#twittertistic

This is a first to me. I have been called not autistic before, but never got a term for it.

A woman, or how she wants to identify herself, just called me and “my cult” a twittertistic.

Apparantly because I don’t bang my head against the wall, don’t smear my feces on the wall or don’t wear diapers anymore I’m not autistic enough and I take up valuable space in the autistic narrative reserved for autism mommies like the one that called me twittertistic.

I am apparantly one of those that “claim” to be autistic, but have enough ability to type on twitter.

She hasn’t seen me, when before I could read, that I was sounding out vowels and asking myself what they were or what they meant. She hasn’t seen me, learning to read, or asking my teacher how I should write my own surname. She hasn’t seen me during those periods.

She hasn’t seen me, in the period before my 18 when I would hardly ever watch anybody in the eyes. I would wear caps so I didn’t have to look you in the eyes. Now, I occassionally do look people in the eye and nod to wish them a good day and acknowledge their existence, the same way in olden days people would tip their hat.

I learned to smile when I asked questions and acknowledge that it must be difficult for them to do a certain thing I was asking. I also learned that it is a good thing to say “take your time” when a shopkeeper is doing something, but they acknowledge that you are there by saying something like “this will only take another minute” or “I’ll be right there”.

I had to learn these things. It took me years, but made it easier to navigate the world. It made it easier to get friendly people all around you.

I have learned to use my intellect to read peopel around me, to learn social cues, to learn all these things. It took me decades to be able to do so. DECADES.

I understand that the lady in question is a mother. I also understand that her son is disabled. But this is not a contest. I am also disabled. I just don’t smear my feces on the wall or bang my head. Although she doesn’t see me when I do shutdown and am unable to move, or when I am about to shutdown when I am only able to comment in grunts or need to type something to my girlfriend so she can be my vocal cords.

That woman hasn’t read enough about autism that there is also such a thing as comorbid conditions, which exist outside of autism, which make her child do what he does, but it isn’t his autism, otherwise all autistics would do those things. Then all autistics would have problems with those things, but that is not the case.

In her eyes I might only be a twittertistic, but on my diagnose it clearly says Autistic, and I am damn proud of it.

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2 gedachten over “#twittertistic

  • 08/05/2018 om 05:37
    Permalink

    In all fairness, Davrie is fairly tough!

    And some of these things are not learnt by reading.

    It’s a shame she does not realise that twitteristics are the friendly people around her and her son.

    And they will be around 30 years later.

    Beantwoorden
    • 13/05/2018 om 15:58
      Permalink

      Thank you for your comment. I appreciate it very much. I don’t know why these people reac the way they do or believe false nonsense while older autistics are screeming our lungs out to help their little ones. Hardly ever do we get recognition for what we do, while we are doing most of the work (even researchers start to admit that).

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