neurodiverse
What is Neurodivergence?
It's ADHD, Autism, OCD, schizophrenia, anxiety, depression, bi-polar, aspd, etc etc etc etc
“neurologically atypical patterns of thought or behavior”
So, it’s very broad, if you feel like it describes you then it does as far as we're concerned
Rules
1.) ableist language=post or comment will probably get removed (enforced case by case, some comments will be removed and restored due to complex situations). repeated use of ableist language=banned from comm and possibly site depending on severity. properly tagged posts with CW can use them for the purposes of discussing them
2.) always assume good faith when dealing with a fellow nd comrade especially due to lack of social awareness being a common symptom of neurodivergence
2.5) right to disengage is rigidly enforced. violations will get you purged from the comm. see rule 3 for explanation on appeals
3.) no talking over nd comrades about things you haven't personally experienced as a neurotypical chapo, you will be purged. If you're ND it is absolutely fine to give your own perspective if it conflicts with another's, but do so with empathy and the intention to learn about each other, not prove who's experience is valid. Appeal process is like appealing in user union but you dm the nd comrade you talked over with your appeal (so make it a good one) and then dm the mods with screenshot proof that you resolved it. fake screenies will get you banned from the site, we will confirm with the comrade you dm'd.
3.5) everyone has their own lived experiences, and to invalidate them is to post cringe. comments will be removed on a case by case basis depending on determined level of awareness and faith
4.) Interest Policing will not be tolerated in any form. Support your comrades in their joy!
Further rules to be added/ rules to be changed based on community input
RULES NOTE: For this community more than most we understand that the clarity and understandability of these rules is very important for allowing folks to feel comfortable, to that end please don't be afraid to be outspoken about amendments and addendums to these rules, as well as any we may have missed
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My preferred stim seems odd amongst people with Autism and ADHD, but I love smooth things. Those nylon size tags facing each other on the side of your shirt or pants, I love rubbing the smoothness together. The ultimate version of this is well worn silk, like my pillow cases. Great stim that makes very little noise and can easily be kept in your pocket
Another one I recommend that's more popular with the nerd circles is mechanical keyboard test boards. Little boards with a bunch of different mechanical key types that you can switch out for your preferred mix of quiet, clicky, and bumpy. They're usually about $20, and can sometimes double as a macro setup for your computer.
I like buying stims that also have a function outside of being stims. It makes me feel less guilty about retail therapy. It also doubles by letting me stim in front of neurotypicals without ever being bothered for it.
I don't think fabric rubbing is at all weird! I know Taggies exist for early childhood sensory but I've always gravitated towards the corduroy style tags and not so much the silk ones. But also my SO called me out a few weeks ago for only wearing tagless t-shirts so there is that. I think the fabric might work for me if it came with few other functions? There is a magnet slider by Prits that has a worry stone groove in it that I feel might do the same thing. I almost got it over the micarta.
For keyboards, one of my hobbies is actually mechanical keyboards. I have 2 hot-swap boards both with tactiles. I have a few soldered with low pro tactiles. And I recently built a low profile clicky board. I love the snap of clickies but not so much the sound(when around other people since it can bug them) so I gravitated towards big tactile bumps. When typing fast it can feel amazing. I might make a keychain out of a leftover clicky though. 🤔
I feel this. My main right now is a magnetic slider and it ends up coming out in social interactions a lot. I get a bit self conscious about it at times. My last job interview didn't go well and I feel like part of it was that. I think that is part of why I wanted to make this post is maybe glean some from the stealth/sleeper fidgets. There was a magnetic pen I saw the other day that comes apart and you can sort of stack the pieces or build things.
Do you have any recs for fidgets with another function?
All of these depend on what's acceptable to carry around given your social circumstances
Pens are the classic. Cheap, easy to find, and very easy to stim with. I used mechanical pencils as a kid because I loved stimming on the smooth pencil lead and the octagonal outer cases. Sharpies and writing utensils as a whole are all great options for discrete multipurpose stims.
Fanny packs, purses, and backpacks are also great options for discrete and multipurpose stims. Zippers and buttons to close and open, and hold/hide other stims (activating the clicks through the fabric).
Swiss Army Knives and other multi tools are top tier stims. The go to stim for neurodivergent white men who have no idea they're neurodivergent. They have lots of clicks and slides you can do, with multiple things on it that aren't sharp or dangerous. This is one where if you do it, I strongly recommend buying one that's bright red and looks like the Swiss Army knife. This has nothing to do with quality or brand, it's just that Swiss Army knives don't have the same reputation that a normal pocket knife does, so you can carry it more places with less issue. Obviously don't pull it out somewhere it's going to be a problem, but if you work in manual labor then it's probably fine to have out.
Yoooo me too! I find the tags very soothing. I used to need a specific pillowcase when I was a child to do the same with in order to sleep.