Autistic Hedgehog

[“You’re married? You can’t be autistic!

Whoops, guess I’d better go get a divorce then.]

So today, this [Trigger warning!] happened. (I’ve linked to my reblog, because people like this are notorious cowards who constantly delete their bullshit.)

I and a number of other autistic people on Tumblr and elsewhere, in all walks of life, are married. Yet according to this ill-informed windbag, this means we can’t have actual autism, but apparently some mystical form of Asperger’s Syndrome that basically does nothing at all, and thus we’re all just making excuses.

I’d like to make hedgehogs for every item on their list of things that mean we can’t actually be autistic (in fact, I have several lined up) so hopefully I can come up with enough ideas. And if you have ideas of your own, please send them. Please?

Posted 3 years ago

44 notes

autism, actually autistic, actuallyautistic, asperger's syndrome primer, aspergers syndrome, autistic hedgehog, ableism, marriage,

True story: a few years back, there was a contestant on America's Next Top Model who has AS. For about four months, friends and relatives came up to me and said "you remind me of that chick from Top Model". This was when I was 13 and hated myself and didn't want to be compared to some chick from Top Model.

msemmaclair

I actually watched that season, and I did like Heather (the model in question).

But that sort of situation is always such a double-edged sword for us. It would be nice if allistics saw that and took from it that autistic people are people, we’re all different, we have different strengths and weaknesses, different goals and dreams.

Instead the majority of them seem to have one of two reactions. Either they do what your friends and relatives did, because for some reason they have to compare autistic people to other autistics like Rain Man (who was based on an actual autistic) or Temple Grandin or Heather herself.

Or they’re all “She can do that, why can’t you?”

It’s great when autistic people make inroads in careers that aren’t the acceptable, stereotyped ones, but that sort of reaction to it really bites.

Posted 3 years ago

6 notes

autism, actually autistic, actuallyautistic, asperger's syndrome primer, aspergers syndrome, America's Next Top Model, allistics,

[Get diagnosed Aspergers after parents read an article about it somewhere

Parents still refuse to listen when you say you just can’t handle something]

Mod note: Anon creation.

Kinda reminds me of my mom. :(

Posted 3 years ago

41 notes

autism, autistic hedgehog, actuallyautistic, actually autistic, aspergers syndrome, aspergers, parents, allistic parents, submission,

[Gets replacement phone

Can’t sleep till it resembles old phone]

Soooooo my phone broke, and my folks sent me a replacement. I could not sleep until I had made it similar to the previous one. I’m not fond of change. Meanwhile, my boyfriend was like, “Why you no sleeeeeep?" I stayed up all night working on it.

Posted 3 years ago

16 notes

actually autistic, actuallyautistic, aspergers syndrome, submission,

Autistic Hedgehog entry

[“What do you mean you’re autistic? Sheldon acts nothing like you”

Thanks for the diagnosis, I’ll take that into account.]

This one’s from personal experience.

Posted 3 years ago

46 notes

autism, autistic, aspergers syndrome, autistic hedgehog, submission,

[Living in my own little world

Because it’s so much better than yours]

I think most of us have heard this at least once, that autistics live in our “own little worlds.” And I’m pretty sure other autistics on tumblr have already gone over the problems with it.

But I couldn’t resist. Every time I see someone says autistics live in their own little worlds, this is what I think in response. I dunno, I guess my time outside of my “world” has turned me into one hell of a smartass. Whoops.

Posted 3 years ago

67 notes

autism, autistic hedgehog, autistic, actuallyautistic, actually autistic, asd, autism spectrum disorder, aspergers syndrome, aspie, aspie does snark,

So you made a hedgehog on October 5th with regards to a post elsewhere being genuinely horrid, I feel like raging at something and when I clicked the link, the post had been removed. Could you perhaps provide a mirror, I feel like having something to yell at and it seems like whatever it was would make an exceptional target.

slippy-the-eight-legged-horse

I’m actually not sure if I can provide a mirror. Anyone remember the oh-so-charming Hatilda and her disgusting rant against autistic people? Anyone have a screen cap or anything? She appears to have taken the post down.

Not that I would recommend actually reading the thing.

Posted 3 years ago

autism, autistic, actuallyautistic, actually autistic, aspergers, asd, aspergers syndrome, allistics,

A question for you or any other neuroatypical who reads this site: have you ever become so overloaded that your motor and speech abilities totally disappeared or became uncontrollable? At first the doctors thought I was catatonic and had thought disorder because of this, but now apparently it's just my autism. But I've never heard of this happening to any other autists, except the ones who got locked in the asylums back in the fifties. Maybe I'm just a throwback to the middle of last century...

nonhumanperson-deactivated20121

Well, I do occasionally get so overwhelmed that I can’t speak. It happened recently, too.

Last week I had to go for blood work. I loathe needles; they terrify me, due to some trauma I don’t even remember. It’s gotten worse as I got older, especially since I moved to Sweden, since for some reason people here have a damn hard time finding my veins. One of the last few times I went, they ended up with three people crowding me trying to find a vein. They had to stick me three or four times in several different spots, and one of them refused to listen when we said they couldn’t take blood from my wrist (I bruise badly) and caught the spot where my RSD is.

This time went very smoothly, but even so, by the time it was done I couldn’t speak for a little while. I knew what I wanted to say, but the words simply wouldn’t come out. All I managed for a while was a few little squeaks.

So these sorts of things can and do happen to us, I think. Anyone else experience these kinds of things?

Posted 3 years ago

2 notes

autism, autistic, actuallyautistic, actually autistic, autism spectrum disorder, asd, aspergers syndrome, aspie,

[If I have a meltdown

Don’t come near me]

Mod note: Anonymous creation.

Step awaaaaay from the hedgehog, people, step away from the hedgehog. Honestly, this is pretty good advice. I think some autistics like comfort during a meltdown, but as a rule of thumb this works best.

Posted 3 years ago

90 notes

autism, autistic, autistic hedgehog, actuallyautistic, actually autistic, autism spectrum disorder, aspergers syndrome, meltdowns,