Autism and ASL: basic ASL signs and phrases for non-verbal communication of needs or crisis

I am by no means an advanced ASL learner, but I made a short video including 30+ signs to use in non-verbal situations!
The signs I selected and demonstrate are the best words and phrases I could find to communicate if you or someone you care is struggling to speak and needs help. When signing one of the important things is facial expression, so let your face and lips keep talking! Many folks, myself included, rely on lip reading and facial gestures (when unmasked).
In my case, I become non-verbal when I’m dissociating, often when I need help the most. And I’ve become increasingly non-verbal even when not in active crisis-mode.
Personal need aside, there are hundreds of millions of D/deaf and Hard of Hearing folks, and it’s past time to create inclusive cultures (stares directly at United States education system that often offers and sometimes requires students to learn German or French ... instead of ASL?!)
Feel free to correct any errors, and to share!
Resources and citations:
Dissociate (middle and thumb fingers touch while linking through middle finger and thumb of other hand, then open fingers and separate hands)
Overwhelm/ed - • How to Say Overwhelmed...
Non-verbal/mute - making the sign for ‘A’ with your dominant hand, bring your ‘fist’ up to your mouth touching knuckles to lips with palm facing you
Safe - with hands closed gentle in ‘a’ hand, cross hands at wrist in front of chest, then uncross turning still-closed hands outward
Smell - pinch nose
Quiet - • How to Say Quiet in Si...
Dark - • DARK | ASL - American ...
Help - • Help in sign language
Need - • How to Say Need in Sig...
Food - • Food in Sign Language,...
Water - • Water in Sign Language...
Drink - gesture like lifting and sipping from a cup
Toilet - • How to sign Toilet - A...
Hug (tight compression hug) - hug self
More - ‘kissing ands’
Don’t touch - • Don't Touch in Baby Si...
Don’t understand - fb.watch/3Ky3B...
Please - • Please in Sign Languag...
Thank you - • 'thank you' in America... (good without the left hand involved)
Write - • Learn How to Sign the ... (‘scribble’ on open palm with your dominant hand)
Good - chin to upright palm, fingers up
Bad - chin to upright palm, fingers down
Fine - five with thumb pointing to chest, pinky out
Ok - sign o and k
Hurt - uwu finger bump
Hungry - using ‘c’ hand, trace fingers down chest towards stomach
Tired - • tired - ASL sign for t...
Rest - • Learn How to Sign the ...
Alone - • Learn How to Sign the ...
Stay - • Learn How to Sign the ...
Headphones - • Headphones in Baby Sig...
Stim - there is no easy sign for stim, it’s commonly fingerspelled or part of a phrase which are both less accessible, so I’m using the sign for ‘happy’ with hands held in a soft ‘s’ sign instead of open hands, to imitate a common stimming gesture and since stimming is often to express a need or feeling it seems the most appropriate sign until I learn otherwise!
Welcome to suggestions and corrections!
Here are some additional resources that popped up and may be helpful as well:
• Learn ASL: 28 Signs ab... (feelings and emotions)
core.ac.uk/dow...
spiritofautism....
stimtheline.co...
www.lifeprint....
• 10 Functional Signs fo...
#actuallyautistic #nonverbal #communication #asl #normalizenonverbal