I hate that it took me a while to figure this out.

I run into a group of autistic people that share a meeting space for support groups with the disability group I’m a part of. It was one of those things where early interactions went poorly because I just didn’t get it. The little things that I took (and sometimes still) for granted didn’t always apply.

Now, I start looking for the signs that some people give, the changes in body language and such. Makes it so much nicer for everyone involved in the conversation. But my favorite thing is how one specific cue has transferred over between the two groups.

There’s this one lady in the autism support group that, when she has an idea that’s exciting or interesting to her, lifts herself on her toes a little and says “ooh!” and then starts talking. It used to be taken poorly, but as time passed, not only does everyone just pause and pay attention to her, other people in both groups have picked it up. I catch myself doing it at home sometimes.

The little chat circle that forms between meetings varies in size, but almost every time, there’s going to be someone excited about something, and they’ll do the tiptoe hop (if they can, we have a goodly number that can’t), and say “ooh”, and everyone just stops and pays attention.

Ngl, it’s pretty awesome to me. Not just because both groups now use it without even thinking, but because it was passed around because of the joy behind it. One lady, just happy and eager, and that happiness spread.