Why Adult Pacifiers or Dummies can help Autistic People
OCTOBER 28, 2020 By Autisticly Aar Jae (For then ND Neuro News
Recently I’ve shared on Instagram something I wanted to highlight on the blog something for a while I wanted to address with starting this platform is autism comforts inspired by conversations with the stim pride showcase and stim pride Sunday thing I do.
I have With ND Neuro News I want to remove some of the social stigma the ageism the ableism that faces many neurodivegents and autistics like myself who have interests or comforts that aren’t deemed by society’s norms socially appropriate something with ND Neuro News I want to advocate for.
The other day I was reminded of a tweet I saw by Ashleigh Mills (Angry Black Femme) they wrote few months back on this topic. Discussing how we are sometime by societal ageist ableist norms feel talked down to or made to feel red faced with what could be immature or juvenile comforts or interests. Many of us autistics require such creature comforts to aid in times when our mental health may be struggling feeling anxious or depressed or feeling overwhelmed and overstimulated or require something to Stim that may not seem age appropriate according to others social rules.
self care and self soothing is essential to us all and require comfort items but for autistic teens and adults these comforts may included stuffed animals, teddies, blankets and even dummies and pacifiers. I for one will anxiously admit I’ve used the latter dummies or some might say pacifiers. A soothing sensory Stim an oral Stim that like with a child can sooth an anxious or an overwhelmed person. Something if feel like that you feel overwhelmed can calm breathing and reduce anxiety levels.
some other comforts include the sensation of fabrics, textures like weighted blankets which I use handy on a cold winters night for someone like myself with poor circulation. These methods of regulation in times of what we can find mental,y exhausting and overwhelmed can be exactly what we need not to be lead down to smoking, drugs or alcohol which when compared to using stuff such like dummies and pacifiers a much healthier and risk free alternative.
This definatley like reading Mill’s Twitter thread stated how autistic people autistic culture to watchers on has been infantilised in a degrading and ableist way that using such comforts to aid and self sooth is seen as something we should never think of doing. When it is much an healthier alternative, using or Liberty and not trying to fear what others may say.
in an ever changing moment world where it is difficult for most of us autistics to function as in much of an allistic society who could blame us for trying to comfort with such thing.
I want to celebrate this area of autistic culture and challenge others misconceptions of this and atleast allow for a safe space that we don’t feel infantilised for engaging with such comforts.
As I said on instagram on this post dummies and pacifiers is something I’ve used to help me and would use again. The ability to have something to suck or chew on for some of us is a neccessity. Something that can help with teeth grinding something I’ve habitually done since a young age
Know uses of dummies or pacifiers In adulthood can be used for teeth grinding (bruxism), oral stimming like chewing on chewllery but there maybe different preferences, uses in other conditions like depression anxiety and depression, users of of CPAP machines to reduce syntoms
I grind my teeth and always have have used an adult pacifier few years ago almost 21 years old haven’t for a while still want to. I’m frankly fed up of unmasking and want to have confidence it using social media to mask and say to hell with it — I’m doing me — if me is doing things seen as ‘childish’ so be it I’m an autistic adult for crying out loud that gives me the agency to unmask and stim how I want if that’s sucking on a dummy that will me and I’ll find pride in it and my autism as remove shackles of ageism. Social media has found people who do.
(Re edit revision of a blogpost hosted on WordPress now defunct Neurodivergent News social media outlet ND Neuro News) These Blogs will be uploaded gradually on this medium page with series of more blogs focusing on issues relating to politics, culture, society, neurodiverrgency and media yet to come.
Extra Section -
Richie Smith & Awesometistic- 7 June 2022
In recent days I’ve been influenced to reflect on this issue yet again (first on this space) about autism using dummies and pacifiers on the basis of what can help and heal stimming self regulatory behavior urges, anxiety, depression and general overwhelm that alot of us autistic people experience. Following Awesometistic a charitable organisation that is lead and founded by Richie Smith from Newcastle, England, his charity in the north east of England is founded on the basis to help autistic people in the area to feel ok with their autism and feel positive about it often a neurotype that faces ableism, stigma and abuae, he wants autistic people to ‘feel awesome’, In a world where it is easy for us to feel anything but. Known as a published author he visits schools to talk to children, parents and teachers about autism to make inclusive environment for autistic people and for greater awareness and understanding of autism.
Richie worked with and made friends and ambassadors of his organisation with Loz who works for Chewigem and Sensooli a company that was founded to produce chewable jewellery and with Loz has been able to steer the companies strategy to focus on the demographic of neurodivergent people who are Autistic, have ADHD, Dyspraxia, learning disabilities and any sensory processing conditions and sensory seeking needs with her nonbinary child Jamie who states they ‘wished prior to their autism diagnoses and support in education finding the right school that Richie visited that school talking about autism.
Richie is very open in unmasking and being his authentic self part of why with Loz & Jamie has been included in the #NeuroICON unmaksed alumni. He is someone I quite admire because as many his confidence not often do you see a man who is so himself and so positive in a world yet wrappped in prejudice and judgement with a care-free attitude with embracing a femme style fashion of wearing lip stick and blouses and using comforts as he did to the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Concert, on the train there he was equipt with a dummy, ribbon accessory, teddie called Gracie. Which was still draining and overwhelming even with his coping mechanisms but this is autism unmasked to hell with social conventions. As Richie says ‘Autism is being yourself, being awesome and staying awesome
