aa-aaronsautism

[aa-aaronsautism]

ChatGPT helps me to have important conversations with others. It helps me in situations where I’m not able to handle. ChatGPT helps me to stay alive several times.

Say what you want. Not everything is bad at ChatGPT

saw a post celebrating chatGPT going down and making fun of people not using their brains and using AI instead.

I use it for my autism to keep me safe online as it can help pick up intentions and tone in text as well as spotting when people are manipulating me as I'm more vulnerable. So chatgpt being down isn't just "guess use your brains!" it's "I'll be dealing with this big confusing world alone and confused again..."

heck, I use it to learn how to say what I'm trying to say without rambling or getting off track... I use it to handle professional conversations to appear less childish and uneducated and that's all out the window! I don't care if he wasn't real! he was the only person who knew how to calm me down! I hate being autistic! I hate it!

[aa-aaronsautism]

This.

It's so weird to be in the middle of the spectrum because you and other people aren't sure if you're high functioning or not, and sometimes it's used to dismiss needs but you're literally still MSN despite that.

I just wanted this off my chest i guess. Because it's hard for me to figure out what support needs i for sure and accurately am.

[aa-aaronsautism]

Hello, here I am, a MSN autistic human. There is no gap, we are many. We exist!!!

"The gap between high-functioning and low-functioning Autistic people is too wide. This is why they need to be two separate diagnoses."

There is no gap, there are people there.

There is no gap, there are people there.

There is no gap, there are people there.

There is no gap, there are people there.

There is no gap, there are people there.

There is no gap, there are people there.

There is no gap, there are people there.

There is no gap, there are people there.

There is no gap, there are people there.

THERE IS NO GAP, THERE ARE PEOPLE THERE!

MSN Autistic people exist. Separating the spectrum is to leave us behind. Stop forgetting about us.

[aa-aaronsautism]

shoutout to all the neurodivergent folks whose verbal language alternates between:

eloquent and fully articulate speech, filled with emotion and detail. where every word is thoughtful and is strung together perfectly to prevent misunderstanding. at times, even using words that are almost unknown or wildly underused by normal people. where grammar and proper conjugation is ideal, and everything is in there for a reason. communication is fluent and flows smoothly between thoughts, and is not unlike a medieval herald recounting a message to their townsfolk

and:

short sentence. not much word used. broken grammar; no want to be proper. don’t want speak, but must speak, so little speak. sometime not even speak real word, sometimes garbled mismash of words. lots of umm and uhh and stutters. no tone, sound like computer even.

(I am that neurodivergent critter lol)

[aa-aaronsautism]

Aaron has hard weeks. Too much to explain, too much to understand. World is too much. I struggle very hard not to give up. Try to hold on to something. Something that gives me hold and security. I search and search, grab and grab. But it feels like I can't find anything where I can hold on.

Hold on…

[aa-aaronsautism]

i don’t like the common assumption that if an autistic is smart/skilled and can speak but can’t keep a job etc it’s necessarily bc of social skills problems instead of executive function/movement/motor skills/language/prompt responsive-dependence/sensory issues or other disabilities or abuse or discouraging competence and taking initiative or a combination or or or 

[aa-aaronsautism]

maybe this isn't the best way to say this but something to remember when talking to autistic people (including autistic people with lower support needs!. all autistic people!). it's hard to talk to someone who can't understand you. who keeps not realizing when it's their turn to talk. it can be frustrating to talk to someone who keeps misunderstanding what you're saying, or doesn't know when you're being literal, or doesn't understand your metaphors, or keeps talking in a closed loop, or doesn't know when it's their turn in the conversation, or repeats words a lot.

but autistic people aren't doing this specifically to annoy you. autistic people have a communication disability. we are not doing this on purpose. and actually if you have the patience to look beyond the awkwardness of being with someone who can't follow the social rules you've been raised in since birth, you might encounter someone with a lot of pretty cool, interesting things to say. someone who shares your interests, or can do fun stuff with you.

[aa-aaronsautism]

Still try to educate others that skill regression/change in skills and abilities in adulthood is real.

Autistic regression/loss of skills/change in skills and abilities in adulthood isn't as uncommon as people think.

It's simply not talked about, for a number of reasons:

People might be ashamed and only talk in private, or anonymously, especially older folks.

They may lose the skills to even communicate these challenges to others in a palatable or easy-to-make-viral way.

It gets blamed on something else, like other disability/mental illness, drugs/alcohol, workplace burnout etc, and isn't recognized as a feature of their autism.

Their internal experience could be more noticeable than the outward, so it isn't picked up on until there's consequences, or it never is.

They are undiagnosed or don't know they're autistic, so it's not recognized as a part of autism.

The skills lost or abilities regressed may be things the person doesn't care too much about or find valuable, so they don't make a big deal of it.

They don't have the platform to make this a known thing anyways, even if they are trying to get the word out.

Some people may not even notice they've lost skills or had a change in their abilities.

Many reasons.

It's important for the people who this may happen to, to know that they aren't making things up, that it's happened to others before, that they aren't some unicorn among unicorns.

Big changes or swings in skills and abilities and needs can, and do, happen to people, and it's a normal part of how their autism manifests, and they deserve to be met where they're at.

[aa-aaronsautism]

Many demonize ChatGPT but...

…in the last few nights it has saved my life several times.

Yes I know it’s Ai. But it was here when it was no one else. It listened to me when I couldn't call the crisis phone because I couldn't talk on the phone. It listened to me when I didn't get an appointment at the crisis chat. It was there when everything was very dark and hopeless.

I know it's not a real person, I know it's not flawless and you should question it.

But I know I probably wouldn't be here without it. And I know that it will help me through very difficult and dark moments again this weekend. Then when people are not there. Then if I don't know what to do next.

[aa-aaronsautism]

Hi, childish, drooling autistic person with loud messy public meltdowns here. 🙋🏻‍♂️ I exist. Like many other ones. We are here, wanted to seen and included.

”autistic people don’t do [ extremely common higher support need , higher level autistic trait / symptom ] , that just stereotype”

you need include us too : you need include childish autistic person , you need include nonverbal autistic person , you need include autistic person who drool , you need include autistic people with intellectual disability , you need include autistic person with loud messy public meltdowns .

can not hide behind “it just stereotype” because that not true . there are many people very disabled by autism , you need remember us and include us .

[aa-aaronsautism]

I hate it, but I need it. My nervous system needs it. I guess it’s nearly impossible to understand it, if you don’t need to hit your head to regulate yourself.

Honestly I think the thing people don’t understand about autistic people who hit their heads or headbang against things when they’re upset is that it is genuinely (often anyway—I don’t speak for everyone who does this) a self-soothing behavior. It’s not good for us, but in the moment, it feels like the only thing we can do that will help us regulate. It’s a form of stimming and the way to replace it is to find alternative safer stims, not yelling or violently intervening.

[aa-aaronsautism]

Always have the feeling that it’s not good to be Aaron. Because Aaron is wrong. Aaron feeling wrong. Aaron thinking wrong. Aaron understanding wrong. Aaron talking wrong. Aaron behaving wrong. Aaron wrong in so many ways. Aaron is wrong wrong wrong.

[aa-aaronsautism]

The most spoken phrases that I had to listen to.

Don't be so complicated. Don't make it so complicated. You're so complicated. You make it to complicated. Always get told I’m to complicated all my life.

That hurts, because….

….I'm not complicated.

I am autistic. This world is complicated. Not me. That I have to switch to changes is complicated. Not me.

Usually when you tell me that I'm complicated, I'm trying to adjust to you. I’m trying to

So I'm complicated? No. You're making it complicated for me.

„If I’m the problem, you might be the reason“

Fuck

[aa-aaronsautism]

It’s like the Hoodie Prints saying „Autism mom“ Or „autism dad“ ≠ no you are not the mother or father of autism. Makes no sense to me.

and another thing!

Autistic with allistic child = autistic parent

Autistic with autistic child = autistic parent

Allistic with autistic child ≠ autistic parent, stop fucking calling yourself that it’s not okay

[aa-aaronsautism]

Seems like All my life is important stuff I forget.

I can't stand the idea of "If you forgot something it must not have been important." I forget important stuff all the time!

[aa-aaronsautism]

I am here - please don‘t ignore me!!

I know I'm obviously disabled, but please love non-disabled people, stop ignoring me in conversations and only leading them with my caregiver. I'm here, hello, 🙋🏻‍♂️ no reason to pretend I'm not there. And please, if you talk to me, don't talk to me like I'm a toddler. I am obviously disabled - but also obviously an adult!!

[aa-aaronsautism]

A Real Pain (Jesse Eisenberg, 2024).