Sharing Audhd memes and info

11/12/2022

01/11/2022

21/10/2022

This is everything I want for my neurodivergent child, and every kid I am the OT of (and every kid I'm not the OT of but who I see and know and often informally consult about with the teachers…)

"But don't we need to teach neurodiverse children how to fit into a neurotypical world?"
"I am of the school of thought that we are better off to teach the neurotypical children acceptance and make inclusive environments an expectation. That way, when they all enter the workforce, they will have the skills to work with a variety of people with varying skills and abilities." -J. Milburn

(I would take it one step further and suggest that the be-all end-all of people's lives isn't to make them "enter the workforce" and I think it speaks volumes about our societal structure that we can admit, even in small and unintentional ways like this, that the current Western educational machine is often severely focused on how to turn kids into good "workers" later on down the line.

But that's a whole conversational rabbit trail for a different time.)

credit for image: Responsive Parenting

21/10/2022

I posted these five "rules" in the body of a post I made a few weeks ago and they seemed to really resonate with people, so I'm making them into their own post.

This is what goes through my head when I decide if I need to say "no" to something.

(...on a good day, on a regulated day, when I'm parenting consciously...not just responding out of habit)

The first three items are usually easy to tell at a glance. I don't usually spend a lot of time ruminating about whether to intervene if my child is doing something that's hurting themself or others.

Maybe a little more consideration if the stuff they're hurting is just their own stuff, or if it's for a valid reason. (Here's an example: My son went through an intense play phase of crashing his Hot Wheels cars together for long periods of time. It banged up most of the cars and also our windowsills, but we weren't about to stop him from playing, and windowsills are fixable.)

But those first three items are almost there as a mantra, to remind me that the stakes are not that high, that this is not an emergency. That helps me get into a better headspace by the time I'm at the fourth item.

Do I need to set a limit here because of my own issues?

If I find myself answering "yes" to this all day every day, then I give myself grace, and I also figure out how to change that. My goal would be to say "no" to this the vast majority of the time. A long string of "yes"es means I'm starting to get burnt out or neglect taking care of myself, and that means something's gotta give. The "something" shouldn't always be my children's creativity.

But sometimes it's reasonable to say "yes" to this question.

If my kids want to smear paint all over their bodies, and hair, I'm much more likely to let them do it if bath day is tomorrow. I'm much less likely to let them do it if bath day was yesterday and I've just finished braiding my daughter's hair. It's okay that there are two different limits in two different situations.*

If my kids want to listen to Alexa play "twinkle twinkle" for the 342nd time in a row, I'm much more likely to let them do it if I have my earplugs in my pocket and can put them in. I'm much less likely to let them do it if I'm already feeling "noised out". It's okay.
..And then sometimes we get through all four and land on the fifth one! And if the fifth one is a "yes" then the activity is a "yes", and I take it as an invitation to get a little more out of the box and a little more creative that day.

*Actually, right now, with toddlers, I would set my kids up for success by not offering paint as an activity option the day after hair's braided. But it makes for a good example. And maybe they'll get older and start asking for that stuff, so I left it in anyway.

[Image description: A grey, pebbled background that looks like concrete, with pink, blue, and purple font over the top of it in a gradient. The text reads, “Is this hurting themself? Is this hurting others? Is this hurting property?
Do I need to set a limit here because of my own issues?
Am I just a little bit out of touch with the creativity of childhood?”
It has my handle on it, . End description.]

15/10/2022

Always pre-apologizing because you never know if the other person is somehow going to take what you're saying the wrong way and your worst case scenario is going to play out. 😅

Credit: Jesse J. Anderson

Tweet transcription:

“I hope that made sense”
“I’m fine either way”
“Anyways, sorry I’m rambling a bit”
“Just a thought, whatevs”

— little anxiety-fueled gifts I like to send along in an attempt to shield myself from rejection

06/10/2022

This is what "indistinguishable from their peers" means.
-Chris

-

[Picture of a maze, entitled "The path autistic people take to become “socially acceptable”:"
The maze starts with a blue stick-figure next to the words "Start off as your authentic self."
It then has sections with labels reading:
"Realise that there are unwritten rules that everyone seems to know except you."
"“No we don’t flap our hands in class.”"
"“But your special interest is ALL you talk about!”"
"Realise that when people say “be yourself”, they’re saying it to people who CAN be themselves without being judged."
"Suppress your real self to appease the bullies."
"Start making small talk instead of discussing interesting topics."
"Learn that other people lie and manipulate."
"Finally learn all the rules, and successfully mask your personality in front of most other people."
At the end of the maze, a red stick-figure says "But you don't LOOK autistic!", to which the blue stick-figure replies "I know. Sad, isn't it?"]

04/10/2022

01/10/2022

HEARTBREAK HIGH

I don't know if it is more or less appropriate that I am watching a high school drama as a high school teacher.
Normally I cannot watch Drama I thought the entire genere was not for me. Turns out it's just most TV / movies are not written for me. I could never relate to any of the characters.
However, with Heartbreak High I have never felt so seen. I relate so many of the characters in some way.