Can a Completely Nonverbal Autistic Give Eye Contact?
Is an autistic adult who’s 100% nonverbal capable of giving, let alone holding, eye contact? Let’s take a look at this fascinating topic.
What People in Their 90s Will Love About Lifting Weights
Lifting weights isn’t just for the young. In fact, it’s especially helpful for people in their 90s.
ASD Special Interest vs NT Health Anxiety Deep Dive on Disease
Is there a difference between an autistic deep dive on a medical condition vs. a health anxiety deep dive by a neurotypical?
Why Are Nearly All Autistic Kids Who Elope Nonverbal?
Is this because an intellectual disability contributes to nonverbal status, and ID alongside autism would be why they’re more prone to eloping?
Exercise Won’t Offset Dangers of Fat Around Your Organs
Even if you regularly slaughter gym workouts, this will not prevent excess visceral fat from damaging your heart.
Exercise Isn’t Punishment: It’s Anti-Aging, Youth Preserving
You need not view exercise as “punishment” for eating habits; see it for what it actually is: a formidable force against aging.
Who wouldn’t want that?
Yet more research supports that exercise is the best anti-aging “drug.”
When people exercise with passion, it isn’t always about burning calories or building a “calorie bank” for an upcoming vacation.
It’s not always about body image insecurities or wanting to get thinner and thinner.
Let’s face it: Nobody likes the idea of getting old — or feeling old.
Must-Read Research
Research, published in the journal Aging (2025), and led by Takuji Kawamura from Tohoku University, shows that consistent workouts and building fitness may even reverse certain markers of aging.
Scientists measure aging basically two ways.
- Chronological age: number of birthdays you’ve had
- Biological age: how healthy your cells and tissues are.
We can even add a third way: functional age, which would be how well your body moves throughout the day, particularly during certain tasks.
For instance, can you deftly leap over puddles?
Can you trot down flights of stairs with the nimbleness of a ballerina?
Can you load heavy bags into a big garbage can with little effort?
How about briskly walking across a parking lot that’s slightly uphill, while holding a heavy bag in each hand?
Biological Age
Biological age is measured with “epigenetic clocks,” tools that study chemical changes on your DNA called methylation.
These changes can switch genes on or off and are strongly tied to how quickly your body is aging inside.
The research paper makes it clear that all movement is good, but structured exercise — like thrice-weekly workouts at the gym, or consistent dedicated days for jogging or fitness classes — does far more to slow down this molecular aging process.
The overly generic “get moving” is good advice for couch potatoes to get them launched, but is far from being the be-all, end-all, for combating the aging process.
Fitness levels, especially cardiovascular endurance, are closely linked to a younger biological age.
Studies
In animal experiments, mice that did structured workouts had healthier muscles at a cellular level.
In humans, even short-term exercise programs showed impressive results.
One study found that sedentary middle-age women were able to turn back the clock by two years after just eight weeks of combined cardio and strength training.
Another study revealed that older men with higher oxygen uptake levels, which is a measure of cardiovascular health, were biologically much younger than their peers.
Organs, not just Muscles
Exercise seems to slow aging in multiple organs, including the heart, liver, fat tissue and even the gut.
Olympic athletes, for example, show slower biological aging than non-athletes, suggesting that long-term, consistent training has lasting benefits.
Nevertheless, what’s not known is what specific types of workouts have the biggest anti-aging effects.
Some people insist it’s intense weightlifting, while others insist it’s trail running.
There are those who’ll put yoga at the top of the list, while others believe it’s hard-style martial arts, Zumba or CrossFit.
Exercise Is Not Punishment: Crazy Idea!
Freepik
Whoever on earth came up with the notion that exercise is a form of punishment related to eating habits, body weight or body image?
It’s really very unfortunate that some influencers on Instagram and TikTok have been spreading the idea that exercise = punishing oneself for feeling insecure about how their body looks.
But even if you work out in the name of keeping your weight controlled or feeling self-conscious about your inner thighs, upper arms or tummy, those chemical changes on your DNA called methylation will still slow down!
This means a slowed-down molecular process that results in slower aging.
The paper points out, though, that ultimately, it’s a personalized workout plan that would be the best.
Someone with a bum knee shouldn’t be running in the mountains, while not everyone would enjoy a kick-butt martial arts class.
The bottom line? Staying active isn’t just about feeling fit today — it’s one of the best ways we know to keep your body younger on the inside, adding not just years to your life, but life (high functionality) to your years – whether or not you get hit by a meteor jogging to the gym.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified by the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness, where she was also a group fitness instructor, she trained clients of all ages and abilities for fat loss and maintaining it, muscle and strength building, fitness, and improved cardiovascular and overall health.
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Top image: Freepik/karlyukav
Why “Mass Moves Mass” Doesn’t Always Apply to Big People
Mass moves mass is often cited for why morbidly obese people can lift very heavy loads with little training.
Got the ‘Tism? “Tism Tingle”? Words that End in “Tism”
Let’s have some fun here. You’re autistic; have the ‘tism.
Here are many words that end in tism.
In fact, there are so many, that referring to ‘tism as autism isn’t as unique as you may think.
Frankly, too many words end in tism to think of this suffix as unique to autism.
Nevertheless, I’ve seen tee shirts with ‘tism on them, such as one that says, “God blessed me with the ‘tism.”
Below is a list of the words; this list is not complete.
- absolutism
- adventism
- animatism
- antisemitism
- astigmatism
- baptism
- defeatism
- docetism
- dogmatism
- donatism
- egotism
- elitism
- eremitism
- erotism
- favoritism
- hypnotism
- leftism
- magnetism
- nepotism
- patriotism
- pietism
- pragmatism
- quietism
- rightism
- semitism
- statism
- syncretism
These aren’t words for which I’ve added “ism” to. These are actual words.
What is the ‘tism tingle?
Also known as the tizm tingle, it’s when an autistic person can immediately tell when someone else is autistic — in the context of a typical interaction or brief observation in public.
In other words, the tingling really doesn’t count much when the Autistic is at an autism resource fair, where many other Autistics are certainly in attendance.
I’m talking about just being out and about in the community, conducting routine errands or tasks — and encountering people along the way.
The people may be employees at big box stores. They may be sitting nearby at the cafe where you’re having lunch.
They may be walking in the parking lot where you just parked your car, or working out at the gym.
And you could just tell. If you’re on the Spectrum, you know what I mean.
Some Autistics refer to this as autie radar. I like to call it suspectrum.
When my ‘tism is tingling, I think, “Suspectrum!”
This all doesn’t mean that the individual whom we have spotted has the so-called frank autism, where it’s plainly obvious to any neurotypical nearby.
For example, at a special needs social event where there were neurotypicals as well, I noticed a young woman who seemed typical — until she’d suddenly dash forward about 10 feet and flap her hands.
Then she’d return to presenting as typical, carrying on conversations.
I began chatting with her; she was 18 and had a job at Walgreens, and was working on ways to suppress her stimming in public. I gave her tips on “replacement stims.”
But as for the ‘tism tingle, I’m talking about very subtle signs in an individual — very subtle, that can easily be overlooked by NTs. You just know.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical and fitness topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer. In 2022 she received a diagnosis of Level 1 Autism Spectrum Disorder and subsequently has developed an intense interest in ASD.
Top image: ©Lorra Garrick
Ice Pick Headaches in Same Spot Following Back Workout
Should you worry if the day after a back workout you begin having sudden, brief but intense, very localized headaches that last only seconds?
Obesity in Direct Care Providers for Special Needs Adults
“Why are so many direct care providers fat?” This is what a special needs adult asked me one day. There’s 5 reasons.
She herself weighed 250, but her question was fair and reflected an observation of a very true phenomenon that deserves some answers.
You’ll get a variety of explanations depending upon whom you ask.
I’m going to explain five reasons for why it seems as though obesity is overly represented in the line of work known as any of the following:
- Direct care professional/provider
- Direct service professional/provider
- Support community connector
- Mentor
When someone asks me a question like this, my brain automatically goes to a narrative that’s steeped in logic and all the possibilities.
I tend to get a bit analytical rather than adhering to some form of condescending response.
An example of a patronizing answer would be: “Bodies come in all sizes. Just like there’s a diversity of abilities, there’s a diversity of bodies.”
The individual I was working with that day – I’ll call her Ayva – has an intellectual disability.
But a “talk down to” answer such as the above would never get past her.
She’s smart enough to know when she’s being given an answer that insults her intelligence.
I immediately launched into an in-depth and truthful explanation – one that actually addresses the question instead of skirting the crux of the question, which is why it seems that so many direct service providers (DSPs) for special needs adults are morbidly obese.
Drawn to a Profession Working with Marginalized People
For many morbidly obese DSPs, it’s quite possible that they’ve experienced bullying due to their size, shaping their desire to choose a line of work involving individuals who, like themselves, have experienced bullying, social exclusion or some other type of mistreatment.
Someone with significant overweight may feel a kinship with disabled adults, the latter who are often treated as though they have inferior or “less than” status as human beings.
Desire for a Workplace Where They Won’t Stand Out
It’s a fact that obesity and morbid obesity are much more prevalent in the special needs population.
This primarily refers to, first, adults who have an intellectual disability (whether genetic, acquired from brain injury at birth, no known cause, or traumatic brain injury later in childhood).
And second, autism spectrum disorder. Many individuals in day programs are autistic.
These are the two main populations for day programs, and many participants are significantly overweight.
The DSP will visually fit right in. Prior to applying for the job, they may already know of this fact.
They may also know ahead of time that many DSPs tip the scales at a very heavy weight.
The idea of working around many others who share the same degree of overweight can be quite appealing.
A Work Environment Where They Won’t Be Treated Unkindly Due to Their Size
Kind of similar to the preceding reason, a morbidly obese person will feel more at ease in a profession where it’s almost guaranteed that nobody will harass them about their weight or make snide comments such as, “Are you really going to eat all that?”
In fact, what’s popular in the world of community connectors is the mall food court.
These days, any major food court between 11 am and 2 pm is chockfull of special needs groups and their DSPs.
It’s extremely normalized for anyone in these groups – whether the disabled adult or the direct service provider – to eat large amounts of calorie-dense fast-food.
Nobody is going to question your choice of food or the quantity. It just doesn’t happen.
Difficulty Getting More Conventional Jobs
Research shows that bias and stigma against fatness do exist in hiring.
Even in jobs where physical stamina or exceptional mobility aren’t central, some employers may consciously or subconsciously avoid hiring obese candidates.
• Front-facing customer service roles such as receptionist, retail or hospitality where employers might assume that appearance affects customer impression.
• Corporate or executive positions where weight bias may be tied to assumptions about discipline, confidence or leadership ability.
• Sales or marketing jobs where employers may think that body size affects persuasiveness or relatability.
A person with morbid obesity may come to realize that those hiring providers for special needs adults may be far less likely to write off an applicant due to their size.
In this type of work, extreme emphasis is on treating intellectually disabled or autistic individuals with dignity, respect, patience and support.
Not a whole lot of people have the aptitude or passion to work with this population.
There’s also a higher-than-average rate of employee turnover.
So when someone applies for the role of direct service professional, the nonprofit organization that services this population won’t care in the least what you look like.
The morbidly obese applicant sees this as a prime opportunity to be judged 100 percent on their enthusiasm, willingness to be trained and passion for working with special needs individuals.
Sedentary Work
The role of DSP tends to be sedentary. For many obese people, particularly those in middle age, a sedentary job holds much appeal if they’re prone to joint aches, or quick fatigue from physical tasks.
However, some tasks as a DSP can require hard physical output, though it’s not common.
It depends on the population you work with. For example, I know a community connector with significant obesity who, from time to time, must load wheelchairs into her van and then unload them.
The rest of the time she’s driving, slowly walking with her group or seated for long lunches or relaxing under a gazebo in the park.
Logic vs. Research
There’s no hard research that explores why morbid obesity is disproportionately represented in the specific job of direct support professional or community connector.
But using some logic, we can come up with the aforementioned reasons.
Ayva deserved an honest, straightforward response that’s based in reality, rather than embedded in the messages that many TikTok and Instagram influencers pump out to their followers.
Though obesity is very common in the U.S., it does, indeed, appear to be overrepresented in the DSP demographic.
I’ve been a DSP for over two and a half years, which has been plenty of time for me to observe other day programs – and their providers – when out in public.
Prior to my venture into this field of work, I’d frequently see day program groups out and about in the community – with their DSPs.
Finally, Ayva has been in day programs for over 15 years, so she’s had a lot of experience observing providers, not just from the organizations that have served her, but also programs she often runs into while in the community (all major cities have “hotspots” for hangouts; for example, there’s a huge library in my town that attracts many groups from numerous agencies; even more show up at malls and food courts).
Ayva understood my explanations, which were shorter versions of the ones I’ve written for this article.
None of this is fat-shaming. It’s about doing my job: providing a special needs adult with a real-life, truthful answer to a fair question.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical and fitness topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer. In 2022 she received a diagnosis of Level 1 Autism Spectrum Disorder.
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