Ask About Autism

Got questions about autism? We got answers! Our team of autistic mods are ready to answer all your questions related to autism and being autistic.

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Hey there - I'm an autistic adult going through burnout and just now living totally on my own for the first time. I think having a visual schedule/visual routine reminders in view could be helpful but everything I've found is designed for kids. Do you know of any resources like this that won't look utterly ridiculous in a (pretty nicely designed if I do say so myself) adult home? Thanks!

Visual schedules can be excellent, however, like you said, they are mostly aimed at children and, as such, look very childish. I’ve tried searching before for adult oriented visual schedules, but my searches haven’t turned up anything. I would suggest using one aimed at children as a template and change the imagery to fit your needs if you are able to. There is a free program Gimp that is very similar to Photoshop that can be used to created images or mix together images that could be useful. With this, you would be able to style your schedule to match your home. 

Followers, does anyone know of visual schedules aimed at adults?

-Sabrina

[askaboutautism-inactive]

I have popcorn ceilings(but this also happened at my last house that didn't have them) and if I look up for a bit some areas seem like the bumps are moving back and forth. might this be an autistic thing? it happens whether my glasses are on or off, so I don't think it's just to do with my eyesight

It might not be an autistic thing and just something your eyes do. I am not a vision expert, but there are certain cells in your visual system that are responsible for looking at small objects and it is possible that if you stare long enough, you might perceive movement. 

Hope this helps, 

Ayo

[askaboutautism-inactive]

pal as someone whos transness is influenced by my neurodivergency saying that its a pathological state is, in fact, pathologizing. pushing the narrative that being trans is a neurodivergency is not beneficial to any trans person, and claiming that transness is not an identity is incredibly harmful. and by claiming that its something that somebody is born with, you are erasing people who have had different identities in their lifetime, all of which were valid.

Response regarding trans identities

-Sabrina

[askaboutautism-inactive]

are there ways to STOP stimming?? like, I scratch as a stim, sometimes objects around me such as a seat I'm sat on or the pages of a book that's in front of me or sometimes myself. but when I scratch myself, if I'm having a really bad meltdown it can hurt and sometimes my nails dig in and I bleed. I feel like I can't help it, is there some way I can train myself to stop??

It’s generally a bad idea to try to stop stimming as stimming is done for a purpose. It’s best to try to divert to a different stim instead. Try to figure out what it is that stimming does for you and try to figure out something else that would fill the same need without injuring yourself. Some stims that might help would be squeezing a stim toy hard or hugging yourself tight. 

-Sabrina

[askaboutautism-inactive]

Can dysautonimia be caused by autism?

Not as far as I am aware though there does seem to be a higher occurrence of dysautonomia in autistic people than the general public.

-Sabrina 

[askaboutautism-inactive]

i have a sp interest in a person kinda, like minor star, while making me happy, im also kinda uncomfortable with. i keep it in mind i dont hero worship i just have an arbitrary fascination. despite that im still a lil weirded out and its not one i like to talk w people about, despite engaging in it about every day last year. im not sure my question. am i good? tips on making sure yr not overstepping? the only person i liked infodumping w i talk to rarely these days.

In my opinion, as long as you are not engaging in stalking behaviors or otherwise causing harm to a person, then a special interest in a person is ok. Since this person is a celebrity I’m assuming you don’t actually know them in real life which makes it easier to avoid dangerous behaviors. Some things to avoid (particularly if it’s someone you actually know) would be:

Don’t harass them. Don’t send tons of messages or anything like that

Be wary of idolization (though it sound like you’re already careful of this)

Be aware of boundaries (more important if you actually know the person)

Try to be aware of their faults as well as their good points

Hopefully this helps!

-Sabrina

[askaboutautism-inactive]

So, when I got upset and meltdown, I was really emotional and short tempered the rest of the day, leading to several bursts of smaller meltdowns throughout the day. I did my best to avoid my meltdowns because I was at work. Was this suppressing my meltdowns, causing one to stretch out all day like that? Or was it just that having a meltdown leaves a person more upset and susceptible to them afterwards? It was completely miserable.

It could be either. Meltdowns tend to leave us more vulnerable to further meltdowns which can become a vicious cycle. You can also suppress a meltdown to an extent leading to several smaller meltdowns. If you had a meltdown initially then I would guess that you had several smaller meltdowns in the aftermath. If you didn’t have one when you first felt it coming on then it is likely you suppressed it.

-Sabrina

[askaboutautism-inactive]

I have serious problems with heat and sunlight and every year i have sensory overloads every time i have to go outside (inside also isn't great because we don't tend to have air conditioning here because our buildings are old and ~30°c is the upper end). I have gel ice packs, take cool water, wear tonnes of sunscreen, stick to the shade etc. Any other ideas? I cant wear sunglasses or hats so it's mostly the heat I'm focusing on

The only thing I can think of is those fan/water bottle things that spray mist at you. That could be helpful.

Followers, does anyone have anyone other suggestions?

-Sabrina

[askaboutautism-inactive]

Can executive dysfunctionality affect special interests? Because i want to learn about my favourite things but i either just can't ? or i cant work out where to find accurate information

Yes, executive dysfunction can affect how you interact with your special interest. It can make it difficult to research your SpIn or to learn more about it in general.

-Sabrina

[askaboutautism-inactive]

Sometimes I feel link I'm faking my autism and other disorders and it scares me. I'm terrified of reading stuff in case I feel like I have it and then start to fake it (so far tho whatever disorder I thought I had I was dead on and knew in advance for Sure before diagnosed yet I still feel like I'm faking)

Faking something takes effort so you would know if you were faking something. If you are worried that you are faking, then you aren’t. You may start to display more traits as you read about them but that is generally due to feeling validated and more comfortable behaving naturally.

-Sabrina

[askaboutautism-inactive]

Itaat? To not feel hunger or thirst always? I sometimes start showing signs of dehydration but not feel thirst.

Yes. Many autistic people are hyposensitive to their interoceptive sense (the sense of what is going on in your body). This can make it difficult to sense hunger and thirst.

-Sabrina

[askaboutautism-inactive]

Is stimming out of boredom still considered stimming? I get bored easily & I always need do to something (often it means stimming), otherwise I'll be frustrated.

Yes. Autistic people stim to for many reasons which can include boredom.

-Sabrina

[askaboutautism-inactive]

i saw someone ask about the difference between stimming and fidgeting. I probably allistic but I do have ADHD and I stim. I see stimming and fidgeting as two different things. fidgeting (for me) is more like regulating the energy in your body by doing small things that let the extra energy out, like doodling or tapping or, at least for me, chewing. stimming is more about calming down or protecting yourself, but it can be done for fun too. that is how I see the difference, but that's just me.

Response to anon asking about stimming/fidgeting

-Sabrina

[askaboutautism-inactive]

Is it normal with autistic ppl to stim wile anxious/upset/etc. as a way of coping with unpleasant emotions? It's kinda like whatever negative emotion I'm feeling manifests in my stimming (if that makes sense)

Yep, that is very normal. Stimming is one of the ways that autistic people self-regulate emotions. 

-Sabrina

[askaboutautism-inactive]

Can singing be counted as a stim? Also do other autistic people have different stims for different moods? I chew when I'm nervous or upset, I slap my thighs when I'm excited, and basically I sing whenever I can sing (I'm sick now though and it hurts)

Singing can definitely be a stim!

Most autistic people have different stims for different moods. My husband can usually tell what I’m feeling based off of how I’m stimming at the moment. 

-Sabrina

[askaboutautism-inactive]

I was tested for autism and ADHD, and I have the latter, but not the former. But I see so many autistic traits in myself that are more than my ADHD, and I've done a lot of research, and I was wondering if I could still consider myself a self-dx autistic, even though the doctor said there's "no way" I could have autism?

Yes, you can still be autistic even if a doctor said you aren’t. Doctors are not infallible and they do make mistakes. You know yourself far better than a doctor who sat down with you for a few hours and administered some tests. If you’ve researched things thoroughly and think you are autistic, then it is fine to call yourself autistic.

-Sabrina

[askaboutautism-inactive]

what's the difference between stimming and just fidgeting? like if I'm playing with putty in class what makes it stimming and not fidgeting? (I'm self dx either autistic or ADHD)

Stimming is behavior that serves a purpose whether that purpose is emotional regulation, sensory regulation, expression, or anything else. Fidgeting tends to be the result of boredom in neurotypical people. Stimming and fidgeting are very similar but the term stimming is for neurodivergent who have had their movements stigmatized. Stimming is a term to reclaim our natural body language from the stigmatizing language that is often used by psychiatrists to talk about us. 

-Sabrina