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Tralin @tralin.ca · 4h

#ASD #WorkplaceAccommodations: Work from home. WFH is criticized for people defocusing away from the office, but that's the point. In the office, we take a minute to recover but are surrounded by overstimulation. At home, we defocus and actually recover, ready to come back and deliver results.

Tralin @tralin.ca · 1d

#ASD #WorkplaceAccommodations: Floorplan for pacing. Close to our workspace might be good enough: Having space to get up and walk around while on a call can make those digital meetings far more tolerable. For myself, sitting still in a chair doesn't work: Up and moving allows me to keep focused.

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Tralin @tralin.ca · 2d

For more reading check the links below, and as always, thank you so much for following, liking, and reposting so others might also find this info! 🥰 9/9

www.who.int/teams/social...

www.canada.ca/en/departmen...

www.nia.nih.gov/health/lonel...

Tralin @tralin.ca · 2d

Loneliness is actually such a large issue in the world that countries like Canada and the United States, and groups like the World Health Organization have recognized it as a significant concern.

For everyone, not just us with #autism, connectedness is unbelievably important to better health. 💞 8/9

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Tralin @tralin.ca · 2d

There might be possibilities though! Engaging in hobbies, joining a club, visiting public spaces (libraries, museums, theatres, etc), signing up for a class, adopting a pet, checking in on a neighbour, or scheduling time to call with loved ones could help. 7/9

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Tralin @tralin.ca · 2d

Unfortunately, people may not be able to fix their loneliness: They may be unable to leave home, having financial difficulty, not have access to transportation, struggle with the local language or culture, and a myriad of other possibilities. It's not as easy as "just going out" for most of us. 6/9

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Tralin @tralin.ca · 2d

But when loneliness sets in for people, whether alone or together with others, it can bring along a lot of unhealthy results: Poorer health, cognitive decline, anxiety, and depression are a few of the major headers. Reliance on coping mechanisms like drinking and smoking may occur too. 5/9

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Tralin @tralin.ca · 2d

In my case, I can be by myself and be entirely comfortable, even after extended periods of time: I thrive off my relationship with myself, engaging in my special interests, pouring energy into my tasks, resting when I need to rest, and being perfectly understood by myself. 4/9

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Tralin @tralin.ca · 2d

For example, someone living alone might feel totally connected with themselves, comfortable, happy, and have a thriving life, whereas someone living with a family member might feel no one understands them or like they're not having a meaningful personal connection. 3/9

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Tralin @tralin.ca · 2d

Loneliness, on the other hand, is a negative emotion responding to feelings of isolation. Loneliness might happen when being alone, but it can also appear in relationships, at a party, in a crowd of people... It's not about how many people are around you, it's about having personal connection. 2/9

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Tralin @tralin.ca · 2d

Being alone vs being lonely: #Autistic edition! At least my personal flavour of autism.

If someone has never experienced loneliness, it may be tempting for them to identify these as the same, but they are often quite far apart! Being alone is easy enough: It's just having no one else around. 1/9

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Tralin @tralin.ca · 2d

#ASD #WorkplaceAccommodations: Walking meetings. Sitting still in a boardroom talking for an hour can be one of the toughest things for someone who needs to stim, or who might not be comfortable with eye contact or sitting next to someone. Taking that meeting to the trails may be the answer!

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Tralin @tralin.ca · 2d

Autistics employ strategies to work in a world that doesn't work for them. Sometimes this is for our benefit as we overcome a challenge, other times it's a coping mechanism born of repeated traumas. Let's support accommodation and understanding, and not force people to rely on trauma responses. 7/7

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Tralin @tralin.ca · 2d

When my scripts have not worked, I end up in horribly awkward situations, but when they do work people barely notice anything is different about me. Today, for instance, someone asked about my car and I was able to draw on a script I created to handle the last time a similar question came up. 6/7

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Tralin @tralin.ca · 2d

In my case, I've used scripts that I thought were going to end up horribly and had people cry laughing, and scripts that I thought would dispel tension and instead led to me getting in trouble from management. And I have everyday scripts designed to get social communication moving. 5/7

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Tralin @tralin.ca · 2d

However comforting, scripts can go wrong. Hearing someone make a funny retort to a comment that has everyone laughing, then reusing the statement and people are instead offended and upset with you can leave someone feeling very unsure of themselves and confused of what went wrong. 4/7

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Tralin @tralin.ca · 2d

Scripting may appear in this way as planning and rehearsing a conversation, or it could appear as a series of words and phrases repeated (as in #echolalia). In this case, a person may use things they've heard from others, movies, read in books, etc. Having a library to fallback on is a comfort. 3/7

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Tralin @tralin.ca · 2d

In her skit on YouTube, she prepares to order a drink in a cafe, anticipates what the barista will say to her, plans her responses, and in the moment of stepping up to order the barista comments on her appearance, completely throwing her script out the window and giving her immense anxiety. 2/7

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Tralin @tralin.ca · 2d

#Scripting in #autism, what's that?

A seemingly common phenomenon in people with #ASD is the use of scripts in language for communication. Scripting has various ways to show up depending on the person and the situation. Personally, I really liked Morgan Foley's representation of it. 1/7

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Tralin @tralin.ca · 3d

#ASD #WorkplaceAccommodations: Quieter work space. Sometimes an accommodation can just be moving a person to a different spot. Being next to the sales or customer service departments might be extremely noisy, but HR or IT spaces might be quieter. Different people thrive in different spaces.

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Tralin @tralin.ca · 3d

One thing I've heard from another autistic is that they got custom molded earplugs and they're the most comfortable option they've ever used. If I ever had to work in a noisy environment, that's probably what I would try getting too.

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Tralin @tralin.ca · 3d

Oh absolutely! Both my ANC headphones have passthrough/ambient modes.

I've worked for at least one employer that would ban them though for safety reasons, and another for dress-code issues (though I suspect the second would be overridden by accommodations).

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Tralin @tralin.ca · 3d

#ASD #WorkplaceAccommodations: Ear plugs. Sometimes blocking out all/most sound isn't practical or safe (such as needing to hear your phone ring or alarms going). In this case, a pair of earplugs, such as Loops or Flares, can knock the overwhelming peaks down while still keeping a person aware.

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Tralin @tralin.ca · 4d

To a person who doesn't struggle with #ExecutiveFunction, this might seem ridiculous, but to us, it can be a hugely improving strategy to get work done.

Let's keep rocking our progress together, literally! 6/6

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Tralin @tralin.ca · 4d

In contrast, projects I've tried to complete in creative video games have benefited by having a friend playing the same game doing their own project. Different projects may call for a different body-double who suits the type of work you're trying to get done. 5/6

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