-41 have had alcohol in the past month and 1 in 5 first graders have fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

Fetal alcohol syndrome is pretty well known. They have a distinct face shape and learning disability.

But fetal alcohol spectrum disorder can (but doesn't always) have specific facial features. Other symptoms include

Trouble with emotional regulation

Issues learning

Low body weight

Loss of coordination

Issues with empathy

Shorter height

Hyperactivity

Holding attention difficulties

And you're thinking "wow. That sounds a lot like my autism/ADHD diagnosis". Yeah. Since it's not well known in its mild forms. It's often misdiagnosed as autism/ADHD and often times the best way to know is by straight up asking your parents if there's any chance your mom drank while pregnant.

I asked my mom, and she was one of those strict "I didn't even dye my hair while pregnant because I thought the chemicals would seep through my skin and affect the baby."

But like...

Let's not make fun of baby boomers for being disabled due to a lack of knowledge? When a lot of us Millennials and GenZ are probably affected by a similar lack of information.

-fae