On World Mental Health Day, don't forget that I have a short and (I'm told) interesting podcast episode on neurodivergence and mental health.
Take a look if you've got 12 minutes to spare to build your understanding of how mental health can show up for different brains, and to reflect on what you want and need.
@actuallyautistic Having major depressive disorder with generalized anxiety disorder as a co-morbidity of #autism is challenging. I tend to be more depressed in the mornings and feel almost depression free at night. The condition is puzzling and frustrating. For anybody else experiencing depression, do you have specific times of the day where the depression is or seems worse?
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. ❤️🩹
We have to stop holding Autistic children 100% responsible for a world that bombardment them with hostility, and professionals that not only don't know how to support them, but don't care that they don't know.
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.
"Nah, I don't stim!"
"Is THIS stimming?"
"I stim, therefore I am"
-from "Initiation Rites for the Late-Identified #ActuallyAutistic "-
I really thought I don't stim. I don't rock or flap my hands or jump or chew things or make stimmy sounds.
Of course, I do softly grind my teeth (sometimes I may wear night guard during daytime too), wiggle my toes or legs, enjoy knitting simple patterns (= the same repetitive motion), fidget like there's no tomorrow with any small object I can get my hands on and may start picking my nails if I can't find anything else, doodle, I might undo my hair and braid it while watching TV, or braid tassels of my throw blanket...
Stimming is healthy and good for you. Do it.
If -as is the case with many late-identified autists- you have suppressed your stims or been pressured to stop and feel like you have forgotten how to stim, then try to start again. Learn about different stims and just try different ones until you find something that does the trick for you.
In my experience, people who are most eager to tell me, that I "can't be" #ActuallyAutistic because I don't fit their very narrow and very outdated stereotypical ideas, are the first to run for the hills when -as inevitably happens sooner or later- I flash my #Autism stripes...
@actuallyautistic#ActuallyAutistic so many thanks to those who have made feel feel heard and welcome here in the past weeks. the story thus far: 41 years of "muddling thru" depression, anxiety, misc mysterious health problems, etc when one day a new friend (very rare!) shared with me that they are autistic, and respectfully asked me if i might be too.
this [re]kindled lots of thoughts and feels and sent me down a path of recognizing and uncovering some fairly autistic-seeming traits and behaviors that i had been ignoring or suppressing. i have lately been thinking of myself as "provisionally autistic" which is how i'm trying to walk this line between, one the one hand, not mentally framing Autism As One True The Explanation For Everything and stretching things to try to force them to fit; and, on the other hand, not giving in to Autistic Imposter Syndrome. i want "provisionally autistic" to be a comfortable in-between place where i can "let myself be as autistic as i am" without "trying to be autistic when i'm not" and just observe myself and see how it goes. if that makes any sense?
but (and this is a question mainly to all you late/recent adult [self/]dx folks out there, but of course also anyone else who wants to respond):
How do you KNOW?
i'm stuck in this place where lots of things seem relatable and plausible but there is no sense of AHA IT FITS. there's no THIS FINALLY EXPLAINS IT. i know it's early for me yet -- i've been taking this seriously for weeks not years -- and i probably have to be patient with myself . . . but ggghhhghg.
maybe i'm just venting? i don't know. i'm having a day.
@samiam@actuallyautistic What made it all make sense is another student (I was 60 when this happened) described her issues buying clothes, that the shade of blue mattered, and whether they were too rough or not...basically, sensory processing disorder. Lists of symptoms didn't make sense until then - and they don't always include SPD as a symptom, but a former counselor said she'd never met anyone with #autism who didn't have it.
A friend who vlogs about solo travel noticed a sign about sensory sensitivity aboard a #Carvinal cruise ship today. Has anyone had experience with their "sensory inclusivity" program or #KultureCity?
The single best way to support neurodivergent people, in the workplace and in life, is to educate yourself about the different forms of neurodivergence.
Learn about the needs, strengths, weaknesses, tendencies, perspectives, and, most importantly, lived experiences of neurodivergent people.
The right way to do this is to listen to neurodivergent people. Follow us on social media. Read our blogs. Get to know us IRL. If you aren't listening to us, you aren't learning about us; you are only learning other people's opinions about us.
As with any minority group, learning about neurodivergent people will force you to reassess many assumptions about people and society that you don't even realize you hold. You will grow as a person. And that is exactly what we need from you.
1 + 7 = 8, although an even number, it symbolises infinity and eternity, and us #ActuallyAutistics
13 is also special.
A Prime
An Odd
A Fibonacci number
And depending on whom you ask:
The 8th Fibonacci number
The 7th Fibonacci number
Ironically:
The anniversary of my first romantic relationship was on: 1997-07-17. It was my first love who picked that, and she had no idea what my favourite numbers are.
My height is 175 cm or 5'7.5" to 5'8.5" (depending on whom you ask).
Favourite time of the day: 07:00 and 19:00 (7pm). 19 is the 8th Prime. (There's 8 again.)
@Zumbador@Susan60@actuallyautistic I've actually taken a class in SPED, and how #autism is presented in that context is solely in terms of autism plus - autism plus ADHD, autism plus trisomy 21, etc.
Autism is like having an overclocked brain, one that's more affected by sensory processing disorder and subject to the anxiety of trying to process environmental data; to add another condition makes the effect of both more severe to the individual.
1/2
Four Different Autism Subtypes Identified by Brain Activity (from April 2023)
Using a combination of machine learning and neuroimaging data, researchers report people on the autism spectrum can be classified into four different subtype groups based on brain activity and behavior.
Accommodation Or Abuse: The False Choice Managers Have With #Neurospicy Employees
Do you want to be a leader or manager who actually works with your neurodivergent employees, or do you want to create a hostile, toxic, and inefficient work environment because of the fragility of your ego?
So, I had the last week off work, but now I'm back, and I'm struggling to find any motivation to engage.
Even here, and I thoroughly enjoyed the last week.
Would that be considered autistic inertia?
The term “self-diagnosed” developed wide acceptance and use prior to my realization that I am autistic. I honor and value the history of my communities of autistics by understanding the meaning being communicated by that term. I do not try to change anyone’s use of that term, but I do not use it myself. I share this here in case others have similar ideas or want to discuss.
I strongly believe that no one is entitled to know any diagnosis of another. That information can be shared freely by the person diagnosed but should never be required. This goes for autism, mental health conditions, pregnancy, HIV infection, and even COVID infection.
Diagnoses are tied to medical, psychiatric, and educational institutions that perpetuate racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, classism, eugenics, and more. The existence of well-meaning professionals and the benefits of sharing commonly understood categorizations do not eliminate the danger that can be associated with knowledge if diagnoses. Thus, every individual should have full control over who has access to that knowledge, in order to maintain agency over their own lives.
It is my best guess that I would meet the current diagnostic criteria for ASD. If I were to say that I am self-diagnosed, that would be what I mean. But I do not say that. Now that I understand what autism is, I do not care whether I meet the criteria for ASD. I simply communicate that I am autistic. How others interpret that communication is up to them.
@Gtmlosangeles@autistic[email protected]@actuallyautistic@allautistics I self-diagnosed myself with an auto-immune disease, correctly, and had it affirmed by a pro. Self-diagnosis is often the first step in seeking professional affirmation and help and no less valid for #autism than it is for allergies or arthritis.
There are just some mornings where I wake up and it feels like my brain and body are ringing the alarm bells that something is terribly wrong but I can't puzzle out why I'm overcome with panic and dread.
@spika I have always had trouble getting started in the morning. Lately I’m connecting the dots with my #Autism and executive issues. The flood of what I’m facing in the day is what daunts me most.
I try to form a game plan of the things I most want to tackle in the day. Once done, I magically find myself able to get going. The transitions of bathing and the commute are helpful too.
The plan often evaporates during the day, but that’s my patten.
I'm in flow when I can focus on the endless beautiful forms and patterns of nature. I love seeing how things connect. I used to observe nature as a job (as a scientist), but I could not survive in academia.
I'm also a mom.
A year or so ago, I found out about neurodivergence. Reading and listening to the accounts of autistic people sharing their experience filled me with an overwhelming feeling of peace and kinship. This lead to a path of self-discovery. I'm also learning about ADHD as my partner and my kid are AuDHD.