AutisticAdam

AutisticAdam, 8 months ago to actuallyautistic

The autistic urge to panic when someone says something might happen, as not knowing whether something scary will happen is usually worse than knowing for sure that it will, because if you don’t know, you can’t fully prepare yourself on an emotional or practical level.

@actuallyautistic #actuallyautistic

AutisticAdam, 8 months ago to actuallyautistic

Sorry I can’t come to the phone right now. I’m autistic and simply not good at calls. Please call back literally never. Texts and emails exist for a reason.

Thank you.

@actuallyautistic #actuallyautistic

AutisticAdam, 8 months ago to actuallyautistic

The autistic urge to spend hours deciding which music to listen to for a particular event or situation, because any music you listen to must fit your mood, the vibe, the pace, the weather and the season.

@actuallyautistic #actuallyautistic

AutisticAdam, 8 months ago to actuallyautistic

Autistic people are often stereotyped as treating people like objects, but what if - for many of us - it is actually the other way around: we love and appreciate our objects so much that we treat them like they’re people?

@actuallyautistic #actuallyautistic

AutisticAdam, 8 months ago to actuallyautistic

Autistic hyperfocus can be a blessing for me that enables me to catch-up whenever I veer off track because of delayed processing, sensory overload and/or shutdowns. It is the calm in every storm and allows me to be simultaneously mindfully lost and intensely present.

@actuallyautistic #actuallyautistic

AutisticAdam, 8 months ago to actuallyautistic

It helps me to be told exactly when instructions and processes apply (and I’ll often ask if this is not volunteered), because without this info I’ll either never follow them again or follow them every single time, and usually neither of these are the intended or optimal path.

@actuallyautistic #actuallyautistic

AutisticAdam, 8 months ago to actuallyautistic

You're nothing like my Autistic child."

I agree. We are NOT all the same.

I was once a autistic child however.

I am now an Autistic adult.

Policing the normativity of another persons body movements is not psychologically healthy. Stop telling us to move less or more. Stop doubting my autism just because I'm not like somebody else. I can pace, fidget, stare, quote my favorite quotes, stumble with words, and yet none of it measures my sanity or heart.

@actuallyautistic #actuallyautistic

AutisticAdam, 8 months ago to actuallyautistic

Don't tell me everyone is a 'little bit autistic' until you're able to demonstrate what it feels like to feel completely wiped put by a simple task that plays against all of your needs. No, it's not everyone is a little averse to change. It's a complete unravelling of my reality.

Autistic Unmasking is a profound experience.

It feels both liberating and terrifying.

@actuallyautistic #actuallyautistic

AutisticAdam, 8 months ago to actuallyautistic

Anxiety is common with autism.

For anyone that suffers with anxiety:

You are NOT a burden. Just because your brain is telling you so doesn't make it true. Your brain is lying to you. Your existence is not burdensome... and you. are. deserving.

It's important to remember that your worth is not determined by how someone else perceives you aswell.

You are deserving of love and support. You matter.

@actuallyautistic #actuallyautistic #anxiety

AutisticAdam, 8 months ago to actuallyautistic

Over-explain things to avoid any potential miscommunication because you’ve felt misunderstood your entire life. It’s important to you that everyone knows exactly where you’re coming from at all times.

Repeating yourself and got to the point a long time ago but you can’t help but reiterate it all. You’ve had many bad past experiences that you will do whatever your brain deems necessary to avoid the possibility of someone misinterpreting what you were saying.

@actuallyautistic #actuallyautistic

AutisticAdam, 8 months ago to actuallyautistic

A big part of being autistic for me is being very intentional with my word choices in order to say what I mean and mean what I say.

To follow that up I then start having a bunch of people claim I said something I absolutely did not because they chose to add additional meanings they made up themselves.

@actuallyautistic #actuallyautistic

orangegoldgreen, 8 months ago to actuallyautistic

Reflecting this morning on the specific ways growing up undiagnosed autistic can lead to distrust of other humans. It's incredibly confusing to have so many demands/expectations of both your peers and people you're supposed to look up to lead to pain and discomfort, and even more alienating when you can't communicate about it in a way that those people would be able to understand because they don't experience life in the same way.

If this resonates with you, my inner child would like to offer your inner child a hug - no pressure or expectations. ❤️‍🩹

#autism #actuallyautistic
@actuallyautistic
@autistics
#autistic #audhd #LateDiagnosedAutism #ASD #neurodivergent #autisticadult #AutisticAdults #healingjourney #childhoodtrauma

AutisticAdam, 8 months ago to actuallyautistic

When an autistic person is overwhelmed by something, it could be because they don’t understand it, but it could also be because they understand the matter very well but feel overwhelmed by the amount of executive function, energy, time and focus that the task requires.

@actuallyautistic #actuallyautistic

AutisticAdam, 8 months ago to actuallyautistic

Finding out that I have spent my life scripting things to say just to make other people happy and make social interactions go "smoothly" at the cost of my own mental health, personal integrity, and self-identity is an masked Autistic experience.

@actuallyautistic #actuallyautistic

silverhuang, 8 months ago to actuallyautistic

I’m meta-observing my interactions on @actuallyautistic and have noted that I start too many replies with the word “absolutely” to express an emphatic YES!

I need to diversify my vocabulary… 😅

#AutisticEnthusiasm

alexisbushnell, 8 months ago to actuallyautistic

I have been out basically all day and evening.
I am exhausted and very confused now I'm home and everything has stopped.

@actuallyautistic

AutisticAdam, 8 months ago to actuallyautistic

When people hear “autistic people don’t like change” they think we mean cancelled events or moving house.

Both true - but it’s much wider. Friendship changes. Loss. Sometimes it’s other things, like being disconcerted by objects being moved. Even changing of seasons.

@actuallyautistic #actuallyautistic

AutisticAdam, 8 months ago to actuallyautistic

Many Autistics are nature empaths. We may feel an intense connection to nature. I know I do.

Our bottom-up thinking style can spark sensory joy when we zoom in on nature's infinite details and it's wonderful.

@actuallyautistic #actuallyautistic

AutisticAdam, 8 months ago to actuallyautistic

Non autistic: Why are you so weird? You're really weird but i can’t figure out why.

Me: I'm Autistic, maybe that’s it.

Non autistic: But then why are you so normal? You're really normal.

Me: Sigh

@actuallyautistic #actuallyautistic

AutisticAdam, 8 months ago to actuallyautistic

Being autistic is like walking into a room where everyone is playing an elaborate form of chess. The players think you're one of them and whisk you into a game before you can explain, then get upset when you break the rules, then refuse to let you stop playing.

@actuallyautistic #actuallyautistic

AutisticAdam, 8 months ago to actuallyautistic

Ways to respond when someone tells you that they are Autistic Thread:

• “Thank you for letting me know about your diagnosis”

• “Are there things i can do to accommodate your diagnosis when we spend time together?”

• “I would like to learn more about being Autistic from you!”

Feel free to share yours below, they could well hope others.

@actuallyautistic #actuallyautistic

AutisticAdam, 8 months ago to actuallyautistic

Why do so many things in an average house make a noise all the time? I.E My freezer, it never stops.

Also..

Not knowing what emotion you're feeling, or even if you do, not knowing why you're feeling it.

All in the daily life of Adam Jones.

@actuallyautistic #actuallyautistic

AutisticAdam, 8 months ago to actuallyautistic

A rather interesting thing to do is explain you are Autistic to someone but only don't use the word ‘Autistic’ and just say "neurological" and watch how seriously they take you until you tell them it's Autism.

@actuallyautistic #actuallyautistic

AutisticAdam, 8 months ago to actuallyautistic

When talking to autistic people, especially in the workplace or at school, be absolutely clear and unambiguous about instructions.

Especially don't leave anything unsaid, or to be assumed. If you do that there's a good chance it won't be done, because you didn't ask us to.

@actuallyautistic #actuallyautistic

AutisticAdam, 8 months ago to actuallyautistic

Autistic sensory sensitivity isn't just about oversensitivity. It can be undersensitivity too.

One day I might have terrible sensitivity to any kind of sound; on a different day I might not even notice sounds and be almost unaware of them.

@actuallyautistic #actuallyautistic

AutisticAdam, 8 months ago to actuallyautistic

I'm autistic, so I guess it's natural that I will never, ever be able to understand exactly when is the correct time to add my point to a group conversation.

Watching the conversation move onto a totally different topic, while a really good point is left unsaid, is a very specific autistic sadness.

@actuallyautistic #actuallyautistic #autistic #autism

AutisticAdam, 8 months ago to actuallyautistic

It’s really weird how people are totally fine with your quirks until you them that you have them because you’re Autistic.

@actuallyautistic #actuallyautistic

AutisticAdam, 8 months ago to actuallyautistic

Hi, my name is Adam and I'm Autistic. To have a following of now over 2400 of you, I feel quite humbled that you're interested in what I have to say.

I try to make it as open as possible so people can share what they want to say too as that's important.

I'm quite taken back by all the people that do comment on my posts. I love the feel of genuine sense of community here. Its wonderful to see a community here almost within my posts.

Thank you.

@actuallyautistic #actuallyautistic

AutisticAdam, 8 months ago to actuallyautistic

Communication:

The WORST thing about this is that autistic people can be bad at communicating, sometimes for the same reasons as everyone else and sometimes for our own reasons. We simply don't deserve to be blamed for every misunderstanding or expected to fill 100% of the gap by ourselves.

@actuallyautistic #actuallyautistic

AutisticAdam, 8 months ago to actuallyautistic

That Autistic moment, when, after you have finally managed to get out of the house, you get stuck being "out of the house" and struggle so hard to switch gears and go home.

@actuallyautistic #actuallyautistic

AutisticAdam, 8 months ago to actuallyautistic

If you’re an autistic person and you need to leave an event because of sensory overload/overwhelm: it is not a personal failure on your behalf, it’s an accessibility failure on their behalf.

@actuallyautistic #actuallyautistic

AutisticAdam, 8 months ago to actuallyautistic

Autistic people may be turned off a food item or product if the packaging changes, even if the item remains the same in substance. This may be because consistency is important to us, and packaging is the face and vibe of an item; a packaging change is a big change to many of us.

@actuallyautistic #actuallyautistic

AutisticAdam, 8 months ago to actuallyautistic

When you’re Autistic, you get used to no one meeting your needs, through malice, pure ignorance, or coincidence.

So you learn to meet your own needs instead.

And people call you “Self-Obsessed” for it.

@actuallyautistic #actuallyautistic

AutisticAdam, 9 months ago to actuallyautistic

As an autistic person, I would feel uncomfortable judging anyone for their facial expressions. There are many reasons why I dont. I know what it’s like to be truly unable to control your facial expressions, and receive criticism from others for looking smug, angry and/or looking miserable, when infact you’re not.

@actuallyautistic #actuallyautistic

AutisticAdam, 9 months ago to actuallyautistic

A prehaps less talked about aspect of autistic life is that, not only are we expected to be able to overcome all of the challenges we face and do everything that a neurotypical person can do, but we are expected to do so whilst feeling unwell most of the time.

@actuallyautistic #actuallyautistic

AutisticAdam, 9 months ago to actuallyautistic

An autistic person who is unsure about their understanding and knowledge of something usually has more understanding and knowledge of that topic than non-autistic people who claim to be experts on it. We often under-sell and over-deliver. More often than not non-autistic people do the opposite.

@actuallyautistic #actuallyautistic