Though I’ve experienced bias myself, whenever I read stories like this, I’m still gobsmacked by how much worse it can get. There really is no bottom to the abyss of ignorance and apathy. That this bias is set toward children, that doctors – at a children’s hospital – would refuse to save this child’s life – when they absolutely could – it goes against every decency, it is a complete obscenity.
I’m here to talk about Chewigem because they are an awesome company you guys neeeeeed to know about. They make chewable jewelry or ‘chewelry’ for people of all ages and chewing needs. They have also just started to branch out into other sensory items and stimming toys, plus they’re super autism friendly (and friendly in general!).
Has anyone ever wanted a stimming version of a subscription box? YUP ME TOO!
SO, Chewigem have a monthly subscription services where you can choose to join either the Platinum Chewer Club (£19.95)or the V.I.C. (Very Important Chewers – £13.95) and you get sent credits each month to exchange for products on the Chewigem site (uk site here and US site here).
One you’ve done that, you just wait for your package to arrive in the post and it is so exciting!! (Especially if you immediately forget what you ordered….). It comes in this cute little box with the logo on it and little logo printed tissue paper.
Why it’s good
It lets you have the fun of waiting for, getting and unwrapping products without the potentially anxiety producing element of surprise
It is completely customisable – you can pick the colour, designs and chewing preferences that suit YOU (or whoever you’re buying for)
You get access to the VIC FB group to talk to other simmers like yourself annnnnd join the “Chew Testers” so you can contribute to new products and their designs.
You can shave up your credits for more expernsive items or suitable times
My Box
I tried the Platinum sub box out and was really happy with it. I ordered two items, the Emotichew and the Kiki Comforter.
Emotichew –
This is one of my all time favourite products! It’s a chewable bracelets with two sides, a green “talk to me!” side and a ‘Leave me be!” side which you can flip between as needed. This is great for communicating how you’re feeling very quickly and easily and is especially great for anyone who is ever non-verbal. I use mine pretty much constantly to let my family know how I feel or if I’m not up to communicating outloud, and they find it helpful as well! The writing is also quite subtle, etched in to the bracelet at opposed to printed on it, and so it can look just like a cool red/green band if needed (excuse my hairy arms).
KiKi Comforter –
This is one of Chewigem’s new, non-chewable products and wow am I impressed. It’s a multitextured fiddle blanket!
This is so so soft, baby toy soft, which is great for me but those adverse to super soft fabrics may want to avoid. One of the sides is entirely smooth and the other has little textured bumps on it that are great for tactile feedback and really soothing to run my hand over. It also has little orange and grey taggies around the edge for fiddling with and, I found, they are also perfect for attaching other fiddle items to.
The best bit? The fabric is printed with different emotion faces to help you learn the different expressions. It can also be used to communicate by pointing at how you feel or for reference, by comparing other faces to the ones on the fabric.
If anyone is interested in a Chewigem giveaway, let me know!! Happy stimming!
Trigger warning: Ableism, eugenics, medical abuse.
The autistic community is boycotting the book To Siri With Love, published by HarperCollins and written by Judith Newman. Please stand with us. #BoycottToSiri
I feel like the reason certain dog-lovers insist cats are evil is because they read their body language as if they were dogs. So here’s a very basic guide to common “mean” things cats do that actually aren’t mean at all if you know what they’re thinking.
Rolling and exposing belly- attacks you when touched Does not mean: Give belly rubs! – haha I tricked you! Actually means: I’m playful! If you reach for my belly I’ll grab your arm and bite it because I think we’re playfighting!
Lazily exposing belly – still attacks when touched Does not mean: tricked you again! Actually means: I’m showing you my belly because I trust you. Please don’t break that trust by invading my personal space. I might accept a belly rub if I’m not ticklish and I know you well.
Snapping at you while being pet Does not mean: I suddenly decided I dislike you! Actually means: You’re petting me in a way that gives me too much restless energy. Please focus on petting my head and shoulders instead of stroking the full length of my back next time.
Is in the same room but makes no attempt to interact Does not mean: I’m ignoring you Actually means: We’re hanging out! I’m being respectful by giving you space while still enjoying your company.
Slapping/scratching your hand when you try to pet them Does not mean: I hate you! Actually means: You’ve failed to establish that we’re not playing, or the way you’re approaching me scares me. Be calmer, speak more gently, make eye-contact and blink slowly at me before you try again.
I love this post omg, thank you so much. As a lifelong cat person, dogs perplex me because they’re so completely different behaviourally.
I love dogs too but, I’ve been trying to tell people, you canNOT treat cats like you treat dogs. They arent the same animals and have very different personalities
P.s.: people often pet cats way too hard. Dogs like a firm pet or a pat on the belly, cats dont have the same bone structure and are more flexible than dogs so what you’re doing probably hurts them
Sitting and staring Does not mean: I am challenging you/plotting your demise/just generally evil and creepy. Actually means: I am a desert-adapted species, so my natural tears are very thick and keep my eyes moist for a nice long time. I do find people interesting and enjoy watching them. I just don’t need to blink very often!
Staring and blinking slowly Does not mean: I’m smug and think I am smarter than you. Actually means: I like you! But I don’t need to get up in your face to show it. I can just sit over here and blow kisses at you to show you I am glad you are around!
It’s very frustrating for me when people expect cats to act like dogs, or act like they’re deceitful. They aren’t! They just AREN’T DOGS.
I grew up with both cats and dogs (cat at my house, dogs at my grandmas) and this just
yes
@ikkke95 xD probably you knew this already but this post is nice
As an autistic person, always related to my cats in a way I never did with my dogs (though I now am owned by two). This post’s description of cats is very familiar.
Neurotypical: *touches autistic person despite being told not to* *makes loud noise near autistic person with obvious sensory issues* *generally ignores boundaries and limits of autistic person*
Neurotypical: you cant expect everyone to remember that :)))besides the world doesn’t revolve around you, people aren’t going to change just for you
Autistic person: *forgets tiny social rule*
Neurotypical: when will you learn!! you have to do it like this!! omg thats how we do this!! it is absolutely essential that you do this no matter how exhausting or discomforting it is for you!!!
“In other words, they found that an important contributor to social and communication problems stemmed not from the autistic individuals, but rather from the neurotypical reactions, based on (by definition) exclusionary social attitudes and first impressions, which led to a decreased drive to interact with autistic individuals. That is to say, neurotypicals tend to decide, within moments of meeting autistic people, that autistic people are less worth socialising with than neurotypicals.”
aka: why it is more important to train nt people to cope with a diversity of ways of thinking than it is to force neurodivergent people to conform.
While I use things like fidget spinners and cubes, I still prefer elastics which are simple, and I really like these tangle toys a lot:
This is autistic vlogger Connopolis’ review of a recent ‘relaxed’ (sensory-friendly) performance of the Disney musical Aladdin (in London’s West End) courtesy of NAS and Disney. I’m so pleased these kind of performances are being offered now and hope we see more of them in the future.
The Doctor Is Out 