Funkonovo/Allison's autism Blog

The following is a reblog. I verify that this is not my work, but that of the people listed in blue below. ‘People like me don’t get support’: Autistic adults’ experiences of support and treatment for mental health difficulties, self-injury and suicidality - Louise Camm-Crosbie, Louise Bradley, Rebecca Shaw, Simon Baron-Cohen, Sarah Cassidy, 2019 : Autistic people are at high risk of mental health problems, self-injury and suicidality. However, no studies have explored autistic peoples’ experiences of trea...

A white woman from the nose down to the neck with caption in white font. If this helps you, please share it on the internet. Print it out. If you hurt like I do, languishing in silence inside four walls Netflixing your day away due to lack of supportive services, please share this. If you are creative and cannot create due to being isolated and unable to go out in public without a safe person, please share. Link this or any other of my posts to another blog. Things will only change if there are numbers. I am a party of one. I cannot do this alone. I live on autisticaplanet , population: 1. It lies inside a gray warp within the multicolored spectrum. Color wheel: concept: the autism spectrum This blog post explains it best.

Chapter Two: Treatments I am wearing a tight-fitting skullcap. The things on the skullcap are injected with gel and then wires called leads are connected to them. Before the skullcap can go on, though, I must have my forehead wiped with a   gritty   cleanser that will allow the leads to get a "cleaner" picture of my brain activity.  The skullcap has two straps that my mom fastens to my chest. It is now time for my EEG. Unlike EEG's that map out images of the brain, this one will be recording my brain waves. The objective is to find out if there is any disturbance in my brain waves, and if there is, enough to warrant intervention. If you are touch sensitive, I do not see how you could have this test done. I am not touch sensitive, but I found when the gel was being injected into the little red things, it felt like my scalp was getting the injection. I even asked if they were giving me a shot in my scalp. They assured me I was not getting an injection in my scal...

Autistic woman's face in black & white with color text descriptions of how her autism affects her. I will let this image I created using Pixteller speak for itself. Share if you find this helpful. Make your own for free@ Pixteller.com

Box/Gumby type person comforting another in big square. They are alone in the small box. The concept is that the small square is reality and the big one is a wish.

I am like an almost empty glass (there's always a little anxiety stored) when I leave home. That glass quickly fills up with sensory stimuli. I become overloaded and need to return soon or I will go into sensory overload, have a meltdown and wind up hurting myself and possibly others. At home, there isn't a constant barrage of noise. Thankfully, nobody directly around my house has kids. There are dogs next door, and I do use three different white-noise machines throughout my home to keep me as calm and functional as possible. Having autism, I feel everything around me to the extreme . I feel extremely angry with someone if they hurt my feelings (intentional or not). I have to get away to a quiet place so I won't harm them or myself. I have to get away to a place devoid of sensory stimuli to calm down and mentally unpack the stressful events to get to a place where I am rational enough to engage with the world again. That can mean hours or days. I will always need as...

I do view my autism symptoms as disabling. To not be able to socialize (though I need very small amounts as compared to NT people) or contribute save from behind a PC keyboard is tremendously depressing. There is much said about accommodating autistic kids. From schools to movie theaters, action has been taken to better include autistic kids.  Those same kids will NOT outgrow their autism. They may better learn how to cope with their anxiety and frustration, but there will always be barriers, through no fault of their own, they cannot overcome. As adults, what will happen for the once accommodated kids who now need inclusion and accommodation in NT oriented institutions of learning, living spaces, recreation spaces, shopping and social services. Autism is a very broad spectrum. Not all autistic people who are verbal and have a higher IQ function as independently as Temple Grandin.  Mean spirited people, sadly some parents of autistic kids, have referred to adults on...

Yellow Daffodil Since we are experiencing record-breaking warmth in the American Midwest, I thought I'd share this daffodil, that bloomed in March,  2012. Normally, they don't bloom until April.  I thought this particular blossom looked quite sassy. It looks like a duck quacking, happily. It's not always bad to be ahead of the game.

A woman on fire-Pixabay My meltdown is Echoed in my screaming Adrenaline is racing like napalm through my veins Moro reflex punching my gut over and over Reliving the sensory overload on a loop I'm drowning without being in water and I have to go to bed for 2 days Sometimes it brings red and blue flashing lights on a squad car  Handcuffs chewing into my wrists Lots of shouting and grabbing Strapped to a backboard while my skin turns purple and black Locked up, drugged up Being punished for something I cannot control It isn't a conscience choice I've made To disrupt my life or yours It so happened that A dog was barking- A child was screaming- Someone set off a firecracker- And I couldn't process the information fast enough To remain in control of my executive functioning The threat of sensory overload hangs pregnant, like a cumulonimbus cloud I need a safe place and safe people- now and until I die To successfully process what life...

Early Years Back in 1979, there was no DSM IV. There was no Asperger’s diagnosis. There were no support groups for parents. No early intervention. After all, how can anyone intervene into something that does not yet “exist”? My mother used to tell the story of playing “Music Box Dancer”, a loud & lively tune, on the organ. She was 6 months along with me. As she played, she began to feel and see violent kicking in her womb. She called my dad into the room. When she asked him what he thought, he abruptly answered, “Stop playing!” My mom, very concerned, read an article in a magazine that mentioned the “difficult child”. This was a child who was hyper-intense to their environment from day one. It was hypothesized that the problem would solve it self by the time the child was about 5 years old. This obviously was not the case, and my mom thought so after reading the article. The rest of my story more than proves the point. I was born to older parents. My dad was 52 and my mom was...

I am releasing the PDF book I wrote in sections. It is a brief memoir about growing up undiagnosed with autism back in the 1980's and 1990's. I hope in disclosing this people my age will know they aren't alone. I hope there will be lessons learned for bullies and judges and pitfalls to avoid for parents raising autistic kids today.  Introduction: There is an old song by Arthur Godfrey called “I’m a Lonely Little Petunia”. In it, the little petunia bemoans its smelly fate living among the onions. My mother used to call me the onion in the petunia patch, and not just because I was a little stinker. I amused and angered the “perfect” people in my life due to the glaringly obvious fact that I didn’t fit in or belong anywhere outside my home. I rocked, walked “like a duck” as one classmate put it, and screamed, plugging my ears, when a teacher put on an old, scratchy record. More than mere quirks, my autism affected relationships with others, sensory input and ev...

Housing for autistic adults-within reach? Illinois, my home state, doesn't have too many choices when it comes to housing autistic adults who cannot work on their own, but have little to no difficulty with brushing their teeth and doing laundry. I live in the northern part of the state, in a county that has a huge discrepancy between the northern and southern parts due to the way it is set up. I live in the desolate far north. I am continuing my quest to draw attention to the need for a variety of different living situations for autistic adults in Northern Kane County in Northern Illinois. Below is a letter I wrote to my elected representatives (Christian name omitted for privacy) Dear Representative, My name is () and I am an autistic adult residing in your district. As you are probably aware, there are now a lot of adults with autism who either need or will need a safe, quiet and structured place to live after their parents are unable to care for them (mine are both...

I don't talk on phones unless it is someone I know who will go into a quiet room. I also cannot use a smartphone. I have to have a real button to press. I do have a cell phone with a slide out keypad. I hope phone manufacturers will keep the slide out keypad model. Not everyone has refined motor skills. This includes seniors. Everyone who lives long enough will be elderly one day. I don't do well with voice recognition as my words often falter in real time. I can only think clearly when writing. This is the model I currently have.  It is affordable an  I can also text. I keep in contact better with family now due to texting. It is the next best thing to seeing them.  Phone manufacturers need to keep making the slide out keypad for those with mobility issues like compromised fine motor skills.

“You are going to wind up in jail, an institution or the morgue.” –Neuropsychiatrist at the University of Illinois at Chicago Campus, January 2006 “You are a fraud.” “You are just spoiled.” –Behavioral health worker @ Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital, Hoffman Estates, IL 2005 “It isn’t my job to understand autism.” –GP, circa 2005 “How much did (X) cost?” Ongoing suspicion from AID (the association for individual development, headquartered in Aurora, IL) each time I have worked with them, despite full financial disclosure on my application form. “Well, that’s because they get so much fraud.” My one and only friend (during a conversation on 1/1/17) who used to work at AID, despite my telling her a person is innocent until proven guilty in this country. Add to this sexual assault (Lutheran General Hospital, Park Ridge, IL 1999-during a free gyno exam -included in hospital stay). Would not pull out speculum when I told the doctor and his assistant ...

My ears are sensitive. If you have read my other posts, you know this by now, however, instead of talking about sound, I'd like to share with you about skin irritation coming from pierced earlobes. I have triple- pierced ears. Two sets are particularly sensitive to even surgical steel, so I tried coating the earring posts in Neosporin , an antibiotic ointment. I found that my ears don't hurt and turn red, nor do they weep.  Even silver and gold don't irritate.  If you have super sensitive skin, at least on your earlobes, you may want to try coating the backs of your earrings. I hope you have had a blessed Christmas season and wish you a happy, healthy 2017. God bless you.

The following are things Santa can't fit in a stocking.  1. A friend. An emotionally  stable , laid back person who would always have my back and not ask dumb questions or shun me because of my autistic traits. I already have one true friend. However, she does live an hour away and travel is getting much more difficult for her, especially during the darker winter months. She is in her 80's, though she has the soul of a child, there are limits. 2. Purpose. It isn't uncommon for autistic people to lack meaningful relationships or purpose in life. It is sadly a stereotype of the condition. I am blessed to be able to make stretch bracelets, but I cannot afford to do it constantly, nor is there that high a demand for them. 3. Community involvement. Due to my severe SPD , I cannot function properly or safely for a prolonged period of time in most public places such as movie theaters, restaurants, grocery stores or anyplace where there is a constant, variable of c...

In 2015, I began making stretch bracelets. It is simple enough given my fine motor skill impairment. I infrequently make a little cash in the process. I love to make a product that anyone can afford. I enjoy giving them away as well.  I can contribute to a world that is very difficult for me to participate in. I give thanks to the woman who sells them in her store for me. She is one of many blessings in my life. If you want to get into stretch jewelry, I recommend  Michael's craft stores. They have the most variety and cost range. I use Stretch Magic 1mm cord. They also have 1.5mm. Nice and big to hold onto and knot. If you are gross motor skill impaired, this hobby will most likely not be a good fit for you. Michael's has many hobbies, including adult coloring books, scrapbooking and kids crafts. Hobby Lobby has a lot of pretty stuff, but they are a bit more costly and not as varied in their selection, at least when it comes to bead selection. If you have a...

Taken during a visit to Anderson Japanese Gardens in Rockford, Illinois, USA. To me, the empty chairs are the symbol of human connection I wish I could have and the emptiness that is. I can't handle much, but I would like more than I have in my life now. Here is a link to a really awesome and simple free photo editing software site: https://pixlr.com/express/