Physical Touch And Autism

Physical Touch and Autism

Something I would love neurotypicals to understand is that, as with all symptoms, aversion to physical touch is a spectrum. There are some who like it, some who hate it, but there's also a very concrete middle.

What this can mean is that we don't mind, perhaps even enjoy, physical intimacy. Hugging is fine, for example. What we hate is unexpected physical intimacy.

I love hugs. I love to hug people. However, when I don't initiate said hugs, it makes me uncomfortable. Some of us simply require autonomy over our bodies, and that's okay.

I think there's a great pressure on autistic people to lie firmly on one 'end' of the spectrum in each symptom they display, but this isn't the reality. I don't speak for all of us, but if you want to know what an autistic person's views are on this kind of thing, I beg you to talk to them.

And it's not necessarily related to if we're high or low support needs either. Everyone is different. (And neurotypicals can be touch averse too! It just happens to be that I focus here on autism, where it's most prevalent.)

It's like being a cat. We show you what we need, and we love you if you can meet that. But what each cat needs slightly varies. You just have to learn.

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sourapplesnake

4 months ago

Looks like Scarlett Pavlovich, one of the women who accused Gaiman of sexual assault, has started the process to sue his ass and Amanda Palmer's ass, and get some justice.

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