Thinking Person's Guide to Autism
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thinkingautism.com
Thinking Person's Guide to Autism
@thinkingautism.com
17K followers 790 following 2.9K posts
The greatest autism info you will ever find, from autistic people, professionals, and parents. www.ThinkingAutism.com & buttondown.com/TPGA. Pro-neurodiversity. Even more TPGA community discussions on IG and FB.
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thinkingautism.com
Holiday gatherings can be really hard for autistic kids and adults.

And the reasons why aren’t always obvious.

So please use and share our guide to helping autistics avoid
meltdown triggers. At TPGA:

thinkingautismguide.com/2022/01/auti...

#autism #neurodiversity #autistic #sensory
November 27, 2025 at 1:56 AM
thinkingautism.com
Please remember: When we remind people that “there is NO evidence linking vaccines to autism” without adding “and fear of autism hurts autistics,” then we’re actually contributing to negative stereotypes about autism & autistic people. At TPGA:

thinkingautismguide.com/2025/03/bust... #VaccinesWork
November 24, 2025 at 4:06 AM
thinkingautism.com
Just like the infamous clothing tags, there are many “sensory icks” that neurodivergent people experience regularly. Here is Shamiha Patel's own version of a complete checklist, categorised by the different senses:

thinkingautismguide.com/2024/02/30-s...

#autism #sensory #neurodiversity
November 21, 2025 at 8:39 PM
thinkingautism.com
"Parenting a neurodivergent child while carrying my own trauma means living in constant tension between tenderness and fear, love, and self-protection." Liz Koch, at TPGA:

thinkingautismguide.com/2025/11/unta... #autism #trauma #parenting
November 17, 2025 at 1:29 AM
thinkingautism.com
"If you’re autistic, and your healthcare provider doesn’t recognize that and/or know what that really means, your provider is more likely to incorrectly interpret your body language and communication style as anxious, insincere, or confrontational." At TPGA:

thinkingautismguide.com/2022/08/auti...
November 14, 2025 at 4:18 AM
thinkingautism.com
Why functioning labels are hurtful: A “high-functioning” person may be having a bad day & have a hard time with self-care tasks like bathing, cooking, shopping, & dressing. A “low-functioning” person can have a good day, week, or month & do relatively well with the same tasks. Finn Gardiner at TPGA.
November 12, 2025 at 7:28 PM
thinkingautism.com
FYI we will not be publishing our newsletter this week because we are on vacation. Please enjoy this restaurant kitty in the meantime.

[image: dark gray cat lounging on a restaurant patio in front of blue agaves.]
dark gray cat lounging on a restaurant patio in front of blue agaves.
November 10, 2025 at 4:46 PM
thinkingautism.com
Our main requirement for happiness in new locations: French fries available at all times. (Note: We have scored.)

If you go to different places, what is your #1 requirement?

#Autism #SameFoods #neurodiversity

[image: basket of French fries on a restaurant table.]
basket of French fries on a restaurant table.
November 9, 2025 at 2:13 AM
thinkingautism.com
Our main requirement for happiness in new locations: French fries available at all times. (Note: We have scored.)

If you go to different places, what is your #1 requirement?

#Autism #SameFoods #neurodiversity

[image: basket of French fries on a restaurant table.]
November 9, 2025 at 2:12 AM
thinkingautism.com
Want to help with autism research? The Social Experiences of Loneliness of Autistic Adults (SELA) Project at the AJ Drexel Autism Institute is forming a Community Council of autistic adults (ages 18–35) to help guide a 5-year study on loneliness and social connection. Info in flyer and alt-text.
Flyer with text reading, “Calling Autistic Adults! “Want to help shape research on loneliness for autistic young adults? “We invite autistic adults (ages 18-35) to join our Community Council on a 5-year research study on how big life changes affect loneliness for autistic young adults. “Community Council members will partner with researchers to make sure that all parts of the research reflect the experiences, priorities, and needs of the autistic community. “We hope this research will lead to a better understanding of loneliness and help create better supports. “• Community partners meet regularly and are paid for their time. “• No prior research experience is needed. “• Your lived experience and perspective are what matter most, and all voices are valued. “For more info or to apply, email kc3673@drexel.edu”
November 6, 2025 at 6:31 PM
thinkingautism.com
Non-autistic parents who rely on mainstream autism resources may have no guidance for viewing their autistic kids positively. They may not see those kids as who they are, but rather as what they aren’t. These will probably not be happy families. But we can help!

tinyurl.com/NopeOnProfoundAutism
October 29, 2025 at 9:28 PM
thinkingautism.com
Autism pseudoscience grifters "claim to offer wellness, but what their products really do is drain health and well-being from the children who are targets of these 'treatments.'”

@ejwillingham.bsky.social in the new TPGA newsletter. Share and subscribe—if you dare!

tinyurl.com/AutismZombieQuackery
October 27, 2025 at 6:40 PM
thinkingautism.com
No, ABA therapy is NOT the gold standard for supporting autistic children: “Those studies that report children making long-term gains in functioning are of middling scientific quality, casting doubt on the therapy’s status as an authoritative treatment.”

thinkingautismguide.com/2025/03/when...
October 25, 2025 at 5:38 PM
thinkingautism.com
"We don’t all make the same faces. Just ask any autistic woman who’s ever had a complete stranger tell her, when she was perfectly relaxed & supremely happy, to "smile.'"

From @ejwillingham.bsky.social in the latest TPGA newsletter. Please read, subscribe, & share!
tinyurl.com/TPGArestingBitchFace
October 23, 2025 at 10:21 PM
thinkingautism.com
Parents of autistic kids deserve the best autism information, so they can understand and support those autistic kids. And we can help with that. We have so, so much useful info at www.ThinkingAutismGuide.com, and if you don't find what you need there, ask us a question! There, here, on IT, or on FB.
October 22, 2025 at 5:13 PM
thinkingautism.com
"The way we autistics process is often on hyperdrive. The activities that are like strolling for many allistic people are like sprinting for us. We need rest, more frequently and in greater durations than non-autistic people." @mx-joyner.bsky.social, at TPGA:

tinyurl.com/WeGetTired #neurodiversity
October 21, 2025 at 7:55 PM
thinkingautism.com
"While it is reasonable for people to debate about exactly what form autism diagnostic criteria should take, 'quirky' has simply never been among those criteria. NO ONE is diagnosed w/autism on the basis of being 'just quirky.'” @epballou.bsky.social at TPGA:

thinkingautismguide.com/2018/05/auti...
October 19, 2025 at 5:33 PM
thinkingautism.com
We are fed up with endless hand-wringing stories about bogus autism
causes, “epidemics,” & labels.

We want to see more stories boosting how to better support, understand, & educate autistic people.

Repost (or scream loudly even if just inside your head) if you agree.

#autism #neurodiversity
October 16, 2025 at 7:39 PM
thinkingautism.com
"Fergus Murray’s Growing Up With Monotropism & Weird Pride is a crucial part of the brand-new autistic non-fiction anthology Someone Like Me. @fergus.oolong.co.uk's chapter is part technical primer, part auto-ethnography—& wholly moving." Eli Eggers, at TPGA:

thinkingautismguide.com/2025/10/let-...
October 15, 2025 at 11:21 PM
thinkingautism.com
Why is it that 'research that’s clearly forbidden as unethical for non-autistic children is somehow allowed when autistic children are the subjects'? Anne Borden King is asking the hard questions, as usual:

childrensrights.substack.com/p/a-brief-hi... #autism #research #neurodiversity
October 14, 2025 at 11:28 PM
thinkingautism.com
Enough with the RFK Jr. BS. You know what causes autism? People having autistic kids. Whether those people have obvious autistic traits or not. FFS.

Wear our tee, spread the word, support @autisticadvocacy.org:

www.bonfire.com/reproduction...

#autism #autistic #neurodiversity
October 12, 2025 at 3:01 AM
thinkingautism.com
Autistic people need downtime in order to process, reintegrate, stim, watch favorite videos—however they best decompress.

LET AUTISTIC PEOPLE HAVE THEIR SPACE!

thinkingautismguide.com/2017/04/elev...

#autism #autistic #neurodiversity
October 11, 2025 at 6:07 PM
thinkingautism.com
A reminder for struggling autistic and disabled folks: “If you’re saying to yourself ‘Why haven’t I done this easy thing?!,’ the thing is probably not actually easy.” from Real Social Skills:

tinyurl.com/HardThingsArentEasy

#autism #disability #neurodiversity
October 10, 2025 at 5:03 PM
thinkingautism.com
"Just to be clear: A lack of recognition, supports, & accommodations & the presence of co-occurring conditions does not mean that some people have “profound autism.” Autistic people are all autistic. Period." From @ejwillingham.bsky.social in the new TPGA newsletter.

tinyurl.com/TPGAprofoundAutism
October 7, 2025 at 11:36 PM
thinkingautism.com
To reiterate:

Q: Should I be concerned If I have taken acetaminophen at any point during my pregnancy?

A: No.

More info from @ejwillingham.bsky.social in the TPGA newsletter:

tinyURL.com/TPGAacetaminophen

#autism #neurodiversity #acetaminophen #pregnancy
October 2, 2025 at 5:17 AM