Sorry Babe I Can’t Come Over. I’m Arguing With The Voices In My Head About Whether Or Not They Exist

A quick guide to animal symbolism:

Animals have a long history of symbolism that varies between cultures and customs. As literary tropes develop, some animal symbolism has become universally recognised in the western literary canon. Here are some examples you can use in your writing to give subtext, develop motifs, or promote your thematic content.

🐥 Birds: freedom, hope, escape 🦁 Lions: strength, courage, royalty 🐶 Dogs: loyalty, devotion, protection 🐱 Cats: independence, stealth, mystery 🐺 Wolves: intelligence, nature, wildness 🦊 Foxes: cleverness, cunning, deception 🐍 Snakes: temptation, evil, deceit 🦋 Butterflies: transformation, change, new beginnings 🦉 Owls: wisdom, knowledge, mystery 🦅 Eagles: strength, freedom, nobility ◾ Ravens: death, mystery, the unknown 🕊️ Doves: peace, love, purity 🐻 Bears: resurrection, strength, power, new life 🤘 Bulls: virility, sovereignty, wealth

Rant

Just had an entire mental breakdon trying to figure out is Dissociative Amnesia was the same as Repressed Memories cause apparently repressed memories isnt a thing which sent me through a spiral because i thought i had repressed memories for me to find one fucking DSM article that says 'oh yeah Disociative Amnesia is basically repressed memories innit?'

IM GOING TO FUCKING LOOSE IT

“It’s never too late to start over again and to be happy.”

— Anurag Prakash Ray

making some fnv companion charms involving cute little plushies so i thought id give you guys a small itsy bitsy teeny sneak peek bc im super excited about them and really like how theyre turning out so far <3

pens scared me as a kid. a pencil that you cant erase? thats fucked up shit to do to a kid man

- All That Consumes Us

Resources

Hello lovely followers! This page is a collection of resources to help you with your questions. These are all resources that are frequently referenced on this blog. They are broken down into categories based on the subject matter. As always, if you have any questions, send us an ask!

General Autism Resources

What is Autism?

Another What is Autism?

What is Autism? (ASAN)

What is Autism? In Plain Language

Dictionary of Autism-related Concepts

Inclusive Autistic Traits

Myths About Autism

Autism FAQ

ASAN’s About Autism

Ask an Autistic (videos about autism by an autistic)

Don’t Mourn For Us

Autism Resources

Autism Masterpost

Autism 101

Self-Diagnosis Resources

DSM-V Criteria

ICD-10 Criteria

A Self-Diagnosis Masterpost

Autism Self-Diagnosis Masterpost

A Diagnosis Checklist Masterpost (contains checklists for many neurodivergencies not just autism)

Autism Does Not Reside in a Medical Report

My Stance On Self-Diagnosis

Positively Autistic: A List of (Positive) Autistic Traits

Adult Diagnosis

DSM Criteria for Autism Explained

Simplified Diagnostic Criteria

Autism Quizzes

Adult Diagnosis Series

ASD Paper Diagnosis vs. Self-Diagnosis

I Think I’m Autistic

Autism versus…

Autism vs. PTSD

Autism vs. BPD

Autism vs. ASPD

Autism vs. StPD

Autism vs. SzPD (follow-up)

Autism vs. Schizophrenia

Autism vs. Psychosis

Autism vs Social Anxiety

Shutdown/Meltdown vs. Sensory Overload vs. Panic Attack

Autism and ADHD

What is the differences between autism and ADD/ADHD?

Autism With a Side of ADHD

Differences between autism and ADHD

ADHD Self Diagnosis

Sensory Processing Topics

What Is Sensory Processing Disorder? (video)

SPD Checklist

SPD Resource Center

Understanding Sensory Processing Issues

Masterpost Sensory Differences

Sensory Sensitivities and Atypical Sensory Processing

How to Reduce Sensory Overload

Processing a Sensory Overload

Autism A-Z: I is for Interoception

Sensory Processing Disorder Resource List

Meltdowns and Shutdowns

What Does a Meltdown Feel Like?

“Shutdown” What It Is and What It Isn’t

Where I Go When I Shutdown

Anatomy of a Meltdown

Shutdown: A Specific Type of Meltdown

Autism A-Z: M is for Meltdowns

Autistic Burnout

Autistic Regression and Fluid Adaptation

“Help! I Seem to Be Getting More Autistic!”

Autistic Burnout

What is Autistic Burnout?

Autism A-Z: B is for Burnout

What is Autistic Burnout? Infograph

Echolalia

The Naked Mechanisms of Echolalia

Echolalia: That’s What She Said

Alexithymia

What is Alexithymia? (video)

Alexithymia Question

Emotional Dysfunction: Alexithymia and ASD

What Alexithymia Feels Like for This Autistic

Hyper-Empathy

Hyper-Empathy In Autistic Individuals

On Emotions, Hyperempathy, and Hypersensitivity

Hyperempathy Feels FAQ

The Intense World Syndrome- An Alternative Hypothesis for Autism

Executive Dysfunction

Executive Dysfunction

Executive Function Series

The “Joys” of Executive Dysfunction

So What Is Executive Dysfunction?

How to Live Better With Executive Dysfunction

Special Interests

What’s So Special About a Special Interest?

Special Interests

How Do I Know for Sure What My Special Interests Are?

Autism A-Z: S is for Special Interests

Stimming

Stimming 101, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Stim

What Is Stimming?

Types of Stimming

What is Stimming?

The Stimming Checklist

The High Cost of Self-Censoring (Or Why Stimming Is a Good Thing)

Where to Buy Stim Toys

Stimtastic

A Sense of Self

Fuzzwumpet

Weird Faeles

SpacerobotStudio

Ruthdoodle

Autistic Rabbit (weighted blankets)

Fidgetopia

The Fidget Shop

Fat Brain Toys

Neurodivergent Creators

The following are people from our community who create products that are helpful for autistic people such as stim toys, communication tools, and more! Check out their shops as a way to support neurodivergent creators!

PangeaMea by Francis Mark (autism, OCD, ADHD, anxiety, depression) sells stim toys, sensory friendly clothing, noise muffling beanies and headbands, padded arm protectors, and skin picking simulators.

StimForTheWin by Exo (autism and ADHD) sells tangles and fidget cubes with silicone spikes on them for maximum stimming, communication necklaces (also with silicone spikes), and marble mazes/ donuts.

StrangerDarkerBetter by Mod Sabrina (autism, ADHD, schizoaffective, PTSD, depression, anxiety) sells visual schedules and communication cards.

PieFanArt by Pie (autistic) sells mostly plush toys, art and jewelry but also weighted plushies and scented plushies!

WagglesStudio by Dailyspeal sells stim toys

Identity First Language

Identity First Language

I Am Disabled: On Identity-First Versus People-First Language

I is For Identity First Language

Why I Dislike “Person First” Language

Autism A-Z: P is for Person First

Autistic In the Workplace

Autistic in the Workplace Inforgraph

Autistic in the Workplace: Autism and Interviews

Autistic in the Workplace: Change

Autistic in the Workplace: Professional Dress

Autistic in the Workplace: Hallway Conversations

Neurodiversity and Autism Acceptance

Why Acceptance

Neurodiversity: Some Basic Terms and Definitions

Autistic Pride and What You Need to Know

Autistic Community

Welcome to the Autistic Community

Autistic Culture

A Love Letter to the Autistic Community

Defending and (Re)defining Self-Advocacy

The Social Model of Disability

Disabled Not Disordered: Autism and the Social Model

Social Model of Disability Animation (video)

Understanding Disability Models

A Social Model of Disability Analogy

What’s Wrong With Functioning Labels?

Functioning Labels Masterpost

Functioning Labels 101

Decoding the High Functioning Label

Functioning Labels Comic

On Functioning and “Functioning”

F*%$ Your Functioning Labels

More Problems With Functioning Labels

Fluctuating Functionality

Asperger’s and Autism

Why Autism $peaks is Bad

What’s Wrong With Autism Speaks

Why I am Against Autism Speaks (and you should be, too)

Updated Autism Speaks Masterpost

Boycott Autism Speaks

I Resign My Roles With Autism Speaks

A Few Selected Autism Speaks Quotes

How the “Autism Speaks” Charity Failed the Community It Set Out to Serve

What’s Wrong With ABA?

ABA Masterpost

Why I Oppose ABA as a Method of Instruction

ABA 101

Trauma and Autism

What ABA Is Like From the Point of View of a Former Therapist

Why I Left ABA

Anti-Anti-Vaccination

On Vaccines, Autism and Systemic Bigotry (masterpost)

Vaccines Don’t Cause Autism, but That’s Not the Point

Vaccines Don’t Cause Autism, but So What if They Did?

Everything Wrong With Vaxxed (video)

Leaf

You are the promise I want to keep

Until my grave weeps.

You are the language I want to learn

Until our souls become one.

You are the melody I want to dance to

Till my legs turn blue.

For, you are my dose of insanity

Leading me away from sensibility,

For, you consume my entire being,

until I dream only of you again.

For, I am the river flowing with no aim

Tirelessly waiting for you to claim

Whole of me, now in vain.

For, you are in the canvas I paint,

In the poems I write

 And The music I play.

Oh how you dominate my thoughts,

So much so that without you I am a body with no soul,

An ocean whose water overflows

And a star, bright no more.

 For, you are the ocean I want to submerge myself in

The dream I want to conquer,

The air I want to breathe,

And the arms I want to call home.

I literally 😂 Jesus thank you for the validation

One of the less noticeable but very annoying signs of DID in us is the Sudden Opinion Change.

In minor instances I can go from loving a video game and then having no interest in it and often no memory of how I felt playing it the next day.

In more common and problematic instances, it's yearning for a person and then absolutely despising them 3 hours later without interacting with them at all.

One of the reasons I believed I couldn’t be autistic for so long was due to a fundamental misunderstanding of my social struggles. This being that I am not by any means incapable of memorizing social rules. Through observation and direction I can construct a broad framework of ‘socially acceptable or not.’ For example, I’m well aware that making physical contact with someone without consent isn’t acceptable. Or that stating blunt facts in a way that implicates someone negatively isn’t allowed. I know to avoid interrupting others if they’re already talking, to not walk away when I’m in the middle of a conversation. Crying, being unusually quiet and frowning indicates sadness. Someone smiling at laughing at what you’re saying means they probably are enjoying their time with you. An increase in speaking volume indicates excitement- either positive or negative. Sarcasm is often indicated by someone saying something absurd that you know they would never say, or you know to be factually wrong.

The fact that I had learned these broad rules made me think autism wasn’t a possibility for me. But being autistic doesn’t stop you from obtaining and applying information. (I mean that’s why so many interventions that ‘treat’ autism do result in the autistic person being able to pass as neurotypical.)

The difference comes from lacking the subconscious nuances and exceptions that come with those broader rules. For example- when is it okay to actually be honest? Some people will not be bothered by physical intimacy- but how would I know this? How can you tell if a group wants you to join in with their conversation? How to tell if this person is smiling and laughing politely or genuinely? How to tell if someone who you know very little about is being sarcastic?

There are not direct, easy to apply ‘rules’ for this, and yet clearly there are ‘right’ options. When the appropriate reaction must be determined by subtle body language or small shifts in tone of voice, ones that are near impossible to teach- I become completely lost.

That’s something I always find lacking with the general social skills advice given. It’s helpful to a point, but the truth is everyone is an individual. People express themselves differently, and react to your same actions differently due to past circumstances or temperaments. There is no one set of rules you can use for everyone, unfortunately. The majority of neurotypicals, while of course having miscommunications and the like, can rely on their subconscious to parse out any subtle changes they might need to make to their demeanor for a particular situation. My brain is much less adept at focusing down broader experience/rules into unique circumstances. (This is actually something that extends past social cues for me and I might make another post talking about it because I think it’s interesting)

Anyway rant over but yeah this was a huge mental barrier to seeking out a diagnosis for a while because at some level I ( ironically enough) took struggling to understand social cues too literally…