When I was first diagnosed as autistic, social media was fundamental for connecting to a world-wide community of neurodivergent folks and learning what it means to be #ActuallyAutistic. Twitter was one of my first ports of call for finding other neurodivergent Tweeters and learning from their sometimes funny, sometimes sad, but always enlightening micro-takes on autism. I’ve learned more about autism and ADHD from other neurodivergent people than I have from any of the medical or psychological literature, so this space is meant to be a shout out to those who have shared their stories and knowledge and helped me make sense of autism and my life.
Twitter has been a life-line to many neurodivergent and disabled folks and its imminent collapse represents a huge loss to these communities. Even with the migration to new sites it will hard to replicate the connectivity allowed for by Twitter.
But before the platform everyone loves to hate finally collapses or becomes truly unbearable, I thought I’d share my top five recommendations of neurodivergent tweeters who remain active on the site. They’re a mix of informative and entertaining, this list is by no means definitive. They are simply the tweeters I find myself coming back to again and again, particularly for their openness, willingness to share and sense of humour!
Catch them at their handles below or follow them to their new homes on Mastodon, Hive, Post, Instagram, Substack or the moon.
Autisitic Callum has really insightful, explanatory posts as well as hilarious memes (does he make them himself???). Callum’s a conversation starter, honest, sincere and open about a multitude of his AuDHD experiences with the world. And he’s working on a book about autism, so watch this space!
You Might be Autistic is an #actuallyautistic therapist who tweets regularly about people’s traits, habits and behaviours which might be autistic. She’s great for answering questions, amplifying the voices of other autistic and neurodivergent people and has recently started a new account Dear Autsy focused on questions from neurodivergent and questioning folks.
Autistics Unmasked is the profile for the non-profit organisation dedicated to providing a safe and diverse space for autistic self-advocacy, led by autistic people. They share loads of resources, information and host occasional #AuSpaces around issues relevant to the Autistic community.
Autism-101 is a fellow late-diagnosed AuDHDer and a great conversation starter who shares funny memes and useful information for resources for newly diagnosed autistic with a distinct anti-capitalist vibe that I really appreciate! They also run the fabulous Autism 101 site with even more information for newly-diagnosed autistics or people questioning if they are neurodivergent.
Victoria Duncan - Save the Neurotypicals turns the discourse surrounding neurodivergence on its head by posting tongue-in-cheek tweets about neurotypical behaviour as if it was considered a deficit, rather than a strength. While always good for a giggle, it also asks us to consider the absurdity of the pathologizing language so often used to describe or explain neurodivergence: What do you mean you force people to maintain constant eye contact???
Of course, this is only scratching the surface of the amazing diversity of neurodivergent folk who are active across on Twitter and other social media. It’s easy to connect with others by following hashtags such as #ActuallyAutistic #AskingAustistics or #Neurodivergent.