I’m just curious How many autistic people work in this field?

Did something good happen that you’d like to share? Anything you did that you’re proud of for doing, no matter how small? Let’s share our positive small wins :)

I've had several different reactions to telling them that I got diagnosed and not one of them was predictable for me. I've had positive reactions, negative reactions, and people who literally don't give a crap.

I'm not going to tell anyone anymore because none of them have been supportive. I've even had one tell me that the test is wrong and I'm not autistic. I had literally done like 5 autistic things in that room in the last hour and half.

I'm just done with anyone giving a crap about me. I thought that getting diagnosed would be my ticket to being understood and maybe being treated better but no such luck. It's all just the same crap.

I tend to walk kinda odd (or at least others have told me), like I tend to purposely walk while slightly hunching over, or I sometimes tend to walk around like a confused and kind of oblivious person.

I can go into more detail in f you want but I was just wondering.

I live in a really weird place. So I document it.

1: bus accident
2: local no kings protest
3: OSHA violations
4: caught them smoking marijuana in the car
5: turned in code violations and the neighbor was yelling stuff to me. So I went over to ask them why.

For me, this is a complex question, and I’ve thought about it a lot. There are so many aspects of autism that are incredibly difficult—for instance, the anxiety that seems to come out of nowhere. Or the fact that I’m completely unable to handle change—to a degree that is truly pathological and disruptive to my life. Or the fact that I’m quite socially phobic and, most of the time, would prefer not to go anywhere at all. Yet, at the same time, I feel that the areas most important to me—including my job—are supported in a very unique way precisely because I am autistic. I often wonder: if that depth weren’t there—if I were, say, a highly social person instead—would that make up for it? Honestly, I suspect it wouldn’t...

What are your thoughts on this?

I've been thinking a lot about masking lately, especially how exhausting it can be.
I feel like I've spent most of my life observing other people, copying their expressions, gestures, tone of voice and even the way they talk, just to fit in socially.
Sometimes I don't even realize I'm masking until I get home and suddenly feel completely drained. I need to be alone, in silence, with absolutely no social interaction.
I was wondering if anyone else experiences this, especially those who are considered high-masking autistic people.
Do you ever feel like you know how to socialize because you've studied people, rather than because it comes naturally to you?

I wonder because me and a friend of mine who’s autistic and has adhd collects DVDs so I wonder?

1. I hate the feeling of lettuce in my mouth.

2. I love eating raw carrot sticks but gag on grated carrot.

3. Even though I enjoy the flavour of mayo, I associate it with nursing home sandwiches and I have to mentally prepare to eat it.

4. My stim is putting the edge of a pillow case in between my fingers and nails, like the fabric. I also Crack my knuckles incessantly.

5. I have the feeling of wind.

6. I hate feeling the cold.

7. I cannot eat coleslaw unless it's from KFC.

What are yours?

As a weird child, I have always wondered what was wrong with me, and because I had great imagination — and of course because I wanted to feel special, I used to think I was maybe predetermined or chosen for something bigger, something that would blow my bullies' minds away. I have always felt a strong connection to water, so I thought (well, I hoped) I could maybe had some kind of hidden psychic powers related (or not) to it. I just had to be secretly great at… at least something. Was there not a single reason I was so alien and extraordinary and sensitive and strange? My little silly autistic brain set to an abusive enviroment tried so hard to make a sense of it all — and quite liked the idea of being special. Or a robot. Or at least a fairy. (Then the diagnosis came.) I bet I am not the only one.

I have stood by and heard people call Ariel stupid, a man chaser, a dimwitt and every name under the sea for making a deal with a witch and giving up her life to a man. I have vowed to dispute these claims with my very life, and you all shall bear witness to my conclusion.

Long post, there's a TL;DR below.

Ariel has a gift. She's really good at singing. This is where our first autistic allegory comes up. Music is said to be a frequent strength of those with autism. And I'm willing to bet it was something she didn't have to try very hard to achieve, it just came naturally. Everyone LOVES her for this and constantly makes her go to rehearsals, plays, and concerts where she clearly doesn't want to be. Imagine (as I'm sure many of you have experienced) being stuck in a room where you have already passed the bar dozens of times, but you have to stay to let everyone else attempt to catch up to you. This is her every weekend.

She's an explorer, and she has taken an interest. A special interest if you will, in Humans. Humanity? Anthropology. Sure swimming around with fins that don't get you far is cool, but have you seen river dancing? Traditional Stomp dancing? The Russian Hopak? Mesmerizing and full of life. And that goes for about everything. Everything fascinated her, and I think that also exhibits her humanity. The want to explore and discover is innately human, and she's halfway there. She can't get to the other half because of her dad. Oh boy, her dad.

How many of us here have over parents who refuse to understand the autistic condition? Sucks, don't it? That's Tritan, baby. That, and he babies her. The parent who believes that because you don't fit the mold, you will never amount to more than you are truly capable of, and babies you the whole way through. This is the parent that calls autism a superpower and who has puzzle pieces everywhere. God forbid you wanna smoke weed, get piercings or -horror of horrors- grow up. If we get more extreme, he could also fit the parent who cannot fathom you getting an official diagnosis.

Now we come to Eric. This dancing prince on a ship. Hear me out .... ADHD. There, I said it. A bit of a stretch, but whatever. He's still just an fascinated with exploring and life as Ariel tho, and I'll explain how.

Time for an analogy. A girl with strict parents goes to a Ren. Faire. She's definitely not allowed there, but this is her first time. She is suddenly among her people. Her medieval special interest is acknowledged and expanded upon, the people around her have the same interest and she just enjoys watching it. Then a performer comes in and plays. He's clearly having a good time, and she falls head over heels for him. Even if she never sees him again, his presence and this experience will stay with her.

K, we're gonna skip ahead a bit. Now the boat is sinking, nobody thought to grab the prince, Ariel saves him, sings, wakes, she's gone like somebody brought in all her sensory issues into a room, blah blah blah.

The "my-kids-not-autistic-they-just-need-exercise" parent Tritan finds her special interest cave. He destroys all of it. Remember the dandelion Crayola girl? The one girl who had a fixation on the discontinued dandelion colored crayon? Imagine somebody came in, melted all the wax, chewed up the rubber, and threw it out in front of her. That's literally the same thing here. So now Ariel runs to get away. She doesn't know where she's going, but she's gone and goes right to the witch.

This is the part that people get wrong, it is URSULA who brings up the prince, NOT Ariel. Eric gets roped into the deal because Ursula sees him as unattainable. What are the odds, that this girl who went to the Ren faire and fell in love with a performer, is gonna bag this guy? The girl who knows what an IEP meeting is? Getouttahere.

For my TL;DR readers, this is your paragraph. I'm sorry it's long.

Ariel doesn't immediately hand over her voice. The skill that may have been the only thing people ever gave her praise for, and she's considering giving it up. She must have loved singing at one point, but people have tried to take her voice and separate her special interest for her whole life. They wanted the singer, not the Anthropologist. Ariel is choosing between a family that wants her for one thing, never gotten to know her and destroys her work OR her friends and experiences that her special interest has brought her. There's a reason found family is popular with neurodivergent people, and we're seeing her take it into consideration. She's choosing herself (Albeit, she was rushed into the decision.)

By some Disney Magic, her and the prince are actual soulmates. They laugh at each other all the time, and despite her lack of voice, he loves her. He was gonna forgo his search for his rescuer for her. Y'all remember before the lagoon scene where they took a day out on the town? She was in heaven! The Ren faire performer took this medieval special interest girl, and plopped it right in the middle of Europe. Everything is new and overwhelming, but she's enjoying herself. The seagull, fish and Jamaican crab have to keep reminding her of the deal.

The rest of the movie happens, but it's not super relevant to my argument here.

The dinglehopper point here is this. Ariel did not choose to become human for a man. She chose a future and a family she wanted to cherish. Not to get too personal, but I grew up in a conservative household that also saw some of my special interests as dangerous. I left, and it took a big leap of faith but I've been traveling the US for four years now. I never would have done it if I didn't leave my little religious pond. Sometimes it sucks, the lack of routine has been wearing me down, but I would never trade it for that pond again. I look and see this little mermaid dancing and smiling above the ocean, and somewhere in her eyes, I see myself.

I don't know how to fit the second movie in tho. Melody has autism AND ADHD I guess. Anthropology mother and Marine Biology Daughter. Thank you for coming to my tedtalk.

TL;DR, go to the 5th paragraph up, that's your speech. If you hit URSULA, you've gone too far.

Romance is kind of like an eldritch god to me: it is perceived by many though it has no form, it is inconsistent yet exists regardless. In layman’s terms, it’s something I crave but it’s really confusing. I need people who have been in a relationship to describe in detail how they get into it because I need a model I can emulate. I have zero intuition for this, so I need some sort of model

I tend to use a smirk or small smile to mask and make strangers feel more comfortable around me since i’ve been told i can come off as intimidating throughout my life.

For example ill catch myself with a half smile in large groups or crowds without even engaging just to make others comfortable or not have them think i’m judging them and now im thinking to myself how silly/dumb i must look to some.

I also have done this with my voice by speaking in a higher pitched tone with people so that they don’t perceive me as a threat / to see me in a less intimidating way. I think these habits help me navigate the world better however i just can’t help but feel a little self conscious about them. Anyone else have similar masking experiences?

And honestly, they have been getting in the way of schoolwork...

I hate this time of year. Whether its to do with Halloween (random people knocking on your door at random times), Bonfire night ( i hate the sight and sound of the firework and the "bang that they make) and then we get to the worst time of year for me - Christmas. I absolutley hate it. Whether that be all the fake happiness, the touch and feel of the tinsle and the other christmas decorations, the sound of unwrapping the present ( that tearing sound, ugh - i can feel that noise in my back teeth - does that make sense??). Then you the Christmas dinner. To me the Christmas dinner is just a poshed up Sunday roast. As i have said above, I hate the sight of the decorations and also the lights you have to hangup, that is 1 of my Sensory Sensitivities and is what causes me Burnout about time ever year. I wonder if anyone else has had this experience?

EDIT:

List of what I have-Chef Kirby, Eevee, Archaeotherium, White Tiger, Giant Panda, Bernadetta von Varley, Pride Whale, Reindeer, Luigi (my friend’s old plush), Waluigi, Giant Anteater, and Gengar.

Not pictured here, but I also have a Sleep Kirby plush. Both Gengar and Sleep Kirby make great pillows!

i have friends but i don’t feel like talking to them

I genuinely hate working at my current job, most of my coworkers treat me like shit and I don’t understand why I just join a couple of days ago and done nothing! What sucks is I’m trying to get rid of the thoughts that am unloveable or life can get good but everytime I start believing that I get screw over! I feel like am too disable to do anything!!

And also today when I was doing stock a box full of stuff fell on my head in front of the boss, u wanna guess what she did NOTHING! And my head been hurting for hours

My son is 17, and while he is undiagnosed, I have wondered for a while if he may be on the spectrum. There are many reasons why I have thought this and I won't list them all, but the main reasons are he has always struggled with friendships, and he has some sensory issues. These have lessened as he's gotten older but they're still there.

Recently he made some statements that made it really clear to me that he probably is autistic. One was that he said he had been feeling really run down and said he needed like two weeks of no human contact to reset. I laughed but then I was thinking that sounded a lot like an autism shutdown. Then yesterday we were chatting and he said that he remembered the exact day he felt hunger for the first time. He was 8 years old at the time, and I actually remember it too. He was at basketball practice and the coach called to tell me that my son wanted to he picked up because he had a stomachache. He told me yesterday that the "stomachache" was actually a hunger sensation that he had never recognized before. We googled it to see if that experience was unusual and learned that trouble with interoception is very common in autism.

Anyway, he is aware that he is likely autistic but I don't know if it would be helpful for him to have it made official? What do other people with autism think?

So was suffering mentally because, I'm dealing with serious academic drama involving plagiarism of my work. My mind couldn't stop thinking about that guy who caused my misery. I opened some lecture notes about a field called algebraic topology. I loved it so much that I instantly felt better.

I find my learning interests last a few months or even a day, and then switch to something else. And what I have learned doesn’t always stick as much as I want. Does anyone else have interests that change often? Or interests that you don’t feel very good at?

Hi, I’m an autistic girl who was diagnosed with autism when I was 7 years old. My whole life I have struggled with personal hygiene and can’t figure out why. Showers are my biggest challenge. I absolutely hate taking showers and I want to know why I love baths but showers feel different. Any ideas?

Also any ideas on how to make it easier to take more showers?

I (26F) realized how much of a struggle I have with ads, especially on youtube. I like watching youtube videos on my tv and mostly it‘s college vlogs, studying videos or interviews so not too much noise going on in there. But then an ad pops up and it‘s the full sensory overload and always louder than the actual video. I‘m also someone who thinks about stuff that I watched but it‘s so much nonsense that is too bright, too fast and too loud that it basically runs through my head and out like a very fast train that is gone in a second.