About 80% of being late-diagnosed #neurodivergent (#ADHD, #autistic, or #Audhd) is finding out that we're not horrible fuckups who lack the willpower or moral fortitude to function like the normies. But rather that our brains just run on different firmware and we were never taught how deal with.
When I sit and stare at something (I'm doing a lot of this the last few days) the material e.g. concrete, appears to undulate gently like the ocean. It's like I'm on a low dose of mushrooms all the time. Anyone know what this is about?
@actuallyautistic Late diagnosed here, last year aged 55. I'm remembering stuff from my life and going "ah, that makes sense" a lot. An example is when I was accused of skipping school(I was waiting for my Dad to pick me up for an appointment, with permission) and I just meekly took a telling off from the Head of House because I didn't have the words to tell her she was wrong.
@arisummerland@actuallyautistic I could never talk to teachers or tutors. Hated admitting I needed help so I nearly failed my first year at University. There's more help now, my #autistic son has a counsellor.
‘Neural noise’ could be a hidden advantage of the autistic mind
But some research, including our own study, has explored specific advantages in autism. Studies have shown that in some cognitive tasks, autistic people perform better than allistic people.
Autistic people face ignorance, prejudice and discrimination that can harm wellbeing. Poor mental and physical health, reduced social connections and increased “camouflaging” of autistic traits are some of the negative impacts that autistic people face.
So, research underlining and investigating the strengths inherent in autism can help reduce stigma, allow autistic people to be themselves and acknowledge autistic people do not require “fixing”.
The autistic brain is different. It comes with limitations, but it also has its strengths.
@actuallyautistic If you are an #autistic adult with a #servicedog trained to assist autistic adults… would you mind sharing some of the ways your service dog was trained to support you? Thank you!
Had a big videocall at work today and suddenly realized I am avoiding eye contact even in videocalls. Like, I subconsciously avoid looking at people who are looking at the camera, even if they are those who’re talking. I look at those who look away, I look at those who sit too far from the camera to actually see where they’re looking, I look at myself, I look at Slack’s UI, I constantly remind myself to not look over the screen, but can’t help glancing. Anything but looking at those who seemingly look at me. Even though they are not actually here and most time in those group calls it means they are not actually looking at me.
Other #autistic folks, do you find it easier to look people in the eyes in video-calls or do you struggle with it too? @actuallyautistic #neurodivergent #AuDHD
The good thing about being an #autistic#adhd software developer is that my mind tends to be very logical and focused on optimized code.
But it sucks when I find a bug, and I can’t immediately see the cause or a fix. Because my brain simply WILL NOT let the problem go at the end of the workday, and it leaves me in a sour and irritable mood until I can figure out a fix.
Half the time I don’t even realize how much it’s making me cranky at everyone around me.
Or, an autistic who isn't afraid and/or shy to share that they are actually autistic?
Or, an autistic person who is active in the autism acceptance “movement” (if we can call it that)?
Or, perhaps, an autistic who were interviewed and disclosed they're autistic?
Maybe you have other considerations or criteria that defines “openly autistic” for you?
NOTE: Being openly autistic is a choice and is not for everyone. I think it is safe to say that we all face discrimination, stereotyping, and prejudice for being actually autistics, thus, most choose not to be open about it.
However, recently, there has been a slow growth in numbers of openly autistics, and like with most things in life, we have different criteria, definitions, and cultural considerations.
Thus, I am curious what you think, personally or maybe your immediate environment or organisation, is an openly autistic person. Or, when do you consider one as openly autistic.
Again, this is not about if an autistic person should be openly autistic or not. ^_^
@actuallyautistic folk, has anyone watched this? I'm a little skeptical because once again in the description we get "autistic or learning disabled" people, and while this isn't about providing services it maybe does perpetuate this notion that we all have the same needs (especially as this is, in the BBC's words, for Autism Acceptance week). But I adore Michael Sheen and I am definitely intrigued by the concept.
@sordid@actuallyautistic@br00t4c Well, I suppose you could look at it that way. Me, I've got multiple anxiety issues: I'm #autistic, and I have #PTSD, so when I encountered her book I was in need of 'establishing order in chaos'...I found that her philosophy had its merits.
Since April is #AutismAwarenessMonth, I felt like I should amplify the fact that people with #Autism and #Autistic spectrum disorders almost unanimously feel that #AutismSpeaks is counterproductive in that it actively avoids allowing autistic representation, and focuses on suppressing autistic traits in general rather than trying to bolster coping skills and give autistic people wider acceptance in society.
It's the equivalent of an organization about people in wheelchairs, run entirely by people who are inconvenienced by them, pulling attention away from advocacy for ramps in order to find ways to make the wheelchairs less obtrusive, at the expense of the people in wheelchairs.