Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello fellow autistic people! I have just found out about this brilliant website Autism Understood which is an encyclopaedia of autistic lived experience knowledge. You can also upload content or resources about autistic experience to this website. It was created by Spectrum Gaming and is a great and very positive introduction to autistic experience for our younger neurokin.
https://autismunderstood.co.uk/
I hope you like the website as much as I do!
Thanks for posting. I agree this is an absolutely brilliant website.
I know their home page states 'for autistic young people' but I think they are selling themselves short. It is suitable for anyone of any age who wants a clear and easily understood explanation of various aspects of autism.
I'm not young and I think it's great I especially like the 'panic monkey' and 'dino brain' explanation of meltdowns and shutdowns.
https://autismunderstood.co.uk/struggling-as-an-autistic-person/introduction-to-the-limbic-system-panic-monkey-and-dino-brain/
I also like the clear explanation about the differences between rational and irrational anxiety.
https://autismunderstood.co.uk/co-occurring-conditions/anxiety/
When the anxiety is due to sensory overload it is rational. It is not helpful to tell an autistic person to 'get used to it' or subject the person to sensory torture in the name of exposure therapy. It does not help and can make the anxiety much worse, sadly so many people do not understand that.
The website is going to a be a good place to signpost those who are considering they may be autistic or newly diagnosed and overwhelmed by the volume of information out there.
I think it would also be very useful to share with non autistic people, so that they can hopefully understand more about what autism is and how it affects us.
Autonomistic said:I also like the clear explanation about the differences between rational and irrational anxiety. https://autismunderstood.co.uk/co-occurring-conditions/anxiety/ When the anxiety is due to sensory overload it is rational. It is not helpful to tell an autistic person to 'get used to it' or subject the person to sensory torture in the name of exposure therapy. It does not help and can make the anxiety much worse, sadly so many people do not understand that.
So do I, because like you say a lot of people do not understand the difference.
When we have anxiety because of potential overload we are trying to protect ourselves from harm, people may not understand this because they don’t experience the sensory world as we do and therefore don’t know that this anxiety helps us set boundaries or avoid an overwhelming situation entirely.
When we are repeatedly forced into situations that are overwhelming in the name of exposure therapy, we can experience sensory trauma because it does not suit our autistic nervous systems.
The concept of sensory trauma is perfectly explained by Emma Reardon in the links below:
Sensory Trauma research paper:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/351918786_Sensory_Trauma_-_autism_sensory_difference_and_the_daily_experience_of_fear
Sensory Trauma video:
https://www.youtube.com/live/l_uoRDCUF80?feature=share
Hello. You are very welcome! I agree this website is for absolutely anyone who is interested in learning about our autistic experience and culture.
I'm not young and I think it's great I especially like the 'panic monkey' and 'dino brain' explanation of meltdowns and shutdowns.‘
So do I. It’s great. This explanation of stress responses is originally from another brilliant website called Autistic Village:
https://autistic-village.com/
I will respond in more detail soon.