ALT Speckled kingsnake at a bird nest

ALT big bull bison

ALT One blue Dickcissel and one speckled cowbird egg in a nest

ALT Ryca is petting a winged fawn made from ice, with boxing gloves around its neck. Ryca says, "A fawn response - or any trauma response - is an instinctive biological reaction, so we should remember to not blame victims for how they respond to a traumatic situation. You can change your trauma response, but only once you are in a safe long-term environment, and not under stress. The rest of the page is split off into smaller drawings under the header, "Things you can do to heal from the instinctive fawn response" 1) Recognize your actions. Ryca looks uncertain as they ask themself, "am I doing this for myself or for someone else?" 2) Validate yourself. Ryca looks vindicated as they say "I'm not wrong for feeling like something's wrong." 3) Value yourself. Ryca looks determined as they say, "My boundaries matter, my feelings matter, I matter." 4) Build healthy relationships. Ryca and Amy look happy together. Ryca throws up a peace sign and says, "I feel comfortable with myself

ALT A mask shaped like a deer's head lies on the floor. Ryca looks exhausted as they say, "Fawning is a very similar technique to masking. Both are coping responses that can present in any of the following ways (and more). It can cause you to invalidate your own thoughts and feelings, taking a toll on your mental health. It can be exhausting." The second panel is dark, Ryca cries silent tears. The narration reads, "It can cause you to tolerate intolerable circumstances out of the fear of what might happen to you if you step out of line. In the worst-case scenario, this can be incredibly dangerous or even fatal for autistic people. In the final panel, a fawn is being gripped by dark vines, which coil around its legs. The narration reads, "There is no existing research specifically exploring the rates of abuse amongst autistic people. But according to more general research, disabled individuals - including autistic individuals - are four to ten times more likely to experience abuse.

ALT In the first panel, Ryca smiles into the camera while holding up a thief-style mask. They say, "You may already know about autistic masking. It's when autistic people suppress their autistic traits to create a more favorable personality. It's a response to the hardships and demands of a neurotypical society." In the second panel, Ryca gestures towards three floating boxes. The first box has the word "FIGHT" written on it and has boxing gloves on either side of it. The second box has "Flight" written on it, and has wings on either side. The third and final box is made of ice and has the word "FREEZE" written on it. Ryca says, "You may also know about trauma responses. These biological responses happen when fear is aroused, but did you know that there's another trauma response that's very similar to masking?" Recently, psychologists have identified a new trauma response: fawning. Fawning is when you please and/or appease others to avoid conflict at the expense of your own needs.