Autistic people get a lot of shit for being different. Even at an early age, we’re told that how we live is wrong. When we try to learn how to live like NTs, we fuck up and get shit for that.
I think it’s pretty safe to say that a huge majority of autistic people have incredibly low self-esteem, partially because they were always told what they were doing wrong, rather than what they were doing right.
News outlets, Autism Mom Groups, scientists, etc,. whenever they talk about autism, 95% of the time, they show it in a negative light, making us autistics look bad and adding to our self-esteem issues.
Please don’t constantly tell your autistic child/teen/young adult/friend/coworker what they’re doing wrong. Look at what they’re doing first. Maybe what they’re doing is just their way of doing what you want them to do.
[Black and white GIF of an animated boy looking angry. The caption at the bottom reads “Just because you can’t understand something, it does’t mean it’s wrong.”]
If it’s something like self-injurious stimming, help them find alternatives that aren’t harmful to them. But don’t tell them that it’s wrong to stim.
If it’s something like they won’t eat a certain food because it gives them sensory overload, help them find alternatives that won’t give them sensory overload. But don’t tell them that they’re bad for not eating it.
If they have trouble making eye contact, help them find ways to feel comfortable with it or other alternatives. But don’t tell them they’re bad for not making eye contact.
If they don’t like being touched and are aggressive when touched, help them feel comfortable or teach them how to respond less aggressively when someone touches them and they don’t want to be touched. But don’t tell them they’re wrong for not wanting to be touched.
The Neurotypical Way isn’t a one-size-fits-all way. Us autistics can’t always adapt to that way, so we create our own ways, ways that make sense to us. They may not always make sense to NTs and allistics, but it’s our way. The ways only need to make sense to us.
Don’t berate autistic people for not doing things your way.
The güiña gets its name from the Mapuche word “wiña,” meaning “thief.” eMinte / Flickr
Excerpt:
The smallest wild cat species in the Americas faces big problems as its habitat dwindles and it’s targeted as a farm pest. But a new study shows it may be able to persist in a human-dominated world—if farmers and policymakers give it a hand.
The güiña (Leopardus guigna), also known as kodkod, weighs 2 to 2.5 kilograms (4.4 to 5.5 pounds), eats birds and rodents, and is only found in the temperate rainforests of Chile and western Argentina. It’s listed as “vulnerable” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with habitat loss and illegal killing considered the major causes of its decline.
Habitat destruction is one of the key drivers of biodiversity loss globally. Converting forests and grassland for agricultural use usually results in widespread population declines. Indeed, scientists consider land conversion to be the main cause of the precipitous decline of many large carnivore species around the world.
Smaller, more omnivorous species like foxes and coyotes appear to be less susceptible to the negative effects of habitat loss as they are more adaptable and can adjust their diets relatively easily. But what about those that eat only meat, like cat species? Part of a group called obligate carnivores, cats can’t shift their diets to non-meat sources.
This piece was inspired by an encounter with the fox that lives in our neighbourhood. She comes out at night, and wanders in and out of the gardens.. some evenings we’re lucky enough to see her.
Also – prints are available! ♥ Half of the profits will be donated to Wildlife Aid Foundation, who helps
foxes and rehabilitates them until they are able to survive in the wild
on their own. This means that in addition to the print you will
receive an adoption pack – read more about it here
!
Is there a word for when you’re lying on your back and you sneeze directly upward and pretty much your whole entire sneeze falls back down on your face? Asking for a friend.
there are numerous words:
fuckkk, eww, gross, ah dammit, jesus,
I vote that it hereafter be referred to as “snarg,” an unholy mashup of snot, fog, and argh.
Prickly dogfish (Oxynotus bruniensis). Look at this idiot.
Prickly dogfish are actually sharks, and we actually know very little about this species. Like, for instance, why their skin is so rough as to look furry. We do know these guys are one of the few sharks that give live birth! They’ve been found gestating up to seven pups at a time.
They live, somewhat appropriately, in the “Twilight Zone” (Mesopelagic Zone, 200-1000 meters below the surface) off the shores of Australia and New Zealand.
but don’t let the name fool you, like all sharks the prickly dogfish is smooth as hell
Urocyon's Jaunts 2.0 
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