Dysgraphia is a learning difficulty characterized by difficulties in writing, handwriting, and spelling. It is a condition that affects the ability to accurately and efficiently express thoughts or ideas through writing. Individuals with dysgraphia may struggle with letter formation, organizing thoughts coherently on paper, maintaining consistent spacing and alignment, and spelling.
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Having a learning difficulty means a person has a harder time learning and acquiring skills. Learning difficulties are not related to levels of intelligence, the related conditions are neurological.
Learn moreDevelopmental Coordination Disorder is a neurological condition that affects motor skills and coordination. People with DCD can have trouble with balancing, or tasks that require fine motor skills like tying shoelaces, holding pens or cutlery.
Learn moreDyslexia is a learning difficulty. A dyslexic person with has difficulty with literacy skills and retaining information.
Learn moreDirect communication is a pared-down, efficient way of speaking, where the words mean what they mean — no subtext to decode, no softening layer to read past. For many autistic people, this is the default register. It often gets misread as bluntness or aggression, but the directness is usually doing precision work.
Learn moreLiteral thinking is a precision-oriented processing style common in autistic people, where words, questions, and instructions are interpreted according to their exact meaning rather than their implied or intended meaning. It is one of the most commonly misunderstood autistic traits — both by neurotypical people who assume it means autistic people cannot grasp metaphors or jokes, and by autistic people themselves who dismiss it because they understand figurative language perfectly well. Many autistic adults comprehend metaphors, sarcasm, and idioms with ease, but still respond very precisely to the literal content of questions, miss the unstated social layer attached to a comment, or get stuck on vague terms like "often" that don't contain enough information for an accurate answer. Literal thinking shows up most clearly when communication leaves gaps that the listener is expected to fill in — and it becomes far less of a factor when the information provided is clear, specific, and explicit.
Learn moreVerbal shutdown is a temporary inability to produce speech despite having intact language and thoughts - an involuntary neurological response to overwhelm. It's when words exist in one's mind but cannot be physically spoken due to sensory, emotional, or cognitive overload. Casually and incorrectly it is sometimes also referred to as 'going non-verbal', but this term is not preferred by the non-speaking autistic community.
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