The Autistic Spectrum Is NOT Linear

loves of my life, kings of my heart, rulers of my universe

i hate you so much girl ron paul

Bucky Alpine Winter stickers are on my shop now. :) Aren't they adorable?! I just love Bucky okay. Give him a cat and that's it for me.

The Misconception of Selfishness in Autistic Individuals

The Autistic Teacher

Activist judge. From Texas.

No science involved. No medical expertise. No women involved in decision.

Federalist Society strikes again. Where are the State's Rights? What about settled law?

Men deciding health care for women is never a good idea.

"People just don't want to work anymore! That's why I can't find employees!"

As someone that has been diagnosed with both avpd and autism, I am curious about that post Shinji was talking about between how avpd and autism could be comorbid. Would you like to share?

Hello.. Thanks for your interest. Sorry this took so long to respond to. These thoughts are still a work in progress, so… If anyone has any input, please feel free to give it!

Just to be clear, I’m not a professional. I’m working off the research I have done, personal experience, and observations of others. Unfortunately, it is really hard to find information on this kind of thing because of the little research done about autistic adults, and how so much of it treats us like we are incapable of complex emotional behaviour because we are autistic.

The basic idea is that I think autistic people can be more inclined to develop certain personality disorders than allistic people due to how our brains are wired, how susceptible we are to abuse, and how autistic people process trauma compared to allistic people. Here, I’m talking about Avoidant Personality Disorder specifically.

#tw for talk of abuse and ableism

For AvPD, I think that when you look at the causes of it, it becomes apparent that an autistic person could easily develop it. A study taken about the relationship of those diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder and personality disorder criteria found this:

“When markedly avoidant behavior is present in individualswith PDD/ASD, it could rather be seen as a consequence ofthe PDD/ASD. For some individuals with AS, their disabilityin interpreting social cues leads to a major concern aboutwhat impression they make on others and even a disablingfear for social situations, thus increasing the risk for avoidantbehavior. Moreover, elevated sensitivity to stressful environmentsbecause of visual and auditory perceptual difficultiesmay well contribute to avoidant behavior.” (source)

So, we can see that there is a significant portion of autistic people that display enough avoidant behaviour to mark off most if not all the criteria for the diagnosis of AvPD. I mean, this isn’t news… It’s why the differential diagnosis between AvPD and autism spectrum disorders are so controversial. There was always this assumption that many people diagnosed with AvPD were actually autistic, but with new information coming out about personality disorders, I think it’s kind of silly not to consider you can have both. 

(Obviously the world of medicine is starting to believe that it’s silly, too. Being diagnosed with a PD and an autism spectrum disorder is really common now. I don’t have any statistics for this, but I can confidently say 2/3 of the autistic people I know are also securely diagnosed with a PD.)

There is a lot of controversy about the ‘nature versus nurture’ debate with personality disorders, and that’s why PDs used to not really be diagnosed alongside autism. There’s been a lot of new research on this in general, but with AvPD, it has generally been confirmed to develop from things such as neglect, abuse, incest and peer rejection. Some people do develop AvPD and feel they have nothing that conditioned the disorder, but you can’t ignore the apparent link between PTSD/C-PTSD and AvPD. 

“… it is generally believed that these biological substrates exist within the avoidant personality as a biological foundation for the emergence of the disorder itself & that full development of APD is likely due to significant environmental influences (Millon & Everly).”

So, if we take this all into account: AvPD fully develops due to environmental factors. These environmental factors are often abuse, neglect, peer rejection, and related things. And there are studies confirming that not only do autistic people experience the world more intensely, but that they are much more susceptible to neglect and peer victimization/rejection than allistic people, and twice as susceptible to physical/sexual abuse.

Being autistic in an allistic world means living in a world that is constantly telling us to be smaller, to be quieter, to not exist. Trauma can develop in several different ways, of course, but the main point is that autistic people experience the environmental causes of AvPD at higher rates than allistic people - so why would autistic people not be more inclined to develop it? Why wouldn’t an autistic person develop AvPD when the world is constantly pushing us to be exactly what AvPD turns you into: out of mind and out of sight?

I hope someday in the future more research is done about autistic adults and trauma, as well as personality disorders. (I also hope it can be done in a way that isn’t full of stigma and demonization of autistic people and the mentally ill.) 

Anyway, um, that’s just my take on it. Sorry that it got so long-winded.

- Shinji

Happy International Asexuality day from Ace the dragon.

I love these descriptions! This person made them out to sound like cryptids!

Telling Apart Fallout Protagonists: a Discerning Wastelander’s Guide

Vault Dweller: a Vault Dweller will typically be wearing the Vault 13 jumpsuit, but given the prominence of the Vault through the Interplay-Obsidian games, it’s not a guarantee. Look for the scrungliest teen you can find or - due to the sheer bulk and limited graphics of the game’s default protagonist - a man with the widest tits known to man.

Chosen One: it can be hard to discern Chosen Ones, as they are the least drawn Fallout protagonists. Often, the Chosen One will be clad in armor made from vault suits, power armor, or other series staples. The presence of the Highwayman is a dead giveaway.

Lone Wanderer: Lone Wanderers will often be difficult to parse from Vault Dwellers; always check the Vault number when identifying if possible. Like the Vault Dweller, Lone Wanderers are teenagers, but the Lone Wanderer has a softer, more cherubic side than the Vault Dweller’s harder edge. They may use this soft side to lure in unsuspecting enemies, or they have gone through enough for it to have been worn off - but glimmers of it remain.

Courier 6: there are three dominant subspecies of Courier 6 - the Cowboy, the Ranger, and the Dogtooth (so named for the pattern of their “borrowed” suit jacket). Other variants, such as the Khan or the Ghoul, are less common.

Sole Survivor: unlike other protagonists, the Sole Survivor can often be found in pre-war clothing - if not their main outfit, than an “in town” plumage. The Minuteman General is a common type, but a surprisingly persistent subspecies is the Stepford. Overwhelmingly female, the Stepford can be identified by their blond hair, blue eyes, uneasy smile. Be careful around the Stepford, though: those red splotches on her dress aren’t flowers, and that’s not jewelry glinting behind her black.

Reclaimer: extremely uncommon and hard to identify.

Wanted to make myself a cute Asexual pride sticker. I really liked how it turned out so I’ll probably make an Aromantic one next!