@felyashono@autistics.life avatar

felyashono

@[email protected]

I'm a late-discovered autistic recovering from autistic burnout. I'm interested in Sci-Fi/Fantasy (especially TV/movies), Apple Tech, and gaming.

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@elight@tenforward.social avatar elight , to ActuallyAutistic group

actuallyautistic@a.gup.pe icon ActuallyAutistic group Curious how others refer to this condition and themselves. Do you "have" autism, are you "autisti, both, or something else?

I find the second most relatable, particularly as we are a "we"—a subculture based on identifying as neurologically similar.

I tend to bristle at little at the first as this indicates it's a condition. "Having" implies the possibility of ephemerality. We are autistic for life.

I didn't feel this way about ADHD, perhaps oddly.

felyashono ,
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@w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

WSJ - Apple has new technology intended to enable people to control their iPhones and other devices with neural signals captured by a new generation of brain implants. https://www.wsj.com/tech/apple-brain-computer-interface-9ec69919

felyashono ,
@felyashono@autistics.life avatar

@w7voa
I can't read the WSJ article due to paywall, but here's a free engadget article that provides some really interesting context.

  1. The implant is made by Synchron and has undergone some successful testing.
  2. The intended primary use case is people with very limited motor control.
  3. Apple is publishing the control protocol, so it won't be fully proprietary.
  4. The tech is probably years away from any form of deployment.

In my opinion, this is a really impressive scientific achievement.

All of this contrasts with, but does not detract from, the obvious potential issues, some of which were very recently highlighted in Black Mirror Season 7 Episode 1, “Common People.”

https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-has-teamed-up-with-synchron-to-develop-tech-that-lets-people-control-its-devices-with-thoughts-154018858.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAHQUgahsl_mgeebVt8JFf8HZ2al-LCSpWUbYf6Pd1XNscakOybev07lEDpMESPABBewQzhH2_SeXok8SvURDvvQutu2JH56OdKOjFJXojjA912XAFSfp-I7kegUQRxLTwPZspwvkgim75RTX_M9Ac2dxPilCMMCWPY1PwqgfxyfL

@hosford42@techhub.social avatar hosford42 , to ActuallyAutistic group

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jenniferpalumbo/2025/05/06/autism-speaks-from-criticism-to-inclusion-and-a-future-of-listening/

I'm curious to get my fellow autistics' take on this article. What do you think? Can Autism Speaks be redeemed? Is their change in direction legitimate? Is it enough?

actuallyautistic@a.gup.pe icon ActuallyAutistic group


felyashono ,
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@hosford42 actuallyautistic@a.gup.pe icon ActuallyAutistic group
A$ by the numbers

Leadership:
0% actually autistic.
17% parents of autistics.

Board of Directors:
3% actually autistic
62% parents* of autistics

*One of the board members is actually the grandfather of an autistic.

It's also interesting to note that the current Chief Science Officer is a geneticist with patents in genetic therapeutics. And that the family of one of the board members (who is a parent of an autistic son) was involved with Cure Autism Now [sic; that's the name of the org].

A$ does not speak for us. It doesn't involve us directly in its operations.

https://www.autismspeaks.org/leadership
https://www.autismspeaks.org/board-directors

felyashono ,
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@murdoc @hosford42 actuallyautistic@a.gup.pe icon ActuallyAutistic group
That 3% is, in fact, 1 person out of 29 board members.

felyashono ,
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@BernieDoesIt @murdoc @hosford42 actuallyautistic@a.gup.pe icon ActuallyAutistic group
Most notably, John Elder Robison (late-Dx “Aspergers”) resigned from the board in 2013, citing comments by A$ co-founder Suzanne Wright, who had described an "autism crisis” and "national emergency.”

It's striking that those words, published on the A$ website, were just echoed by RFK Jr., some 12 years later. A$ has been influential in creating the persecution and genocide we autistics are now facing at the hands of the new fascist government.

So really, in order to repent and demonstrate that they've changed, they'd have to fire every member of their leadership team and board of directors, replace them all with autistic individuals, and convert the organization to 100% self-advocacy. Anything less is just whitewashing their part in promoting institutionalized ableism.

https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2013/11/14/noted-cuts-ties-autism-speaks/18893/

@nixCraft@mastodon.social avatar nixCraft , to random

would you give LLM (AI) to run commands on your macOS, Linux, FreeBSD or Unix machine? Fuck no. I survived this long without this crap and I will be fine. Do not want. Go away.

AI-Powered Terminal Assistant Screenshot that can run Linux and Unix commands for you.
ALT
felyashono ,
@felyashono@autistics.life avatar

@nixCraft
And yet it seems to be common practice nowadays to ask google how to do something, find a shell command on some arbitrary web site, and copy/paste it onto the local machine without ever understanding what it does.

If you're on a unix box and need to access the terminal (for any reason whatsoever) but don't know the basics of a shell (sh/bash/zsh/etc), you have a problem.

As for LLM, the only concern I would have is whether the tmuxai command can be assured to run the command it says it's running. I don't see any issue with rm -i ./logs/debug-*.log, especially with the -i flag present.

@AutisticInnovator@autistics.life avatar AutisticInnovator , to ActuallyAutistic group

I think what they are calling an increase in severe autism cases where young adults have to wear diapers, go on the floor, break their parents bones from how violent they get, extremely aggressive, etc, I really don't think that's autism. I think something else is probably happening, and these specialists all hate us so they are labeling it autism when it's actually something else.

I think since some of what they are calling severe autism cases is non-speaking, they're just misdiagnosing those super severe cases. I saw a parent say their "autistic" kid threw them across the room and broke their ribs. Other parents said they have broken arms from how violent their "autistic" kids are. These kids they are calling "severely autistic" are incredibly violent. Autism doesn't make someone violent. It's got to be something else. And in the process they will try to eradicate us over a misdiagnosis.

What do you think?

actuallyautistic@a.gup.pe icon ActuallyAutistic group

felyashono ,
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@AutisticInnovator actuallyautistic@a.gup.pe icon ActuallyAutistic group
Here’s an example to consider: An autistic child has a meltdown and throws something. They also have Intellectual Disability, and they lack the comprehension not to throw the thing at another person. Hitting that person, their parent, gives the parent a concussion.

Did the autism make them do it? No. Did the Intellectual Disability make them do it? No. Was it a combination of factors that holds a place on the spectrum of autistic experiences? Yes.

ASD is co-morbid with so many other conditions, including Generalized Anxiety, Major Depression, Intellectual Disability, Down Syndrome, etc. The occurrence of autism without any co-morbidities present is extremely rare. Whether the behavior is “severe" or just something you or I do, we can't point our finger only at the autism. We can't point our finger only at the “something else" either. Those people are on the autism spectrum, same as we are.

So you're right: autism doesn't make people violent. But some autistics are violent.

@EmilyMoranBarwick@mastodon.social avatar EmilyMoranBarwick , to ActuallyAutistic group

Hi. I'm TOO MUCH.

I've spent a lifetime making myself smaller for everyone.

Making myself the version of me that was most useful and comfortable for everyone around me.

And I HAVE to stop before I disappear.

I wrote about learning to TAKE UP SPACE: https://fromemily.com/space-taking-defiance/

Maybe you've made yourself smaller too? Let's TAKE UP SPACE together.

actuallyautistic@a.gup.pe icon ActuallyAutistic group

felyashono ,
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@EmilyMoranBarwick actuallyautistic@a.gup.pe icon ActuallyAutistic group
Yes! I’m interpreting the idea of being too much, and taking up too much space, through the lens of autistic burnout. Not only did I make myself smaller, but my employer directed me to make myself smaller. They did this in many ways, including literally suggesting I simplify my vocabulary and word use, because I was coming off as condescending. (shoutout to the TV show for tackling this particular form of psychological workplace abuse directly).

I'm also reminded of the 2010 Tim Burton "Alice in Wonderland," in which Alice is determined to be the “wrong Alice" because she has lost her "muchness.” My response: “We're all mad here, and it's ok” (shoutout to the S. J. Tucker song "Cheshire Kitten”).

My process for recovering from burnout could certainly be interpreted as becoming bigger, finding my muchness, taking up more space.

I very much like the metaphor.

@pathfinder@beige.party avatar pathfinder , to ActuallyAutistic group

actuallyautistic@a.gup.pe icon ActuallyAutistic group

I think we've probably all seen the truly horrible things that RFK, aka Mr Worm-Brain, has been saying over the last week or so. There have certainly been enough excellent rebuttals and replies appearing on my TL to suggest it. There is nothing new, in a sense, in what he is saying. In many ways, it's the same tired arguments that AS has been coming out with for years, although perhaps a little bit more extreme and openly said. It is the fact that he, the US health secretary, is saying them and the implications that this could have, that has, perhaps, aroused us the most.

We are right to be outraged and upset. The image he portrayed of what it is like to be autistic is nowhere near the truth, it never has been. But, what has to be remembered is that for a long time it was far nearer the understood truth, than not. And that time, is not so far in the past. Many of us here are old enough to have lived through the timeline of autism, in the modern sense, of it really beginning to leave the institutions and the associations with extreme learning disabilities and becoming more widely recognised and understood. Implicit in this, in the medical model that has driven it, has always been the false divide between the functional and the non-functional. The useless eaters and the useful, as Asperger described it. It has given rise to the horrendous functioning labels and to the notions of Aspie superiority, that a small minority still cling to.

Most of us know, only too well, just how useless these notions are. That the reality of our experience is far more complex than that. Sure, there are those who, for a variety of reasons, struggle to live within the world, or at least to do so without a great deal of help. But that's true of many people. The homes and institutions that enable many, do not just cater to autistics. Equally, there are those who have no real problems. But for the vast majority of us, we just bounce around in between. Having our good days and our bad days, not struggling with something's as much as others, but never terribly consistently. The truth of autism has always been far more complex than some would like to believe.

How much of this Mr Worm-Brain understands, or even cares to, I don't know. He may just be stuck in his past, in his youth, when the image he portrayed was far more commonly the understood one. The same dire image that was dragged across our screens during the height of the vaccine's scandal, to show just how awful it was that they caused autism. The fear, that in a sense, still lives within much of society, that AS feeds on and, in many respects, encourages. The ignorance that can make autism seem frightening and almost unnatural and the apparent increase of it, a source of fear and concern.

This, in the classic way, is what RFK is really trying to tap into. The ignorance of many and the fear of the unknown. It is an all-time favourite of the despot's playbook. To what end, I don't know, and that is what has me worried. Because I seriously doubt it is for our benefit. But, in many ways, I really do hope that it comes simply from his ignorance, his willingness to see us as an easy and obvious way to crack open a door to somewhere else. Because, if so, he really isn't going to expect, or understand, the shit-storm that will come his way, when he manages to piss us all off.


felyashono ,
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@pathfinder actuallyautistic@a.gup.pe icon ActuallyAutistic group

Well written, and as always, thank you for being a strong voice in the community.

I do want to take issue with one of your points though. You said "The image [RFK Jr.] portrayed of what it is like to be autistic is nowhere near the truth, it never has been.”

But what you said isn't true. There are autistics who can't toilet themselves independently. There are autistics who are non-verbal. There are autistics who never learned how to communicate with others ... or I should say, with whom the people around them never learned how to communicate.

It’s important to include those people in the discussion as well. They may never hold a job, either because they would never have been able to, or because the services offered to them believed that wasn't a course worth pursuing. They may never pay their taxes.

But they, and we — all of us — deserve respect. All of us have value.

@raineyday@beige.party avatar raineyday , to weirdfolks group

It is Wednesday, everybody, and I have a frustrating mystery on my hands.

A few days ago, my phone has started chiming at 7:45 AM. While in "do not disturb" mode. I've been through the settings and I can't figure out why it's doing that. It's also a chime I haven't heard before.

I doubt it's a virus, since my phone doesn't visit strange places.

Android version 12, if anyone might have any ideas or suggestions.

weirdfolks@a.gup.pe icon weirdfolks group

Scene from the TV series Wednesday, featuring Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams. She is in a somewhat small space. It is dark and the walls to her right and left are nearly black, but we can see the narrow wall behind her is white with orange splotches almost like autumn leaves but they're not leaves. Some dark figure is hanging behind her, possibly a sculpture of a bird. Wednesday is facing the camera, although her head and eyes are lowered a little bit because she's looking at what could be a notebook or a cell phone that's in her left hand, with a small flashlight in her right hand aimed at the thing she's looking at. She's dressed casually in a black hoodie that's partially unzipped with the hood down, and a white and black striped shirt. She still has her iconic braids and black nail polish.
ALT
felyashono ,
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@raineyday weirdfolks@a.gup.pe icon weirdfolks group

I’m an Apple guy and don't have any experience with Android, but here's a shot in the dark that might be just far enough outside the box to be useful: have you checked your calendar for appointments that might have alerts on them?

@felyashono@autistics.life avatar felyashono , to ActuallyAutistic group

Hey folks. Am I the only one who sees the image in this post as a Rainbow Infinity symbol?

I'm asking the community before I reply directly to the EC.

actuallyautistic@a.gup.pe icon ActuallyAutistic group https://ec.social-network.europa.eu/@EUCommission/114341388836450977

felyashono OP ,
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@murdoc actuallyautistic@a.gup.pe icon ActuallyAutistic group
I was planning to politely point out the resemblance and suggest it’s an unfortunate mistake, especially in April. I was planning not to be obnoxious. To that end, I sent out the poll first. My goal was to determine whether I was making a mountain out of a mole hill, and whether saying anything, however respectful, might still be obnoxious.

Thank you for your opinion that it's not a problem. Assuming the poll results continue the way they're currently trending, I won't say anything at all.

@stux@mstdn.social avatar stux , to random

Moving an image in word be like

All the alignment and order is gone!

felyashono ,
@felyashono@autistics.life avatar

@stux
OMG, people are still making this joke? The last time I had to deal with that nonsense was in grad school 25 years ago. I really assumed it would have gotten better since then.

I guess I'll stick with Pages, then.