Cartoon | Autball

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INNER WORKINGS

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.

Bath Time

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.
1: ADHD (an orange firework-shaped figure) and Autism (a round, gold figure with yarn-like swirls all over) walk together on a light purple background, approaching the edge of a white couch. ADHD says, Y’know, it’s taken a lot of hard work and self discovery, but I really feel like we’re in good place with everything, don’t you?’ Autism replies, “Yeah, it’s like we’ve finally got a handle on how to work with what we’ve got and maintain a good—“
2: ADHD and Autism stand behind a white couch, where Anxiety (round, green, wobbly figure), Executive (Dys)Function (silver gear-shaped figure with three teeth knocked off and “DYS” spray painted on it in red), and Sensory (rainbow colored orb with eight tendrils coming out of it) are seated, looking frazzled and roughed up. ADHD exclaims, “What the hell happened to you?!” Executive (Dys)Function stares blankly and says, “It…it all happened so fast.” Anxiety is hugging itself and says, “Somehow I didn’t see it coming.” Sensory sits with tendrils wiggling and arms straight out and says, “I. Feel. EVERYTHING!”
3: Same scene. ADHD wonders, “Who could’ve done this?” Executive (Dys)Function replies, “I didn’t get a good look at ‘em. All I know is they were completely irrational and out of control!” Autism says, “Oh no, not…”
4: Close up of a round, spiky, purple figure, with little round balls (colored dark purple, light purple, and red) attached to its spikes, standing on a light purple background with radial action lines. It has one twitchy eye, it’s holding a baseball bat in one hand and a can of red spray paint in the other, and its name is “Hormonal Changes.”

Hormones

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.

1: Logic (a blue cube) says, “Hey guys. You know how the feet have been getting cold at night and making it hard to sleep?” Executive Function (a silver gear) and Inertia (a purple sphere) reply, “Yeah,” while PDA (a red spiky figure) stares back silently. Logic continues, “Well, what if we think ahead and put on some socks *before* we get into bed tonight?”

2: Executive function smiles and says, “Yeah, that makes sense. I can just add it to my bedtime to-do list.” Inertia smiles and adds, “and I’m already up putting on pajamas, so it’s easy enough to just grab some socks too.” PDA has one raised eyebrow and says, “Yeah, I don’t know. I mean, I don’t like the way the feet are trying to hold us hostage with this ‘keep me warm or I won’t let you sleep’ bullshit. I say we stand our ground and tell ‘em to make do with the blanket.”

3: Logic says, “Okay, that’s reeaally not what’s going on here though…” Inertia adds, “Come on, you know how much I hate getting up when I’m already-“ PDA interjects, “Nope. Blanket’s enough.” Executive Function frowns.

4: A white box at the top reads, “30 MINUTES LATER…” PDA, Logic, Inertia, and Executive Function are all lying awake in their beds. PDA angrily says, “Fine, go get your precious socks. I can’t sleep with these cold feet.” Inertia gives side-eye and says, “You’re a real asshole, you know that?” Executive Function flips PDA the bird.

No Socks

A 4-panel cartoon by Autball.

1: Autism (a round, gold, squiggly figure) is pushing a red button on a console and speaking into a microphone. There is an image of a red figure with a neutral face on a screen above the console. Autism says, “And then this one time, at orchestra camp…” We see a black, shriveled figure with three white bandages from the back, watching what’s happening, who says, “Oh Jesus. Autism’s oversharing again.”

2: Three figures - Anxiety (green, round, wobbly looking), ADHD (orange, firework shaped), and Inertia (purple sphere) - sit on a curved white couch. Behind them is Autism speaking into the console (where the red figure now looks to their left) and the black, shriveled figure. Anxiety looks worried and says, “See? I knew this party was a bad idea.” ADHD replies, “Oh, you think everything is a bad idea.”

3: Same scene, except the red figure is now looking to the right, and we can see that the black figure is named Rejection Sensitivity. Inertia says, “I tried to put on the brakes but they were already too far gone.” Rejection Sensitivity looks angry and says, “Well where the hell is impulse control?!” ADHD shrugs and replies, “Fuck if I know.”

4: Same scene, except the red figure clearly looks like they want to escape. Rejection Sensitivity looks distressed and says, “This is a disaster! I can never show my face here again! When will they ever learn??” Anxiety smiles and says, “I know. I’ll keep ‘em up the next few nights replaying the whole thing over and over again. Maybe that’ll do the trick!” Inertia sighs and says, “You know it won’t, but you do you.”

Oversharing

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.
1: In a shapeless, pale purple space, a white console sits with a large curved screen, a round speaker, four faders, a microphone, and a square red button. On the screen is a blue figure who appears to be speaking, and out of the speaker comes, “So, what have you been up to?” A yellow lightbulb-looking figure has their back to us. They are pressing the red button and speaking into the microphone, saying “Well, I actually have this really cool idea I’m excited about…” In the foreground, a red, spiky figure has their back to us and says, “Nope.”
2: Same scene. Yellow lightbulb continues, “and I haven’t told anybody about it yet, buuut…” A new figure in the foreground, a black, shriveled raisin-like figure with three white bandages and many scars with its back to us, says “Dooon’t do it.”
3: A partial panel at the top shows us the lightbulb’s name is Creativity, and a text box on the left reads, “<proceeds to spill the beans>.” Another partial panel at the bottom shows the black figure, Rejection Sensitivity, and the red figure, PDA, now facing front. RS is very upset and says, “NOOO, why would you do that?! What if they hate the idea, or it’s a complete failure??” PDA looks angry and yells, “And now they’re expecting it! WTF, I can’t do anything with it now!”
4: Creativity and RS stand together as PDA walks away from them. RS looks at PDA and laments, “Great, now they’re gonna think we’re full of shit too when we don’t make it happen!” Creativity looks at PDA and pleads, “C’mon, can’t we just-“ PDA doesn’t look at them while saying, “Nope, it’s dead to me. Maybe check back when we can be fairly sure they’ve forgotten about it.”

Don't. Tell. Anyone.

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.

1: Creativity (a yellow lightbulb shape) nervously approaches PDA (a red spiky figure), who is lounging on the couch, feet up on the coffee table, looking at their phone. Creativity says, “Hey, You remember that thing I wanted to do a while back?” PDA says, “You mean the one you TOLD people about before I was ready?” Creativity replies, “Yeah, that one. Well, I was wondering if maybe we could try to get back to it?”

2: Same scene. Creativity and PDA have a series of quick exchanges.
Creativity: No one’s been asking about it…
PDA: Meh.
Creativity: And it’s been so long they’ve probably forgotten we ever said anything…
PDA: Maybe.
Creativity: AND someone else has started working on it…
PDA: Cool, that means we don’t need to, then.

3: Top: Close up of Creativity with one raised eyebrow and a mischievous smile, who holds one hand up to the side of their mouth as if to whisper and says, “…but they’re doing it WRONG.”
Bottom: Close up of PDA), squinting and looking determined, who says, “Oh hell no.”

4: Executive Function (a silver gear shape) and Inertia (a purple sphere) sit on a couch doing a jigsaw puzzle on a coffee table together. PDA stands up, looks at them and says, “You two, let’s go.” Inertia says, “But we’re in the middle of-“ Creativity, with hands on hips and a stern look on their face, cuts Inertia off with, “Get your asses up and do NOT ruin this for me!”

Oh Hell No

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.

1: Anxiety (a green wobbly looking figure), Executive Function (a silver gear shape) and Sensory (a rainbow colored orb with eight tendrils coming out of it) sit on a curved white couch. Logic (a blue cube) approaches them from behind and says, “Hey, has anyone else noticed that things have been…*weird* around here lately?” EF replies, “Yeah, something’s up. I’m not sure what though.”

2: Top panel: Close up of Anxiety who says, “I’ve been really snippy with people over really small stuff, and my racing thoughts are in overdrive.”
Middle panel: Close up of Sensory who says, “Noises and smells have been bothering me a lot more than usual, and I haven’t been feeling hunger at all.”
Bottom panel: Close up of Executive Function who says, “And I feel like I have holes in my brain with all the stuff I’ve been forgetting and just haven’t been able to make myself do.”

3: Original scene. Anxiety asks, “What do you think it could be?” Logic says, “Let’s see. Has anything big happened recently?” EF replies, “Hmm, work is the same, home stuff is the same, no new health issues…”

4: Same scene. EF says, “Oh wait, our favorite uncle did just die last week.” Anxiety says, “Riiight, yeah, that’s a pretty big thing. So we’re really sad then?” Logic replies, “Looks that way. I guess we should try crying or something?” Sensory says, “I know! Let’s listen to some sad music, that always does the trick.”

Something's Up

A 3 panel cartoon by Autball.

1: Logic (a blue cube), ADHD (orange firework shape), Rejection Sensitivity (black, round, and shriveled with three white bandages), and PDA (red, spiky figure) all sit on a curved white couch, all smiling. Logic says, “Okay, so we’re having a terrible time trying to remember to do things, right?” ADHD continues, “And we know that people trying to help by giving us reminders doesn’t really work for you guys…” Rejection Sensitivity says, “OMG no. It just feels like they’re criticizing me for not already doing it!” PDA adds, “And obviously, I can’t have people telling me what to do.”

2: Same scene. Logic says, “Right. So we were thinking…maybe we could try using automated reminders that we set ourselves, and that way we remove other people from the equation entirely!” Rejection Sensitivity says, “Hey yeah, that could work. As long as ADHD here doesn’t just turn it off and forget about it, LOL.” ADHD side eyes RS and says, “A heh heh heh bite me.”

3: Same scene. Logic says, “Great! And what about you?” PDA replies, “I mean, you can try it, but you guys know I can be just as triggered by inanimate objects as people, right?”

ADHD vs PDA

A 3-panel cartoon by Autball.

1: Close up of Autism (a round, gold figure with loopy squiggles all over) and ADHD (an orange, firework-shaped figure) arm wrestling.

2: They are still arm wrestling, hands a little lower than before, with ADHD looking concerned. Now we can see they have an audience made up of Logic (a blue cube), Anxiety (a green, wiggly blob), Sensory (a rainbow colored orb with eight tendrils), Creativity (a yellow lightbulb-shaped figure), and PDA (a red, spiky figure).

3: The competition is over. Logic announces, “And AUTISM WINS today!” To the left, Autism is flanked by Anxiety and Sensory, who all look happy. Anxiety exclaims, “Yay, routine and predictability it is!” To the right, ADHD is flanked by Creativity and PDA, all looking unhappy. PDA says, “Sorry mate. Maybe we’ll get some chaos and novelty tomorrow.”

Autism Won

NT vs ND

4 panel cartoon by Autball.
1: A box across the top reads, “NT vs ND: Empathy.” A smaller box at the bottom reads, "NT/NT." Two NT figures (yellow on left, teal on right) sit on a bench. Yellow says, “That sounds so hard, I’m so sorry that happened to you. It’s totally understandable that you would feel that way.” Teal replies, “Thanks, I really needed to hear that.”
2: A small box at the bottom reads, "ND/NT." Two figures on a bench (ND with pink/purple gradient on left, NT teal on right). ND says, “Oh man, I know how you feel. It reminds me of this one time when I went through something similar…” NT thinks, “Wow, way to make it all about you.”
3: A small box at the bottom reads, "ND/NT." Two figures on a bench (NT yellow on left, ND light green/green gradient on right). NT says, “That sounds so hard, I’m so sorry that happened to you. It’s totally understandable that you would feel that way.” ND thinks, “Wow, how condescending and not at all useful.”
4: A small box at the bottom reads, "ND/ND." The two ND figures are on the bench. Pink/purple says, “Oh man, I know how you feel. It reminds me of this one time..." Light green/green says, "Yes, you totally get it!"

NT vs ND: Empathy

A 6 panel cartoon entitled “NT vs ND: Friendship Maintenance.”
1: A white box at the top of the first column reads, “When NTs Don’t See Each Other For One Week.” A green figure looks happy and says, “Hey, great to see you again!” A happy red figure replies, “Let’s pick up where we left off!”
2: A white box at the top reads, “…Six Months.” Green looks unsure and says, “Hey there, it’s been a while.” Red also looks unsure and replies, “Yeah. Feels kinda weird, but I guess we can give it a go.”
3: A white box at the top reads, “…One Year.” Green looks neutral and says, “Oh, hi. Are we even still friends?” Red has the same look and says, “Neither of us cared enough to keep in touch, so I guess not.” Green says, “Fair enough.” Red replies, “Have a nice life.”
4: A white box at the top of the second column reads, “When NDs Don’t See Each Other For One Week.” A yellow/orange ND figure says, “Hey, great to see you again!” A magenta/purple ND figure replies, “Let’s pick up where we left off!”
5: A white box at the top reads, “…Six Months.” Yellow/orange says, “Hey, great to see you again!” Magenta/purple replies, “Let’s pick up where we left off!”
6: A white box at the top reads, “…One Year.” Yellow/orange says, “It feels like I just saw you last week!” Magenta/purple says, “Time has absolutely no effect on how I feel about you!” Yellow/orange expounds, “I thought of you often but just never got around to calling or texting!” Magenta/purple replies, “Same, because executive dysfunction is a bitch!”

NT vs ND: Friendship Maintenance

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball entitled “NT vs ND: Flirting.”

1: A box at the bottom reads “NT/NT.” Two figures (one red, one yellow) stand together in an office setting. Red says, “Hey, I’m having trouble with that new program they gave us. Do you have time to help me?” Yellow is smiling and thinks, “Wow, they totally could have asked I.T. about this but they asked me instead. I think they like me!”

2: A box at the bottom reads “NT/ND.” Two figures (one red, one magenta/purple) stand together in an office setting. Red says, “Hey, I’m having trouble with that new program they gave us. Do you have time to help me?” Magenta/purple looks neutral and says, “Oh, it’s new to me too so I don’t know much more about it than you do. You should probably ask I.T.”

3: A box at the bottom reads “ND/NT.” Two figures (one green/blue, one yellow) stand together in an office setting. Green/blue is holding a small gift and says, “Hey, I remembered it’s your birthday so I got you this thing you said you liked a while back. Because I like you.” Yellow looks uneasy and thinks, “Whoa, that’s…a lot.”

4: A box at the bottom reads “ND/ND.” Two figures (one green/blue, one magenta/purple) stand together in an office setting. Green/blue is holding a small gift and says, “Hey, I remembered it’s your birthday so I got you this thing you said you liked a while back. Because I like you.” Magenta/purple is smiling and thinks, “Oh wow, I think they like me!”

NT vs ND: Flirting

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball entitled “NT vs ND: Jokes.”

1: A white box at the bottom reads, “ND/NT.” A Pink/purple ND figure says, “I don’t get it.” A Blue NT figure looks annoyed and replies, “Pfft, well I’m not gonna explain it. That ruins the joke!”

2: A white box at the bottom reads, “ND/ND.” A Pink/purple ND figure says, “I don’t get it.” A Light green/green ND figure smiles and says, “Oh, allow me to explain…” Pink/purple replies, “Much appreciated.”

3: A white box at the bottom reads, “NT/NT.” An Orange NT figure appears to be laughing while thinking, “That’s not funny, but I’m gonna pretend it is just to be polite.” A Red NT figure looks pleased and thinks, “I have the best jokes.”

4: A white box at the bottom reads, “ND/NT.” A Bright yellow/gold ND figure says, “That’s not funny.” A Red NT figure looks incredulous and says, “Wha-? You’re not actually supposed to say that to people!” Bright yellow/gold replies, “But then how will you ever know you need better jokes?”

NT vs ND: Jokes

AUPPOSITE DAY

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball entitled “AUPPOSITE DAY: ABA.”

1: A green Allistic child pushes a toy car along the floor. A magenta/purple Autistic adult, holding an orange toy car up to their eyes, says, “Oh, we don’t push cars around like they’re driving. We line them up in pleasing patterns or stare at the wheels while they spin.” A poster in the background reads, “They say I have ALLISM, But I say I’m PERFECT.”

2: Magenta/purple, sitting on an exercise ball and holding a partially solved Rubik’s cube, says, “Don’t look me in the eye when I’m talking to you. It makes people uncomfortable, plus I can’t be sure whether you’re really listening or just concentrating on my face.” Green, also sitting on an exercise ball, holds a not at all solved Rubik’s cube and looks down at the floor. A poster in the background reads, “You are more than a label. You are more than your Allism.”

3: Green is standing, looking sad, while Magenta/purple flaps their arms and says, “Use your body to let me know how you’re feeling, not your words. Remember, loud hands!” A poster in the background has a taupe awareness ribbon and reads, “Tone It Down Taupe for Allism Awareness.”

4: Magenta/purple, Green, (looking distressed), and a yellow/green Autistic adult sit at a child-sized table and chairs. Magenta/purple says, “She’s switching tasks much too often, and I’m thinking it’s because she has too many interests. Let’s try picking just one, and every time she tries to do or talk about something else, I want you to redirect her back to our preferred interest.” Yellow/green has a tote bag hanging off the back of their chair that reads, “Proud ALLISM MOM!”

AUpposite Day: ABA

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball entitled “AUPPOSITE DAY: SOCIAL SKILLS.”

1: Two allistic children (one red, one yellow), with neutral expressions, sit across from each other on exercise balls. A smiling autistic adult (Magenta/Purple) stands between them, with arms flapping, and says, “Make sure to stim regularly. It makes people really uncomfortable if you’re just sitting there quietly while everyone else is moving around and making noises.”

There is a poster in the background entitled “Whole Body Listening” featuring a happy flappy green/blue figure surrounded by these tips: Eyes Averted; Hands Doing Something; Body Wherever is Comfy; Legs Akimbo; Feet In Motion.

2: A blue allistic child sits on the ground with some toy cars, looking unhappy. Magenta/Purple guides a green allistic child (also unhappy) away from the blue child and towards a pile of blocks while saying, “When we want to play with a friend, we don’t go up to them and interrupt what they’re doing or demand interaction. That’s very unexpected behavior. Instead, we just go play along side them with the occasional non-verbal acknowledgement of each other’s presence.”

There is a poster in the background with an orange figure staring quizzically at a happy yellow/green figure, who has their full attention on a colorful butterfly. Two thought bubbles emanating from Yellow/Green read, “Thinking About You…not that much, actually, so don’t worry about it.”

3: The four allistic children, (green, yellow, blue, and red) sit in chairs facing Magenta/Purple who says, “Try to stick to one topic while having a conversation, and make sure it’s a deep one. It’s considered rude to try to change the subject or insist on ‘having a turn’ before the other person is finished infodumping.”

There is a poster in the background entitled, “What’s Their Face Telling Me?” There are eight round yellow faces, all with neutral expressions, labeled: Happy; Sad; Interested; Bored; Relaxed; Scared; Confused; Amused. At the bottom, more text reads, “Probably not much, so don’t read too much into it.”

4: Same scene, different angle. Magenta/Purple says, “Only ask people how they’re doing if you have the time for a full, detailed answer. And no talking about the weather unless you’re doing a deep dive on things like weather patterns or cloud formations.”

There is a poster in the background entitled “Basic Social Skills” with the following rules: Greetings Are Optional; No Reading Between the Lines (There’s Nothing There!); Not Insisting on Sharing is Caring; Say Exactly What You Mean, With Details; Parallel Play & Solo Work; Avoid Eye Contact.

AUpposite Day:
Social Skills

FAKE vs REAL

A white box at the top reads: FAKE NEURO-AFFIRMING.

A Red figure stands with a Light Blue/Blue figure and says, “Oh no, we don’t target things like eye contact and hand flapping anymore. We know how harmful that can be for individuals with neurodiversity. We even got rid of our puzzle piece stuff! But e still focus on *other* stims, and social skills, and tolerating distress, and sensory desensitization, and…” Light Blue/Blue looks skeptical.

Behind them are three posters: one about Whole Body Listening (open eyes, open ears, closed mouth, quiet hands, and calm feet); one that reads, “They say I’m neurodiverse, but I say I’m perfect,” and has a rainbow infinity symbol on it; and one about the ABC’s of Behavior (Antecedent, Behavior, Consequence).

Neuro-Affirming

A white box at the top reads: FAKE SELF-REGULATION. A red adult, speaking to a Green adult, says, “We have many different ways of helping them learn to suppress their distress behav- <ahem> I mean, ‘self-regulate.’ There are lots of coping skills we can talk AT them about, we can ignore or punish their outbursts and give rewards when they use a skill, and even seclusion and restraint can teach self-regulation when used properly!” Behind them are a poster that asks, “What’s Your Zone?,” a poster with four breathing exercises, and a door with a small window that bolts shut from the outside labeled “Calm Down Room.”

Self-Regulation Skills

A white box at the top reads: FAKE FRUSTRATION TOLERANCE. A red adult says to a green adult, “So we frustrate them on purpose a bunch, refuse to let them out of the situation, then tell them to breathe and rate the size of their problem while they’re too upset to think straight, until they just get used to feeling frustrated.” In the background is a pink adult and a magenta/purple child, sitting cross-legged and blowing on pinwheels together. The child looks angry and thinks, “Am I performing ‘calm’ right? Because I feel as frustrated as ever and I really just wanna hit something!”

Frustration Tolerance

A white box at the top reads: FAKE SENSORY DESENSITIZATION.

A red adult stands with a green adult and says, “We make them touch stuff they don’t want to over and over again while rewarding them for tolerating it and punishing when they don’t. And eventually, it just doesn’t bother them anymore!”

They are watching a teal adult using hand over hand to make a pink/magenta child touch a lumpy pile of pink stuff. The child is looking away with a blank look and thinking, “Dissociating, suppressing distress, no reaction makes it stop sooner…”

Sensory Desensitization

A white box at the top reads: FAKE COMMUNICATION SUPPORT.

A red adult sits at a table with a blue/purple adult and a green/blue child. The red adult says to the other adult, “Communication is so important for reducing frustration and challenging behaviors (which are so hard on the rest of us!), so let’s see what we can do to get them talking.” On the table are only two options: a binder labeled “Speech” and a binder labeled “PECS.”

Communication Support

SCHOOLING

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball entitled “School Shopping: Public School.”

1: Two figures (one red, one blue/purple) sit across from each other at a white table. Red smiles and says, “I think we should start your child out in a self-contained classroom, and then hopefully in time they’ll be able to move to an inclusion classroom.” Blue/Purple, smiling, replies, “Oh, ‘Inclusion.’ That sounds nice.”

2: Same scene. Blue/Purple smiles and says, “Is that where you teach ALL the kids about different communication styles and ways of being in the world, and everyone gets their needs met even if it means different things for different people?”

3: Same scene. Red smiles and says, “Ha. No. It means if your child can get to where they don’t need TOO much help from us and they aren’t a distraction to the rest of the class, we’ll put them with mainstream kids so they can learn to fit in with them.”

4: Same scene. Blue/Purple, looking unimpressed, says, “Oh, so it’s the “We’ll let you join the rest of us if you can mask well enough” classroom. Red, smiling, replies, “Pretty much, yeah.”

School Shopping:
Public School

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball entitled “School Shopping: Private School.”

1: Two figures (one green, one blue/purple) stand together, talking. Green smiles and says, “And that’s the end of our tour! Do you have any questions?” Blue/Purple, smiling, replies, “Yes! I notice you have a lot of “policies.” Like about how kids dress, behave, learn, and even eat. How flexible are you with those?”

2: Same scene. Green smiles and says, “Well, we find that these policies work for all children if you’re consistent enough. Sooo, not very.” Blue/Purple, with raised eyebrows, replies, “Except…they won’t work for MY kid. In fact, your policies wouldn’t work for a lot of neurodivergent children.”

3: Same scene. Green looks caught off guard and says, “Oh, well, I didn’t mean THEM.” Blue/Purple has one raised eyebrow and counters, “But you said ‘all children.’” Green replies, “Then I misspoke.”

4: Same scene. Blue/Purple says, “No you didn’t. You conveyed the fact that you don’t consider the needs of neurodivergent kids in your policies perfectly well.” Green looks embarrassed.

School Shopping:
Private School

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball entitled “School Shopping: Charter School.”

1: Two figures (one blue/purple, one teal) sit across from each other at a desk. Teal smiles and says, “What’s great about charter schools is that while we do have some of the same regulations and legal requirements as public schools, we have much more flexibility when it comes to what we teach and how we teach it. That means we can deliver a more rigorous academic experience combined with a dynamic learning environment.”

2: Same scene. Blue/Purple smiles and says, “Sounds promising. Our regular school hasn’t been flexible at all when it comes to meeting my child’s needs. Do you find that your approach works well for autistic and ADHD kids?” Teal replies, “Eh, I guess so. We don’t really have a lot of ‘em. And the ones we do have don’t need a lot of help anyway.”

3: Same scene. Blue/Purple has raised eyebrows and asks, “How’s that? Aren’t you legally required to accept kids with IEPs as well as follow their IEPs?” Teal replies, “Welllllll, technically yes. But if they can’t adhere to our strict behavior policies or c”

4: Same scene. A quick series of exchanges ensues:
Blue/Purple: So, your academic standards?
Teal: Rigorous!
Blue/Purple: …and behavioral expectations?
Teal: Rigorous!
Blue/Purple: …but support for disabled students?
Teal: Not so rigorous.

School Shopping:
Charter School

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball entitled “School Shopping: Autism School.”

1: Two figures (one blue/purple, one yellow) stand together, talking. Blue/Purple smiles and says, “Oh boy, a school just for Autistic kids. Hopefully that means the people here are better informed than most schools appear to be?” Yellow smiles and replies, “Oh yes, everyone here has expertise in the unique needs of children on the spectrum. Let me show you around.”

2: The two figures are now walking side by side. Yellow is saying, “<blah blah blah> …focus on social skills and activities of daily living… <blah blah blah> …BCBA in every classroom… <blah blah blah> …all staff are trained in the proper use of restraint…”

3: Close up of Yellow who looks over their shoulder and says, “Now what level of autism did you say your child was? I ask because the Asperger’s-type students get to have some time for academics…”

4: Yellow now stands alone, looking back the way they came, and says, “Hello…?”

School Shopping:
Autism School

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball entitled “School Shopping: Homeschool Co-op.”

1: Two figures (one pink, one blue/purple) stand together, talking. Blue Purple looks excited and says, “Wow! A forest school setup that is also secular and has other neurodivergent kids? What a find, sign me up!” Pink smiles and replies, “Oh wonderful! Let me get you an enrollment packet.”

2: Same scene. Pink hands some papers to Blue/Purple and says, “Now while we have no rules about what YOUR child can bring to eat, most of our kids are gluten and dairy free to help with behaviors, so please keep that in mind when it’s your turn to bring snacks for everyone.” Blue/Purple replies, “Oh, uh, okay. I can work with that.”

3: Same scene. Pink says, “And while many of our children do have certain diagnoses, we don’t like to use those labels. We wanna be careful not to say anything that might make our quirky, spirited, highly sensitive Indigo Children feel like they can’t overcome their struggles!” Blue/Purple has raised eyebrows and says, “Well, actually…”

4: Same scene. Pink says, “Oh, and if you need any help finding “like-minded’ providers, just let me know. I can point you to a chiropractor that treats autism, a functional medicine doctor for biomedical healing, and a pediatrician that doesn’t require vaccinations!” Blue/Purple, while throwing the papers into the air and walking away, says, “F@cking hell.”

School Shopping:
Homeschool Co-op

3 panel cartoon by Autball.
1: A box in the upper left corner reads, “School Meeting.” A red figure sits at the end of a round table facing three other figures (blue, purple, and green). Blue, Purple, and Green have papers that look like reports in front of them. Above these three, there are five speech bubbles that read, “…behavior problem…”, “…socially awkward…”, “…bad influence…”, “…defiant…”, and “…just doesn’t care…”.
2: A close-up of Red, who says, “Okay, well, I was thinking maybe we should assess for AHDH and autism.”
3: A close-up of Blue, Purple, and Green, still sitting at the table. Blue has an uneasy look on their face. Purple is holding up their hands, with a half smile and raised eyebrows, and says, “Whoa-ho-ho, easy with the labels there!” Green has a neutral look on their face and says, “We wanna be really careful with words like that.”

Labels

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.

1: Three people, one ND (yellow/green gradient) and two NT (orange, red) sit at a round table with three papers on it. Orange says, “We’ve completed the FBA, and we’ve come to the conclusion that the function of your child’s challenging behaviors is to gain attention. We’ve come up with a Behavior Intervention Plan based on this analysis, and it’s all about teaching them more acceptable ways to get attention.”

2: Same scene. Yellow/green says, “Well, they told me that they do it because they want people to stop bothering them, so that kinda sounds like the opposite of attention seeking, doesn’t it?” Red replies, “Well, our analysis says ‘Attention,’ so that’s what we’re going with.”

3: Close up of Yellow/Green who says, “But your ‘analysis’ didn’t take THEIR PERSPECTIVE into account at all, which means your conclusion is faulty, which means your plan is too. If we HAVE to go with one of only four ridiculously oversimplified ‘functions,’ surely ‘escape’ makes more sense here? Because I’m tellin’ you right now, this plan doesn’t address their actual needs and we’re just gonna be back here in a week or two with bigger problems than we already have.”

4: Original scene. Orange says, “Whatever. We give them attention after they do it so it’s for attention.” Red, smiling, adds, “Can’t argue with the data. It’s science!” Yellow/green looks displeased with half-closed eyes and a frown.

It's Science!

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.

1: Three school employees (Blue, Green, and Yellow) sit at a round table with a parent (Orange/red gradient). Green says, “I’m sorry they seem to be having such a hard time at home, but we’re just not seeing any of that at school. It must be your parenting.” Yellow adds, “Yeah, maybe try a parenting class.” Orange/red is not impressed.

2: Same scene, but different parent (Teal). Green says, “You say you’re not seeing the same types of challenging behavior at home that we’re seeing at school? It must be your parenting.” Yellow adds, “Yeah, if you had more rules at home then they wouldn’t have such a hard time following the rules here.” Teal frowns.

3: Same scene, but different parent (Magenta/purple gradient). Green says, “You say they’re having just as hard a time at home as they are at school? It must be your parenting.” Yellow adds, “Yeah, you seem anxious. Bet they’re picking up on that.” Magenta/purple is visibly upset.

4: Same scene, but now no parent. Blue asks, “Sooo, is there ever a point where we look at what WE might be doing to contribute to the problem” Green looks highly amused and replies, “Ahahahaha, what??” Yellow looks incredulous and adds, “No! Then we might have to, like, CHANGE something!”

Must Be Your Parenting

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.

1: Three figures (Purple, Pink, and Orange) sit at a round table looking at a Green figure. Pink says, “We’ve tried some things informally to see if that would be enough, but Adrien is still just struggling so much…”

2: Same scene. Pink continues, “I think it’s time to start the evaluation process and get an official plan in place so we can offer more supports and accommodations.” Green sighs and says, “Okay.”

3: A white box at the top reads, “A YEAR OR TWO LATER…” Three figures (Yellow, Pink, and Blue) sit at a round table looking at Green, and all are smiling. Pink says, “Adrien is doing so well and has made so much progress thanks to the supports we’ve put in place…”

4: Same scene. Pink continues, “I think it’s time to start taking them away!” Green looks confused and says, “Oh…kay??”

It's Time

What About Socialization?

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.

1: A Magenta/Purple figure looks out the window at a yellow school bus pulling away from their house and says, “<Sigh> Finally. Kids are back in school.”

2: Close up of Magenta/Purple, with a smile and one raised eyebrow, who says, “And you know what that means…”

3: Two smaller figures (Orange/Red and Light Blue/Blue) stand with big excited looks on their faces and raised arms, with colored spotlights in the background and confetti coming down on them, and they say, “We get the fun places all to ourselves again!”

4: Magenta/Purple looks at the two smaller figures and says, “What should we do first?!” Orange/Red and Light Blue/Blue excitedly reply, “Trampoline park! Museum! Pool! Disney World!”

Back To School

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.

1: Two figures (one red, one yellow) are in an empty classroom. Yellow is putting something we can’t see on the wall and says, “My kid saw a reference to dunce hats in a Youtube video the other day, and she asked me what they meant.”

2: Same scene. Yellow grabs a blue bin while saying, “I told her what they were about and that they actually used to be a thing in schools, and she couldn’t believe it!” Red is carrying a poster over to the wall and says, “Oh man, yeah, so cruel.”

3: Same scene. Red is putting their poster on the wall and says, “And then there was a time when they’d make kids write lines over and over on the chalkboard about what they did wrong, in front of EVERYONE.” Yellow pulls a clothespin out of the blue bin and replies, “Ugh. So embarrassing, and not even helpful!”

4: Same characters, but we can now see what they’re been working on. They stand in front of a decorated bulletin board which has: a poster of a child sitting “properly” at a desk entitled “I’m Ready to Learn!;” a poster of the classroom rules; a rewards chart with the names of all the children in the class on it; and a rainbow colored clip chart covered in clothespins with the children’s names on them. While attaching a clothespin, Yellow says, “I’m so glad we don’t use public shame and humiliation in the classroom like that anymore.” Red, finishing up with the rewards chart, says, “Totally.”

Humiliation Charts

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.

1: A white box at the top reads, “FIRST…” Three figures sit behind a long desk with a sign that reads “School Standards People” on it. The person in the middle says, “They’re gonna have to know how to write essays in college, so we should prepare them by teaching it in high school.”

2: A white box at the top reads, “THEN…” Three new people sit behind the long desk. The person in the middle says, “They’re gonna have to know how to write essays in high school, so we should prepare them by teaching it in middle school.”

3: A white box at the top reads, “NOW…” Three new people sit behind the long desk. The person in the middle says, “They’re gonna have to know how to write essays in middle school, so we should prepare them by teaching it in elementary school.”

4: A white box at the top reads, “COMING SOON…” Three new people sit behind the long desk. The person in the middle says, “They’re gonna have to know how to write essays in elementary school, so we should prepare them by teaching it in pre-school.” The person on the right leans over and whispers, “Uhh, most of the can’t even spell yet.” The person in the middle replies, “Then they’re behind! They should have prepared for that in PRE-pre-school!”

Prep Creep

ABA and SOCIAL SKILLS

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.
1: A happy character (orange to red gradient) with the words “Just Be You" arcing above them, on a faded red background with a dark red frame.
2: Many child-sized figures, of various rainbow colors, sitting on bleachers. A blue adult figure stands in front of them saying, “Remember kids: Just be YOU. You are all wonderfully unique, and your true friends will accept you for who you are.”
3: The same adult figure stands in front of a different section of the bleachers with eight neurodivergent children of various colors sitting together. One has an AAC device, one is in a wheelchair. The adult points to them and says, “…except for you guys. We’re actually gonna need you to NOT be yourselves as much as possible if you wanna be accepted."
4: Close up of adult figure who says, “Don’t worry. We have lots of ways to help you with that!” He holds up a list that reads: Intervention Plan; ABA; PBS; Social Skills Group; Whole Body Listening: Clip Charts: Points Systems; Behavior Goals

Just Be You

Proper Use of ABA

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.
1: Two figures sit on a park bench. Teal is on the left, Red is on the right, both are smiling. Teal says, “So how’s the ABA going?” Red replies, “Oh, she’s absolutely thriving! She has two new words and can use a fork now!”
2: Same scene, now both are looking neutral. Red says, “She’s also crying a lot more, she’s become really clingy, she fights me over the simplest things now, and she’s started wetting the bed.”
3: Same scene. Teal, looking surprised, says, “That’s ‘thriving??’” Red, looking neutral, replies, “Yeah, I don’t know what all that’s about, but I’m sure it’s unrelated.”
4: Same scene, with Teal looking unsure. Red looks excited and says, “Fortunately, the ABA place says they can help with that stuff too!”

Thriving

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.
1: A yellow adult stands in front of four ND students (light green/green, orange/red, light blue/blue, pink/purple). There are two blurred posters on the wall behind them. Yellow is smiling and says, “The key to having good social skills is to constantly be thinking about what kind of thoughts other people are having about you and behaving in such a way as to make them have positive thoughts about you instead of negative ones.”
2: Yellow is pointing at a poster on the wall and says, “Here are some ways to make people feel good about you.” The poster reads:
How to Make Friends
1. Make eye contact.
2. Quiet body.
3. Look and sound pleasant.
4. Talk about what they like.
5. Play what they want to play.
6. Don’t do anything unexpected.
3: The four ND students are seated in front of yellow adult. Light green/green looks overwhelmed and says, “That sounds exhausting. Why do I have to do all these things if they make me uncomfortable?” Yellow responds, “So that you don’t make other people uncomfortable.”

4: Same scene. Light green/green says, “Well when do I get to be comfortable?” Yellow responds, “Uhh, alone in your room I guess? But don’t do that too much either because it’ll make people uncomfortable.”

Social Overthinking

NON-SPEAKING

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.
1: A red adult (teacher) stands looking at an ND child (magenta/purple gradient) and a green adult (parent and child). The child is wearing an AAC device with a black strap and light blue cover. Green adult looks at the child and says, “Hey bud! How was your day?”
2: Close up of smiling ND child and three thought bubbles as they think about their day. One bubble contains three pyramids, one contains this child sharing a red ball with another ND child, and one contains a graded test with a red “A+” at the top.
3: Back to original scene. The child has a thought bubble above his head depicting him sharing a red ball with another ND child. He looks happy and is typing something on his AAC device, presumably about what’s in his thought bubble. Red adult says, “Well, he had to stay in from recess because he didn’t finish his work, and he decided to have a meltdown instead of just getting the work done.”
4: Same scene. The green adult looks at the child and says, “Well then, I guess we’ll have to talk about THAT when we get home.” The child looks sad and defeated, with his thought bubble lying broken at his feet, and his AAC device hanging forgotten around his neck with the words “I made a new friend” on the screen.

How Was Your Day?

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.

1: A blue adult sits behind a desk. Across from them are a pink/magenta adult and a yellow/green adolescent, who is busy using a tablet. Blue says, “I know you say you’re not interested in ABA, but keep in mind that it’s usually the only way that non-verbal individuals can learn anything. Their low cognitive functioning and lack of empathy means that you can’t reason with them or-“ Pink/Magenta cuts them off and says, “Excuse me. Can you not talk about my son like that? He’s right here. He can hear you.”

2: Same scene. Blue smiles and says, “Oh, it’s fine, I do it all the time. He’s absorbed in his tablet, and it’s not like he can really understand what I’m saying any-“ Yellow/Green interrupts with his tablet which says, “I can hear you.”

3: Same scene, except Pink/Magenta looks displeased. Blue smiles with eyebrows raised and says, “Well, I stand corrected. Apologies, I’ll adjust my language. As I was saying, his B-A-D behavior is due to his L-O-W intelli-“ Yellow/Green interrupts with his tablet which says, “I can spell too.”

4: Same scene. Blue, no longer smiling, says, “Oh, look at that. You’ve trained him to use some pre-programmed phrase-“ Yellow/Green, slightly smiling, interrupts with his tablet which says, “Watch. U-R-A C-U-N—“ Pink/Magenta, trying not to laugh, cuts him off with, “Lucas Gabriel…”

I Can Hear You

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.

1: Two adults, one purple and one green, sit across from each other at a table and chairs in primary colors that are a bit too small for them. Purple says, “So, we’ve given it a lot of time, but speech just doesn’t seem to be coming for her. Meanwhile, I feel like a lot of her frustration comes from not being able to tell us things, so I really wanna focus on finding a better way for her to communicate with us.”

2: Same scene. Green says, “Well then you’re in the right place! We’ll do everything we can to get her communicating more effectively.”

3: Close up of Purple and Green, having a series of quick exchanges.
Purple: Great! We’ve already been trying out some signs…
Green: Oh no, that’ll discourage speech.
Purple: and I’m wondering if an AAC device might work for her…
Green: No, she’s not ready for that.
Purple: and I’ve also heard good things about Spelling to Communicate.
Green: Ha! No, that’s fake.

4: Original scene. Purple says, “So when you said you’d do everything you can…” Green replies, “Yeah, I meant speech. Just speech. Maybe some PECS along the way, but that’s just to get to speech.”

Speech

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.

1: Top: An adult figure (Teal) sits across the table from a child figure (Orange/Red) and says, “Touch blue.” Orange/Red thinks, “Okay arm. It’s the one in the middle. Just touch it.”
Bottom: Teal says, “No,” and appears to be taking notes on what just happened. Orange/Red thinks, “Gah! No, I didn’t mean to touch red!”

2: Top: Same scene. Teal holds up a card with the letter “B” on it and asks, “What letter is this?” Orange/Red thinks, “Come on, mouth. We know this. Just say ‘B!’”
Bottom: Orange/Red says, “Me love cookies nom nom,” then thinks, “No, not that!” Teal takes more notes.

3: Top: Teal stands with Orange/Red and says, “Go to the chair.” Orange/Red, who is standing some distance away from the chair and is not looking at the chair or the adult, thinks, “Hey legs, let’s stop pacing long enough to do what she asked.”
Bottom: Orange/Red appears to have walked right past the chair, and Teal says, “No response,” while writing on a clipboard. Orange/Red is thinking, “Wait, I’m trying!”

4: Teal and Orange/Red are back at the table, now joined by a Red adult. Teal says to Red, “Even though we’ve been working on the same things for the last three years, he still shows no understanding of even the most basic commands and academic skills. We recommend keeping him where he is for another year.” Orange/Red looks defeated and thinks, “<Sigh> I’m never getting out of here.”

Assessed

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.

1: Two ND people sit across from each other at a table in a restaurant. The one on the left is light green/green, sits in a motorized wheelchair, and is typing on a red AAC device. The one on the right is light blue/blue. A purple figure is standing between them, holding a notepad and pen, smiling, and says to Light blue/blue, “Okay, thank you for your order. And what will our friend over here be having this evening?” Light blue/blue responds, “I don’t know. You should probably ask him.”

2: Same scene. Purple says to Light blue/blue, “But… I don’t… Can he even…?” Light blue/blue just stares back, waiting.

3: Same scene. With the AAC device, Light green/green says, “I’ll have a cheeseburger, medium well, with fries and an iced tea.” Purple, smiling, surprised, and finally looking at Light green/green, says “Oh! Uh…right! Got it. Good job, you!” Light blue/blue is side-eyeing Purple extra hard.

4: Same scene, but Purple is now gone. With the AAC device, Light green/green says, “What the f#@% is her problem?” Light blue/blue replies, “She probably didn’t expect you to be able to think either.”

Non-Thinking

EVERYTHING ELSE

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.

Panel 1: Five figures sit behind a long desk, a banner above them reads "Panel on Women's Issues;" a nameplate in front of each figure reads "Man." There are two observers in the foreground, one Green and one Teal. Green says to Teal, "Are you kidding me? Not a single woman up there??"

Panel 2: Similar scene. Five figures sit behind a long desk, a banner above them reads "How Can We Help the Black Community;" this time the nameplates read "Not Black." Green says to Teal, "What a joke! No representation whatsoever!"

Panel 3: Similar scene. Five figures sit behind a long desk, a banner above them reads "Autism Research, Charities, Services, Etc;" all the nameplates read "Allistic." Green says to Teal, "This is fine."

Panel 4: Same scene, but now with a new observer (Magenta/Purple) who says, "Hi, I'm Autistic. Mind if I jump in and-" Green cuts them off with, "Shhh, the experts are talking.”

All About Us
Without Us

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.
1: A box at the top reads “Medical Model.” A red character on a blue background says, “Autism Spectrum Disorder is marked by many deficits and struggles. It is a disease in need of a cure.”
2: A box at the top reads “Well-Meaning but Not-Quite-There Rebuttal.” An orange character on a blue background says, “Autism is a superpower! It comes with so many gifts and should be celebrated!”
3: A box at the top reads “Autistic Advocates.” An autistic character (bright yellow to dark yellow gradient) on a blue background says, “Hi. Any chance we could just see it as a difference that comes with strengths and weaknesses just like everything else and acknowledge that some people will struggle where others don’t?”
4: The three characters are standing together on a blue background. Orange says, “Nah, not warm and fuzzy enough for me.” Red says, “And I really need more pathologizing language than that.” Autistic character has head down, eyes closed, and a hand on their forehead.

Autism Is...

Tell Your Kids

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.
1: A red adult figure is standing next to a child-sized figure (green to yellow gradient) and waving to another adult figure (blue). Red adult is smiling and says, "Oh, hey Ashley! Long time no see!" Child has neutral face, blue adult is smiling.
2: Red adult looks down at child, who is looking back up at adult, and says, "Come on honey, remember your manners and say hi to my friend.” Blue adult is smiling at them.
3: Panel is split into three scenes. Close-up of child's face, looking freaked out, and red adult's midsection in each. Top: child stands close to red adult and thinks, "Really not into this..." Middle: child has scooted a bit behind red adult and thinks, "...need to disappear..." Bottom: child has scooted further behind adult and thinks, "...please forget I'm here.”
4: Child is now standing fully behind red adult. Blue adult says, "Aww, she's a shy one, huh?" Red adult replies, "No, she just does this for attention."

Schrodinger's
Attention Seeker

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.
1: A red adult figure stands in front of three child sized figures (green/blue gradient, orange, and yellow) seated at desks. Red adult says, “…and that’s why there are less hours of daylight in winter than in summer.” ND child (green/blue gradient), in the front row, raises their hand and says, “Actually, it’s ‘fewer,’ not ‘less.’”
2: Same scene. Red adult has a raised eyebrow and says, “Riley, that’s rude! It is not okay to correct people over every little thing.”
3: Close up of ND child with neutral look on their face. There are five memory bubbles above their head that read: “Those shorts don’t go with that shirt, Riley. Please go change.”; “Riley, look at me when I’m talking to you.”; “Quiet hands, Riley.”; No Riley. You play with it like this, not that.”; “Oh Riley, aren’t you getting a little too old for that?”
4: Back to original scene. The ND child (green/blue gradient) looks at the adult and says, “Since when??” Red adult has an embarrassed look on their face.

Since When?

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.
1: A green adult, looking angry, is standing with an ND child (light orange to dark orange gradient), who is holding a stuffy and also looking angry. Green adult says, “You are too old to be bringing a toy with you everywhere you go. Leave it here.”
2: Green adult, looking angry, is standing with ND child again, who has a clenched fist and is also looking angry. Green adult holds out a red jacket and says, “I don’t care if you don’t feel cold, you are not leaving this house without a jacket!”
3: Green adult and ND child sit at a dinner table, joined by another adult (teal). There are three plates of food on the table. Teal adult has neutral look on their face, green adult and ND child look angry. Green adult says, “No, you cannot have something else. You eat what I make or you don’t eat at all.”
4: Same scene, but now ND child is gone. Teal adult asks, “Why do you two butt heads so much?” Green adult replies, “Because of HIS rigid thinking!”

Rigid Thinking

3-panel cartoon by Autball.
1: Close up of two figures smiling and talking, one ND (magenta/purple gradient) and one not (yellow). Magenta/purple says, “Hey, great to see you guys again! How was your summer?” Yellow responds, “Oh, you know…did some camps, but mostly took it easy. How about you?”
2: Same scene. Magenta/purple is smiling with raised eyebrows and says, “Yeah, same, same. Sooo, Ana’s autistic too, huh?” Yellow is smiling and replies, “Well, yes, but we prefer to say she HAS AUTISM. There’s more to her than that and I don’t want that to be all people see.”
3: Wide shot of four figures standing in a parking lot. On the left, Magenta/purple is standing with their ND child (aqua/green gradient), looking at Yellow and their ND child (orange/red gradient) standing together on the right. Yellow is wearing a white t-shirt that reads “Proud Autism Mom” with a puzzle-piece heart on it. Orange/red child is wearing a t-shirt that reads “Autism is my Superpower!” in primary colored letters. They are smiling and standing in front of a green minivan that has a puzzle-piece awareness ribbon and a yellow “Child With Autism on Board” sign on the back of it. Magenta/purple looks their way with a half smile and a raised eyebrow and says, “Riiiiiiiiight.”

Don't Say Autistic

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.
1: A green adult sits behind a desk, an open laptop and pencil holder sitting on it, and an ND adult (light blue/purple gradient) sits across from them. Green says, “I’m afraid you doh’t meet criteria for an autism diagnosis. I mean, you’re married, you went to college, you have a sense of humor and empathy… I just don’t see it.”
2: Same scene. ND says, “Uh huh. And do you ever take masking into consideration?” Green chuckles and replies, “Yeah, that’s not in the DSM, so no.”
3: Same scene. ND says, “Okay, but neither are any of the things you just said, so…” Green looks taken aback.
4: Same scene. Green recovers and says, “Whatever. I’m the trained diagnostician here and I say it’s just social anxiety and depression. Any idea what might have brought those on?” ND appears dissatisfied and unimpressed as they look back at them with half-closed eyes.

Dx Fail

A 3-panel cartoon by Autball.

1: A white box at the top left reads, “Trained Diagnostician.” A green adult sits behind a brown desk, and a ND adult (pink/magenta gradient) sits across from them. Both have a neutral expression. Green says, “Hi. I use a bunch of assessments that are heavily biased and based on outdated ideas that will take many hours and multiple days to complete. I will likely require input from people who knew you way back when and probably don’t have the most accurate memories and interpretations fo what you were like as a kid. I will weigh all outside observations more heavily than your own self-assessment.”

2: Close up of Green, who is smiling and says, “Once that’s done, I’ll take several more months to write it all up, then we’ll schedule yet another appointment where I let you know if I think you meet the aforementioned biased and outdated criteria. Oh, and I’ll charge you an arm and a leg for all of it. See you in six months to a year!”

3: A white box at the top left reads. “Group of Autistic People.” Four ND adults (yellow/orange gradient, pink/magenta gradient, light blue/blue gradient, and light green/green gradient) sit around a large brown table. Each of them has a glass of water in front of them, and all are smiling. Yellow/orange says to Pink/magenta, “Hey! Just buy us dinner, we’ll sit around and chat for a while, and then we’ll let you know by the end of the night.” Off to the right, Light green/green whispers to Light blue/blue, “I don’t even think I’ll need THAT long with this one.”

Dx Win

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball entitled “Proper Handling of Blue Pumpkins.”
1: A yellow/dark yellow ND adult, a red child, and a slightly smaller green/blue autistic child stand in front of a Halloween Pumpkin display, looking happy. The display contains blue, green, purple, and orange pumpkins, with a sign at the top that reads, “Blue Pumpkins are for Autism!” The ND adult says, “Hey, found the pumpkins! Which ones do you guys want?”
2: Same scene. Red child says, “Well the blue one would go great with my Mario costume. Can I get it even though I’m not autistic?” ND adult replies, “‘Course you can! And what about you love?”
3: Same scene. Green/blue autistic child is happily choosing an orange pumpkin. ND adult says, “Great! Let’s go get stuff for the trick or treaters!”
4: The children are now walking away holding their pumpkins of choice, looking happy. The sign that read “Blue Pumpkins are for Autism!” is no longer on the display. ND adult is whistling, eyebrows raised, while surreptitiously placing said sign behind the display it once sat atop.

Proper Handling of
Blue Pumpkins

A 4-panel cartoon by Autball.
1: Two ND characters (light green/green gradient on left, magenta/purple gradient on right) stand together, a full moon with a wispy cloud passing in front of it in the night sky behind them. Light green/green is smiling and asks, “So are you guys doing the blue pumpkin thing?” Magenta/purple, smiling, replies, “Nah, I don’t think I should have to out her to the whole neighborhood just to get people to be decent.”
2: Same scene. Light green/green, no longer smiling, asks, “What’s she gonna do if she can’t speak?” Magenta/purple, smiling, replies, “We made a cute little card that says ‘Trick or Treat’ that she can flash if she needs to.”
3: Same scene. Light green/green looks concerned and asks, “Well what if someone gives her a hard time anyway?” Magenta/purple, smiling and reaching off-screen, replies, “Oh, I’ve got something for that too…”
4: Same scene. Light green/green is smiling again, and Magenta/purple is now holding an orange yard sign with black lettering that reads, “I’M BEING A DICK ABOUT CANDY. TRY NEXT DOOR.” Magenta/purple, smiling, says, “I figured it would be more useful to broadcast THEIR whereabouts to the whole neighborhood instead.”

Trick or Treat

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.
1: Half panel, with a close up of two figures facing each other, one purple, the other an aqua to light green gradient, indicating they are ND. Purple says, “Oh, I’m just so happy to have you home! I even made your favorite…” Aqua/green thinks, “Oh nice!”
Bottom half panel, same scene. Purple has a raised eyebrow and continues, “…with a little twist.” Aqua/green hangs head with closed eyes and thinks, “Oh dammit.”
2: Two figures (one purple, one aqua/light green) stand facing each other with a kitchen counter (white with dark gray countertop) between them. There is a baking dish on the counter. Aqua/green looks distressed and asks, “Why must you always mess with my safe foods?” Purple says, “Whaat?? You like bacon, and you like mac & cheese, so I figured you’d be okay with bacon mac & cheese!” Aqua/green replies, “That’s…not how any of this works.”
3: Same scene. Aqua/green says, “Okay. You like pickles, right?” Purple says, “Yes.” Aqua/green says, “And you like ice cream.” Purple replies, “Uh-huh.” Aqua/green asks, “So does that mean you would also like ice cream with relish in it?”
4: Same scene, except now Purple is removing the baking dish. Smiling, Purple says, “Okay, okay, I get it.. I suppose that means you’d rather I didn’t do the cranberries-in-the-sweet-potatoes experiment I was planning for tomorrow?” Aqua/green smiles and replies, “Please no.”

Unsafe Foods

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.
1: A blue adult stands looking at an orange/red ND child and a light green/green ND adult. Blue looks excited with outstretched arms and says, “Ooh , I haven’t seen you in so long! And where are my hugs?!” ND adult replies, “Oh, no hugs please, but he’d really like a high five!” An older teal adult looks on with a frown in the background.
2: Teal adult, ND adult, and ND child sit at a long table with food on it, while a yellow adult stands behind them. Yellow has raised eyebrows and says to ND adult, “You brought chicken nuggets when there’s all this other delicious food here?” ND adult replies, “Well yeah. I didn’t know if there’d be anything he could eat, so I brought a back up!” Teal adult looks on with a frown from the left.
3: A purple adult stands with ND adult outside a doorway, ND child sits on a couch in a dimly lit room, wearing headphones and happily looking at an iPad. Purple has raised eyebrows and says, “Where’d Julian get to? All the cousins are playing and he’s missing out.” ND adult replies, “He’s just in the other room, taking a break from all the excitement.” Teal adult looks on with a frown in the background.
4: Upper half of the panel: Teal adult and ND adult stand outside the doorway where ND child is. Teal looks neutral and says, “Y’know in my day, adults would never have let me “get away with” any of that stuff.” ND adult looks worried about what’s coming next.
Lower half of the panel: Same scene, but Teal is now smiling and holding ND adult’s hand when they say, “Really wish someone would’ve, though.” ND adult looks relieved and touched.

Supports

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.
1: An adult (teal) comforts a crying child (yellow) while sitting on a brown couch in the background. In the foreground, an autistic child (pink/purple gradient) observes and thinks, “I can see that my sister is upset, but I’m not sure how to help, and it looks like my mom has it under control. It would probably be most helpful if I just stayed out of the way.”
2: Close up of adult and yellow child on couch. Child asks, “Mommy, why didn’t Sara come over to check on me when I was crying before?” Adult replies, “They say it’s because she lacks empathy. That means she can’t understand how other people feel or think about what they need.”
3: A white box at the top reads, “LATER THAT DAY…” Yellow child and adult stand together in a room. Child says, “Mommy, Sara’s having another fit. What’s wrong with her this time?”
4: Adult and yellow child look on at Sara (autistic child) lying on the floor having a meltdown. Adult says, “<Sigh> I have no idea, but they say it’s best to ignore it.”

Lacking Empathy

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.

1: A white box at the top reads, “Some Black Advocates.” Close up of a magenta/purple ND figure on a light blue background who says, “Yeah ABA is harmful. But is it really more harmful than the trauma of being Black in a racist society, or having your kid shot because of their autism? Maybe stop attacking parents who are just terrified for their kids, and focus on dismantling more than just ABA.”

2: A white box at the top reads, “One Side’s Hot Take.” A yellow/gold ND figure with raised eyebrows and a downturned mouth says, “Ewww, you’re pro-ABA?? So disappointing. Unfollow!!” A light blue/blue ND figure with an angry face and hands on hips adds, “Yeah, and stop abusing your kids!”

3: A white box at the top reads, “Other Side’s Hot Take.” A green figure with raised eyebrows and a smile says, “See?! ABA is actually GOOD for Black kids!” A pink figure with an angry face and hands on hips adds, “Yeah, and if you hate ABA you’re racist!”

4: Back to magenta/purple figure, now with downturned mouth, squeezing their eyes shut, and holding their hand to their forehead in frustration, on a light blue background that turns red towards the top. A thought bubble above them reads: <Screams in nuance.>

Nuance

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.

1: An ND child (light blue/blue) and an ND adult (light green/green) sit with their feet up on a red couch. Child plays on an iPad, Adult works on a laptop. Child says, “I’m hungry.” Adult responds, “Okay. I just went shopping so we lots of snacks to choose from.”

2: Top half: Close up of Child with one raised eyebrow. To their left, PDA has popped up in a thought cloud wearing a gun belt and cowboy boots, looking angry and ready to duel. Child says, “I want you to get it for me.”
Bottom half: Close up of Adult with one raised eyebrow and a partial smile. To their right, PDA has popped up in a thought cloud wearing a gun belt and cowboy boots, looking angry and ready to duel. Adult says, “Do ya now?”

3: Original scene, except now there is a thought cloud between them that shows their two PDAs looking at each other, ready to duel as a tumbleweed blows by at high noon. Adult says, “Tell you what. I can get it the next time I get up, and if you don’t wanna wait that long, you can always get it sooner yourself.”

4: Same scene, except now their two PDAs are shaking hands as if coming to a truce. Child says, “I can wait.” Adult replies, “Okay.”

Dueling PDAers

Build-A-Mask Workshop

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.

1: Two people sit on a park bench, one pink/purple (ND) and one blue. ND is smiling and says, “Well it’s official: Morgan is Autistic.” Blue looks distressed and replies, “Oh, I’m so sorry.”

2: Same scene. ND looks neutral and says, “Because…?” Blue replies, “Well, y’know, you must be devastated.”

3: Same scene. ND has raised eyebrows and says, “About…?” Blue looks unsure and replies, “Like, the stuff they’ll never do, and how hard it’ll be on you, and just how hopeless it all-“

4: Same scene. Blue looks embarrassed and says, “I feel like I should stop talking now.” ND has one raised eyebrow and says, “Yeeaaah, maybe try asking some questions first next time.”

Sorry

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.

1: Two Autistic adults (one green/blue, one pink/purple) stand together at a crowded social event, talking to an orange adult. Pink/purple says, “…and I think being Autistic myself is what helps me connect with my students so well.” Orange replies, “Oh, really? I never would have guessed. You don’t even look Autistic!”

2: Same scene. Green/blue looks at Orange with one raised eyebrow while pink/purple says, “Oh?? And what exactly does Autistic ‘look like?’” Orange stares back, eyes wide and mouth open, unable to think of a good answer.

3: Same scene, except now Orange is walking away in embarrassment. Green/blue is giving side-eye says, “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Pink/purple, smiling and looking at Green/blue, says, “Like they can tell just by looking!”

4: A white box at the top reads, “FIVE MINUTES LATER…” The two Autistic adults are now looking at a yellow/green adult some distance away at the same social event. Green/blue says, “OMG that guy is so Autistic!” Pink/purple replies, “Definitely one of us.”

You Don't Look Autistic

A 3 panel cartoon by Autball.

1: Close up of a light blue/purple ND figure with a neutral look on their face. They say, “Autism is a thing.”

2: A crowd of differently colored figures, some NT and some ND, with neutral looks on their faces responds, “We’re aware.”

3: The light blue/purple ND figure is now standing in a brightly lit room, smiling, and says, “Fabulous! Let’s move on to ACCEPTANCE and APPRECIATION then, shall we?” They are also holding a stack of stickers with the rainbow infinity symbol and the word “Neurodiversity” on it, one of which they are handing to a smiling green figure. To the left, there is another ND figure (yellow/light green) holding some fliers with the gold infinity symbol and the words “Autistic Pride” on it, and they are talking to a red figure who is holding one of those fliers. To the right, there is a teal figure placing a “Light It Up Blue” pamphlet into a trash can that is overflowing with “Awareness” propaganda, including: an Autism Speaks sign, an Autism Awareness sign with a puzzle peace ribbon, a paper with the words “Epidemic in Need of a Cure,” and a round sticker with “I (puzzle piece heart) Someone With Autism.”

We're Aware

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.

1: Top panel: An ND figure (red/pink gradient) is smiling and says, “You know what? I think I’m ready to get into advocacy. I’ve learned so much from other Autistic advocates, and I really wanna help others in that way too.”
Bottom panel: A blue figure pops up from the left and says, “Are you even diagnosed, tho?”

2: Top panel: Red/pink is smiling and holding a piece of paper that reads, “Official DX: Autistic. Signed, Dr. Professional.” They say, “All right, I’m official! Let’s do this!”
Bottom panel: Blue pops up from the right and says, “Do you have any qualifications, tho?”

3: Top panel: Red/pink is smiling and now holding a diploma in addition to their official DX. They say, “Okay, I went and got a degree and bunch of certifications! No one can stop me now!”
Bottom panel: Blue pops up and says, “Whatevs. If you can function well enough to run a page and get a degree, you’re nothing like my kid, so what do you know??”

4: Red/pink, holding two pieces of paper, now stands looking at Blue. With eyebrows raised and a look of realization, Red/pink says, “Ohhh. You were never gonna listen no matter what I did, were you?” Blue is smiling with eyebrows raised and replies, “Ahhh, you got me! I’m WAY too afraid to realize I’ve been doing it all wrong and unknowingly hurting my kid to ever give you the time of day! Off to chase Autistics our of Warrior Mommy groups, BYEEEE!!”

Autistic Advocacy

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.

1: Setting: Autism Acceptance event at a park. Three Autistic characters (Light Blue/Blue, Light Green/Green, and Pink/Magenta) sit together. Pink/Magenta has forearm crutches propped up next to them. An orange figure approaches them and says, “Hi there. I’m a reporter and I’m looking to do a story for Autism Awareness. Do any of you have an interesting or feel-good autism-related story to share?”

2: Top: Light Blue/Blue smiles and says, “My group home has decided I can have a cat so I’m pretty happy about that.”
Middle: Pink/Magenta looks neutral and says, “I’ve been able to hold a job with the help of a carer for the past few years but now they’re threatening to cut my hours.”
Bottom: Light Green/Green smiles and says, “I’m getting married and we’re planning a D&D themed wedding.”

3: Original scene, but now our Autistic characters look displeased. Orange says, “Hmm, those are all kind of…ordinary. I was looking for something more *inspirational.* Y’know, ‘Person With Autism Earns College Degree Against All Odds,’ or ‘School Kids Manage To Be Nice To Person Suffering From Autism,’ that sort of thing.”

4: Same scene. Light Green/Green says, “Hey, I’ve got one: ‘Autistic Person Tears Reporter A New One Over Ableist Inspo-Porn Bullshit.’” Pink/Magenta says, “Ooh, I like it.” Light Blue/Blue smiles and adds, “Inspirational as fuck.” Orange looks like they don’t know what hit ‘em.

So Inspirational

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.

1: Close-up of Light Green/Green ND figure who says, “Many Autistic people prefer Identity First Language because we feel that being Autistic is an important and inextricable part of who we are, whereas Person First Language perpetuates the idea that autism is a separate thing that can be removed or cured.”

2: A Red figure now stands with Light Green/Green. Red says angrily, “Yeah, well, *my kid* actually prefers to say they *have autism,* so there!” Light Green/Green, smiling, replies, “Hey, as long as you present both options equally and explain the meaning behind them, who am I to argue with what someone chooses for themselves?”

3: Same scene. Red looks flustered and lost for words saying, “I… Well…” Light Green/Green just looks on, waiting.

4: Light Green/Green, with half-closed eyes, says, “You’ve literally only ever used Person First with them, haven’t you?” Red is rushing off and already part way out of frame, saying, “Be right back.”

Informed Choice

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.

1: Two people sit on a park bench, one ND (Light Blue/Blue gradient), one not (Yellow). Yellow looks angry and says, “Mealtimes have become so awful and I just don’t know what to do anymore! She only ever wants chicken nuggets, and she’d rather be upset all night and go to bed hungry than just eat what everyone else is having.”

2: Same scene. Yellow looks upset and says, “No matter how hard I try, it always ends up with her crying, me yelling, and everyone in the house being miserable for hours. Why can’t she make it easier on everyone and *just try something new??* Light Blue/Blue replies, “Wow, that *is* a lot.”

3: Same scene. A quick series of exchanges ensues:
LB/B: Hours of distress, day after day…
Y: So hard!
LB/B: Much harder than it needs to be…
Y: It really is!
LB/B: And how long do nuggets take?
Y: …

4: Same scene. Yellow looks defensive and says, “But…it’s the principle of the thing!” Light Blue/Blue smiles and replies, “Well maybe *you* could try some new principles!”

Try Something New

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.

1: Close up of a smiling purple figure who says, “I’m a parent to an autistic child, and I know my child better than anyone. I don’t really know much about autism though, or what it’s like to actually be autistic. I just want what’s best for my child.”

2: Close up of a smiling blue/green figure who says, “I’m an autistic adult, and I don’t know your child, but I do know an awful lot about being autistic and neuro-affirming. I also want what’s best for your child.”

3: Three panels.
Top: Blue/Green says, “Hey! How ‘bout you fill me in on this kid I don’t know, and I fill you in on the stuff you don’t know…”
Middle: Purple says, “…and then I can use that combined knowledge to enhance my ability to understand and help my kid!”
Bottom: A close up of a purple hand and a blue/green hand giving a high five. Purple says, “Yes!” and Blue/Green says, “Let’s do this!”

4: Purple, now walking hand in hand with Blue/Green, says, “Wait - what happens if we have different ideas about what’s best?” Blue/Green smiles and replies, “Oh that’ll definitely happen! Stick with me anyway, though, and I’ll make it make sense.”

Let's Do This

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball entitled “The Role of Role Play in Demand Avoidance.”

1: Close up of an orange/red figure saying, “Okay, there’s this thing I gotta do, and I can only get through it if I don’t do it as myself. Who’s up?” A thought bubble above them contains six blue folders, like on a computer desktop, labeled as follows: Superhero, Princess, Villain, Race Car, Rocket Ship, and Robot.

2: A light blue/blue adult is smiling and says, “Who’s ready for a toothbrush race?! On your mark, get set, GO!” Orange/Red, appearing to have transformed into an anthropomorphic car, looks at them happily and says, “VROOM VROOM!!”

3: Close up of Orange/Red looking distressed and saying, “Ack, they’re trying to get me to do something I don’t wanna do and I gotta do something before I explode!” A thought bubble above them contains six more blue folders, labeled as follows: Dog, Cat, Dinosaur, Asleep, Injured, and Alien.

4: Light Blue/Blue adult now stands with hands on hips, looking unamused. Orange/Red, now an anthropomorphic cat, is walking away from them, looking very self-satisfied, and says, “Sorry, can’t do that, cats don’t have hands. MEOW.”

The Role of Role Play

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.

1: Two figures (one pink, one green/blue) sit on a park bench. Pink looks distressed and says, “They’ve just been so hard to deal with lately and I’m not sure what to do. Like, I can’t figure out what’s because of the autism and what’s regular kid stuff.”

2: Same scene. Green/Blue asks, “Why does it matter?” Pink replies, “Because I would excuse one and punish the other.”

3: Close up of Green/Blue wearing highly reflective sunglasses, which contain reflections of Pink. Green/Blue says, “WHAT IF I TOLD YOU that an unmet need is an unmet need no matter where it’s coming from, and if you meet all behavior with curiosity and a problem solving mindset, you won’t even need punishment or ‘excuses’ anymore?”

4: Back to original scene. Pink is smiling and says, “I would say that sounds interesting, tell me more! Also, you know he never actually says that, right?” Green/Blue, smiling and with hands raised, replies, “Watch it. I know kung fu.”

Why Does It Matter?

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.

1: Two figures (one orange/red, one yellow/green) stand on opposite sides of a kitchen island, which holds a blue backpack. Orange/Red says, “Okay, I’m packing up the car. Is your sensory bag ready to go?” Yellow/Green walks over to the bag and says, “Lemme double check…”

2: Same scene. While looking through into the backpack, Yellow/Green says, “I’ve got my Loops, emotional support hoodie, divided plate, airhorn, stimmy stuff…Yep, all set!”

3: Same scene. Orange/Red says, “Wait, what’s the airhorn for?” Yellow/Green replies, “For when Uncle Joe gets started and triggers my sensitivity to bullshit.”

4: Same scene. Orange/Red, smiling with raised eyebrows, says, “That’s a sensory thing?” Yellow/Green, smiling back, holds up the airhorn and replies, “It is now.”

Sensory Needs

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.

1: Three ND characters (Blue/Purple, Pink/Magenta, Light Green/Green) sit around a table. There are note cards, papers, and a cell phone sitting on the table. An orange figure tends to their coffee in the background. A quick series of exchanges ensues.
Blue/Purple: Okay. Talking points?
Pink/Magenta: Check.
B/P: Notes?
P/M: Check.
B/P: Calming strategies?
P/M: Check.

2: Same scene, except now Orange is looking over their shoulder at the table. Blue/Purple says, “All right. I guess we’re as ready as we’ll ever be.” Light Green/Green smiles and says, “Good luck everyone!”

3: Same scene, except now Orange is standing next to the table. Orange smiles and says, “Big presentation coming up?” Light Green/Green replies, “No…”

4: Same scene. Blue/Purple says, “Phone call.” Pink/Magenta says, “Doctor’s appointment.” Light Green/Green says, “Dinner party.”

Feeling Prepared

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.

1: A Green figure stands in an open doorway with a Magenta/Purple figure who is wearing an “Autistic & Proud) t-shirt. Green says, “Hi. I’m your new support worker and…oh, you really shouldn’t refer to yourself that way.” Magenta/Purple looks puzzled and says, “What way?”

2: Same scene. Green says, “‘Autistic.’ You’re more than that. That’s why we say ‘person with autism’ instead. That sounds much better, doesn’t it?” Magenta/Purple asks, “How is that better?”

3: Same scene. Green says, “Well, it reminds people to see past your autism, to the person you are underneath your disorder. Autism is what you HAVE, not who you are. You don’t have to let your deficits define you!” Magenta/Purple has one raised eyebrow and says, “Actually-“

4: Same scene. Green says, “You’re a PERSON FIRST. This will help you remember to see yourself as a whole person, not just ‘autistic.’ Now let’s go get you a new shirt.” Magenta/Purple side-eyes Green and says, “Yeah, I don’t think I’m the one who needs help remembering my personhood here.”

Person First

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball, done in collaboration with David Gray-Hammond.

1: A Red/Purple figure with gray glasses and a lip ring says, “April is Autism Acceptance Month, and you know what that means…”

2: A bunch of NT and ND figures stand all together (some looking happy, some looking not bothered, and some looking quite bothered indeed) while Red/Purple continues offscreen with, “Anyone not accepted by an Autistic person before April 30th will be yeeted into the sun.”

3: Close up of Red/Purple who says, “But don’t worry…”

4: Red/Purple continues, “We’ll only make you work as hard for our acceptance as we’ve had to work for yours.” To the left is a yellow/gold figure holding three heavy books entitled Autistic Communication, Unlearning Ableism, and Masking. To the right is a light blue/blue figure holding three more heavy books entitled Stimming, Autistic Social Skills, and Neurodiversity 101.

Acceptance Month

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.

1: A Light Blue/Blue figure looks at us and says, “Hey, so if you could not describe your Autistic person as your ‘ASD child/partner/client,’ that’d be greeeaaat. Autism isn’t a disorder, and we’re not disordered people.”

2: A Yellow/Green figure pops in from the left and says angrily, “Yeah, and don’t call it a disability either. We’re not disabled!” Light Blue/Blue raises a hand in objection and says, “Actually, autism IS a disability. Plus, ‘disabled’ isn’t a bad word. Not everyone FEELS disabled by being Autistic, and that’s fine. But some people do, and that’s also fine.”

3: A Pink/Magenta figure pops in from the left and says angrily, “Yeah, and besides, we’re only disabled by a society that’s not made for us!” Light Blue/Blue responds, “Wellll, that’s only sorta true. For some Autistic people, the way they’re treated or their environment might be their biggest setback, but others would still be disabled no matter how accommodating the environment.”

4: Yellow/Green says, “Okay, this is way too much nuance for me. Isn’t there a simple, good/bad binary way to put it?” Light Blue/Blue replies, “Best I can do is ‘Disordered = Bad, Disabled = Neutral and Subjective.’” Pink/Magenta says, “I guess that’ll work.”

Disabled, Not Disordered

A 6 panel cartoon by Autball.

1: Two ND figures (one Green/Blue and one Red/Orange) sit at a picnic table with plates of food. A yellow figure holds a large bowl of potato salad towards them, and Green/Blue says, “Oh, no thanks, I don’t like raisins in potato salad.” Yellow looks taken aback, and Red/Orange looks apologetically amused.

2: Same scene, though Yellow is walking away. Red/Orange leans over to Green/Blue and says, “Babe, you can’t just say you don’t like it.” Green/Blue says, “Why not? It’s the truth. And how will they know for next time if I don’t tell them?” Red/Orange replies, “No, I get it, it’s just…”

3: Same scene. Red/Orange continues, “They assume you must hate their cooking AND them if you don’t make some kind of excuse that’s not about them. Like, ‘I’m doing keto’ or 'I’m just so full.' Stuff like that.”

4: Same scene. Green/Blue says, “But that’s a lie.” Red/Orange replies, “Yeah, I know. They kinda prefer lies to the truth if it means protecting their feelings.”

5: Same scene, with a purple figure off to the side. Green/Blue is stroking their chin with one eyebrow raised and says, “Hang on. Is this just how your family is about food or how most of the world operates? Because that would actually explain a lot.” Red/Orange smiles and says, “Definitely not just my family.”

6: Same scene, but Purple is now holding a plate of hot dogs towards them, and Green/Blue says, “Um… Uhhh… no thanks, I don’t…eat dogs?” Purple looks surprised and confused, and Red/Orange is laughing while saying, “Okay, maybe your way is better.”

No Thanks

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.

1: A green adult says to a light blue/blue child, “I’m sorry, you’ve used up all your screen time for the day.” The child looks angry and replies, “Well if you don’t give me screens right now I’m gonna break all your stuff!”

2: The adult stands with hands on hips and says to the child, “Excuse me?! Making threats to get what you want is completely unacceptable! Wherever did you learn such a thing??”

3: Close up of the child surrounded by four thought bubbles containing memories of things that were said to them:
1. If you keep throwing that ball in the house I’m going to take it away.
2. If you don’t clean your room you’re not going to that party this weekend.
3. If you keep acting up then I’m going to send you to the principal’s office.
4. If you don’t finish all your work then you don’t get recess.

4: The child asks the adult, “Is that a real question?” The adult looks like they’ve been called out.

Really?

A 4 panel cartoon by Autball.

1: A yellow/gold adult stands at a kitchen island as a pink/magenta teenager enters the room wearing a green backpack. Yellow/Gold asks, “Hey, how was your first school day with ADHD meds?” Pink/Magenta replies, “Sorry to disappoint, but I didn’t feel anything different. I guess they just don’t work for me.”

2: Yellow/Gold says, “Aw, bummer. I’ve heard it can be life changing, I was hoping you could get some relief.” Pink/Magenta, now holding the backpack, says, “Yeah, no, I got nothin’.”

3: Pink/Magenta smiles and says, “In other news, we got easy work all day, my teachers were a lot nicer to me, and the other kids were way less annoying than usual, so it was still a good day.” Yellow/Gold looks back with raised eyebrows. The backpack is now on the counter.

4: Pink/Magenta, while rubbing their chin with a pensive look, says, “Like, a WEIRDLY good day.” Yellow/Gold, with narrowed eyes and a knowing smile, says, “Hmm, yeah, so weird.”

Weirdly Good Day

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