@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

Autistrain

@[email protected]

#ActuallyAutist #ActuallyAutistic :ir: and train nerd

My username is obviously a portmanteau!

You can also find me https://todon.eu/@autistrain if this instance doesn't work properly.

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. Browse more on the original instance.

samid, to actuallyautistic
@samid@mastodon.de avatar

so, I learned that can not only get your posts, even if you blocked them (via different servers that didn't and that store your posts cus people there may follow you or interact with you), they can also monetize those posts by showing ads next to them. Thus making money off of you. Put that together with all the genocidal and fascist and other harmful activity. It makes me think that the of the has begun. The cycles seem to move faster and faster. I love it here and I've had many elightening convos and beautiful connections. Today I read that 41% of servers have blocked threads. Maybe there is still hope.
Esp. the neurodivergent community on here is the best I've ever experienced.
@actuallyautistic

Autistrain,
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

@samid

The good solution is a total defederation of the fediverse. It's letting threads be its own bubble. It's highly unlikely that it will happen. The other answer could be to break the fediverse in two with on one side the federated and threads in one bubble and the defederered in another.

@actuallyautistic @ophiocephalic

theautisticcoach, to actuallyautistic
@theautisticcoach@neurodifferent.me avatar

How do my comrades feel about airports?

Planes?

What are your top tips?

@actuallyautistic

Autistrain,
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

@theautisticcoach

No issues for me. I prepare myself in advance so the security check is mostly no problem.

Tips:

Always ask for accommodations just after or before you book your flight. Airlines and airport may offer some. It sadly depends on them and the local legislation.

The first thing is to read all you need to know for the security check.

The liquids have to be in a closeable plastique back. The ones for the freezer work fine. The plastic bag needs to be placed in a easily reachable place.

The same applies for all your electronic devices including headphones/earphones, chargers, etc. Place all of them in a easily reachable placed plastic bag. At the security check, you need to pull out of the bag just one plastic bag what make the whole process quicker and easy.

Depending on where you travel, at least in the Schengen area it's fine to take your solid food with you through the security check. You can take your confort food with you. You can let the food in the cabin bag. The same applies for empty plastic bottles. You can take an empty bottle through the security check and fill the bottle in the toilets.

All the usual stuffs for the hyper-/hyposensitivities like headphones, stimming toys, comfortable clothes (it's not the fashion week /s), etc.

In the airport, there may be a quiet space or room. It's helpful for the anxiety. If the airport has a specific accommodation, I recommend to use it if it fits your needs. You have the right to do so.

In the airplane, if there is free rows, you can ask to move there to be alone.

@actuallyautistic

Autistrain,
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

@panda
This situation is due to the new baggage scanner that can detect whatever they want through the baggage. It makes the whole process easier and quicker.

It's not implemented in all the airports as it depends on the local legislation and/or the airport itself. My local government said they will use them only when they have to replace the older, for example.

It's better to prepare to take our stuffs out of the bag.

I have the same issues with the noise in this area. I use for this purpose earplugs out of foam (silicone should be fine too). It keeps the noise low and they pass through the scanner.
@theautisticcoach @actuallyautistic

russellmcormond, to actuallyautistic
@russellmcormond@fosstodon.org avatar

Introduction is: "Whenever I mention my feelings on ABA, someone always asks me for alternatives to ABA."

https://neurodivergentrebel.substack.com/p/alternatives-to-aba-if-not-aba-then

I really want to know why people think that is a valid question?
ABA is not about helping the person be themselves or have a better life, but to try to “convert” them to be more like other people to make those other people feel more comfortable with their beliefs.

@actuallyautistic

Autistrain,
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

@russellmcormond

These links may be helpful for you and others as well:

https://neuroclastic.com/2019/03/28/invisible-abuse-aba-and-the-things-only-autistic-people-can-see/

https://twitter.com/Ghillie_Guide/status/1352445109627883520

https://neurodivergentrebel.com/2020/11/25/does-aba-harm-autistic-people-my-top-5-objections-to-aba-for-autism/

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-55931544

https://neuroclastic.com/invisible-abuse-aba-and-the-things-only-autistic-people-can-see/

https://twitter.com/AnnMemmott/status/1651585438618992641

https://twitter.com/KieranRose7/status/1652294568329596928

https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/AIA-08-2017-0016/full/html

https://twitter.com/Femme_Queer/status/1673825750376480770

https://autisticscienceperson.com/why-aba-therapy-is-harmful-to-autistic-people/

https://twitter.com/abaukdiscussion

https://twitter.com/KristenBott/status/1678564383293845505

https://twitter.com/ekverstania/status/1679504902760824832

https://twitter.com/AnnMemmott/status/1691767109070545306

https://annsautism.blogspot.com/2023/07/when-almost-all-movement-or-sound-is.html

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/13623613221118216?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed

https://smallstepps.com/aba-therapy-can-exacerbate-alexithymia-in-autistic-children/

https://amase.org.uk/pbs/

https://twitter.com/AIMautistic/status/1698630880791609639

https://twitter.com/AnnMemmott/status/1700048386995458510

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40617-023-00855-4

https://autisticnotweird.com/2018survey/#:~:text=Over%2098%25%20of%20respondents%20felt,respondents%20were%20largely%20against%20ABA

https://thinkingautismguide.com/2017/05/eye-contact-for-recipients-validation.html#:~:text-Eye%20contact%2C%20who's%20it%20for,that%20you%20know%20they%20exist

https://autisticinclusivemeets.org/2019/04/14/aba-trauma-interview/

https://whyy.org/segments/how-a-therapy-once-seen-as-a-victory-for-autistic-kids-has-come-under-fire-as-abuse/

https://autisticmama.com/even-new-aba-is-problematic/

https://www.autisticuk.org/post/autistics-against-aba

https://twitter.com/AIMautistic/status/1703804072925536686/photo/3

https://abacontroversyautism.wordpress.com/2018/12/20/10-rhetorics-of-applied-behaviour-analysis-aba/

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1362361320965331

https://docs.google.com/document/d/11__SY2tbxcFZ1YiHdO_S0x1tOoG1QWpoMX67C7PM_nU/mobilebasic

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bin.1981

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psychology-meets-neurodiversity/202308/should-autistic-children-be-trained-to-socialize

https://health.ucdavis.edu/news/headlines/study-explores-how-changing-autism-traits-are-linked-to-mental-health-conditions/2023/10

https://www.canlii.org/en/on/onscdc/doc/2023/2023onsc5584/2023onsc5584.html

https://www.madinamerica.com/2023/10/leadership-of-patient-advocacy-organizations-tied-to-pharma-and-device-industry/

https://pubs.asha.org/doi/abs/10.1044/2023_PERSP-23-00104

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/02711214231193323

https://autisticadvocacy.org/policy/briefs/intervention-ethics/

https://therapistndc.org/positive-behavior-support-pbs-positive-behavioral-interventions-and-supports-pbis-or-positive-reinforcement/

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/article-abstract/2811814

https://neuroclastic.com/is-aba-really-dog-training-for-children-a-professional-dog-trainer-weighs-in/

https://realsocialskills.org/2015/07/17/appearing-to-enjoy-behavior-modificiation-is-not/

https://www.thetransmitter.org/retraction/article-defending-private-equity-involvement-in-autism-services-retracted/

https://twitter.com/AnnMemmott/status/1729460633408528716

https://bylines.scot/rights-and-freedoms/scottish-greens-vote-to-ban-behaviour-modification-practices-for-disabled-people/

https://annsautism.blogspot.com/2023/01/ethics-and-autism-rights-and.html

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-homework-myth/202001/autism-and-behaviorism

@actuallyautistic

Autistrain, to actuallyautistic
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

I can only recommend reading the great book "Empire of normality: neurodiversity and capitalism" by @drrobertchapman

It's a good read to understand how our environment has an influence on the perception of us and on our mental health.

@actuallyautistic @neurodiversity

Autistrain, to actuallyautistic
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

Since I discovered I'm an autist, it has been a long way. It was like I was born again but this time with the right manual.

I ditched a lot of things including friends. Day after day I learn to know myself better and to live after my culture.

We are at the beginning of the holiday period with Christmas and New Year's Eve. This was one of my first moves towards accepting my culture. I decided to stop celebrating these. No more dinners, no more parties.

People could legitimately ask why I made this radical decision. The story begins a long time ago when I was born. These holidays were a thing that we had to do. It's a tradition.

But a tradition of whom? This is a question I was asking myself for nearly three decades. It wasn't as clear as I wrote it here. I participated but didn't really enjoy the time. It was actually the opposite.

I didn't understand why we did all these things. I was like a spectator of the whole evening or night. I would say that I enjoyed the moment because others enjoyed it. If you went there you had to enjoy it, right? Well No! I was full of what I would discover later being anxiety.

One day, I said I would not attend the Christmas dinner. I stayed at home alone. It was my best Christmas ever! No fatigue the day after, no anxiety, everything was nice. But, I also discovered what was wrong with all of these holidays.

I always had a weird and strange feeling during these days that didn't match anxiety or anything else that was emotional or feelings. It was that Christmas, New Year's Eve, etc. didn't make sense at all. It was the holidays of these people. They were not mine. They were not part of my culture. They didn't match my identity.

So, after nearly three decades, I stopped all of them to live in harmony with my culture and identity. I guess it's reasonable accommodation for an

@actuallyautistic @neurodiversity

Autistrain, to actuallyautistic
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

A good story, it can happen.

I went yesterday to the dental hygienist to clean my teeth obviously. It was the first time in many many years. We should talk about accessibility another time.

I went there for the first time. I didn't choose this place randomly. I went to the dental clinic of the local university. I disclosed my hypersensitivity in the Formular and to the dental hygienist.

It went amazingly well. They even said I could wear sunglasses if I wanted. They accommodated their process to me and were helpful.

Then, the dentist came to look at some teeth. The dentist took the mask off without me saying anything so I could read on the lips as it helps me to understand.

A great experience where I was comfortable and felt understood as part of society and humanity.

@actuallyautistic @neurodiversity

Dr_Obvious, to actuallyautistic German
@Dr_Obvious@chaos.social avatar

@actuallyautistic
Is it a common #autistic trait to have the urge to share experiences?

Like as a kid coming from camping, I would give my mom a daylong report about all the things that happened in details.

Or know when I read something interesting I have to show it to my wife. Or when we meet after work I have to let out all the stuff that happened at that very second.

Autistrain,
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

@Dr_Obvious

Yeah! I'm still doing it in my middle 30s. It was what did or saw when I was young. It's nowadays more theoretical things about what I read or saw outside. For example, I see cars and make a rant about urbanism.

Why we are doing this? It's to share our emotions and feelings to the person. I love you, therefore I will info dump about my domain of interest. I empathize with you through sharing a similar story.

Autism isn't a lack of anything or a deficit. It's a difference, and autists express themselves autisticaly. This type of expression is completely valid. It ends up with communicating our joy by sharing the last news, hobby, etc.

Some will share more details if they like the person. It depends on the person.

@actuallyautistic

Autistrain,
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

@Dr_Obvious
I was thinking this morning, I could add an example.

I like to share my emotions with pictures instead of saying or writing them. When I'm hiking or simply outside, I take pictures with my phone and send them.

Another quite similar manner is to take pictures of what the person like and send the picture this person. I can express with it that I thought about the person.

Now, it's nice to realize how we express ourselves. It's even better if we explain it to the people so we know we will be understood.

I will never wait for anyone to express themselves in the exact same way than me. I will respect their personal expression. The mutual respect is important.
@actuallyautistic

sahat, to actuallyautistic
@sahat@c.im avatar

We had this weird incident with this NVC guy who stumbled into the autistic conversation. It points to a pattern that I have experienced every-wheres in the world of psychology, self help and counseling or coaching. The whole field of emotions, social interactions and standards is heavily intersectional. Listen to black women. Listen to any women. Listen to poor people. Listen to any minority, because all of us together are the minority. Any white normie male that enters the conversation should first listen. All of those techniques invented by white middleclass males are limited. They have to be. Cus they know only a tiny fraction of the universe of communication. Yet, most of the inventions we hear about, that make it to popularity and that people found careers on, are from exactly those white males. They are the ones that receive the most attention when doing something new, founding a brand or school. It's harder for anyone else to get that recognition, especially as they will cause apprehension in those who perceive them as foreign and have unconscious bias against them. It's like the blond boys who got top ranks on you tube. DON#t be fooled. There is no rule for communication, that a white dude has invented and that everyone should abide by. It's a huge pile of BS.
As we need to heal exactly from the narrow culture that these people represent, we need to invent our own techniques and standards and explore what brings us forward. We don't help our cause if we overly respect these figures, just because they come across as selfassured.
@actuallyautistic

Autistrain,
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

@sahat

Could I add that this is often seen in the new age, and other wellbeing BS as well?

We have a huge issue with all of this BS with people falling in these traps. These are beliefs and absolutely not evidence based. People have to be careful with all of the BS around.

@actuallyautistic

#t

Autistrain, to actuallyautistic
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

I went here this morning and quickly saw one thread. A lot of speaking about some BS NVC. The source of the discussion interested me. I went to it and read the profile of the source of the NVC topic.

Don't feed the trolls. I understand the majority of us won't understand what's there as it's not in English. But, it's mostly pseudoscience BS and trolls.

@actuallyautistic

Dr_Obvious, to actuallyautistic
@Dr_Obvious@chaos.social avatar

@actuallyautistic
The local autism ambulance told me, how to start a diagnostic process. They mentioned directly if they would considder me, they would need to talk to my parents in the end.

I was aware of that, but it feels stupid. First, I think I have enough early child hood memories, second, I think I will need to provide them with disclaimers.

Autistrain,
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

@Dr_Obvious

I would not worry about the parents. My mom came for my diagnosis and she is autistic. At the end of the process, the therapist said to me "your mother may be autistic". For the context, the therapist gave my diagnosis and we were speaking about autism.

If it's a good therapist, it will see it and it should not be an issue.

@actuallyautistic

StrassenKatze, to actuallyautistic
@StrassenKatze@universeodon.com avatar

I am feeling called out by the top half of this @actuallyautistic

Autistrain,
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

@StrassenKatze

The 4 at the top are reflecting empathy. The 4 at the bottom are as valid as the 4 at the top. Now, I see some lower 4 has trauma responses. The “usually make it worse” is like “I tried it, but it did go nice, so I will avoid doing it again”.

@actuallyautistic

DivergentDumpsterPhoenix, to autisticadvocacy
@DivergentDumpsterPhoenix@disabled.social avatar

The state of autism diagnosis in the UK.

All content on slides can be found at this link along with the option to listen as audio-

https://emergentdivergence.com/2023/11/12/the-shocking-state-of-autism-diagnosis-in-the-uk/

#ActuallyAutistic #autism #Autistic #AutismDiagnosis #neurodiversity #neurodivergence

@actuallyautistic @autisticadvocacy @audhd

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Autistrain,
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

@johnhobbs
It's similar in Switzerland. We have a huge issue with diagnosis.
@DivergentDumpsterPhoenix @actuallyautistic @autisticadvocacy @audhd

theautisticcoach, to actuallyautistic
@theautisticcoach@neurodifferent.me avatar

Do you use the word "Neurodivergent"?

Why or why not?

Do you think it's ableist?

If you don't use it, what word do you use?

#ActuallyAutistic #AskingAutistics @actuallyautistic

Autistrain,
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

@theautisticcoach

It's a good question. I don't really like it. It implies the divergence of a norm dictate by capitalism. In fact, the neurodiversity paradigm is in opposition of having a neurological norm.

The neudifferent is better. We are all different from another and it celebrates the uniqueness of each human. It implies the paradigm of reciprocity. Neurospicy and many others are fine too.

@actuallyautistic

Autistrain,
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

@alexisbushnell

The roots of autism and allism is interesting. It's a good example of when people make presumption. In reality, autistics like to be with other and allistic like themselves. I'm over generalizing here. But, both words never made sense to me. The human is a social animal. Humans need relationships and social contact whatever the neurotype. They express it differently.

Allistic is sort of opposite of autistic. This don't make sense either. What's the opposite? Non-autistic? Yeah, but, the group will never be homogeneous. So, we are comparing a homogeneous and an heterogeneous group just base on a neurotype. It's like comparing apples and pears. An AuDHD would be in which group?

Again, it doesn't make sense. The human is too diverse to make such groups. I'm autistic as well as you. But except this small piece of our identity and culture, we are inevitably different.

It would be time to put the human and celebrate all its diversity in the center of the preoccupation and stop the entire capitalist and neoliberal classification in groups.

Sorry for the anticapitalist rant. I gonna stop here otherwise I will rant on oppression and stigmatization of a minority.

By the way, I always considers allist as all the neurotype that aren't autism. It's not the greek roots of both words.

@theautisticcoach @actuallyautistic

Autistrain, to actuallyautistic
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

This morning I had a thought about autism. I like to do jokes based on words or what I call situations.

These jokes can be seen as manipulative by allists. I can point out something on the person's behavior or personal aspect.

I was thinking what's behind it. My intention isn't bad and against the person. The person is like a pretext. It's to show that I appreciate the person and can relate to this person or person's experience.

The autists have this particular relationship with what they see and live. The jokes as an example are to express what I already experience in life whatever how I experience it.

It's a completely different and valid way of communicating how we experience life.

@actuallyautistic

Autistrain, to actuallyautistic
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

For , this paper about mindreading is interesting:

Mindreading beliefs in same- and cross-neurotype interactions

Based on a relatively large sample, the beliefs of autistic and non-autistic people about mindreading abilities themselves and others fall largely in line with predictions that can be derived from the DEP (Milton, 2012) as opposed to mindreading deficit theories. While this is in accordance with previous qualitative studies (Crompton et al., 2020b), the much larger sample size here suggests that these beliefs may be widespread. This also corroborates previous research that has found that specifying the reference group (as autistic or non-autistic) systematically impacts autistic participants’ answers on questionnaires designed to measure autistic traits (Gernsbacher et al., 2017). The findings also yield new knowledge that it is not just autistic people who believe that mindreading difficulties are a two-way street: the responses of the non-autistic group were in line with predictions derived from the DEP too.

https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613231211457

@actuallyautistic @neurodiversity

18+ Autistrain, to actuallyautistic
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

I went for a walk this afternoon. It was nice and peaceful with the river, the forest, grass. Everything was good until I saw by far two crows. Nothing special until I saw an injured pigeon on the ground looking at me. I feel the sadness around and was hyper-empathic. I feeled depressed and empty for a moment. Even a couple of hours later, I can feel the fear of this pigeon in the middle of the path and remember the eyes looking at me. I often connect with animals and share feelings with them and objects

I let the pigeon there. It's sad but, it's natural, every animal (human included) needs to eat.

The end of the walk went nicer with a small landslide before doing a round in the old town.

@actuallyautistic @neurodiversity

theautisticcoach, to actuallyautistic
@theautisticcoach@neurodifferent.me avatar

Autistic Joy is an act of resistance against Neurotypical oppression

@actuallyautistic

Autistrain,
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

@theautisticcoach
I agree! I just finished a conversation on autism with a student where I expressed that I'm happy to live in accordance with my identity and culture. The autistic joy has it's place here. This is my daily live and I don't let other take them out.
@actuallyautistic

Autistrain, to actuallyautistic
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

Each time, I meet someone having the same domain of interest as me.

@actuallyautistic @neurodiversity

Sci_Fi_FanGirl, to actuallyautistic German
@Sci_Fi_FanGirl@hessen.social avatar

@actuallyautistic

So, finally I got my official diagnosis.

Having someone neutral confirm my suspicion feels validating somehow. Helps to fight the imposter syndrome. It is a relief.

But it's also overwhelming and confusing. I want to tell everybody and live openly autistic, yet I also fear negative consequences. Then again, I'm tired of masking.

Complicated feelings that I don't fully understand.

Autistrain,
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

@Sci_Fi_FanGirl
Congratulations! It's a great day for you and you can be pride!
@actuallyautistic

autism101, to actuallyautistic

Autistic people may be dealing with many other issues, dubbed comorbidities by the medical community. I've listed some of them in the mind map below. Many can’t be seen by others.

@actuallyautistic

Autistrain,
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

@aproposnix
I know someone with dyscalculia and the everyday life doesn't look easy. The person has especially difficulties with dates and relies on the agenda for mostly everything related to date and time. For simple things like planning something for the end of the week, it's hard and the person need the agenda to count the number of days for a quick exemple.

@autism101 @actuallyautistic

Autistrain, to neurodiversity
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

In my family, I'm not the only . We are at least two, and we think we are more than that. The second person doesn't like rigidity, barriers, or rules. This person like to find compromise. The funny thing here is that finding compromise became in fact a rigid rule.

Don't take it wrong. It's not always a good thing to have a rule about compromise. It's a way to cope with other people and part of masking and social justice. Furthermore, it combines multiple aspect of the person. It can be exhausting.

@actuallyautistic @neurodiversity

Autistrain, to neurodiversity
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

I'm asking my fellow for books on Autism. If you have suggestions, I'm happy to hear about them!

@actuallyautistic @neurodiversity

Autistrain,
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

@atarifrosch @actuallyautistic @neurodiversity @Fuchskind Thank you! I'm searching for scientific books as well as non-scientific ones. I look for a broad coverage of what is out there in English, German, and French.

Autistrain, to neurodiversity
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

For people who like language and especially Neurodivergent affirmative language, I found this resource from yesterday short but good. It should have more terms. The advantage is they are references.

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/632462bb88e23c400c82d41a/t/65440f071a107a66aedba496/1698959112123/NdC_LanguageGuide_V1.pdf

@actuallyautistic @neurodiversity #ActuallyAutistic

Autistrain,
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

@hwestiii @actuallyautistic @neurodiversity They don't have a mastodon account. It's a PDF. It's why it wants to open the browser. Fortunately, I found it on the website of Neurodiverse Connection.

https://ndconnection.co.uk/resources/p/nd-affirming-language-guide?rq=language

Autistrain, to neurodiversity
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

Since I learned I'm an autist –which is already a journey–, I acquired a lot of knowledge about myself. I understand why I have this feeling at this moment. It's not perfect and it will not be. My quality of life also improved. I didn't become someone else. I change to the real me.

One thing, I was completely unaware of before is the hypersensitivity to the noise. It was a rollercoaster to discover this. The first downhill was long and exhausting before I could enjoy it. I enjoy my earplugs and headphones. I can feel the anxiety lowering when I wear them. The peace of a less noisy environment.

I can't forget the difference it is when I can remove the noises. I don't completely enjoy the silence. I still hear a white noise. My ears are really sensible. While people are enjoying the sound of people playing music, I spot the mistakes, the irregularities. At the point that, I can hear a difference in my headphones when my hair is too long, the noise cancelling doesn't work as well as when the hair is cut.

Nowadays I'm happy to know all of this. I apply strategies to have a good life. I enjoy a quiet life.

@actuallyautistic @neurodiversity

Autistrain,
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

@BooleanBear @pathfinder

To give you more details about this, I didn't even think about hypersensitivity. It was a total discovery for me.

I had a very hard and dark time in my life around 23 years old and again at 27. I suspected autism but I was not fine with the idea at first. I forget about it for 4 years before things didn't go well again. I did deeper research and found out I'm an autist. It triggered a domain of interest to me and I read so much –good and bad– information on autism. I once ended up reading about hypersensitivity. Before all of this, I thought everyone heard, saw, etc. like me and I thought we had to be fine with them. "Life is like that."

Then, I asked myself about hypersensitivity. I gave it a try. Why not? I had nothing to lose. And, it was a revelation. I wear headphones and I could feel the anxiety going away. I could feel what is being relaxed. I didn't know that. It was a relief. Since then, I put strategies in place to avoid too many noises and for too long. I don't know how I survived without knowing about this.

@actuallyautistic @neurodiversity

Autistrain,
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

@housepanther
I found hyposensitivity as well. I can eat spicy food and I love to take very hot shower. I enjoy the stimulation of the hot water. But, I hate the hot weather. We have to think case by case when it comes to hypersensitivity and hyposensitivity. This is really important to have the right strategies to help to cope with them.
@BooleanBear @pathfinder @actuallyautistic @neurodiversity

Autistrain,
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

@nddev
Yes, absolutely, we are each a unique human. It's different from one to another. We can group the strategies and coping mechanisms. But, they have to be adapted at each individual.
@housepanther @BooleanBear @pathfinder @actuallyautistic @neurodiversity

PossiblyAutistic, to test

Let's try the AQ, at https://embrace-autism.com/autism-spectrum-quotient/#test

@actuallyautistic

Autistrain,
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

@PossiblyAutistic
I should post a copy of the "Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), Version for adults (16+), (Baron-Cohen, Wheelwright, Skinner, Martin and Clubey, 2001)"

It still is an official diagnosis tool in some countries.

But has papers like this one published last month, we know all the bias in these AQ questions. It's a ridiculous tool to diagnose someone.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bjpsych-open/article/gender-bias-in-autism-screening-measurement-invariance-of-different-model-frameworks-of-the-autism-spectrum-quotient/9BA8C2A6D41BBA3FB8C4E7896D729BE4

@actuallyautistic

Autistrain,
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

@PossiblyAutistic
Yes, it's not philosophical. We moved (are moving for others) from the medical to the social model of autism. Autism can't be a disorder in the second model. Condition is a middle as neurodevelopmental condition. In the social model, the word "neurotype" is becoming used more and more.

This is very summarized. For a lot of agencies, accomodations, supports, people need a diagnosis with medical language like "disorder" even if it's not the standard anymore.

My country still uses 2001 (AQ), 2004 (Behavioral scale), 2009 (sensory perception questionnaire) tools for examples.

@actuallyautistic

Autistrain,
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

@PeteLittle1970

Yes they are many during the assessment. I specifically only talked about AQ as it was the topic and voluntarily omit the others.

All of them are not that accurate due to multiple bias and misrepresentation of autism like the theory of mind of the mid-90s. We have better and evidence based conceptualization like the double empathy problem or monotropism.

The issues with the diagnosis are deeply involved with how people see autism and how people moved with the research and evidences. The history of the research on autism is interesting and we moved from just the children to any age. We moved from the deficit to the difference. We moved from medical model of disability to the social model. But, it's not like this for everyone. We have people who didn't and won't move for multiple reasons like not looking at what's new in the domain. They still work with the child model and won't change. Sadly.

@PossiblyAutistic @actuallyautistic

spika, to actuallyautistic
@spika@neurodifferent.me avatar

I have such mixed feelings about social media a lot of the times these days... I'm noticing that have a habit of gravitating to the socials when I'm feeling lonely and feeling dysregulated from that loneliness, but more often than not I'm just ingesting more information that dysregulates me even further, causing even more loneliness and despair and wanting to isolate from people even more.

@actuallyautistic

Autistrain,
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

@spika

I was reading a post in a messaging group where the person was angry at what is happening around the world. This person has a huge social justice feeling that take over everything else. I'm writing this as it makes perfect sense with what you wrote.

Social media are nice to communicate and sharing our opinion and thoughts with people. But, our mental health status is an higher priority. There are some strategies:

  • spending energy on social media when the energy is available
  • It's fine not answering/missing a comment or post
  • if news is a thing, giving the priority to long analysis of the event over quick anxiety inducing constant flow of news

People have to take care of themselves and their mental health. It's more valuable than being 24/7 on social media.

@actuallyautistic

#actuallyautistic

Autistrain, to actuallyautistic
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

I had a great afternoon at a meeting with autists. We had lots of subjects, and not only autism related. It was a moment without judgement and everyone expressed themselves in an autistic way. A great success.

@actuallyautistic

Autistrain,
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

@AutisticAdam @actuallyautistic I can only recommend attending at those meetings. It's a relief to speak with people who communicate and share autisticly like you. Everything come “naturally”.

But, I acknowledge this not easy to find these groups. I'm in multiple of them, and some are just groups in a messaging app. And, anxiety, of course, can play a role.

Autistrain,
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

@btaroli @actuallyautistic Exactly, it's always fun and people will understand you from the beginning. It's like gong in the same direction even if you don't share the same opinion.

It's a moment out of the world where we share a common communication layer, if this make sens. Not only that, but it's not just communication, it's thinking, processing information as well. Sometimes, people understand each other's without say a word.

Autistrain, to actuallyautistic
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

A quick reminder for , you should not forget to do some physical exercises and to get in touch with nature. It's for your physical and mental health.

@actuallyautistic @neurodiversity

Autistrain,
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

@jeanoappleseed
Have a nice walk with your dog! I had a hike today.
@actuallyautistic @neurodiversity

AutisticAdam, to actuallyautistic
@AutisticAdam@autistics.life avatar

Autistic people can be excluded from so many places and abandoned by so many people and then be criticised for spending so much time alone and doing things (by) themselves.

It’s giving “I don’t want to help you, and I don’t want you to help yourself either” energy.

@actuallyautistic

Autistrain,
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

@AutisticAdam @actuallyautistic …and then they deny the traumas caused by the critics.

dramypsyd, to actuallyautistic
@dramypsyd@ohai.social avatar

As I’ve learned to unmask and be my authentic self, some people like me less, but I like me more. I think it was a worthwhile trade off.

@actuallyautistic

Autistrain,
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

@dramypsyd @actuallyautistic Congrats! It's a celebration!

Unmasking is great and worth it for us and others. I unmasked and removed a lot of “friends”. It's healthier for the everyday life without the mask. I would and can go back.

Autistrain,
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

@Julie @dramypsyd @actuallyautistic It's not an easy task. It takes a lot of time, and it's a step-by-step process. It's also to know your trauma. They influence the mask, as masking is partially a trauma response. With the time, you learn who you are, what you like and dislike, etc. You also know your sensitivities. The mask fall apart.

I can only write for my own experience to give examples. I learn my hypersensitivities and changed my environment with headphones for the noise or doing things like others, began to stim in public, stopped looking in the eyes, invest more time in my area of interest, and a lot more. At the end, your true self come out.

I understood the masking was gone when I had the same feelings as when I was a small child, my true self experience. The biggest difference is that now, I know from where I come and what did me masking. Masking is definitively too hard for me nowadays.

Autistrain,
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

@atarifrosch @housepanther @dramypsyd @actuallyautistic Yes! The same! I don't do anything to please everyone.

Autistrain,
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

@housepanther @dramypsyd @actuallyautistic For me, it began when the found I'm an autist. I gain a lot of maturity and I know from where I came and where I go in the future. It wasn't me. I discovered my identity and my culture. I decided that it's my life and not the life of others.

Autistrain,
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

@housepanther @atarifrosch @dramypsyd @actuallyautistic I'm more mixed on this. The age plays a role for sure. I see a difference between late and early diagnosed autists in the perception of themselves and of autism. I'm generalizing here. Late diagnosed in my experience read more about autism to have a better knowledge of themselves. I'm often surprised by the lack of knowledge on autism in the early diagnosed group. It's like nobody told them about autism, neurodiversity. But, interestingly, the ones who have good knowledge in autism at a younger age don't mask. They know their limits, they know what they can do and why.

It's a question of age and maturity. But also a question of knowledge on the topic.

18+ Dr_Obvious, to actuallyautistic German
@Dr_Obvious@chaos.social avatar

@actuallyautistic
I saw yesterday this video, unfortunately in german, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzGkfejLY7c&t=30 .
It's from a guy running a german journal autismusspektrum.info and based on this article: https://www.apa.org/monitor/2019/04/autism-diagnosis

So in summary he says, science shows that some people (up to 25%) loose their diagnosis. The claim is that they are "healed" from their autism. He is angry about people identifying and, in his view, glorifying autism.

Autistrain,
@Autistrain@neurodifferent.me avatar

@Dr_Obvious

Ich habe heute etwas und deshalb habe ich leider keinen Energie für dieses Video. Es interessiert mich, wie man hier Argumenten finden kann.

@actuallyautistic

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