Ep. 6 - Dungeons, Dragons & Disabilities: The ’Autistic Rizz’ of Lived Expertise (2 of 2)

Autistic self-advocate and dungeon master Peter Jung is back for part two of the Dungeons & Dragons series to talk with Lindsey about the importance of representation in social skills groups and elsewhere. Over the years, he’s found that autism social skill groups are far too often led by neurotypical people. While a leader with ‘lived experience’ is tremendously beneficial for autistic social group members who may not feel as comfortable being themselves around neurotypical people, he calls for more – ‘lived expertise.’ Someone with lived expertise, he says, is a person who has a sense of agency, knows how to utilize accommodations and, most importantly, employs “autistic rizz.” Whereas groups led by neurotypical people often take on a classroom setting with a misguided focus on correcting deficiencies, those with a charismatic autistic guide normalize behaviors in a fun way and create a safe space. In the case with Peter’s Dungeons & Dragons group, teens and young adults are taught teamwork, conflict resolution and myriad other social skills through the filter of a low-pressure fantasy game where it’s OK to make mistakes. 

Peter just had a paper published in the in Japanese Journal of Analog Role-Playing Game Studies about autistic accessibility in role playing games and his concept of ‘6 autism social advocacy skills.’ Check it out here: https://jarps.net/journal/article/view/58/111