things I wish autism research actually tried to figure out:

adventures-in-asexuality:

absynthe–minded:

• why caffeine works for some of us, but not all, and even then it often depends on the way you take it and the dosage
• how come all of us have gastrointestinal problems?
• addendum to the above: what exactly are our gastrointestinal problems? are we genetically more likely to have autism be comorbid with gluten sensitivity/colitis/IBS/lactose intolerance/whatever else or is it something completely different? is it psychosomatic? the fuck
• okay but how does being sensory-seeking work. and what does stimming do to your brain. what neurological function are we facilitating with flapping hands and rocking back and forth and spinning? wouldn’t it be great if we had a serious long-term study of the brain on stimming?
• are you more likely to be autistic and LGBT?
• what are things we do better than neurotypicals?

but no it’s always “how do we train the animals to be something they’re not” or “but what made you this way??” or “Time To Find A Cure”

• why do we all have sleep disorders
• what’s up with the joint problems
• and the faceblindness
• what are the communication patterns here? how come I can meet one autistic person and immediately grok how they communicate, and be confused by another, but all neurotypicals are confusing? what’s going on with that?
• how much of what we currently recognise as ‘autistic symptoms’ are actually ptsd symptoms? or autistic ptsd symptoms?