#autismn

[cxlxrblindchamelexn]

growing up with (understated and undiagnosed) audhd in a local majority religion which highly valued service and fellowship was interesting because my fellow believers could tell something was off but instead of bullying me about it their response was to very earnestly assure everyone including me that I was normal while regularly offering to do things like help me put my socks on until i was an adult (slight exaggeration)

sometimes kind people are bad at showing it, and that's ok. but. i think we should figure out how to avoid doing that to people

[cxlxrblindchamelexn]

how come every time i develop a crush it's the kind that goeth not out but by prayer and fasting

[cxlxrblindchamelexn]

there is a genre of person who thinks that confidently recounting mangled factoids from scishow videos for hours is productive and intelligent conversation and with this sort of person i struggle

[cxlxrblindchamelexn]

a pet peeve of mine is when I'm trying to solve a basic issue with some neurotypical folks and it takes twice as long or is left "unresolved" because they assume we're working with similar knowledge bases and levels of competence. like no you don't understand. I am an Authority on this subject.

an inverse peeve is when other autists are so used to being the Authority on most subjects that they confuse mangling some factoids from a youtube short with extrapolating on data. some of my friends and I technically have a few special interests in common, but conversations on those subjects often devolve into my friend delivering a lengthy and wildly inaccurate lecture while I go "oh wow. I. didn't know that"

[cxlxrblindchamelexn]

if you have strong reason to believe that you're autistic but a healthcare provider has indicated the contrary because "you understand other peoples' emotions so well", please suggest to them that they are interpreting the criterion of social difficulty too narrowly; there are other ways to struggle. if that is their *only* cause for doubt, you are almost certainly on the spectrum. especially if you are a woman with a male provider

[cxlxrblindchamelexn]

when I think of the habits of cleanliness and health that executive function disrupts as "taking care of myself", I do not change. when I have the rare privilege of recontextualizing them as the love languages of someone I care for, change becomes almost easy. maybe not being able to function healthfully while alone is not a moral failing. I wish it were easier to stop being alone. maybe I should get a cat

[cxlxrblindchamelexn]

an autistic dating experience of all time is going on a first date with someone who is undiagnosed but obviously also on the spectrum, getting a little too comfortable, confiding in them about your own diagnosis, and then watching their eyes dim as they begin trying to extricate themselves from the situation without offending you. being autistic, they may be pretty heavy-handed about it and may for example say "would you look at the time" and then jog stiffly away

[cxlxrblindchamelexn]

being roommates with guys is interesting because one will be named Brian and he's extremely reserved but starts threatening to kill himself in the groupchat whenever someone leaves a cheeto on the counter and the other will be named something like Chaz and he's actively working to disprove what he calls "germ theory" by using nothing but Brian's handtowels to clean his hands of raw meat and trying to kiss you on the cheek if he hears you've got the flu. and both will think this is Extremely Normal Behavior in contrast with your Incomprehensible autistic/adhd tendencies, which include preferring Quiet and being Messy sometimes. Chaz will try to "cure" you with decibel exposure therapy. Brian will pitifully give you his French fries, unless he is currently on suicide watch. they will never be diagnosed, themselves