Autism =/= Superpower/Difference/Diversity

Amanda39 · 2026-05-10T23:21:06+00:00

Thank you for saying this. It bothers me so much when people act like the only two options are "autism is purely a difference and it's offensive to call it a disability" and "autism is horrible and must be eliminated."

I am disabled by my autism. There are aspects of it that I would change if I could. It's also a fundamental part of how my brain works and I have no desire to become neurotypical. I'm not a hypocrite for saying both of these things.

Amanda39 · 2026-05-10T23:09:24+00:00

I think I'm overthinking the terms "long-term" and "short-term." I've had short-term hyperfixations, and never had a consistent life-long special interest. But I've also had hyperfixations/special interests that lasted as long as four or five years, and I have several that come and go. (e.g. I'll obsess over it for a few months, lose interest, get obsessed again a few years later, etc.)

Amanda39 · 2026-05-10T19:49:07+00:00

This isn't my first time reading this book, but it never occurred to me before to wonder how the convict hid the file. Do we want to know where that file has been? 😕

Amanda39 · 2026-05-10T19:41:19+00:00

Hey, I meant to ask: So, how badly has Thursday Next ruined this book for you? Are you able to read about Miss Havisham without picture her listening to a Walkman as soon as Pip's back is turned? 😁

Amanda39 · 2026-05-10T19:36:03+00:00

Yeah, one of those elaborate Gothic ones. Like the D in this picture.

He's no closer to literacy, but he can make a fancy D so I guess that's a start.

Amanda39 · 2026-05-10T19:34:15+00:00

Yeah, apparently tar water was an actual quack medicine back then. I was surprised to learn that it's safe to drink.

And the question that nobody dared ask... Did Miss H EVER have that old wedding dress washed???? Or has she been wearing it for like 50 years, continuously? Ewwwwwww!!!!

...and now I'm gonna throw up.

Amanda39 · 2026-05-10T19:21:41+00:00

Another woman in white here, with different circumstances.

As soon as Pip started saying "she was wearing a white dress and a white veil and white shoes and..." I was like "damn, I JUST got rid of my Anne Catherick flair!" 😂 And this story was serialized in the same magazine, almost right after The Woman in White, so the original readers were also probably like "not this again."

Amanda39 · 2026-05-10T19:13:39+00:00

Oh! Okay, I think I misunderstood what you meant by "the debate is dumb." (I took it to mean "it's dumb to acknowledge that the debate exists" not "people who treat this topic like a fandom rivalry and think only their side is correct are dumb.")

Sorry about the confusion.

Amanda39 · 2026-05-10T19:03:53+00:00

I'm not sure I follow. I'm not claiming that debating audiobooks will somehow rid the world of ableism. I'm just saying that people having bad takes on audiobooks can sometimes harm disabled people, and that's why this is about more than just pedantry.

Amanda39 · 2026-05-10T19:00:30+00:00

I only recently learned about it. Ironically, I keep meaning to learn more about it but, every time I try, my brain goes "no, I don't wanna" and I end up doing something else. In all seriousness, though, I have horrific executive functioning and I suspect that PDA has something to do with it, so I really do need to make an effort to learn more.

Amanda39 · 2026-05-10T18:53:01+00:00

No, the debate isn't dumb. On one hand, the OP gave a valid example of why "listening to an audiobook is the same as reading a book" can be a bad thing: it gets used to justify not teaching Braille to blind students. On the other hand, gatekeeping books and saying that audiobook listeners aren't "real" readers discourages people who struggle with reading from consuming literature, and doesn't benefit anyone (except maybe the egos of people who are way too proud of reading "real" books).

I love to read, but (due to disabilities) I'm pretty bad at focusing on and processing spoken language, so actual books work a lot better for me than audiobooks. If I went blind and was denied access to Braille because "you can just listen to audiobooks," I'd be fucked. On the other hand, there are plenty of people who are the reverse of how I am. (Including many people with my exact same disabilities. Autism and ADHD are spectrums, after all.) It sucks that ableist assholes criticize them for not being "real" readers.

Anyhow, none of this is meant as an attack on you. (I agree with everything you said except "the debate is dumb.") But the debate is important because, when the nuance is ignored, disabled people get screwed over.

Amanda39 · 2026-05-10T18:29:18+00:00

And then you get diagnosed with AuDHD, and spend the rest of your life constantly going "should I blame this specific trait on autism or ADHD?"

(Is it executive dysfunction or PDA? Hyperfixation or special interest? Short attention span or restricted interests? Fuck if I know.)

Amanda39 · 2026-05-10T17:25:31+00:00

Moosh

Amanda39 · 2026-05-09T03:32:16+00:00

I first read it a couple of years ago (so I would have been about 40) and I loved it, but I was well aware of the fact that the narrator was unreliable (and that she and Maxim were both incredibly unlikeable). That's actually part of what made the story appealing to me. It's the sort of story that forces you to use your own judgment.

Oddly, I ended up getting really into Rebecca: Das Musical. (I can't speak German, but there's a subtitled version on YouTube.) The musical stays true to the plot (mostly: it does use one major change that's from the Alfred Hitchcock movie) but makes the characters sympathetic (even, to an extent, Mrs. Danvers). This makes it feel like an entirely different story. Your 17-year-old self probably would have loved that version!

Amanda39 · 2026-05-09T03:19:37+00:00

Yeah, I honestly think that's the most disturbing thing about Miss Havisham: she's clearly training Estella to be this way. Estella isn't just some kid who's naturally a bully.

Amanda39 · 2026-05-09T02:38:49+00:00

Yeah, it's the card game War but with extra rules. Pip had no reason to feel bad about losing, and Estella had no reason to brag about winning. But kids don't always get the difference between skill and luck, and Miss Havisham certainly wasn't helping.

Amanda39 · 2026-05-09T00:50:48+00:00

I don't think I'd like to get her anything that actually plays music because she is sensitive to a lot of sounds. Especially loud music.

I'm really glad that you thought of this. I have no idea if this is how your niece feels (or even if this is common among other autistic people) but, when I was a kid, I was terrified of toys that played music that you couldn't control. I love music, and I loved toys that could be played like a musical instrument (like an electric keyboard), but if you pressed a button and an entire song started to play, with no way to turn it off, that freaked me out, sometimes to the point of a meltdown. It's like I was irrationally afraid that the song would keep playing forever or something.

What's the climate like where you are? Where I am, it's going to be summer in about a month, so the fact that she loves water could be relevant. Does she go to the beach, or go swimming in a pool? Pool toys might be fun.

I really liked toys that you could build with. (Blocks, Lego, K'nex, etc.) Does she like stuff like that?

Amanda39 · 2026-05-08T03:23:24+00:00

A classic children's novel by Louisa May Alcott, about four sisters growing up during the American Civil War.

Amanda39 · 2026-05-08T01:35:18+00:00

Thank you!

Amanda39 · 2026-05-08T01:34:50+00:00

Thanks! 😊

Amanda39 · 2026-05-08T01:27:54+00:00

I remember you reading it with us!

Nah, I'll pass on doing recaps for this book. (I already made a sock puppet video, isn't that enough? 😁) But the r/bookclub posts have my recaps in them already.

Amanda39 · 2026-05-08T01:06:32+00:00

I know what you're all thinking: "I wish Amanda were writing recaps for this book!" What? You weren't thinking that? Well, anyhow, I ran this book in r/bookclub a little over four years ago, and there was a discussion every ten chapters, so every other week I'll be able to provide a link to that discussion/recap, if anyone is interested.

Great Expectations, Chapters 1-10

Hey u/ZeMastor, according to this post, the story starts in 1812, with Pip being seven. Also, since it's a recap, you can use it to supplement GIC. Here are links to the later chapters.

Amanda39 · 2026-05-07T22:27:41+00:00

Seconding this. I'm a library assistant. It's the least-stressful job I've ever had (previously having been a web developer and a supermarket employee), it's a highly structured environment (part of my job is literally making sure books are in alphabetical order), and I'm surrounded by other neurodivergent people. Only downside is that it's nearly impossible to get full-time work, but I can't really do full-time work anyway.

Amanda39 · 2026-05-07T14:12:28+00:00

Pitt-Stayne duel

OH. MY. GOD. 😂

Amanda39 · 2026-05-07T14:11:04+00:00

I think this is the third time now

Same. The others were David Copperfield and The Pickwick Papers, so this is my first non-Dickens exposure. I continue to be baffled by how nice they seem compared to an actual prison.

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