Ryan Hendry
@RyanHendry94
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Autistic Advocate, Alliance Party Member, Autism and ADHD Expert. Requests/Queries to rhendry1994 @gmail .com
Lisburn, Northern Ireland
Joined July 2010
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I’d like to thank all of these individuals for proving my point. I’m now being inundated with numerous comments telling me about how my ADHD isn’t real, how it’s because I drink energy drinks (which I Don’t).
This is the attitudes I have to battle every single day.
#ADHD
As I said to the BBC, the whole situation is being made so much worse by the Department of Health’s attitude, as well as general societal attitude towards
#ADHD
, which I think a lot of people still don’t take seriously.
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Sorry, but if a ‘Disability Advocacy’ organisation is calling for it to remain legal to pay disabled people less than the minimum wage, that group doesn’t care about disabled people in my eyes.
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I want to talk today about “mate crime”, a specific form of disability hate crime.
I want to speak about it from the perspective as a victim of it, as I was a victim of it.
However, I only recognised that I was a victim of it very recently.
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I think it’s safe to say that, at the moment,
@GretaThunberg
is the world’s most prominent Autistic Person at this current point in time.
And the treatment she is currently receiving from certain sections of society is very telling, as to how Autism is still perceived. (Thread)
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This whole having to report to the DVLA that you are Autistic, in case it affects your ability to drive.
If only there was some sort of way of checking someone’s ability to drive and to understand the rules of the road. A test of some sort, a theory one and a practical, perhaps
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I genuinely think applying for PIP has been one of the most dehumanising and humiliating experiences I’ve ever had.
And I feel this is by design.
It’s cruel.
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Anyway, World Autism Month (April) is coming up soon, which ironically is one of the most difficult times of the year to be Autistic, because the sheer volume of misinformation and harmful stereotypes that get thrown at us for the entire month.
Here’s some of my survival tips;
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I’d like to point out that providing accessibility options for disabled people only during designated “quiet hours” or “disability sessions”, and then refuse to provide any accommodations outside of these times, is not “inclusion”, it’s segregation.
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To be honest I stopped listening to Jim Wells after I met him once and he expressed surprise that Autistic Adults like me exist, as he believed it was a “childhood illness”
Scarily, he was Health Minister at the time
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So from the 3rd July, I can get a pint in a bar, but I can’t hug or even hold my girlfriends hand?
I’m absolutey baffled at this.
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This is the key problem with a diagnosis of Autism being based entirely upon the deficit model.
Any sort of developmental progress is then seen as that person becoming somehow “less Autistic”.
It’s not becoming “less Autistic”. It’s human development.
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Neurodiversity does not mean Autism is not a disability.
I am Autistic. I am Disabled.
I am disabled by my Autism, and also by the way I am treated by society because of my Autism.
I also strongly support the idea of Neurodiversity.
This is a simple concept.
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This is a perfect illustration of how Autistic People do not have the same rights as non-Autistic People.
Being denied a transplant because the recovery period will be ‘very difficult’ is nonsensical.
I can’t imagine the recovery period is easy for non Autistic People.
Doctors are opposing plans for an autistic teenager from Lancaster to have a kidney transplant. They believe it is not in the 17-year-old's best interests. But his mother says he'll die without a transplant and she's launched an appeal for donors:
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I’m gonna introduce you all to an amazing concept, that seems to elude SO MANY PEOPLE.
Some Autistic People consider their Autism a disability.
Some Autistic People don’t consider their Autism a disability.
Both views are equally valid.
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I’m going to make this quite simple.
If Autism Speaks are involved in something, it will not be good for Autistic People.
It’s literally that simple.
Autism Speaks have done nothing but hurt, demonise and injure Autistic People for their entire existence.
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When a Non-Autistic Person takes an interest in something, it’s called an “interest” or a “hobby” and it’s seen as a good thing.
When an Autistic person takes an interest in something, it’s called an “obsession” and it is seen as a potential problem.
Double standards, eh.
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For what feels like the millionth time, I’m saying this, but lack of empathy is NOT a part of Autism.
This has been comprehensively disproven over and over again, and it’s extremely tiring to see this old stereotype constantly brought up. Especially by politicians.
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ABA Supporters;
“We’ve changed, it’s not abusive anymore”
Also ABA supporters;
“We want to bring back electrocution for Autistic kids when they don’t comply”
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#aspergersandme
see this is why you get an
#ActuallyAutistic
person to present a programme about Autism. This is absolutely amazing.
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Great to see a packed House of Commons for a debate on Autism and Mental Health, something the Conservative Party has said is a priority.
#NotOneSize
#autism
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Today marks the start of the most difficult month of the year for Autistic People.
April.
April is also World Autism Awareness Month.
Yet it is WAAM that makes April an absolute nightmare for many of us.
Kind of ironic isn’t it?
And why is that?
Allow me to explain.
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There is also the insinuation that, due to her being Autistic, that she cannot possibly have formulated her views on her own, and that she is a “puppet”, a “pawn”, or being “controlled”, because someone who is Autistic couldn’t have formed their own viewpoint.
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The sheer volume of attacks on Greta by people who have zeroed in on her appearance and her behaviours, is indicative of how large parts of society still view anyone who behaves differently as inherently “odd”, and as someone who is not to be trusted.
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AUTISM. DOES. NOT. MAKE. SOMEONE. A. MASS. MURDERER. Why do I have to read this baseless crap after every mass shooting?!
#actuallyautistic
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After 9 years, numerous meltdowns, constant pandemic related delays, and a fantastic driving instructor in John Penrose, I’ve FINALLY passed my driving test!
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The Civil Service are offering 60 paid work experience placements for young Autistic People.
The requirements are;
aged between 18 and 25 at the time of the internship
achieved a minimum of 2 GCSE's in English and Math at Grade 4-9 (A*-C)
You could end up even working with me!
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The attacks on her style of verbal communication (attacked as being “monotone”, for example), despite Greta being able to speak several languages, is an example of how people use a stereotypical Autistic trait as a way of discrediting her.
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Imagine for International Women’s day, all the talks, articles, interviews, media pieces, presentations etc, were all done by men, because they had a wife/sister. Maybe one or two women allowed a chance to speak.
That’s what it feels like to be Autistic on the 2nd April.
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I’m going to let you into a little secret.
You can consider Autism as being part of your identity *and* a disability.
The two are not mutually exclusive.
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April is almost upon us, so time for my Annual Autism Awareness message.
Be aware. Be very aware.
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“Autistic People are incapable of feeling any emotion as it happens”
That’s odd, because as I read this, I quite strongly felt the emotional response, that emotional response being frustration.
Autistic People are not robots, you insufferable gobshite.
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4/08/2023.
She said yes.
I can’t wait to spend the rest of our lives together. I love you so much, Bron
#engaged
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The issue isn’t the word Autistic. It’s a perfectly acceptable term that is used to describe an Autistic Person.
Using “Autistic” as a shorthand for lack of empathy however, is an old myth, and is deeply offensive. Autistic People don’t lack empathy. It’s not a character flaw
Senator Catherine Noone has today apologised after calling Taoiseach Leo Varadkar “autistic” during a canvass this week. So do we need to think about the way we use the word ‘autistic’?
@ciarakellydoc
wants to hear from you.
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I’ve started to notice my sensory issues are very context specific.
For example, I can stand yards away from a racing car revving it’s engine and have no issues, (indeed I like it!), yet a crowded room is too much to cope with.
So it’s not as simple as “loud noises” for me
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@BBCNews
Tempest Photography are the ones responsible for this, folks.
Fair play to the relevant authorities for responding quickly when they became aware.
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This is what one school calls a “calming room”
That’s not a calming room.
That looks more like a padded cell to me.
I want to talk a little about how “quiet rooms” have turned into de-facto isolation units within schools. [thread]
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I have tears in my eyes reading this.
RIP Joel. I’m so sorry we failed you. I want to live in a world that welcomes people like us, and I’m working towards it every day. Sadly we’ve not been able to make that world in time for you.
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🧵
#StopSpectrum10K
The Co-Principal Investigator of
#Spectrum10k
is a man called Daniel Geschwind.
Now, Daniel is a “distinguished Professor of Human Genetics, Neurology and Psychiatry at UCLA
I’m going to quote from his bio here.
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👇
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I actually think my time at Queen’s genuinely saved me from this man ruining my life, because I very quickly met a great group of friends, who I am still close to, and they showed me what real, proper friendship is.
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Every day, Autistic People are silenced or stifled, with people believing we can’t come up with independent thoughts, that we “cannot see the big picture”, or that we “don’t understand things” the way others do.
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I’m going to be honest, as an Autistic Person,
I’m finding it absolutely fascinating watching the world having to learn how to navigate a world of social interactions that are very difficult, confusing, stressful and sometimes just incomprehensible.
Welcome to our world!
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@InstituteLM
@KieranRose7
@tourettesaction
@AutisticNotts
50% of employers admit to being happy discriminating against disabled people.
That’s pretty jaw dropping.
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What is currently happening to Greta also happens to other Autistic People every day, although not on the same scale as what she has been faced with.
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There are two words, above all else, that when I hear, I instinctively object to when I hear them being used.
Those two words are R*tard, and Spa*tic.
I was called these two words nearly every day at school for almost a decade. They left a deep, lasting scar.
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I’m also quite concerned that there are actually a lot of teachers and individuals who work with kids, who think using two police officers to pin down a child is an appropriate course of action.
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As for the “if we had to pay disabled people the minimum wage our business model wouldn’t work”
If your business model relies on the use of slave wages, I have some SERIOUS concerns about your business.
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We are told that, because our brains work differently, that our thoughts and views should not be given as much credence, simply because we are Autistic.
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@NotaBot1976
She’s okay, but very very shaken. Handily, one of the scumbags has posted a picture of her car being surrounded.
Should be easy for the police to identify some of them.
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Repeat after me.
Autism. Does. Not. Make. Someone. A. Mass. Murderer.
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By far and away, the most debilitating aspect of my ADHD is my CHRONIC disorganisation.
It’s a bit weird because with being Autistic, there’s part of me that really likes organisation, but then the ADHD is like “nope, no organisation for you”
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Number of MLA’s that want the Assembly to sit ; 64
Number of MLA’s that don’t want the Assembly to sit ; 26
Trying to claim that the DUP’s mandate for crashing the Assembly is somehow more valid than those who wish to see the Assembly sitting is just absurd.
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A lot of people making comparisons between Seasame Street’s Julia, and the puppet used in
#allinarow
.
Here’s the difference; Julia is a puppet, in a series that is, well, famous for its puppets.
The puppet in
#allinarow
, is the only puppet, used in place of a human being.
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She has also been described as “demented”, “mentally disturbed”, “demonic”, “disordered”, and many many other things.
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I’ve seen several comments on various social media sites last night and this morning, discussing how to employ an airhorn in order to “scare away” the protesters at the All In A Row Play.
Apparently exploiting a person’s disability in order to cause distress is legitimate.
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Disabled person; “Could you please refer to me as a disabled person”
Abled person; “no, I don’t think the word disabled should be used, its negative”
Disabled person; “but I prefer the term disabled”
Abled person; “No you don’t, you all prefer to be called special needs”
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Okay, where do we begin with this;
1; Autism is not comparable to Cancer.
2; identity first language is actually what most Autistic People prefer. Respect our preferences.
3; if you want to advocate for Autistic People, listen to Autistic People. Don’t berate us.
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I do exactly the same thing when giving a talk. I move my hands around erratically, I tend to look all around me and I will be quite fidgety.
They are exceptionally common traits for Autistic People.
It’s completely normal, in other words.
Andrew Bolt was right,
@GretaThunberg
is so obviously “deeply disturbed”.
You be the judge:
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Frankly I find it absolutely sickening that the USA even has laws allowing disabled people to be exploited in this way but I sadly don’t find it surprising.
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Watching Donald Trump try and attack
@GretaThunberg
, and Greta openly mock his attempts, is giving me so much satisfaction
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And as for the strong hinting that it’s basically the parents fault, nah just go and get stuffed
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I think one of the longest myths that has been held about Autistic folks is that we are anti-social/don’t want to socialise.
We generally do want to socialise, we just tend to find all the “unwritten rules” and conventions of “normal” socialising unfathomable.
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Here’s another;
“His work focuses on identifying genetic factors that cause ASD and then using this knowledge to understand the mechanism of the disease.”
Disease.
Disease.
He views Autism as a disease.
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Nah I’m not having this grandstanding by the bandwagon jumping DUP.
As someone who is disabled, I am absolutely sick of being used by your party as nothing more than a prop to push your anti-abortion Agenda.
Not a peep out of any of you on any other disability issue.
The message from Stormont today is if you have a disability your life is of lesser value. A shameful day.
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Allowing disabled people to be paid less than the minimum wage is nothing more than blatant and legalised exploitation in my eyes.
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This is our cat, Kimi.
We have recently found out Kimi has been going to a nearby secondary school (St Patricks Academy), and delighting the teachers and staff!
Here she is, having a little snooze in the classroom
🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
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@SJRigby91
I’m so ashamed. I’m from Carrick and grew up here, she’s from England and we’ve recently moved to Whitehead from Lisburn. Absolutely ashamed of what people from my hometown put her through today.
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“He guided development of the Autism Genetic Resource Exchange, founded by Cure Autism Now, and now a program of Autism Speaks.”
So the man in charge of integrity for this study has worked for ‘Cure Autism Now’.
Well, that’s pretty explicit what his goal is.
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If you think vaccines cause Autism, that people like me are “damaged” or “poisoned”, do me a favour and just fuck off
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The idea of a ‘cure’ for Autism worries me. It makes me feel like I’m not considered good enough for society as I am.
#aspergersandme
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Honestly I detest
#WorldAutismDay
more and more every single year.
Everyone loudly proclaiming how much they care about people like me, politicians falling over themselves to show how much they support Autism Awareness. Pledges to support Autistic People.
And then, nothing.
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For the parents writing stuff about their kids on the
#autismsucks
hashtag, just remember, it’s quite possible your child will read what is posted about them.
Once something goes on the internet, it’s there for the world to see.
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It’s
#AutismAwarenessWeek
so be aware.
Be very aware.
We could be anywhere.
Maybe we’re in your house, right now.
Look behind you.
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See instead of trying to teach Autistic People to recognise, analyse and translate “subtle body language” and “hints”, why don’t we try teaching people how to say what they actually mean?!
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So, to sum up. The man jointly in charge of the entire
#Spectrum10k
project has worked for a group called ‘Cure Autism Now’ and considers Autism a “disease”.
So why on earth would he work with
#Spectrum10k
, who claim that the goal is not to “cure” Autism?
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I wish the people who get all up in arms and angry about “self-diagnosed” Autistic People would maybe get equally angry and indignant about, say, the multitude of barriers to accessing a diagnostic pathway. You know, so people can actually get a diagnosis.
#ActuallyAutistic
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To the people who are “worried” that 100 Somali refugees will “cause crime in Carrickfergus to rise”;
Last time I checked, it’s not Somali refugees who are dealing drugs, extorting local businesses and carrying out so called ‘punishment beatings’.
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Thought I’d share another photo, which includes a few of the group who weren’t in the first photo!
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Ordinarily, I studiously ignore anything the Daily Mail says, but I felt I can’t ignore this one.
As a Civil Servant, and as a Neurodivergent individual, I’ve honestly never felt as insulted by a headline in all my life.
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To be honest I’ve tried to write this a few times now but I’ve stopped because I’m sort of ashamed but I figure I’ve nothing to be ashamed of.
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This went on for at least a year, and it went on and on, but cracks were starting to show in the whole charade. I had lots of my new friends telling me that “R” was not a nice person, and that I needed to be careful.
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So I eventually got home at around 5 am, and as you can imagine I was in quite a state, and it was at that point my parents became aware of what was going on, which I imagine was a pretty painful and hurtful experience for them.
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My mum and dad at the time didn’t know any of this was happening. I didn’t tell them, because
A) I was 16 years old and in my teenage rebellion phase, and;
B ), I was under the belief that this all completely normal and above board.
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Thankfully, my friends also heard him say this, and when we were all leaving later that night, they literally escorted me all the way home, and from that night, I never seen nor heard from “R” again.
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So, it appears someone has been trawling my Twitter account, and has found some old tweets of mine.
I thought for a moment I’ll delete them, but I decided not to.
I wrote this tweet at 18 years old. My life was absolute hell at that point. I genuinely wanted to die.
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Okay despite REALLY not wanting to, I’m going to have to address this because it’s clearly becoming a big story.
This “study” is a complete and utter waste of time, and allow me to explain why [thread]
For context; I’m Autistic myself.
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I’d also urge you to read what other Autistic People have said about how the public treats us, I’ll provide links to the relevant threads/articles now.
I’ll kick off with
@commaficionado
thread from this morning;
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I’ve a better idea.
Let the child play with their toys in whatever way they want.
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#autismis
using Autism as a way of fundraising to pay your inflated salaries, whilst also painting Autistic People as terrible burdens on Society.
Oh sorry, I thought the hashtag was
#autismspeaksis
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I honestly cannot believe I need to write this tweet, but women absolutely can be Autistic.
(2020 and this still needs pointing out, we still have a long way to go folks)
I’m not a woman, but I can name a few women who are Autistic and have done some AMAZING work;
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I’m tired. I’m anxious. The loud noises of the rave is hurting me. There’s drunk people everywhere. It eventually hits 3:30 am, and I hit my breaking point. I start crying uncontrollably, and just sit down on the roadside, rocking back and forth. I’m in meltdown.
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And he invited me to a night out, but thankfully, my mother stepped in and would not allow it. Not a chance in hell.
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Not going to lie, waking up and seeing that ‘Music’ was beaten by Borat for an award is quite satisfying.
As is the Sia fanbase absolutely exploding with anger over it.
You lost to this guy 😂😂😂😂
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I know most of you are probably thinking how I didn’t see what was going on at that point, but I think the truth was that I knew something wasn’t right, but I also knew that if I tried to raise the subject, “R” could cut me off from all the new friends I’d made.
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But here’s just how warped my mind was at the time. I was telling them how “R” is a good person because at least he got me home.
How warped is that?
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Any other
#actuallyautistic
folks find it difficult to cope with warm/stuffy environments?
I’m currently in work and the aircon isn’t working properly, making the office a bit stuffy and I’m down nearly 75% on my processing and general functioning ability.
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