Neurodivergent struggles are NOT character flaws or a sign that we're broken.

Our struggles are a sign that we can't rely on the (neuro)typical model to understand ourselves and our needs.

We need to accept our differences, accommodate ourselves appropriately, and succeed on our own terms

Autistic people are people and we vary widely from each other.

Yes, we vary in cognitive abilities, independence skills, and our constellation of autistic symptoms, but we also vary in personality, skills, passions, and goals.

There is no one-size-fits-all method to work with autistic people

Them: Tell me about the thing you like.

My emotions: OMG IT'S HAPPENING!! SQUEE~
My information processing: …*blank stare*
My anxiety: Wait have I ever liked anything in my entire life!?

Me, opening the fridge: What did I come in here for?
Me, holding my phone: What was I going to do again?
Me, standing in the doorway: What was I looking for again?

My ADHD: Mwhaha! Yeeeessss! All according to plan!

People of color, girls and women, and students from low-income families are less likely to be identified as autistic.

However, there's no reason to assume that actual prevalence rates differ for these groups. Instead, we are likely just missing, or misdiagnosing people, who are actually autistic

Source: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/13623613261434432?mi=ehikzz

Doomscrolling checkpoint.

Please deposit one fact about your special interest that people always get wrong in order to proceed

Habits are behaviours that are triggered by an environmental cue, either internal or external.

They can be simple responses--such as reaching for our phone when we hear a notification--or complex routines--like the order of operations we take to shower

Defensiveness is a normal, natural response to unexpected challenges to our way of thinking or doing things.

That doesn't mean we should let it to re-entrench us in our ways of doing things without further examination. Defensiveness should be a sign to reflect, not a reason not to

Willpower requires executive function, impulse control, and an awful lot of energy. For ADHD'ers, this makes solutions based on willpower less than ideal in many situations.

Instead, we need to usually have to rely on strategies that have an external and/or interpersonal component