Every autistic person communicates in our own way. Some autistic people need support to communicate, like Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). AAC is a way to communicate without talking, like using a letter board or typing on an iPad. At ASAN, we will continue to advocate to make AAC available for anyone who needs it, and make sure that autistic people are supported to communicate in the way that works best for us.

Shout out to the autistic who’s abilities have regressed as they’ve gotten older.

“You didn’t used to be like this when you were a kid.” I know please don’t remind me

"This never bothered you when you were a kid."

Yes it did. I just let it slide because I was taught that I'm "too sensitive" anytime something bothered me. But now I'm finally standing up for myself.

"You never struggled with this when you were a kid."

Yes I did. I just burned myself out in order to do it so I wouldn't be punished. But now I'm accepting myself enough to not force myself to do what I was never meant to do.

I didn't start speaking till I was three and when I did it was entirely echolalia. I was then abused relentlessly into accepting that I'm fucked up because I'm fucked up, not that I'm disabled. I was punished for showing symptoms of anything (I have lifelong physical disabilities too) and its incredible what the human mind can do under abuse.

Getting away from abuse allows people to be authentic. And sometimes that authenticity is breaking masks built to survive abuse and allowing yourself to be as disabled as you've always been. And also there's a breaking point of how long one can survive that sort of masking - I hit it at age 27 then spent seven years mostly housebound. Disability does not look linear ever but especially not when the disabled person is surrounded by abuse from birth.

reblog if you think sign language should be taught as a language in schools.

🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣

reminder: i can still hear you even when i’m non-verbal/semi-verbal. just because i can’t speak doesn’t mean you can be rude and say whatever you want

you don’t have to talk. it’s okay.

For anyone who is semi verbal, nonverbal, or otherwise struggles with speech, please know that there are people who will accept your methods of communication. There are people who won't infantilize you for using AAC, communication cards, making noises instead of words, etc. There are people who won't expect you to pick the mask up again when you stop being so 'talkative'. There are people who don't mind waiting for you to sort your thoughts, and are happy to include you in the conversation.

There are people who accept you as yourself, and I don't just mean toleration.

Autistic and intellectually disabled adults are not babies in adult bodies.

They are grown adults and deserve to be respected as such.

It doesn’t matter what level of support an autistic and/or intellectually disabled adult needs.

It doesn’t matter if they are nonverbal.

It doesn’t matter if they need to wear diapers.

It doesn’t matter if they need assistance in basic tasks like feeding themselves.

They. Are. ADULTS. You WILL respect their dignity and personhood as adults. They are not “like a 2 year old” or “a toddler in an adult body”. They are ADULTS. They may function differently than a neurotypical adult, but their disability does not alter or displace their adulthood.

Also: Always presume competence. Present choices. Encourage any level of independence and personal choice.

crankin out that hot disability meme content for my followers

[photo description: an “is this a pigeon?” meme where a man labeled “ableds” gestures at a butterfly labeled “any adaptive technology that greatly enhances the quality of life of disabled people”. a bottom quote reads: “is this the lazyness that will bring the downfall of humanity?”]

I’ve noticed some common misassumptions about autistic people and verbality, so I thought I’d share some of my experiences!

If you meet me at a social occasion, I will be talkative and you will probably be surprised to know that some days I struggle with being verbal. Here’s what I might look like on a nonverbal/less verbal day

Keep reading

I don't mean you, I mean the other kind of autistic.

I see that a lot here in tumblr-land whenever someone says, “hey, I’m autistic and I am not like that / don’t like that / take offense to that” in response to a post about “suffering from autism”, poster then turns around and says “I don’t mean you …”

Then they go on to describe ME as “that other kind of autistic”.

“the low-functioning kind, that can’t talk and have meltdowns and suffer so much” (well, I don’t suffer, but they speak as if I do)

You know, the ones that it is safe to insult or ignore because we act really strange so we aren’t really people and our opinions don’t matter (they don’t have to consider our feelings because well duh we can’t have any cause we’re not really people). You know - the “low functioning” kind that can never live alone so are a burden and it’s such a shame that people have to deal with us. And it’s always backed up by “I have a relative that is one of those and no matter what his parents try they can’t make him be normal so he is really suffering”, or “I teach/take care of that kind and no matter how many times I abuse them they still won’t act how I expect them to”. Of course they don’t call it abuse - to them taking away communication devices, toys, food, and rewards is how you get ‘them’ to do as you say; it’s not abuse, it’s “training”. Except it is abuse to the autistic. That’s why they scream and yell and stamp their feet and do all the other meltdown things. They are trying to tell you that they are being tortured, from their point of view.

You see, most of the “low functioning” autistics they are talking about are not suffering from autism, they are suffering from torture and abuse by parents, teachers, and caregivers. It’s often legal torture and abuse, but it has the same effect as if it weren’t.

The people who say these things are usually the worst abusers. Teachers and parents and relatives that see nothing wrong with locking a child in a closet to teach them how to behave, even though being locked in a closet scares the shit out of the kid so they can’t think and therefore cannot learn anything from the experience. They see nothing wrong with tying the kid’s hands down so they don’t flap and “look like a retard and embarrass me”, even though that flapping is what is keeping the kid from exploding because they have been thrust into a fast food place during rush hour and all the noise is overwhelming them. They think nothing is wrong with forcing the kid to be fully dressed at all times even though the touch of cloth is overwhelming the kid’s sensory processing disorder, because “they have to learn to live with it like everyone else”.

Denying Baby a candy that she can see, with no other reason than “it’s almost dinner time”, would be abuse. She has no sense of time, candy is for eating, and things that are in front of her are for her. She will not learn to wait, she can’t because it requires a sense of time to understand. So we don’t put the candy in front of her. The parents/teachers I’m discussing here are the ones that would put the candy out, slap her hand for trying to take a piece, then complain about how much she is suffering from autism when she has a meltdown because they tortured her. Usually they would add how rough life is for them having to deal with it.

Taking me to the mall is abuse. These same parents/teachers are the ones that say “they need social exposure” and force the autistic into social situations in spite of the autistic’s reaction. I cannot and never will be able to handle more than a few people at a time. When I was a little more capable I could go grocery shopping - in the middle of the day in an area where no one else would be shopping at that time. Put me in a place where people are close enough to touch and I will be jumping up and down squealing and waving my arms around as if trying to fly. And no amount of “desensitization” will change that. And it won’t change it for that five year old that the mother is dragging on a leash while he kicks and punches the floor, yelling. You don’t do that. It’s abuse, not “training”.

Anyway, enough ranting for now.

Next time you’re tempted to say “I mean the other, low functioning, kind that suffer from autism” just stop and admit you don’t know what you are talking about.