7 cool aspects of Autistic Culture

“Samefood

The term “samefood” refers to the autistic tendency to eat the same food very frequently or even exclusively for days, weeks, even months at a time.

Samefood can be used as a noun or a verb. For example:

“Sour cream and onion chips are my samefood right now.”

or

“I don’t usually samefood much, but this past week I can’t stop eating spicy ramen.”

A samefood often needs to be prepared in a very specific way, eaten in a ritualistic manner, or may only be a specific brand.

Anything outside of these criteria is Not Right and does not satisfy the samefood need.

It is considered upsetting and tragic when someone else in the household eats your samefood without consulting you, or if you ask someone to buy you a particular brand and they bring home a different one instead.

Autistic folk will commiserate with each other over tragedies like this because to us they ARE tragedies and neurotypical people just don’t understand.

If you have ever made yourself sick bingeing on whipped cream or discovered that yes, you CAN eat too many pumpkin seeds, you’ll find no judgement in the autistic community.

We welcome you and your samefoods.”

#Eating#Autism#Neurodiversity#Inclusion

https://neuroclastic.com/7-cool-aspects-of-autistic-culture/

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When you are autistic, you spend much of your life feeling very alone.

No one can understand why you are melting down because someone bought Old Dutch brand chips instead of Ruffles. People get impatient with you when you refuse to touch your shoelaces to tie them.

No one else in the room seems to be bothered by the two clocks ticking out of sync with each other. No one else you know cares about cats quite as much as you do. Everyone says you are wrong. Things aren’t the way you interpret them. Your feelings are ridiculous. Your priorities are incomprehensible to people.

“Stop it,” “get over it,” and “why can’t you…” are refrains that will follow you your whole life.

Until one day… you find a whole world of people who understand.

The internet has allowed autistic people– who might be shut in their homes, unable to speak aloud, or unable to travel independently– to mingle with each other, share experiences, and talk about our lives to people who feel the same way.

We were no longer alone.

Hashtags on social media have made it easier for autistic people to find each other, share experiences. “Does anybody else…” questions echo daily in Facebook groups, Twitter hashtags, and Tumblr blogs using the hashtag #AskingAutistics. The answer is always a resounding, “Yes!”