48 Weird and Wildly Helpful Autistic Accommodations — Transcript

Full transcript

1. 0:00Hey, it's Taylor with Mom on the
2. 0:01Spectrum and today I have 57 of the
3. 0:04weirdest, most unhinged autism
4. 0:07accommodations to share with you. I'm so
5. 0:09excited. I have not heard of most of
6. 0:10these before. I asked this question to
7. 0:13our Mom on the Spectrum community. Y'all
8. 0:15did not disappoint with the responses,
9. 0:17so I can't wait to share them with you.
10. 0:19Um, this is another unedited video. I
11. 0:21can't remember if I said that already,
12. 0:22and I can't go back and check cuz it's
13. 0:23unedited. Um, speaking of
14. 0:25accommodations, I wanted to share one my
15. 0:28one of the top accommodations for me
16. 0:30since I learned I was autistic about
17. 0:31five years ago. Um, earbuds. I never
18. 0:34thought I'd be somebody that would wear
19. 0:35them, but these are different than any
20. 0:37other earbud. This is the Flare Calmer 2
21. 0:40prototype. This is um, a new model that
22. 0:44they have out. So, if you've been around
23. 0:45on the channel for a while, this is not
24. 0:46Flare Calmer. This is Calmer 2 and
25. 0:48they're totally different ballgame. So,
26. 0:50what I love about these, there's a hole
27. 0:51that goes all the way through the
28. 0:52middle, so that sound can still get in.
29. 0:55It's not like that muffled sound, you
30. 0:57know, like the Charlie Brown teacher,
31. 0:58the WW. It's not that. I can still hear
32. 1:01everything, but it just it makes the
33. 1:03spiky sounds smooth. So, if you want to
34. 1:05check those out, link in the
35. 1:06description, a poor seed pore seed. A
36. 1:09pro portion of the proceeds goes back to
37. 1:12the channel. Speaking of, like this
38. 1:14video if it's helpful to you. Subscribe
39. 1:15if you're not a subscriber already so
40. 1:17that you can stay up to date. and let's
41. 1:19get started on our list. So,
42. 1:22here we go. Number one, this uh category
43. 1:26is the category is sensory and emotional
44. 1:29regulation. Number one, using a VR
45. 1:32headset with calming nature scenes to
46. 1:35stimulate uh to simulate peaceful
47. 1:38environments. That's lovely. Number two,
48. 1:40switching off the fridge while eating to
49. 1:43avoid background hum. I love that so
50. 1:46much. And by the way, all of these that
51. 1:48I'm sharing, like there's no judgment or
52. 1:51shame or embarrassment. I think these
53. 1:52are amazing and I think this is about
54. 1:54celebrating ways that we have learned to
55. 1:56accommodate ourselves in a world that
56. 1:58was not built for us. Okay, number
57. 1:59three, sleeping with brown noise plus a
58. 2:02subwoofer under the bed for deep sensory
59. 2:04grounding.
60. 2:06I love subwoofers and I had one
61. 2:08installed in my last car and it was an
62. 2:10old car and the wiring of the subwoofer
63. 2:13messed everything up and I literally had
64. 2:14to get a new car. So, I don't know that
65. 2:16I would recommend putting a subwoofer in
66. 2:18an old car, but maybe under the bed.
67. 2:20That sounds lovely. The next one is no
68. 2:22ticking clocks or watches allowed in the
69. 2:24room.
70. 2:26Fans or air purifiers in every room to
71. 2:28block unpredictable external noise.
72. 2:31Wearing sunglasses in the shower to
73. 2:33block blue light and aid relaxation.
74. 2:37That That does sound like a nice
75. 2:38experience. And I actually have a dimmer
76. 2:40switch on the lights in my bathroom. So,
77. 2:42whenever I take a bath or shower, I'd
78. 2:43like dim the lights cuz it just brings
79. 2:45the whole experience like makes it more
80. 2:48calm. Earplugs. Um, always keeping them
81. 2:52on hand. I have my my earbuds in my
82. 2:55purse. I have them in my car, my glove
83. 2:57compartment. Anytime I go to the grocery
84. 2:59store or school for my kids, oh my gosh,
85. 3:03earplugs. They just
86. 3:06they stretch my spoons. Do you know what
87. 3:08that means? If you've been around,
88. 3:10spoons. Yeah, we won't get into it, but
89. 3:12they stretch my spoons.
90. 3:14This has a weird vibe, so let's keep it
91. 3:16that way. Multi-ype multiple types of
92. 3:19noiseancelling headphones for different
93. 3:21environments.
94. 3:23You know what? I do that. This was
95. 3:25written by like somebody else submitted
96. 3:26that, but I also have my Bose earphones
97. 3:29and I have my Apple earbuds and I use I
98. 3:32use them all interchangeably, but for
99. 3:34different reasons. Chewing on ice from
100. 3:37an office ice machine for white noise
101. 3:39plus hydration plus stmming. An RGB
102. 3:43backlit keyboard because standard
103. 3:45lighting is overwhelming. Avoiding wet
104. 3:47bath mats and using fresh dry ones each
105. 3:50time. Ew. Wet bath mats. Wet towels. Ew.
106. 3:54Ew. Sleeping in separate rooms from a
107. 3:57partner to avoid sensory disruptions at
108. 3:59night. I have heard from so many people
109. 4:00that this is a game changer. So if you
110. 4:02do this, no shame. More power to you.
111. 4:05Okay, I love this one.
112. 4:11Wearing historical clothing like corset
113. 4:13style bodesses for sensory comfort and
114. 4:16compression. Do what you got to do. I
115. 4:18love it. No light touch ever. Only deep
116. 4:22pressure is okay. I feel you on that.
117. 4:24Massive pillow barriers.
118. 4:27MPB. Massive pillow barriers to avoid
119. 4:30being touched in bed. I love you guys.
120. 4:33Body pillows. Weighted stuffies and
121. 4:35comfort stems during rest time. Yes,
122. 4:38body pillows are great cuz they take up
123. 4:40more surface area and you can Yeah.
124. 4:42Okay. Dim lighting, no overheads or lamp
125. 4:45only lighting setups. The only overhead
126. 4:47light that I use in my house is the
127. 4:49kitchen light and only when I have to.
128. 4:51If I can just use natural lighting,
129. 4:53that's what we do. Sleeping alarmree.
130. 4:56Okay, more power to you. Doesn't work
131. 4:58for me, but I I understand the vibe of
132. 5:01that. Cold bedrooms. Even this is even
133. 5:04to the point of nose bleeds for
134. 5:06temperature regulation. Okay, I I'm not
135. 5:08recommending any of this. I do sleep
136. 5:11with it very cold in my house and I have
137. 5:14lots of layers so I like being cold and
138. 5:16then I turn the fan on.
139. 5:19Okay,
140. 5:21never heard this one before. Dreadlocks
141. 5:23as a tactile and practical sensory
142. 5:26adaptation. I'm going to leave it with
143. 5:28that. The next category, the category is
144. 5:32environmental and spatial needs. Booking
145. 5:35private study rooms and posting do not
146. 5:38disturb notes on the door. Sitting on an
147. 5:40exercise bench instead of a chair to
148. 5:42allow movement and restlessness. I like
149. 5:44that you can swing your legs. That's
150. 5:46nice. Creating a personal quiet room or
151. 5:48escape space for decompression.
152. 5:51Two toothbrushes or tubes, one upstairs,
153. 5:54one downstairs to avoid stairs when
154. 5:55exhausted. That's such a great idea.
155. 5:59Weird, but true. That's like that's a
156. 6:01show, right? Okay. A comfort chair in
157. 6:03the bathroom. It says, "Yes, seriously,
158. 6:05because that's where it makes sense for
159. 6:06them." Comfort chair in the bathroom.
160. 6:09Let me know if it works for you.
161. 6:11Standing up during business meetings
162. 6:13instead of sitting still. I know some
163. 6:15people who walk on a treadmill, too. Can
164. 6:17be a form of stmming. A tactical vest or
165. 6:20waist trainer for pressure and back
166. 6:22support.
167. 6:24Yeah, I have um I have like a
168. 6:26compression sleeve that I'll wear around
169. 6:28my stomach sometimes. So, I like that.
170. 6:30Using GPS even in familiar places to
171. 6:32conserve brain energy. That's so great.
172. 6:34And I also basically use a GPS
173. 6:36everywhere I go because my kids so I
174. 6:38have like a screen in the front of my
175. 6:40car and um on my little Honda and the
176. 6:44kids can see where we're going and so
177. 6:46it's not like how long until we're
178. 6:47there, how many minutes. So, I think it
179. 6:49helps with executive functioning for
180. 6:50everybody because you can see exactly
181. 6:52where to go and it takes out the brain
182. 6:54work and the guessing.
183. 6:57Sleeping with tucked in sheets so the
184. 6:59covers don't shift. Okay. But I also
185. 7:01know that some people hate sleeping with
186. 7:03tucked in sheets. So, let me know in the
187. 7:05comments which one you are, which team
188. 7:08turning off the lights during showers or
189. 7:10nighttime routines. Shower in the dark.
190. 7:12Okay. Do you need would you still do
191. 7:14sunglasses? So, sunglasses and no
192. 7:17lights. I don't know. Furniture.
193. 7:19Furniture building at work instead of
194. 7:22desk tasks to focus better.
195. 7:26Okay. I don't have more information on
196. 7:28that one. Next category is communication
197. 7:31and social energy. Telling others don't
198. 7:34call me, text instead. Yes. Using do not
199. 7:38disturb mode on your phone as a
200. 7:39boundary. That's great. Asking to be
201. 7:41left alone during breaks after social
202. 7:43interaction. That is so important. And
203. 7:46again, I've talked about this on the
204. 7:48channel before, but when we take those
205. 7:49breaks, it's not like a selfish thing of
206. 7:52I'm being rude. It's like I really want
207. 7:54to be able to rejoin and interact with
208. 7:56everyone the way that the situation
209. 8:00necessitates, but I need space to
210. 8:04process and decompress and be by myself
211. 8:06before I can rejoin. So, I it really is
212. 8:08because I want to better interact with
213. 8:11everyone. and I just need to step back
214. 8:12for a while.
215. 8:14Crocheting during meetings to regulate
216. 8:16focus. I've done this when I've run
217. 8:17connection groups before. It helps me to
218. 8:19be fidgety with my hands. Rehearsing
219. 8:22tasks as if recording a YouTube video
220. 8:24for motivation. That's see these
221. 8:26accommodations. Where else are you going
222. 8:28to get these accommodations? Huh? Where
223. 8:30else are you going to get these
224. 8:31accommodations? Look at us. Look at us.
225. 8:34Preferring verbal explanations over
226. 8:36writing due to disgraphia. Okay, that's
227. 8:39interesting. I know for some of us it's
228. 8:41going to be the opposite. We prefer
229. 8:43written explanations over verbal. Uh
230. 8:45avoiding relationships that involve
231. 8:47guilt tripping or manipulation. Wh what?
232. 8:51Yep, that's an important one. Not
233. 8:53letting people in the house ever with a
234. 8:56laughing crying emoji. Okay, if that's
235. 8:58your boundary, that's your boundary. I
236. 9:00know that for me, my house is my safe
237. 9:02place. And like I I don't I love it
238. 9:06being my place and my environment for me
239. 9:09and the kids. I mean, it's just my
240. 9:10little safe haven. So, I totally get
241. 9:12that. And then our last section here is
242. 9:14routines and workarounds.
243. 9:17Setting a daily alarm to remember
244. 9:18sunglasses for sensory prevention. Using
245. 9:22spinning chairs in every room to
246. 9:24regulate movement and focus. Okay.
247. 9:26Spinning chairs. I've noticed that the
248. 9:28older I get, the less spinning I can do.
249. 9:30So like roller coasters and all that
250. 9:31stuff with spinning, no thank you. But
251. 9:33to each their own. Typing schoolwork
252. 9:36from bottom to top in notepad because up
253. 9:39feels like progress.
254. 9:43Okay, I love that. That is weird and I
255. 9:46love it. Making a pressure sound with
256. 9:48your mouth throughout the day to self
257. 9:50soothe. A pressure sound. I wonder what
258. 9:52that is. Neurody divergent was talking
259. 9:55about um making this
260. 9:59sound, but that was more about not
261. 10:01realizing that she's holding her breath
262. 10:02during the day. But I wonder what that
263. 10:04pressure sound is. Having an emotional
264. 10:06support spouse. Adorable and valid.
265. 10:09Okay. Um
266. 10:12great emotional support spouse. Yes, I
267. 10:14highly recommend if you can have one of
268. 10:16those. That sounds great. Um actually
269. 10:19Dr. Nef was talking about that. If you
270. 10:21missed our interview, we did an
271. 10:22interview over burnout, especially as it
272. 10:24relates to parenting and this political
273. 10:27landscape that we're living through and
274. 10:29she was talking about how helpful it is
275. 10:32to have a supportive spouse. Um, so if
276. 10:34you've got one, great. Keeping a
277. 10:37resistance band at your desk for
278. 10:39exercise snacking, so like little bursts
279. 10:42of exercise. And those resistance bands
280. 10:44can be really sensory friendly.
281. 10:47wearing beanies with pom poms year round
282. 10:49for focus and tactile comfort. Ooh,
283. 10:53Woodshed Theory is making stuff again.
284. 10:56And she's got the cutest beanies, so
285. 10:58check her out for beanies and pom poms.
286. 11:00Avoid automatic billing or subscription
287. 11:02models due to executive dysfunction. I
288. 11:04totally get that. Um, and if you haven't
289. 11:07heard about my online community, I have
290. 11:08a 7-day free trial for this very reason.
291. 11:11You don't have to put in a credit card
292. 11:12because I know that the ADHDers have
293. 11:15trouble like once we sign up for
294. 11:16something that's like, "Oh no, did I
295. 11:18forget?" So, if you want to check it out
296. 11:20and be able to learn more weird
297. 11:22accommodations and share your own, you
298. 11:25can check out the link for that in the
299. 11:26description.
300. 11:28Scheduling superhuman breaks, knowing
301. 11:30that a break is allowed even if you
302. 11:31don't always take it. So, those are some
303. 11:35very weird accommodations. And I want us
304. 11:38to remember that what might look weird
305. 11:40for other people can be really
306. 11:42empowering for us. And more power to
307. 11:44you. Do what you need to do to
308. 11:46accommodate yourself. Be weird. Be
309. 11:48unique. Be yourself. Um, try different
310. 11:50accommodations. So, like I said, I never
311. 11:52thought that I would be somebody that
312. 11:54would need earbuds. And one of my
313. 11:56friends suggested them. I'm like, I will
314. 11:57try them. And then I tried them and I'm
315. 11:59like, where have these been all my life?
316. 12:01And they make a huge difference. So, if
317. 12:03any of the accommodations stood out to
318. 12:05you, give them a shot. Let me know in
319. 12:06the comments um how they helped you. And
320. 12:09also please if you have more weird
321. 12:11accommodations, please share them in
322. 12:13part two and I will keep this going.
323. 12:15I'll make a part two if you guys keep
324. 12:17sharing these awesome and weird and
325. 12:20brilliant suggestions. Thanks for
326. 12:21watching. Please give this a thumbs up
327. 12:23and subscribe to the channel and I'll
328. 12:25see you in the next video. Bye.