#asking autistics

[squirrelbee]

A while ago I read about autistic people and nesting somewhere & I think we don't talk about that enough. Apparently, a lot of autistic people like nesting. I love nesting. I carefully choose a space to build my nest and I bring all my little trinkets there. I surround myself with everything I love and everything I could possibly need in the next few hours- my water bottle, a snack, my weighted blanket, my soft blanket, hand creme, my headphones, my charger, my favorite stuffed animals- so I don't have to leave the nest to get anything. It makes me feel save and calm and like everything is gonna be ok. This is a nesting appreciation post. Any other autistics who love a good nest?

[autisticlee]

is it an autistic experience to ALWAYS be the one in a friend group who gets left out, alienated, secretly disliked, then kicked out of the group?

[disabled-dinos]

autistics of tumblr!!

I am very curious pls reblog for sample size and funsies :)). also sorry if someone already did this.

[autisticsunmasked]

Question for other autistic people: There are still so many misconceptions and stigma surrounding autism. What’s one misconception about autism that you wish people would stop perpetuating or believing in?

[jacethegaymer]

I made this post on instagram back in 2022 and it’s blowing tf up right now since April is coming up

As someone who has autism, I want to spread this around since April is coming up and I want people to understand what is and isn’t acceptable for people with autism. (Now if you don’t agree with some of this stuff, it’s fine idc. Just sharing it out here)

So posting it here!

[justonestepatatime]

Where would one go to find out a bit more about masking?

I don't understand it, and I don't know if it's a me-thing.

[bookworm-lux]

Hey autistic Community,

I desperately need tips how I can cope with feelings of loneliness in an allistic world

I pretty recently figured out that my allistic friends are always going to demand that I mask around them because whenever I tried not to I was ostracized. I’m not as rational as them and I cry easily and somehow my pain is never as imported as their uncomfortableness with having to witness my pain (partly caused by their behavior)

I’m just so scared that I’m never going to be “right” enough to have friends that see me, really see me with my pain and my joy and everything in between.

I just want friends that actually like me, not whatever I can do for them

So if anybody has tips or anything please tell me, it would mean the world to me

[bl0w-m3]

I’m starting to doubt I’m actually autistic.

Yeah I was tested and diagnosed or whatever, but that was before we learned about the OCD and BPD, and the extreme intelligence/high IQ they associate with it is really from having to survive. Everything just seems to overlap in symptoms. Idk. I just don’t wanna be over labeled.

[most-definitively-a-human]

Question for fellow sensory seeking autistic people who love music:

Does music have some very strange effects on your mind?

I CAN FEEL THIS HUMMING THROUGH MY MIND I HAVE LISTENED TO IT FOR OVER 70 MINUTES AND I HAVE ONLY LEARNED OF ITS EXISTENCE TODAY IT REACHES DIRECTLY INTO WHATEVER PROCESSES AUDIO IN MY BRAIN AND STRUMS IT LIKE A GUITAR

(Sorry for the all caps run on sentence. It conveys my feelings very succinctly and I'm too tired to convey it the non all caps run on sentence way.)

MUSIC HECK YEAH. Highly recommended you give it a listen if you like... How to describe it? Crisp and jaunty electronic? Long songs?

Does anyone else have similar experiences with music? Would love to know if you've found similar songs which also make your brain delightfully happy!

[sprinkleofquirk]

Okay, I’m coming to the internet so that people can tell me things I don’t know because I am SO FED UP trying to figure this out by myself

This all started because I was having a lot of trouble with sensory processing and executive functioning and while I was having progress with my therapist, I was also having trouble letting myself use the tools and strategies that worked best for me because I felt that I didn’t really “need” them- so she suggested I pursue an official ASD diagnosis

Here’s what I’ve got, after two years

✅ I have a neuro developmental disorder

✅ It is characterized by the pink text:

I WAS tested for ASD, but the assessor said that I didn’t fit enough criteria in order to be classified definitively as an autism spectrum disorder and thus would remain “unspecified”

Below is the official document- I retracted my name and the highlights just mark things that I disagree with:

Here is my main question: how can it remain unspecified, when that is the only possible answer left???

I know we don’t have all the answers for the human brain yet, I know there are still probably even more categories and things to be created and rearranged and stuff, but *I feel* like I fit into the ASD category 100%. The more I’ve learned about it, the more I see myself.

I have always seen my anxiety as secondary- caused by something else. Now that I’m older, I’m able to distinguish main triggers- social events, change, and sensory overload. The C-PTSD was caused mostly by my situational mutism and sensory sensitivity during a stressful situation. Both of those things would be explained by an Autism Spectrum Disorder…

I just feel like everything I learn about myself screams “AUTSIM” and this lady was just like “no” because I made eye contact and had good grades in school 🫤

Like I’m seriously asking- because I DO NOT want to take up space that isn’t meant for me but I seriously don’t know if I’m going to be able to accept myself and the things that I need to do for me without someone “officially” telling me it’s okay (and trust me- I KNOW that’s a whole other thing I need to work on and I’m trying but one thing at a time!)

[squirrelbee]

Fellow disabled people: What is the funniest thing non-disabled people ever called you (or disabled people in general) instead of disabled? I'll go first: People with inclusion

[neurodiversitysci]

Sensory Diet for Adults

One common thread running through advice about managing sensory processing sensitivities and disorders: you need a “sensory diet” that gives your body the right amount and type of sensory input.

Unfortunately, I see this advice in the context of advice for parents. So most of the suggestions don’t seem applicable to an adult. (Letting your kid help with chores, for example). And there’s very little guidance on how to figure out your needs and develop a plan tailored to fit them.

Complicating matters still further, a lot of the suggestions seem to involve physical activity, to provide proprioceptive input and manage energy levels. What do you do when physical activity is uncomfortable and quickly tires you out?

So, I have questions for adult neurodivergent people:

Have you tried a sensory diet? How did it go?

What sort of sensory activities fit into your life and help you?

If you are easily fatigued, how do you work around that?

Thanks!

11/4/22

[autisticlee]

is there a way to completely stop autistic rumination (rather than just masking or distracting it temporarily) or is that a permanent feature?

[maresirenum]

Does anyone have any recommendations for loop in ears? I’m looking for ones that would help me cope better in quite a loud classroom environment?

So far I’ve looked at loop experience and loop quiet, but would appreciate some recs from those who are familiar with and use loop!

Thank you!!

[imkrisyoung]

I have some questions for other autistic people about rule-following:

When you were younger, did you try to follow rules, or did you tend to break them?

Do you follow rules now, or do you tend to go against them?

[autisticlassiedoggie]

What are y'all's experience with caffeine and its effect on autism?

Lately I've discovered that caffeine appears to help with some of the more adverse symptoms of my autism. Some days when I'm at work I'm just extremely irritable and grumpy and I don't entirely know why. Could be subtle sensory influence, could be a sign of autistic burnout, could be something not at all related to autism.

On these days, as I'm required to be nice to customers, I will buy an energy drink (usually Monster), and within minutes my mood does a complete 180. Instead of being sullen and withdrawn and exhausted beyond measure, I'm suddenly able to be cheerful and energetic with customers.

I don't do this every day, and try to avoid it unless I absolutely need it. I do not want a caffeine dependency. I'm hoping I don't already have one.