Spotlight: Dr. Devon Price
A post highlighting an Autistic content creator that has made a positive impact on my life.
So you’ve been researching Autism for awhile now, and you’re past the point where you need the basic terminology to be explained but you still want to keep learning… You don’t need the flash card style slideshows defining what something is, but you want to keep researching… Enter Dr. Devon Price, writer, author, and former social psychologist who has written many pieces on Medium and two books (so far). Dr. Price shares a variety of social media posts: written text, images, videos including livestreams, and links to the long reads under a few different monikers: drdevonprice, drdemonprince, and Typer Durden.
He is the first Autistic person I saw advising that seeking out an official diagnosis might not help you, critiquing the DSM/psychiatric industry, and emphasizing that self-diagnosis is valid and liberatory. I simultaneously feel “seen” in his posts and learn to view things from another angle as well. There are meta (the concept not the company) posts about social media and connections to how Autistic liberation requires Abolition. It is so refreshing to see someone connect ableism to the larger systemic issues! I hope you are also inspired by Dr. Price’s content to buck the system whenever and wherever you can.
10 Dr. Devon Price posts that I recommend:
Is anyone really neurotypical? Or are some people just more prone to neuroconforming?
Collection of thoughts around this idea that came from a Dr. Dave Saunders comment.
“But someone who does not respect you isn’t ever going to respect you.”
rejection sensitive dysphoria is probably the neurodivergence ‘symptom’ i find the most absurd.
“like oh you monitor every interpersonal exchange for subtle clues that you’re actually intensely disliked, because throughout your entire lifetime, you’ve been repeatedly rejected and mocked for the cues that you missed? must be something wrong with you.”
“Once you learn this, you can begin to see the patterns in which rules they do not keep track of — and turn this to your advantage.
“There are people who like me *a great deal* whom I don’t actually enjoy being around at all. but I used to think I had an obligation to give people who liked me a lot of time and care, because hey, being liked is the most important thing right?”
most fidget toys do nothing for me.
Some new stimming ideas + bonus chinchilla photos.
all we do on these sites is repackage the same handful of revelations over and over again
“but essentially every message or email i ever receive from a stranger is a person asking me to tell them what to think
and all i want is for people to have the tools *to* think”
“An Autism dx does not unlock access to any beneficial therapeutic treatment, bc there is no “treating” Autism.”
Mental health liberation is a collective project.
“No amount of being open & honest will change the fact that people with mental illnesses and disabilities are a structurally disenfranchised class.”
My Autistic Journey into Mindfulness
“How much delight have I lost the chance to experience, because I’m always so swept up in dissociation and stress?”
Read the full piece on Medium.
More things I have learned about through Dr. Devon Price’s content: Autism vs ADHD, chinchillas, top surgery, work tips, burnout, the concept of being autigender, and if you follow on Tumblr you will also learn about shoplifting, different fetishes, and the furry community.
If Instagram is not your cup of tea, here are other places you can connect with Dr. Devon Price:
Twitch “streaming about neurodiversity, transness, internet culture, accessibility, anti-productivity and more”
Tumblr *Highly Recommend!*
Other ways to show your support:
Read his pieces on Medium.
Buy his books.
“Extra-curricular activities. Honors classes. 60-hour work weeks. Side hustles.
Like many Americans, Dr. Devon Price believed that productivity was the best way to measure self-worth. Price was an overachiever from the start, graduating from both college and graduate school early, but that success came at a cost. After Price was diagnosed with a severe case of anemia and heart complications from overexertion, they were forced to examine the darker side of all this productivity.
Laziness Does Not Exist explores the psychological underpinnings of the “laziness lie,” including its origins from the Puritans and how it has continued to proliferate as digital work tools have blurred the boundaries between work and life. Using in-depth research, Price explains that people today do far more work than nearly any other humans in history yet most of us often still feel we are not doing enough.
Filled with practical and accessible advice for overcoming society’s pressure to do more, and featuring interviews with researchers, consultants, and experiences from real people drowning in too much work…”
“For every visibly Autistic person you meet, there are countless “masked” Autistic people who pass as neurotypical. Masking is a common coping mechanism in which Autistic people hide their identifiably Autistic traits in order to fit in with societal norms, adopting a superficial personality at the expense of their mental health. This can include suppressing harmless stims, papering over communication challenges by presenting as unassuming and mild-mannered, and forcing themselves into situations that cause severe anxiety, all so they aren’t seen as needy or “odd.”
In Unmasking Autism, Dr. Devon Price shares his personal experience with masking and blends history, social science research, prescriptions, and personal profiles to tell a story of neurodivergence that has thus far been dominated by those on the outside looking in. For Dr. Price and many others, Autism is a deep source of uniqueness and beauty. Unfortunately, living in a neurotypical world means it can also be a source of incredible alienation and pain. Most masked Autistic individuals struggle for decades before discovering who they truly are. They are also more likely to be marginalized in terms of race, gender, sexual orientation, class, and other factors, which contributes to their suffering and invisibility. Dr. Price lays the groundwork for unmasking and offers exercises that encourage self-expression, including:
• Celebrating special interests
• Cultivating Autistic relationships
• Reframing Autistic stereotypes
• And rediscovering your values
It’s time to honor the needs, diversity, and unique strengths of Autistic people so that they no longer have to mask—and it’s time for greater public acceptance and accommodation of difference. In embracing neurodiversity, we can all reap the rewards of nonconformity and learn to live authentically, Autistic and neurotypical people alike.”
~The Overstimulated
As a personal aside: I’d also like to add that I love to see another hottie rocking a face mole.