CANVAS OF THOUGHTS

Resources

Short introductions to autism topics — companion material to the game.

Neurodiversity There is no one right way for a brain to work — an introduction to the neurodiversity paradigm, a companion resource to Canvas of Thoughts.Monotropism How a monotropic mind pours attention into one bright focus, why transitions cost real effort, and how warnings helpDouble Empathy Why understanding runs both ways between autistic and non-autistic people, and what the double empathy problem means for connectionDifferent Social Needs How autistic connection takes different shapes — parallel play, one-on-one, text, and quiet recharge — and how to respect themLate Diagnosis Why many autistic people find out as adults, and how to hold both the relief and the grief of a late diagnosisInteroception How interoception, the body's inner sense of hunger, thirst, and pain, can run faint or delayed in autistic children, and how to helpAlexithymia Why naming your own emotions can be genuinely hard, and what actually helpsSensory Processing How autistic children experience the eight senses — hyper- and hyposensitivity, and what actually helpsEmotional Intensity Why many autistic children feel at full volume, why big feelings surface late or flat, and how to give them timeRejection Sensitivity How rejection sensitivity turns small social moments into overwhelming distress, and what actually helps recalibrate the alarmExecutive Function How task initiation, working memory, and time perception differ in autistic and ADHD minds, and the tools that helpEnergy Management How autistic and ADHD energy really works, spoon theory, and how to pace demanding daysRoutine and Predictability Why routines reduce uncertainty and how predictability helps autistic minds restDemand Avoidance Why some children experience everyday requests as threats to autonomy, and what helpsSocial Communication How autistic directness and literal meaning reshape everyday conversation, and what helps both sides understand each otherStimming Why autistic children rock, flap, and fidget, what stimming regulates, and how to support it rather than suppress itEcholalia How echolalia and scripting carry real meaning in borrowed words, and how to listen for the intent behind themSpecial Interests How autistic special interests bring focus, competence, joy, and self-regulation, and how grown-ups can support themMasking What autistic masking is, why it exhausts the child hiding behind it, and how adults can make the natural version safeUnmasking How autistic masking works, why unmasking is slow, and the conditions that let a person safely put the performance downSensory Overload How autistic brains reach sensory overload, why meltdowns and shutdowns happen, and what actually helpsMeltdowns and Shutdowns Why meltdowns and shutdowns happen, how they differ from tantrums, and what actually helps a nervous system that has run out of capacityAutistic Burnout What autistic burnout is, why it differs from ordinary tiredness, and how reduced demands and less masking support recoveryAccommodation What accommodations really are — ramps that remove a disadvantage rather than grant an advantage — and how to provide them wellRecovery and Recharging How autistic recovery really works — quiet, special interests, and alone time as restorative tools, and how to support it
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