Sensory difficulties

Unknown said:

The socials are not on my radar but I wonder how much the term comes as part of visible autistic identity? Which

Yes absolutely! The word stim is very much a part of our autistic culture and is also referred to when talking about autistic pride.

You mention blu tac and hair ties, these objects were used as great stim objects long before we had such language to describe our experiences. So in theory any object can be defined as a stim tool, as long as it meets your sensory needs.

Unknown said:

Everyone has their own difficulty and experience with life but autistic burnout is a very real thing. It's a fine line isn't it, the "ownership" of certain words

Yes I completely agree, some of these words such as stim and burnout have almost become part of a new language- the language of autistic culture. But having stated these words don’t belong just to autistic culture as for example many neurodivergent people experience burnout in distinctly different ways to the predominant neurotype.

The socials are not on my radar but I wonder how much the term comes as part of visible autistic identity? Which you have to "sell" for "likes" online. This also ties with my opinion on stim toys. So yes they are useful for some people, but so is a hair bobble or a bit of blue tac and what did people do before st*m toys were invented.

I think the main problem I have actually is that I don't like to draw attention (from myself or others) what is in fact normal human behaviour. Up until knowing I was autistic I wasn't aware I did these things.

 I keep hearing the word "burnout" used more. Everyone has their own difficulty and experience with life but autistic burnout is a very real thing. It's a fine line isn't it, the "ownership" of certain words. Because sometimes it can water down what are actual,  real difficulties that only certain people are faced with. But I can't negate others' experiences. 

R said:

I go to a local group I started after feeling inspired by attending NAS groups. I wanted to create an autistic friendly and safe space for people to go for support and a chat every Friday. So far it's of to a good start :o) 

So glad you enjoy it! That’s such an amazing achievement, I bet other members are grateful for the safe space you created too!

I would love to run my own autistic social group too particularly as many groups for autistic people are not actually autistic led.

Recently, I found the online autistic group called Aupeer:

https://www.aupeer.org.uk/

I did intend to join but unfortunately I slept through the Zoom meeting! I might try again in the new year though.

I go to a local group I started after feeling inspired by attending NAS groups. I wanted to create an autistic friendly and safe space for people to go for support and a chat every Friday. So far it's of to a good start :o) 

R said:

Thank you for the links. I'll definitely be taking a look and also viewing the live streams, it will likely be very rewarding and may offer further support, tips and gain my knowledge of autism and how to better cope with it when it throws curve balls my way.

You are so welcome! I hope you enjoy the livestreams.

R said:

It's also something I can share with my group tomorrow as I'm sure lots of other people would benefit from this as well, as you have.

Great idea! What group do you go to? I am part of virtual autistic communities but I would love to be part of an in person group.

R said:

It's a long journey but rewarding and enlightening.

Absolutely! Couldn’t agree more, knowledge is power!

Thank you for the links. I'll definitely be taking a look and also viewing the live streams, it will likely be very rewarding and may offer further support, tips and gain my knowledge of autism and how to better cope with it when it throws curve balls my way.

It's also something I can share with my group tomorrow as I'm sure lots of other people would benefit from this as well, as you have.

Thank you, this is very much appreciated :o) 

I'm always discovering new things about autism and myself, especially now I'm active here again. It's a long journey but rewarding and enlightening.

R said:

I like that with autism that I'm still discovering new things about it and myself despite I was diagnosed 6 yrs ago. I'm really grateful for this community.

That’s great R! The autistic discovery journey is lifelong! I love this community too, I feel a great sense of belonging.

 I know you are quite far into your autistic discovery journey but you might find the YouTube channel and website Aucademy useful. It’s an absolutely amazing autistic led education platform about autistic experiences.

I have learnt so much from Aucademy so I usually recommend it to other autistics:

https://aucademy.co.uk/

https://youtube.com/@aucademy6195?si=7ScbDh1e8Mj30nl1

Aucademy host monthly livestreams which I always look forward to!

I hope you discover more about your autistic identity through Aucademy too.

I like that with autism that I'm still discovering new things about it and myself despite I was diagnosed 6 yrs ago. I'm really grateful for this community.

JuniperFromGallifrey said:

I'm a bit idealistic on this, but it could be helpful to find a more well-rounded and recognised term used socially, as now 'stimming' is still dismissed while not feeling a sense of connectedness or being subjected to a bit too much chaos will be afforded compassion. 

Yes , there is still lots of stigma around stimming, what about using the terms self expression or regulation?

Or are these terms too vague?

You're not wrong. However, the "mid-life crisis" is - at least to my understanding - they Typical breakdown from a life of living in denial, repression and all sorts from having a different biological way of filtering/signalling/inhibiting. 

I'm a bit idealistic on this, but it could be helpful to find a more well-rounded and recognised term used socially, as now 'stimming' is still dismissed while not feeling a sense of connectedness or being subjected to a bit too much chaos will be afforded compassion. 

...even though we're now hearing it being used by Non-autistics in TV shows... 

JuniperFromGallifrey said:

everyone needs a sense of grounding, NT's the same, they just have a different way of going about it.

My thoughts exactly

R said:

"My earliest, most powerful memories are sensory. Of things feeling chaotic. Of being terrified of loud noises. Of being terrified of a lot of foods."

Yes I can completely understand this, as the only way we access and process the world is through our sensory organs. However it may not seem obvious at first.

Hey. I hope you're feeling better today? Thank for posting this and sharing a link. It was an interesting read and I resonated a lot with what I read like this part:

"My earliest, most powerful memories are sensory. Of things feeling chaotic. Of being terrified of loud noises. Of being terrified of a lot of foods."

This was me when I was little. At first I thought it might be a me thing but it's nice to know I'm not the only one and admittedly I thought I was just a fussy thing, had no idea this was sensory related.

Such an interesting page to read. Thanks for this.

Feel better soon :o) 

Yes I can understand that. All humans stim, it’s just that we do it more often because we are processing more information than a non autistic person.

Ausomely Autistic said:

Why do you have an aversion to the word stim?

Chiming in to say where it's come from is slightly perverse and difficult for me to mentally separate. Especially when everyone needs a sense of grounding, NT's the same, they just have a different way of going about it. x

Great idea! It’s a tradition over there, so it won’t seem inappropriate at all!

(I know you are only joking, I was trying to extend the humorous intent!)

I'm aware it's a mish mash of different stuff but it's always useful to see things articulated by other people. I'm careful with the word trauma. It's more accurate to say recently has been overload. Nevertheless I thought it was a useful piece. 

I find the use of inclusive language a double-edged sword. Despite the inherent dangers of overgeneralizing from such a use of prose, I appreciate the article's rehashing of pre-existing concepts, exemplified by statements like 'Infants may miss out on regulating, growth-promoting parental input,' which aligns with the concept of Psychosocial Dwarfism.It's a very creative article in the way it borrows various concepts discussed in other circles that deal with childhood trauma. Very relevant stuff.

I gained valuable insights, enhancing my understanding of the varying processes and nuances through which individuals in different categories may encounter, endure, and cope with sensory trauma.

Thanks for the share! 

I find the use of inclusive language a double-edged sword. Despite the inherent dangers of overgeneralizing from such a use of prose, I appreciate the article's rehashing of pre-existing concepts, exemplified by statements like 'Infants may miss out on regulating, growth-promoting parental input,' which aligns with the concept of Psychosocial Dwarfism.It's a very creative article in the way it borrows various concepts discussed in other circles that deal with childhood trauma. Very relevant stuff.

I gleaned a lot of insightful information, helping to understand the varying processes and nuances through which individuals in different categories may encounter, endure, and cope with sensory trauma.

Great share. Thx.

I'm moving to Greece.