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Shannon Rosa @shannonrosa.bsky.social · 13h

I am grateful our state pays for aides to work with my autistic son, especially since we've not yet found him a decent adult program. But the impenetrable paperwork for hiring those aides—& the oft-returned versions that then have to be re-submitted—is pure panic attack material. And is gatekeeping.

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Shannon Rosa @shannonrosa.bsky.social · 14h

Please please please get your Covid shot if you can. You will be protecting yourself, and you will be protecting people who can’t get their shots because of absurd HHS policies.

#VaccinesWork, save lives, and protect autistic kids’ & adults’ health too.

selfie of me, wearing a black facemask with a circular bandage over a shot site on my freckled tattooed shoulder. Overlay text at the bottom, reads, “please get your Covid shot if you can.”

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Thinking Person's Guide to Autism @thinkingautism.com · 2d

“As a neurodiversity advocate and as an autistic person, I’m really grateful for so much of the work that’s been done that allows me to be myself and to be successful being myself.” Link, who has been *banned*!?!? from this platform?

thinkingautismguide.com/2025/06/spac... #AutisticWhileBlack

Space Law, Race, and Neurodiversity: Autistic Advocate AJ Link

We live in a country & society that is built on racism. The neurodivergent community isn't free of that racism—per Autistic advocate AJ Link.

thinkingautismguide.com

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Shannon Rosa @shannonrosa.bsky.social · 3d

I still feel like I'm going to puke. Especially because everyone was so nice to us, my son especially. And yet I suspect the same people would like to see my son shipped off to a farm, and also support BS MAHA-agenda research to cure him and his peers. Paid in cash, no trail.

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Shannon Rosa @shannonrosa.bsky.social · 3d

So my autistic son & I went to the diner next to our hotel, because I'd promised him pancakes. What I had not gleaned from the diner menu was that it is a Thin Blue Line place, with dogwhistle Hobby Lobby-style decor covering every wall. And we could not leave, bc unfair to deep six pancakes. But.

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KOJAMF🤘🖤🤘 @kojamf.bsky.social · 3d

Dr. Jane Goodall filmed an interview with Netflix in March 2025 that she understood would only be released after her death.

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Shannon Rosa @shannonrosa.bsky.social · 9d

SR: In the midst of [the announcement] nonsense, my son & I went to our local disability center & swam in the warm pool. We had a lovely day & my son was joyful and smiling—& I was thinking what a good life we have. And if I was only focused on what we didn't have, that would not be possible. 30/30

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Shannon Rosa @shannonrosa.bsky.social · 9d

SR: Being afraid of having an autistic child is understandable, given the [current fearmongering] climate around autism. But if you learn how best to support your autistic child, if that's what you end up having, then your life can be a wonderful one. 29/

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Shannon Rosa @shannonrosa.bsky.social · 9d

SR: I think [pregnant people] need to understand that disability is natural. They need to prepare themselves for the possibility that anything could happen—not in a negative way but in terms of being ready to accept the kid they have & look for the info that will help them live their best lives. 28/

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Shannon Rosa @shannonrosa.bsky.social · 9d

SR: I think that for the most part, [parents] can trust their pediatricians on things like acetaminophen, knowing that acetaminophen is safe. This is solid science. It's really hard to have to say, don't listen to the government's health agency, but that's where we are. 27/

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Shannon Rosa @shannonrosa.bsky.social · 9d

CNN: What advice do you have for pregnant mothers or parents of autistic children, such as yourself? I know people want a simple answer, but it doesn't seem like there is one. As someone who is devoted to sifting through misinformation, false claims, how should they approach this kind of stuff? 26/

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Shannon Rosa @shannonrosa.bsky.social · 9d

SR: You need to be discerning about the information that you choose, and not just choose it because somebody scared you into it, or because a social media influencer made you mad or scared. 25/

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Shannon Rosa @shannonrosa.bsky.social · 9d

SR: Parents should be responsible for educating themselves, but I don't think they should be responsible for doing their own research into matters in which they don't have expertise. That's why we have experts. 24/

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Shannon Rosa @shannonrosa.bsky.social · 9d

CNN: I can sense your frustration. One of the themes of the administration has been parental choice, whether it's education or some of this health stuff; that parents should do research, make choices on how that research aligns with their values and their views. What's wrong with that? 23/

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Shannon Rosa @shannonrosa.bsky.social · 9d

SR: One of the things they said during the announcement was that there were no autistic people over 50. Donald Triplett, who is the first person I diagnosed with autism in the United States, died recently. He was in his 80s. It's absurd. It's absurd! [*sputters somewhat*] 22/

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Shannon Rosa @shannonrosa.bsky.social · 9d

SR: We should be working [more] on what we've been doing, which is fine-tuning the [autism] diagnostic criteria so we find more autistic people who aren't young white boys. So we find more adults. 21/

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Shannon Rosa @shannonrosa.bsky.social · 9d

SR: does [the announcement] help families have a better time when we're out & people judge our children for things they cannot help? No, it does not. Does it help my son with things like his chronic headaches, which may be tied into his autistic repetitive behaviors and anxiety? No, It does not! 20/

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Shannon Rosa @shannonrosa.bsky.social · 9d

SR: This moving fast and breaking things—I'm in Silicon Valley—this is not how we approach healthcare. We do it slowly and carefully. And we work with the people who are the stakeholders to make sure that these actions are actually going to help them. 19/

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Shannon Rosa @shannonrosa.bsky.social · 9d

SR: I think it would be a wonderful thing if [the Administration] were looking at the right issues. You know, what autistic people want? They want better supports. Our families want more respite. We want better paid home aides so there's not such a high turnover. 18/

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Shannon Rosa @shannonrosa.bsky.social · 9d

CNN: The president said they shouldn't be attacked for asking questions, trying to find answers, trying to move quickly. To be fair, I can't really remember President in recent memory highlighting this issue in such a major way. Is a push from the gov't to take more action really a bad thing? 17/

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Shannon Rosa @shannonrosa.bsky.social · 9d

SR: They're not looking at the possibility that autistic women have more pain conditions & need to take more Tylenol, & that autistic women have autistic kids. Instead, they're trying to go and blame mothers as they always have, when what we're looking at is more likely a matter of inheritance. 16/

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Shannon Rosa @shannonrosa.bsky.social · 9d

SR: And I can tell you the one thing that people haven't been talking about in this that I think is actually the most significant factor in having an autistic child is having autistic traits yourself or being autistic yourself. 15/

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Shannon Rosa @shannonrosa.bsky.social · 9d

SR: It's just it's not new. The refrigerator mother theory of autism has been around for decades, blaming mothers for being cold and distant and causing autism in their kids. 14/

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Shannon Rosa @shannonrosa.bsky.social · 9d

CNN: …you better do your due diligence and be careful, otherwise you might have an autistic child. They haven't explicitly said that, but it does seem to be implied. The burden is on the parents instead of whatever mix of circumstances might have led to [autism], what do you make of that idea? 13/

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Shannon Rosa @shannonrosa.bsky.social · 9d

CNN: Even if you put aside the science of this announcement, which experts have said is questionable at best, I guess I'm struck by how it seems to be saying to pregnant mothers, you could be doing harm by putting acetaminophen or Tylenol in your body… 12/

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