|When standardization is made compulsory, existence becomes resistance|🏳️⚧️(they/he)🏳️⚧️|👽Probably an alien👽|
Oct 6, 2018 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
So something to note.
Another thing about being situationally nonverbal because of Autism vs because of Selective Mutism.
When I have periods of being nonverbal and I can tell it's autism related... I can communicate in nonverbal ways - stimming, signing, writing, etc.
When I am having nonverbal periods due to Selective Mutism, it's not just that I can't speak. I can't communicate.
Some people with SM can communicate in other ways, it doesn't cause them as much anxiety as speaking.
But me? I can't write. I can't even show emotion generally.
Oct 4, 2018 • 18 tweets • 5 min read
So this month I'll be posting a lot about Selective Mutism, as October is #selectivemutism awareness month.
I'll start with this. Hi, I'm Lilo!
At age 3 I started preschool. Mom told the teachers I had speech problems (by which she meant I didn't annunciate properly)
When I never spoke in class, the teachers assumed these were the speech problems my mom was referring to, so they didn't mention it
It wasn't until months later that it was casually mentioned that I didn't speak. My teachers thought I was entirely nonverbal.
Oct 1, 2018 • 9 tweets • 2 min read
So...
This whole fight to not consider Autism a disability, while noble in intent, is rooted in ableism.
In the idea that in order for autism to be seen as a neurological difference, we must separate it from disability.
#ActuallyAutistic
In this ableist idea that somehow if autism is called a disability, it means it's a bad thing. Or less "normal" or that if we call it a disability, it's suddenly a problem that needs to be fixed.
Accommodated disabilities are not problems. There's nothing wrong with disability.
