‘Neural noise’ could be a hidden advantage of the autistic mind
But some research, including our own study, has explored specific advantages in autism. Studies have shown that in some cognitive tasks, autistic people perform better than allistic people.
Autistic people face ignorance, prejudice and discrimination that can harm wellbeing. Poor mental and physical health, reduced social connections and increased “camouflaging” of autistic traits are some of the negative impacts that autistic people face.
So, research underlining and investigating the strengths inherent in autism can help reduce stigma, allow autistic people to be themselves and acknowledge autistic people do not require “fixing”.
The autistic brain is different. It comes with limitations, but it also has its strengths.
@youronlyone@autistics but then 90% of the time researchers studying our strengths perform pretty dramatic gymnastics to present them as a flaw... see them turning "consistent morals and values" into "overemphasis on the negative results of their actions"
Or, an autistic who isn't afraid and/or shy to share that they are actually autistic?
Or, an autistic person who is active in the autism acceptance “movement” (if we can call it that)?
Or, perhaps, an autistic who were interviewed and disclosed they're autistic?
Maybe you have other considerations or criteria that defines “openly autistic” for you?
NOTE: Being openly autistic is a choice and is not for everyone. I think it is safe to say that we all face discrimination, stereotyping, and prejudice for being actually autistics, thus, most choose not to be open about it.
However, recently, there has been a slow growth in numbers of openly autistics, and like with most things in life, we have different criteria, definitions, and cultural considerations.
Thus, I am curious what you think, personally or maybe your immediate environment or organisation, is an openly autistic person. Or, when do you consider one as openly autistic.
Again, this is not about if an autistic person should be openly autistic or not. ^_^
@youronlyone i'm very newly diagnosed and as i look back on my life not sure i ever really masked since i had other attributes that led people to treat me badly anyway.
i have been open about my diagnosis with the few people i interact with but also not broadcasting at the moment.
also, i am debating about disclosing at work, not because i think it will improve the shitty treatment i get, but it might give me a basis for a future discrimination claim.
@RoundSparrow I understand that, I don't like memorisation because I'm bad with it. I'm more of, the more I use it, the more I'll remember it, not because I memorised it.
Another thing (although off-topic), the castle memory technique, usually attributed to memorisation. But, I don't know, for me, it's a storage technique. If I don't pull out a memory from its storage, I won't even remember it.
1 + 7 = 8, although an even number, it symbolises infinity and eternity, and us #ActuallyAutistics
13 is also special.
A Prime
An Odd
A Fibonacci number
And depending on whom you ask:
The 8th Fibonacci number
The 7th Fibonacci number
Ironically:
The anniversary of my first romantic relationship was on: 1997-07-17. It was my first love who picked that, and she had no idea what my favourite numbers are.
My height is 175 cm or 5'7.5" to 5'8.5" (depending on whom you ask).
Favourite time of the day: 07:00 and 19:00 (7pm). 19 is the 8th Prime. (There's 8 again.)
@youronlyone@autistics@actuallyautistic@actuallyadhd@autism
I was once involved with a Math Savant. He was also a sociopath and not on the Autism Spectrum.
Cold, manipulative and intellectually sexy .
When a boy tells you he’s an Ubermensch and a Master and can quite Also Spract Zarathustra it’s time to run, don’t walk, to the nearest exit .
He has a fetish for domination via Infintesimals and Set Theory .
It's the horrifying extension of the sandwich method, wherein you must "sandwich" what you actually want to communicate between two slices of vapidity, so as not to alarm an allistic.
It describes it as:
“Autistic burnout is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic life stress and a mismatch of expectations and abilities without adequate supports. It is characterized by pervasive, long-term (typically 3+ months) exhaustion, loss of function, and reduced tolerance to stimulus.” ~Raymaker et al, 2020
Typically the Autistic person in question will still have multiple demands in their life that require cognitive resources, despite having little to no resources left to give. Life goes on, as they say.
@bookstodon@bookwyrm
Did you know that if you live in the US, you can ask your #library to order #books? Budget constraints exist, but if we don't ask for our bookstores and public libraries to carry books written by #autistics for autistics, many voices are missing from the digital & physical spaces. Please consider how your requests help diversify what is available publically and keep expanding your requests to include more voices. #actuallyautistic#autism#audhd
Absolutely agree. NT librarians are also more likely to only know about well-reviewed and bestseller autistic authors like Grandin and Robison, and autism parent books, and think that's good representation.
It's not that they can't do the research, it's that the librarians doing the selection work are frequently overworked, and have limited time and a lot of pressure to make every penny count. The lowest hanging fruit is usually the mainstream stuff.
Requesting a few specific title/authors and linking to reviews can really help. Introducing resources like ASAN so they know why these voices are so important is also a plus.
Then spread the word that the books are available locally. If they don't check out, the odds of them getting more goes down because shelf space is finite.
This message is brought to you by a long time library worker who wants to see more #ActuallyAutistic authors on the shelves! ;)
A few I’ve requested at my library are Neuroqueer Heresies: Notes on the Neurodiversity Paradigm, Autistic Empowerment, and Postnormal Possibilities by Nick Walker. The anthology Gender Identity, Sexuality and Autism: Voices from Across the Spectrum and Unusual Medicine: Essays on Autistic Identity and Drug Addiction by David Gray-Hammond.