View past chats on this topic: February 17, 2019 and September 12, 2021. Today’s #AutChat is about shutdowns. Shutdowns are sometimes described like meltdowns, but turned inward: instead of a visible response, it becomes harder to respond. Q1: Do you have shutdowns? What is a shutdown like for you? #AutChat Q2: What triggers a shutdown […]

View past chats on this topic here: February 3, 2019 and June 20, 2021. Q1: What does self-care mean to you? What are your favorite, most effective, or most frequent ways of taking care of yourself? #AutChat Q2: Are there other ways of taking care of yourself that you’d like to try, or ones you’ve […]

View past chats on this topic: January 13, 2019 and June 27, 2021. Nonbinary generally refers to gender identities (or lack thereof) that don’t fully and/or don’t always fit into the binary gender system of men/women. #AutChat Some people self-describe just as trans or nonbinary/enby, and other people use specific identity labels that fall under […]

Read past chats on this topic: December 30, 2018, December 29, 2019 and December 27, 2020, and January 1, 2023. Today’s #AutChat is on resolutions and similar kinds of big commitments. Some people make these for Jan 1st; some people make them at other times; some people don’t make them at any particular time. If […]

View past chats on this topic: December 9, 2018, July 4, 2021, and September 19, 2021. This #AutChat is about motor differences, such as: different nonverbal body language from neurotypical people; stimming; difficulty starting, carrying out, or stopping movements; echoing others’ actions; moving slower or faster; differences in balance or coordination. Q1: What motor differences […]

View past chats on this topic: November 18, 2018 and August 15, 2021. Some physical, neurological, and mental health conditions are particularly common in autistic people, such as digestive problems, sleep problems, epilepsy, ADHD, anxiety, and depression. #AutChat We’re using the term “co-conditions”; these are also referred to as co-occurring conditions and (more by researchers) […]

View past chats on this topic: Nov 4, 2018 and Feb 28, 2021. Q1: What systemic problems keep autistic people of color from getting a diagnosis? #AutChat Q2: How do we fight stigma against trans autistics? #AutChat Q3: How do we get issues from our most marginalized community members to the forefront? How do we […]

View a past chat on this topic here. This #AutChat is on mood disorders. This includes major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, cyclothymia, dysthymia, postpartum depression, seasonal affective disorder, and any other mood disorder. Q1: Do you have or suspect you have a mood disorder? Say as much or as little as you like. […]

View past chats on this topic here: September 30, 2018, and May 16, 2021. This #AutChat is about the ability to self-regulate impulses and to self-regulate emotions. These are both aspects of executive function. Regulating impulses means things like avoiding becoming distracted, thinking before acting, etc. Emotional control refers to managing your emotions and how […]

View past chats on this topic here: September 23, 2018 and May 9, 2021. This #AutChat is the second in our series on executive function. We’ll talk about self-monitoring and organization, AKA planning and monitoring your performance on tasks. Q1: Do you have difficulty with organization when you try to perform tasks? What are the […]