Autball

2) No, not every person who still uses either of those terms is automatically an Aspie Supremacist or otherwise bad person. There are many reasons why people may still use it, and believing that they are superior to other Autistics and/or all of humankind is only one possibility.

Some things: 1) Please do not bash personality disorders, bipolar disorder, or other forms of neurodivergence by saying those are the “real reasons” these people are shitbags. Throwing other NDs under the bus to get the heat off of Autistic people is not Neurodiversity Paradigm friendly.

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball. 1: A red, angry person stands outside a big fancy building labeled “Polite Society,” while four autistic people (Orange/Dark Orange, Light Blue/Blue, Yellow/Gold, and Light Green/Green) walk away. Red shouts, “And stay out!” Light Blue/Blue says, “Well what now?” Light Green/Green says, “I have an idea…” 2: The group now stands together outside of a building labeled “Club Autistic” holding Autism Cards. Light Green/Green holds out their card to a bouncer (Magenta/Purple) and says, “Hello, can we come in? We have autism and we’ve been called ou- …I mean, unfairly persecuted because of it.” The bouncer replies, “Nope, read the sign. No shitbags allowed.” Said sign reads, “Shitbags not welcome.” 3: Same scene. Light Green/Green says angrily, “But we’re autistic! That means you HAVE to give us a pass!” The bouncer replies, “HA! No, you’re shitbags who also just *happen* to be autistic, but ‘shitbag’ is a *choice* that no one has to accept.” 4: Same scene. Light Green/Green asks the bouncer, “Well then where are we supposed to go??” The bouncer replies, “I don’t know, you might have better luck over there.” They point to a building off in the distance labeled “Aspie Supremacy HQ,” where there is a Blue/Green autistic person waving and shouting, “You’re just misunderstood geniuses!”

A gold credit card-style card with big letters that read “AUTISM CARD.” Fine print at the bottom reads: Disclaimer - Not valid as an excuse for harmful behavior, including but not limited to: abuse of any kind, sexual harassment/assault, N*zi sympathizing, bigotry, or driving whole countries into the ground. Void where prohibited.

Better read the fine print on those things before you start waving them around. #autism #autistic #actuallyautistic

Can Social Skills Ever Be Neuro-Affirming? Column 1: WHAT THEY USUALLY DO: Shame ND ways of thinking, feeling, playing, and socializing; Frame NT ways as the right way and ND ways as the wrong way; Target ND kids; Aim to assimilate NDs into neuronormative culture; Tell NDs they have to do this in order to make and keep friends; Train people to worry more about what others think of them than their own wants and needs; Teach masking; Set NDs up to now know what real friendship is and get taken advantage of. Column 2: WHAT THEY COULD DO: Validate ND ways of thinking, feeling, playing, and socializing; Frame ND ways and NT ways as equally valid; Teach both NTs and NDs about each other; Present it as an optional way to more safely navigate neuronormative culture; Tell NDs that true friends will like them for who they are; Promote self-acceptance and self-advocacy skills; Teach ABOUT masking and the risks that come with it; Help NDs spot the difference between real friends and fake friends

#autism #autistic #actuallyautistic #adhd #audhd #neurodivergent #socialskills #neuroaffirming

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball. 1: A yellow/gold adult stands at a kitchen island as a pink/magenta teenager enters the room wearing a green backpack. Yellow/Gold asks, “Hey, how was your first school day with ADHD meds?” Pink/Magenta replies, “Sorry to disappoint, but I didn’t feel anything different. I guess they just don’t work for me.” 2: Yellow/Gold says, “Aw, bummer. I’ve heard it can be life changing, I was hoping you could get some relief.” Pink/Magenta, now holding the backpack, says, “Yeah, no, I got nothin’.” 3: Pink/Magenta smiles and says, “In other news, we got easy work all day, my teachers were a lot nicer to me, and the other kids were way less annoying than usual, so it was still a good day.” Yellow/Gold looks back with raised eyebrows. The backpack is now on the counter. 4: Pink/Magenta, while rubbing their chin with a pensive look, says, “Like, a WEIRDLY good day.” Yellow/Gold, with narrowed eyes and a knowing smile, says, “Hmm, yeah, so weird.”

Must be a coincidence. 👀 #adhd #audhd #adhdfunny

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball. 1: A Magenta/Purple figure looks out the window at a yellow school bus pulling away from their house and says, “<Sigh> Finally. Kids are back in school.” 2: Close up of Magenta/Purple, with a smile and one raised eyebrow, who says, “And you know what that means…” 3: Two smaller figures (Orange/Red and Light Blue/Blue) stand with big excited looks on their faces and raised arms, with colored spotlights in the background and confetti coming down on them, and they say, “We get the fun places all to ourselves again!” 4: Magenta/Purple looks at the two smaller figures and says, “What should we do first?!” Orange/Red and Light Blue/Blue excitedly reply, “Trampoline park! Museum! Pool! Disney World!”

Homeschoolers’ delight. #backtoschool #homeschooling

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball. 1: A green adult says to a light blue/blue child, “I’m sorry, you’ve used up all your screen time for the day.” The child looks angry and replies, “Well if you don’t give me screens right now I’m gonna break all your stuff!” 2: The adult stands with hands on hips and says to the child, “Excuse me?! Making threats to get what you want is completely unacceptable! Wherever did you learn such a thing??” 3: Close up of the child surrounded by four thought bubbles containing memories of things that were said to them: If you keep throwing that ball in the house I’m going to take it away; If you don’t clean your room you’re not going to that party this weekend; If you keep acting up then I’m going to send you to the principal’s office; If you don’t finish all your work then you don’t get recess. 4: The child asks the adult, “Is that a real question?” The adult looks like they’ve been called out.

You, all right?! I learned it by watching you! #autism #autistic #adhd #audhd #pathologicaldemandavoidance #oppositionaldefiance

4 panel cartoon by Autball. 1: A white box at the top reads, “FIRST…” Three figures sit behind a long desk with a sign that reads “School Standards People” on it. Person in the middle says, “They’re gonna have to know how to write essays in college, so we should prepare them by teaching it in high school.” 2: White box at the top: THEN… Person in the middle: They’re gonna have to know how to write essays in high school, so we should prepare them by teaching it in middle school. 3: White box at the top: NOW… Person in the middle: They’re gonna have to know how to write essays in middle school, so we should prepare them by teaching it in elementary school. 4: White box at the top: COMING SOON… Person in the middle: They’re gonna have to know how to write essays in elementary school, so we should prepare them by teaching it in pre-school. Person on the right: Uhh, most of the can’t even spell yet. Person in the middle: Then they’re behind! They should have prepared for that already!

TEACHING a thing is not the same as PREPARING for a thing. Teaching it earlier just means you’re teaching it earlier, and at some point, “earlier” becomes developmentally inappropriate. #prepcreep

The words “HAPPY FLAPPY PRIDE MONTH” are colored like the Progress Pride flag, and “Love, Autball” appears just below. Eight Happy Flappy characters encircle the text, and each one is colored like a different Pride flag. From top left: Agender, LGBTQIA+, Nonbinary, Intersex, Pansexual, Bisexual, Transgender, and Asexual.

I know I'm late, but...🌈❤️
#happypride #doublerainbow

Part 5 of a 5 part series about the ways harmful practices are being made to sound more appealing and how to spot the differences between helpful and harmful approaches. #autism #autistic #gestaltprocessing #nonspeaking #nonverbal #aac #actuallyautistic

A white box at the top reads: FAKE COMMUNICATION SUPPORT. A red adult sits at a table with a blue/purple adult and a green/blue child. The red adult says to the other adult, “Communication is so important for reducing frustration and challenging behaviors (which are so hard on the rest of us!), so let’s see what we can do to get them talking.” On the table are only two options: a binder labeled “Speech” and a binder labeled “PECS.”

A green adult sits at a table with a blue/purple adult and a green/blue child. The green adult says to the child, “Communication is human right, and you deserve to be heard. We’re gonna try all the respectful methods of communication available to us until we find what works best for you.” On the table are several options: Picture Cards, Speech, a letterboard, a pen and notepad, Sign Language, and an AAC device.

Communication support is a desperately needed thing for so many autistic people and their families. Unfortunately, many places that claim they can offer it are not delivering in the well-rounded, neuro-affirming way they should. #communicationisahumanright

Part 4 of a 5 part series about the ways harmful practices can be made to sound appealing and how to spot the differences between helpful and harmful approaches. #sensoryprocessing #autism #autistic #adhd #audhd #actuallyautistic

A white box at the top reads: FAKE SENSORY DESENSITIZATION. A red adult stands with a green adult and says, “We make them touch stuff they don’t want to over and over again while rewarding them for tolerating it and punishing when they don’t. And eventually, it just doesn’t bother them anymore!” They are watching a teal adult using hand over hand to make a pink/magenta child touch a lumpy pile of pink stuff. The child is looking away with a blank look and thinking, “Dissociating, suppressing distress, no reaction makes it stop sooner…”

Panel 2 A white box art the top reads: REAL SENSORY DESENSITIZATION. A Yellow/Green adult is talking to a Red/Orange adult. Y/G: Huh. You know how I’ve ALWAYS had to have something on my feet at all time for years? O/R: Yeah. Y/G: Well suddenly I don’t. O/R: Cool. What’d you do? Y/G: Nothin’. Just happened.

When sensory issues are disruptive to a person's life, sensory desensitization can sound like something that might help. But reducing sensitivity isn’t really a thing you can do TO someone. At least, not without inducing a trauma response or two. #sensorydesensitization

Part 3 of a 5 part series about the ways harmful practices can be made to sound more appealing and how to spot the differences between helpful and harmful approaches. #frustrationtolerance #autism #adhd #audhd #pathologicaldemandavoidance #actuallyautistic

A white box at the top reads: FAKE FRUSTRATION TOLERANCE. A red adult says to a green adult, “So we frustrate them on purpose a bunch, refuse to let them out of the situation, then tell them to breathe and rate the size of their problem while they’re too upset to think straight, until they just get used to feeling frustrated.” In the background is a pink adult and a magenta/purple child, sitting cross-legged and blowing on pinwheels together. The child looks angry and thinks, “Am I performing ‘calm’ right? Because I feel as frustrated as ever and I really just wanna hit something!”

A white box at the top reads: REAL FRUSTRATION TOLERANCE. A yellow/gold adult is pushing a magenta/purple child in a stretchy swing and says, “I’m NOT gonna frustrate you on purpose because I know that dysregulation is cumulative, so that would be counterproductive. As we naturally come across frustrating situations, we’ll figure out your triggers, learn to recognize what it feels like in your body before it’s too big to handle, and find the regulation strategies that work best FOR YOU.” The chid asks, “Even if I really just wanna hit something?” The adult replies, “Sure! We can find a safe outlet for that energy!”

Building frustration tolerance is another popular recommendation for ND kids that *sounds* like a very worthwhile goal. But you don’t get better at feeling frustrated by spending more time being frustrated. You just get more f*cking frustrated.

It’s kinda the worst.

Part 2 of a 5 part series about the ways harmful practices can be made to sound more appealing and how to spot the differences between helpful and harmful approaches. #autism #autistic #adhd #audhd #pathologicaldemandavoidance #oppositionaldefiancedisorder

A white box at the top reads: FAKE SELF-REGULATION. A red adult, speaking to a Green adult, says, “We have many different ways of helping them learn to suppress their distress behav- <ahem> I mean, ‘self-regulate.’ There are lots of coping skills we can talk AT them about, we can ignore or punish their outbursts and give rewards when they use a skill, and even seclusion and restraint can teach self-regulation when used properly!” Behind them are a poster that asks, “What’s Your Zone?,” a poster with four breathing exercises, and a door with a small window that bolts shut from the outside labeled “Calm Down Room.”

A white box at the top reads: REAL SELF-REGULATION. A Light Blue/Blue adult sits with a Green/Yellow child on a couch and says, “Self-regulation develops naturally out of safe co-regulation with a trusted adult. I’ll model regulation skills myself when I’m dysregulated, and I’ll be there to validate and guide you through your big feelings and hard times, so you can learn through experience how to safely navigate all that stuff.”

Self-regulation skills for kids are all the rage right now. I mean, who wouldn't want that? Problem is that these people think self-regulation is just a set of skills you can teach someone, or that kids will magically develop them if you ignore them long enough. #selfregulation #coregulation

Yes, by all means, thanks for asking!

Part 1 of a 5 part series about the ways harmful practices are being made to sound more appealing and how to spot the differences between helpful and harmful approaches. Big thanks to Autism Level UP, Neurowild, and Kieran Rose-The Autistic Advocate for letting me include their work in my cartoon!

A white box at the top reads: FAKE NEURO-AFFIRMING. A Red figure stands with a Light Blue/Blue figure and says, “Oh no, we don’t target things like eye contact and hand flapping anymore. We know how harmful that can be for individuals with neurodiversity. We even got rid of our puzzle piece stuff! But e still focus on *other* stims, and social skills, and tolerating distress, and sensory desensitization, and…” Light Blue/Blue looks skeptical. Behind them are three posters: one about Whole Body Listening (open eyes, open ears, closed mouth, quiet hands, and calm feet); one that reads, “They say I’m neurodiverse, but I say I’m perfect,” and has a rainbow infinity symbol on it; and one about the ABC’s of Behavior (Antecedent, Behavior, Consequence).

A white box at the top reads: REAL NEURO-AFFIRMING. A Yellow/Gold figure stands with a Light Blue/Blue figure and says, “We aim to help a person understand how their particular brain and body work, and how to work *with* that instead of against it, and how to accommodate themselves and advocate for their needs in a world not built for them, and basically just make sure they know that it’s okay to be different.” Light Blue/Blue looks pleased. Behind them are three posters: one about Bumper, A Whole Body Learner (What do you look like when you are learning?) by Autism Level UP; one that reads, “Beauty in Diversity - All Brains, All Bodies, All Humans,” featuring a diverse group of people, by Neurowild; and one about the Four A’s of the Advoc8 Framework (Agency, Autonomy, Acceptance, and Authenticity) from Kieran Rose, The Autistic Advocate.

The language of the Neurodiversity Paradigm is soooo hot right now. But you can’t just pop some neuro-word in place of “autism” and call yourself “Neuro-affirming.” That’s the low-hanging fruit of #neurodiversitylite. #neuro-affiriming #neurodiversity #actuallyautistic

A bingo card with rainbow colors across the top of the card behind the B-I-N-G-O, 24 white squares, and one rainbow colored square in the middle. A title card reads “Words Commonly Used to Deny Needs BINGO.” BINGO squares contain the following: Resilience; Frustration tolerance; Make yourself a smaller target; School refusal; They just need to learn to…; That’s just part of their <insert diagnosis>; Low-functioning; Self-regulation; We don’t do that here; Prepare them for the real world; You’re smart enough to…; Independence; (Middle space, rainbow colored) FREE INVALIDATION TRAUMA; High-functioning; Attention seeking; Non-preferred activity; Needs better coping skills; You don’t have to let it bother you; Grit; Lack of resources; Fine; Self-soothe; Tantrum; Oppositional Defiance Disorder; Doesn’t meet criteria.

How many have you heard? #autism #autistic #adhd #audhd #neurodivergent #disability

😂😂

1: Two ND figures (one Green/Blue and one Red/Orange) sit at a picnic table. A yellow figure holds a large bowl of potato salad. G/B: Oh, no thanks, I don’t like raisins in potato salad. 2: Same scene, but Yellow is gone. R/O: Babe, you can’t just say you don’t like it. G/B: Why not? It’s the truth. And how will they know for next time if I don’t tell them? R/O: No, I get it, it’s just… 3: SS. R/O: They assume you must hate their cooking AND them if you don’t make some kind of excuse that’s not about them. Like, ‘I’m doing keto’ or 'I’m just so full.' Stuff like that. 4: SS. G/B: But that’s a lie. R/O: Yeah, I know. They kinda prefer lies to the truth if it means protecting their feelings. 5: SS. G/B: Hang on. Is this just how your family is about food or how most of the world operates? Because that would actually explain a lot. R/O: Definitely not just my family. 6: A purple figure holds a plate of hot dogs. G/B: Um… Uhhh… no thanks, I don’t...eat dogs? R/O: Maybe your way is better.

The truth shall…get you in trouble a lot of the time. #autism #autistic #actuallyautistic #adhd #audhd #autistichumor

NOTE: I’m not endorsing the things in the “positive” column any more than I am the “negative” column (except maybe diagnostic dance partner, because it’s just fun). It is strictly for demonstration purposes, and it is meant tongue-in-cheek. Toxic positivity and supremacy don’t help anyone either.

Yes, the "positive" column is full of snark, and apparently I was relying too heavily on people picking up on that because I've had several comments like yours. 🙂 Will add a clarifying note.

Infographic by Autball entitled: IS THAT REALLY NEUTRAL, OR ARE YOU JUST USED TO IT? The first column (over a red background) is headed by black text that reads: So normalized that people *think* they’re neutral but actually NEGATIVE TERMS. This is followed by a list of terms: disorder; deficit; dysfunction; symptom; co-morbidity. The second column (over a yellow background) is headed by black text that reads: Normalized negativity makes people *think* they’re positive but actually NEUTRAL TERMS. This is followed by a list of terms: natural variation; difference; neurodivergence; trait; co-occurring condition. The third column (over a green background) is headed by black text that reads: Sometimes unnecessarily so but actually POSITIVE TERMS. This is followed by a list of terms: the next step in human evolution; gift; sunshine and rainbows; superpower; diagnostic dance partner.

"Normalized" is not the same thing as "neutral," and trying to shift negative attitudes with neutral language is not "overly positive." Here’s a handy dandy (and snarky) graphic for anyone whose frame of reference could use some re-centering. #Autism #autistic #ActuallyAutistic #Neurodiversity

1: A Light Blue/Blue figure says, “Hey, so if you could not describe your Autistic person as your ‘ASD child/partner/client,’ that’d be greeeaaat. Autism isn’t a disorder, and we’re not disordered people.” 2: A Yellow/Green figure enters: Yeah, and don’t call it a disability either. We’re not disabled! LB/B: Actually, autism IS a disability. Plus, ‘disabled’ isn’t a bad word. Not everyone FEELS disabled by being Autistic, and that’s fine. But some people do, and that’s also fine. 3: A Pink/Magenta figure enters: Yeah, and besides, we’re only disabled by a society that’s not made for us! LB/B: Wellll, that’s only sorta true. For some Autistic people, the way they’re treated or their environment might be their biggest setback, but others would still be disabled no matter how accommodating the environment. 4: Y/G: Okay, this is way too much nuance for me. Isn’t there a simple, good/bad binary way to put it? LB/B: Best I can do is ‘Disordered=Bad, Disabled=Neutral/Subjective.'

There seems to be some confusion out there. Hope this helps. 😉 #autism #autistic #actuallyautistic #autismacceptance #disability #disabledisnotabadword

😂

Fabulous!!