Looks like most #cats have #AuDHD with all its contradictions:
They need routine and don’t feel OK when the normal routine is disrupted, but sometimes out of nowhere suddenly start doing weirdest things
They have strong food preferences, but sometimes would occasionally devour something highly inappropriate or get interested in something that is totally out of their normal eating range
They are curious and every new object draws their attention, and they hate to be disrupted when occupied, but would suddenly switch attention to something else half-way to their goal
They easily get bored and lose interest in playing, and the toy that was their favourite yesterday annoys them tomorrow
Extremely demand-avoiding, but actually seek good pats
Sometimes would spend 20 hours a day on a coach doing seemingly nothing
Temperature and texture sensitive
Seem unpredictable to outsiders and would sometimes have a meltdown totally out of the blue (to the bystander eye)
Need to be alone to recover from undesirable interactions
Ketanji Brown Jackson: "We struggled when she was young trying to really understand what she needed. What she needed to be ... for support in education and in other areas. But we didn't have a diagnosis. We didn't know that she was #autistic until about seventh grade."
@actuallyautistic
I struggle with my autism. I try not to waste time on irrelevant things that don't really interest me that much and that my cat-like curiosity pushes me towards. Many of these things cause me more laughter than interest or serious reflection. But this laughing at the world thing tends to consume too much of my time and energy and I have to set limits for myself as if I were my own child.
Fellow #autistic , #AuDHD, #ADHD and other #neurodivergent folks, do you relate to that stereotype that we always choose the smallest spoon?
I couldn’t relate to it because no, I won’t eat soup with the smallest spoon.
Because choosing the right spoon is more complex than just size.
For my soup, the spoon should be deep and with proper proportions to keep the perfect balance, so I need to do less deeps in order to finish my bowl and spill less soup doing so(and yes, I prefer eating liquid food from bowls and not plates because it helps to maintain the temperature, lets grab it more efficiently and spill less if accidentally moving the bowl or the table) - which is quite important taking to consideration the usual autistic dyspraxia. It also has to be right to touch(not rough), without sharp edges. I hate too small or too shallow spoons for soup because using those means I would get tired of the process of eating way before I finish it.
On the other hand, for all the yoghurts and other packed desserts I find even a teaspoon to be too big, so I buy coffee spoons, and I use them for eating everything that comes in those small plastic/foil containers - because it’s just the right size in proportion and because it’s easier to reach each corner.
But, for the desserts that come in a glass, I have cocktail spoons, because there should always be a certain distance between my hand on the spoon and the glass, and it should be able to reach to the bottom and not sink inside.
Any spoon should, of course, have a right balance, touch, shape and edges.
Though, all of these things with a spoon are nothing compared to the forks!
My family ridicules me for my quest for finding The Right Fork.
The fork should not just be correctly balanced, nice to touch and with smooth edges, oh no, for a fork what’s actually important is the teeth! They should be long, but not too broad and not too narrow, not too thick and not too thin, and spaced correctly, and with sharp enough tips, but not sides, rather roundish than flat, and just curved at a right angle so my wrist doesn’t go in an uncomfortable position whether I’m trying to pick something or to hold something while cutting. Ah, and the side should be just right to be able to cut my food, but not my mouth. And, of course, almost everything that’s not liquid gets eaten by the fork.
Ah, and also I have fruit forks. Those tiny ones. Because I have a habit of making a fruit plate daily(cut a few fruits in thin slices), and eating them with a fruit fork allows me to not have juicy hands afterwards :). These have to be as little as possible without making my fingers tough the food, and also sharp enough.
So nooo, I don’t relate to ‘always chose the smallest spoon’, but can’t say I don’t care about the cutlery either
@actuallyautistic There is something that I have always liked in my daily life and that I recently understood is autism. I have always liked having routines, the same every day. I cannot explain why I like it so much. For example, having the same breakfast every day, at the same time, with the same utensils, the exact temperature of the water for tea or mate, always having lunch at the same time and sometimes even spending months eating the same thing. When I can regulate my activities following routines, schedules, rituals, it is a huge pleasure, a great tranquility.
Also listening to the same music hundreds of times, repeating the same exercise countless times (that's how I became an expert in martial arts or chiropractic techniques). Rotating movements, the mastery of which is so important in some martial arts. Repeating a guitar lick to exhaustion until you can do it while sleeping.
For many people, this repetition can bore or stress them. For me, it gives me a lot of pleasure and tranquility.
:catjam: :ablobcatnod: #autism#autistic#actuallyautistic
@actuallyautistic
One of the remarkable things about getting older is the change in musical preferences. I have always liked music, almost all musical genres. I have been a musician for several years and I have studied music at the University and I liked to listen to everything from rock, jazz and folklore from different countries, to classical and oriental music, Chinese, Japanese, etc. With the years and the tinnitus problems I hardly listen to loud music or music that induces accelerated or agitated states. I have drugged my brain listening to progressive bands, Yes, Pink Floyd, Emerson Lake and Palmer, etc., etc. On the other hand, my greatest musical loves are on the jazz side, with Mingus, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Joe Pass, etc. And, of course, my two most beloved classics are Bach and Mozart.
But now that I am older, most of the time my favorite music is silence, only adorned with a background of purring from my cats and the birds in my garden. And when I'm reading, programming, and hacking, I listen to jazz, classical, and shakuhashi flute.
I realized that perhaps throughout my life music has been one of my strongest autistic special interests and at the same time my best resource for self-regulation when I'm overwhelmed and on the verge of collapse.
Responses are still open for this survey on Autistic experiences of CAMHS in England and Wales. I would really appreciate people filling out this survey and sharing it onwards for others. The more data we collect, the stronger the results I can present to the CQC.
Since three things are a thing and since I'm weird and have my own take on this. Three things I have noticed since joining Mastodon.
That half the posts I see are clearly an incantation of some sort in some strange techno-speech, that I can't even begin to understand, but can only hope aren't being aimed at me.
The incredible care and kindness that a community of seriously disturbed weirdos and degenerates are capable of spreading, without any agenda or desire for personal gain, that I have never experienced anywhere else.
The sheer wonder and joy and no small amount of horror, of being welcomed into the #Autistic community here and finding the acceptance and respect and sheer fact that I am finally being seen, that I have never experienced, ever.
@pathfinder
No need to worry about the incantations - we generally aim those at machines that refuse to work and people deliberately trying to sabotage... Everyone else should be reasonably safe, as long as the incantations work as intended. They mostly either do or backfire.
Fellow #autistic people, do you also use parenthesis at the end of the sentence, especially in messaging, too much for other people liking?)
Like, not to mark a joke, but rather as a marker ‘I am saying that with a friendly smile, I don’t mean anything bad’?
I know that in real life I use smile a lot as it’s my way to cover awkwardness, confusion, misunderstanding - and to kinda soften the perceived tone of the conversation, so when writing casual messages to people, I am subconsciously afraid to sound rude, harsh or hostile, so I end almost every sentence with a smile. Just trying to be friendly) Even sometimes in contexts where I’m apparently not supposed to get that informal)
Do you also do something like that? @actuallyautistic #AuDHD #neurodivergent
I went in the staff room to make a cup of tea. There were two allistics both on their phones ignoring the TV blasting in the corner.
I turned it off, they didn't seem to notice. Must be nice sometimes to be so insensitive to things.
There's a balance between the benefit of the warmth of a fan heater and the noise which it makes for autistic people like me. The noise is detrimental and the warmth is promotional but there comes a point at which the warmth isn't necessary compared to the need for silence. #Autism#autistic#neurodiverse#ActuallyAutistic@actuallyautistic
I slept for about 11 hours last night. I'm trying to make up for a sleep deficit on Sunday night (the kids kept me up all night). I've struggled to sleep my whole life, but now finally that I have accepted my AuDHD diagnosis I can lie in bed and just rest because I accept I need it and often sleep well.
I've had it suggested that I don't notice when I am stressed or anxious and that my migraines are a manifestation of that.
In other news I've had two migraines in two days and I'm lying in a darkened room having left work early.
even tho i'm anxious af, i wanna find new people to interact with? not saying "friends", because this word has a strong meaning for me, but good companions? would be nice. interactions through boosts / favs are fine too! or you can just send me cat pictures or virtual hugs sometimes, it also works. and will makes me feel better & less lonely. :blobcatcozy:
@actuallyautistic can anyone recommend resources on managing your energy long-term to avoid #autistic burnout?
I've gotten much better at avoiding or managing overwhelm from short-term stressors like crowded places or sensory stimulation.
What I still don't handle well is when multiple days in a row are not exhausting but demanding. I don't notice enough that I get drained and then have to recuperate for a day or more (which is difficult to fit into my everyday life). #ActuallyAutistic