HOME | DD
mdchan — AuTalkz II - 043 - The Disability Tree part 3
by-nc-nd
#anxiety #autism #caitlin #cat #fletcher #fox #kairy #redpanda #ryan #wolf #autalkz
Published: 2017-04-15 22:00:00 +0000 UTC; Views: 2693; Favourites: 49; Downloads: 0
Redirect to original
Description
Next: The Disability Tree part 4Previous: The Disability Tree part 2
Finally getting to the main explanation!
I'm trying to do the layout for this arc so that not much is needed down here in the description to sort of "fill in the holes", so once again, there won't be much in this section.
I will say that there are, of course, many more "branches"; there are many more disorders which are often seen in people with autism. However, I didn't want to overwhelm readers or make the page confusing to look at in terms of space, so I mostly just included the ones the characters on the spectrum in AuTalkz have.
Oh! For those who don't remember the special a while back, the little red panda is Ryan, Patch's cousin.
...I just realized how many of my characters wear blue jeans. Patch wears khakis, and Blake wears camo shorts...and of course Kairy's shorts are green...but everyone else has blue jeans. XD
Though, if anyone knows the actual term for people who don't speak (I don't mean mutism...maybe it is mutism) and are on the spectrum, please let me know! When I went looking, the only things which came up were "mutism", "selective mutism", and "nonverbal disorder".
The problem is, "nonverbal" and "nonverbal disorder" can mean different things.
It can either describe a generalized learning disability in regards to speech and language, or it can describe someone on the spectrum who doesn't speak at all.
I've seen it used in both cases, and if I have something wrong, please let me know so I can fix it! This is all that came up in my research (nonverbal disorder) which fit in the closest to what I wanted it to actually indicate.
Anyways, I hope this helped to explain things a little more. I have difficulty writing non-fiction, so even just a little segment of what's going into a comic like this is tough; this season of AuTalkz is mostly "show" with the "tell" in the description...and often based off of experiences I've had which makes it easier to write the storyboard for.
This time, Kairy is explaining more objectively than the subjective way the comics are done, so it was actually a real challenge for me to come up with what you see as dialogue in this comic (and the previous one).
Welp, this is part 3 out of 4...and I realized today that this month has an extra Saturday. Derp.
I'm going to have to figure something out for that. I might just skip that Saturday (since it's so close to the 1st of May, being the 29th of April) since I only planned on doing four comics for AuTalkz this month, not five. I think I even mentioned the number four...I'll have to go back and check.
If you like this artwork and wish to help support me in doing them, please take a look at my patreon page at www.patreon.com/mdchan
Related content
Comments: 58
👍: 1 ⏩: 0
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Yikes! Hope they aren't too bad!
I don't have epilepsy, but I used to get febrile seizures (pre-kindergarten age; they stopped when I was around five or six). One time, I remember running around the house, then nothing, and then waking up in the bathtub (apparently, it was how my parents dealt with it since those were due to a spike in temperature). I still shudder at the memory...but it pales in comparison to what I've seen when it comes to people who have to live with seizures all their lives; you're really brave!
I don't mean it in a patronizing way or anything, it's the truth. I'd be terrified if I had epilepsy, so I'm always...I dunno what the word for it is. Awed? Amazed? Something like that...when I meet people who deal with things either I don't deal with or some similar things I deal with and still try their very best to live their lives. Thank you much for sharing! ^^
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I'm more fascinated by how epilepsy and autism are connected yet it's controlled well
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
How does a giant panda have a red panda as a cousin?
👍: 1 ⏩: 1
Eh, I just wanted to have a character be a Red Panda. It's one of those "try not to think about it too much" things. I know they're in different families (and that the red panda isn't even in the ursidae family; they aren't bears). I might come up with some character-growth explanation (since AuTalkz is more oriented to teaching about autism and what comes with it, I often am not able to explore the characters as much as I honestly want to).
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Perhaps the red panda was adopted?
👍: 1 ⏩: 0
I think I got the whole tree with the exception of the nonverbal disorder (although my mom swears up and down I didn't speak until I was five) and epilepsy (I do wonder about that though. I have had these "things" that probably were some kind of "mild" seizure. The only way I could describe it was that the inside of my head was "vibrating".So I don't know.)
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
There are many more things I didn't have space for as "branch" disorders on the tree, and it was hard naming the "nonverbal" part; I wanted to include it since a lot of people think of that when they think "autism", so I had to actually go and research to make sure there was a term for it; sure enough, there was.
Welp, there are times when I will go nonverbal (if I have a shutdown, I stop talking...it's hard to describe what happens. It's like my brain is still active, but my mouth doesn't seem to want to say anything my brain is thinking about).
Hrm...I don't know much about seizures. I used to get febrile seizures up until I was about four or so, and I think a scan did pick up some scar tissue or something (or, maybe it was just the different way my brain looked due to autism; we didn't know I had autism at the time I was scanned...I think I was around 12 or so).
I've seen people have full blown seizures...there are also ones called Grand Mal seizures. Maybe it's that? You might want to talk to your doctor about that vibrating thing.
I mean, I get tinnitus (ringing in the ear), but that's in the ear and doesn't feel like there are vibrations.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I did have an MRI (supposedly nothing came up) and saw two neurologists about the "vibrating". It eventually went away, I think it was stress induced because my mom and I were fighting a lot at the time.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Wondered where I would be, think I with Flecher (may be wrong character) on the communication branch
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
I looked through all your old artwork, but I couldn't find the special you were referring to that included Patch's cousin. I'm very curious, could you post a link to it?
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Ahh...that special (and most of the others I had done during that time...I think it was for last year's Autism Awareness Month) were moved to my Patreon page for patrons only.
While I like to have most of AuTalkz free to view, I also want to make sure that people who pledge to my Patreon page get to see special drawings and issues.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Fascinating 
Also, I never would have pegged Kairy as being from Kentucky, unless Ryan might have been co-narrating.
(I don't mean to offend if you take it that way. Just a little something I a little funny and an interesting way to keep a reader with attention problems going
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I just have him talk like that because it's cute (and breaks the monotony of proper grammar, being a comic)...
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Ahh. Still I hope you weren't offended by my comment.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Huh, this is an interesting way to explain this. I've never seen anything like it before!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Welp, folks with autism often think in different ways than people not on the spectrum...I suppose that's showing through a bit. ^^
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I couldn't agree more. A few years ago my brother drew an anime eye just as a doodle and when I first saw it, the way it was drawn, it looked like the silhouette of a mother cradling her baby. He just looked at me with utter confusion at how I came to this conclusion, then when he explained what it was, I explained how I saw it.
"The brain can be fooled by what the eye perceives," Edd from Ed Edd n' Eddy. And we perceive differently, not that I'm complaining
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Love the way this is worded, i know alot of people with autism, it also runs in my family.
This is amazingly explained :3
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thankies much!
I struggled with the wording, but I'm glad it still came across clearly. ^^
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Things come across clearer from someone who actually has autism, I find it easier to understand
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I can understand that. I've flipped through a couple books on autism written by neurotypicals, and it's all just professional psycho-analyzing jargon. They have a PhD, but they never experienced it; it's a different level of understanding (not that those people don't understand, it's just research vs experience).
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Yeah, exactly! I've also got epilepsy, my mum was also convinced I had aspergers which tests proved otherwise. I think I was really close to it though? I dunno. Austim also runs in my family. And alot of my friends have aspergers.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
It is possible to have one without the other, and it's possible to be close/in the middle with a diagnosis (I was tested for ADHD when the possibility of Asperger's came up; the test came back that I nearly had it, though almost all of the diagnosis areas were in "social"). Some of the disorders are stand-alone disorders (I plan on mentioning that in the next strip), but many of them accompany something else.
Depression is probably the most common "branch" disorder, because for people who experience any sort of mental or physical disorder/disability, it's very easy to get frustrated and upset over being unable to do something (or being treated differently/poorly).
I actually used to get something called febrile seizures when I was younger (they stopped when I was around four), though it's very different from epilepsy. My only "memory" of it was running around the house, then nothing, and then waking up in the bathtub (as my parents used to run a lukewarm bath to bring my temperature down since they were caused by a spike in fever).
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
I should show this to my parents, all my autistic friends (weirdly since childhood the only kids I could be with are on the spectrum) tell me I'm like them but because I don't correspond to the stereoptypes (You know Forest Gump and Rain man *sigh*) they just say I'm okay and they refused to let me pass the test when I asked to my ex-therapist.
I really like the idea of the disabilty tree, it explains very well and also is a pretty metaphor~
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Feel free to share it!
My intent in making the comics is to help people understand autism (and more recently, to also help those on the spectrum not feel alone).
^^
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
that's a great way to present it.
it should be put in clinics i swear.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Welp, I would like to get more exposure for AuTalkz. ^^
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
did you try getting in contacts with local hospitals to offer it?
i know i was doing fursuiting in local hospitals for kids to entertain them, but i had to get in contact with them myself.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I'm looking into some options to get AuTalkz out there, so I'll definitely keep that in mind!
That's really cool that you did that for the kids! ^^
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
As I grew up, I was most of the times in clinics. so I KNOW the need for them to laugh and not give up.
I was going in fursuit, acting all goofy like a cartoon. making them laugh...it is something important.
contact media and event relationship departments in clinics. best way to get a chance for it.
they SHOULD THEN link you with the head nurses, or head doctor if he is a control freak.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
*sees ryan* It's Ryan! Dunno what it is about him, but he is so lovable ^^
For a second, when I saw the branches, I thought it was the level of the spectrum (giving me the impression that Caitlin was on the very high end.) But as I saw Fletcher at the base, I now see this is not the case.
I notice that Kairy is using terms like 'lil' and 'dun', it is to be cute, or does he have a speech impediment (which would be super cute, as I had a sentence impediment where I repeated the last 3 words in a sentence)
What is interesting, I find that Lanny would branch off quite different from these, being somewhat of a 'sensory seeker' while having some abilities that others do not normally have at his age (such as basic reading skills. which on average is 4-6.) while having some developmental delays in some physical senses. (which is not present until he is 3-5).
And Oskar (lanny's cousin) is alot like Ryan, aside from his ability to speak (being very focused on things, while not being aware of his own body)
I know what I said about Autism Awareness Month, but these pics you are doing are making this very enjoyable for me. ^u^
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
That's just how Kairy talks; he abbreviates a lot of words (and for the sake of the comic, that sort of dialogue breaks up the monotony of typical non-fiction and proper grammar).
I was originally going to also use the tree to represent the level of the spectrum, but I changed my mind since I don't see the spectrum as a straight line.
Anyways, glad you're enjoying these!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Oh, so Kairy just likes to abbreviate?
It would be impossible to branch everything I bet, though this does contain the basics to say the least ^^
As for the pic I did, the base of the tree was representing Autism itself.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Pretty much, yip. I suppose it's a speech nuance of his, in fact. I've had him talk like that since I created his character.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
It is a cute way to talk for sure (unless he is one of the few whom hates being called cute X3 )
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
I'm not sure if you have, but have you ever done an AuTalkz on Asperger Syndrome and how it's supposedly related to autism? I only ask because if you haven't already, it would definitely be something interesting to go over.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
It's all been combined into "Autism Spectrum Disorder" (ASD) as of the DSM-5.
There's no "supposedly" about it; Asperger's Syndrome used to be considered "high functioning autism", but now it's all just "ASD". I have something in the first season about the new DSM, but I don't think I've gone over it in this season of AuTalkz; it's not high on my priority list.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
| Next =>