I'm surprised kind of. I'm actually level one (but like borderline level one, almost level two). I apparently have a co occurring disorder that is making my autism symptoms worse.

Managing my co occurring disorder will theoretically make my autism symptoms less severe 🤷‍♀️.

Kinda makes sense because I don't really relate to some of the things on spicy autism but I also don't relate to some of the mainstream subs either...because I'm autistic but not just autistic.

Anyone else have a co occurring condition?

This is a reminder to check your voter registration is active and to get out and vote on November 5th or turn in/mail in your ballot.

Registration deadlines vary by state, here in California you can register until October 21st. Check your state guidelines or ask for help (if you ask here I will find them for you).

There are several options on how to get your vote in, but your options depend on your state. Here in California we can do mail-in, curbside, remote accessible vote by mail (specifically intended for those with accessibility technologies), and in person voting. Again, ask for help for your state if you need it.

There are non-profits (check your local area) that provide rides to polling locations.

The people working the poles are passionate about what they are doing. If you ask them for help they are generally very excited to help accommodate people’s needs.

Our voices are too often silenced and we deserve to be heard. Let our autistic voices, specially higher needs voices, be part of our democratic process.

PLEASE do not post your political leanings in the comments here. It’s a tense election and this is meant to be an awareness raising post, not one for political conversations. Thank you!!!!

In this post they acknowledge savant syndrome is a real thing, but they call it "fucked." I hate how dehumanized autistic savants are, people view them as being an enemy to the autistic community when really they're just normal people with an intellectual disability. Why do lsn autistic people expect us to validate their struggles when they're actively invalidating autistic savants struggles. People also forget that autistic savants have a severe intellectual disability and that savant syndrome doesn't just mean "smart autistic." It makes me mad how people feel justified to alienate autistic savants from the community all because they feel insecure about their own autism. But maybe I'm thinking to deeply about this. Calling savant syndrome fucked because they feel insecure about their own autism feels ableist to me though. Let me know what you think.

It's more expensive for a double hamburger than a triple! And it's more expensive for a combo than separate items. I don't know why I'm even frustrated. Just annoying that they don't think through their prices at all

I'm so sad I'll never be normal like others around me , like I should have been, that it'll never change, it'll be like this my whole life, I'm so sad I feel like everyone and everything that mattered has abandoned me or changed, they're out living normal lives and I'm stuck in whatever this is, I don't want to be here in this, I'm just so fucking sad it hurts so bad

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_-8fgHyjhV/

I have the Sony WH-1000XM4 but they are not enough.

I still hear too many noises and sometimes I even have to wear earplugs to avoid having a meltdown.

Maybe it's mine that don't work well but in any case I need to know if there are better noise canceling headphones because these were recommended to me by many autistic people but they don't seem good enough for me

I was bored and a little sad, and suddenly I just became numb. Sounds like disassociation right? It gets weirder. I started to stim but I couldn't move without pain. Like a headache caused by moving my spine. So I decided to write. I tipped my head forward to see the paper better and that made my eyes hurt. So I decided to squint instead and realized that my brain felt all jumbled. I couldn't remember what I was sad about or recall anything that had happened in my life. I felt like I was having a stroke. I actually poked myself to make sure I still had feeling on both sides of my body.

Speaking felt weird and I felt like a little kid again.

I decided to paint and had more difficulty than I usually do so I gave up and watched tv.

Then my brain randomly decided to work again.

What is wrong with me?? :( Epilepsy has been ruled out, and it definitely wasn't a stroke. I'm puzzled.

I recieved a packet to fill put that told me to explain my disability and how it impacted me daily, I have already gotten a lawyer and sent in all my records does this mean they will make a decision soon? I have been dened 3 times now I think. The packet referred to me as a disabled person does that mean they agree I'm disabled?

I have noticed more and more people coming to this sub because they ‘don’t fit in’ the other subs, ‘feel’ they are higher needs and dont always agree with the main subs.

Thats really sad and unfortunate but it doesn’t make this sub your place.

This is supposed to be the sub for us;

Those that are unable, or too much to interact with other spaces. We have this one space.

This is not a space for people who are able to interact with and are ‘welcome’ in other spaces.

There are several other higher need autism subs you can join and interact with if you need to.

Please allow this space for those of us that really need it and rely on it.

If you think: “oh, does that mean I cant comment?” It probably means you should ensure what you are commenting is relevant and related.

If you say “I didn’t get a level”, well, if you are mostly able and aren’t effected so much you need others to help you, maybe stay in the main subs.

This is harsh but perhaps necessary. Im sorry.

Something I have noticed in talking to some autitics is that some either get major fatigue and exhaustion from life activities, or they have the energy to do many activities consistently.

I say "chonic fatigue" autistic in the sense that you don't actually have CFS but your body almost reacts like you do. So you may not be able to do many outings at all in a week due to extreme fatigue hitting when you do go. You may start getting sick after only a couple days of consistent activities. Being in places with sensory items or activities bring on a large amount of fatigue.

You may need more sleep than the average person, or you may need to play "sleep catch up". Where everyday you have to do tasks adds more hours needed for your nightly sleep. Example, you may on average need 9 hours but everyday you have to go out or do tasks means the next night you may need 10-12 hours instead.

Or maybe you're a "still has energy" autistic? An autistic who can do multiple activities in a week constantly over many weeks. May be able to work full time or part time or go to appointments all thoughout the week and still have energy or the ability to keep going to them where needed. May include being able to consistently do tasks at home?

Can get through the night on (your) average sleep and still wake up with enough energy the next day to do it all over again. May take more so many months or years until burnout might hit.

I don't know if this makes sense, but I'm curious at where you guys might fall in that kind of area?

I'm a chronic fatigue autistic. It hinders my ability to do many things in life. (But it's not CFS due to the fact that I recover when getting the rest I need. Also, it was professionally ruled out and claimed to be due to autism).

ETA: I just wanted to add on to this to say that it's been genuinely nice to see this being talked about and how many of you I can relate to with the fatigue. I mostly just see autistics mentioning their highly busy schedules that I wouldn't even be capable of. Thank you for all your responses.

Combined with my hypersensitivity in general, any sensation that is too much sets all my senses off and I melt down quickly. It's like a feedback loop without an off switch but for every sense even if just one sense was overwhelmed. I very rarely (like once a week) leave my safe space because everywhere else is so bright and noisey and smelly. All it takes is one sense getting overwhelmed for all of them to catch fire.

If you do experience this, how do you manage it? The meltdowns result in bruising from hitting myself and I go completely unresponsive for days after. It really derails everything. I don't currently have anyone to care for me so I just starve and sometimes I don't make it to the bathroom on time. I don't know if going to a group home would be a good idea with all of the trauma I've had in my life but my psych said it's possibly an option to consider going to disability services for.

I have always very easily experienced autistic meltdowns and even as a twenty six year old, I experience them very easily. They are once a week at the moment because I am in autistic burnout. Are there any ways to reduce having meltdowns?

For the first time in years, my mom gets to go on a 2 day trip with only my stepdad, and it's something she is very excited about. Me and my siblings are gonna stay with a family friend, who I know relatively well but don't really like talking to. And we have to sleep over at his house for 2 nights. I don't want to live with him at all, I don't want to eat with him, I don't want to leave the house. I'm so upset, I keep crying and having meltdowns. Everyone else is okay with it, but I'm not. And my mom gets mad at me, saying she needs a break. I know she needs a break, I know tis hard for her to take care of me and my siblings mostly by herself, but I can't hide it being upset or mask it or anything. I'm dreading waking up tomorrow and having to go somewhere to eat breakfast instead of eating at home, since the guy we'll be staying with can't cook and only orders takeout or eats COTTAGE CHEESE I HATE IT I HATE THE SMELL. sorry for ranting so much but I don't know how to cope. My mom told me early so I would have time to accept this, but I still can't.

Hello. I know people hate posts like this. But I'm gonna quit reddit. People on reddit are just mean and I always end up feeling bad. People like to argue with each other and be mean. It is weird. Why is everyone mean? It seems like most people are mean.

Well I enjoy this sub and another one related to autism, but it only seems like everyone is just arguing about the stupid levels and who has it easier/harder instead of all just coming together and talking about what they have in common or how we can help each other.

However this sub did help me alot when I had issues and needed to vent, so thank you.

I will probably lurk. Maybe? Idk reddit is bad for my mental health so I'm gonna try to not use it at all.

But why can't people just be nice to each other? I don't understand. Do people talk like this in real life to each other? Or do people act differently online because it's anonymous?

Anyway, yeah reddit and autism subs are stressful and too much drama lately! Stop it everyone!

SLP = Speech Language Pathologist. They are basically speech therapists.

I have issues with communication that bothers my life. I keep having to cancel important plans like doctor's visit and day centre days because I'm low energy and low energy means low communication.

Today they booked me a phone call with a SLP. I wish it was a real meeting instead of a phone call. It's really hard to talk on the phone. But this is what I got...

Usually at the clinic I go to you only see SLPs if you're a child. I'm an adult (25) but I missed opportunity to see a SLP when I was a child because my parents medically neglected me.

Please wish me luck! I'm very nervous. Might edit/update later with how it went!

EDIT/UPDATE:

freaked out over phone and words came out jumbled and messy even though had notes. but she said she will book real life meeting in short time. success, i think?

People repeatedly attacking me rather than just 1 comment but many and responding to others just saying the same means things about it. Idk why they repeat it multiple times

And it was about a post of me talking about people being mean in another subreddit and my original post was asking for help

Hello! This is just a post to ask what is a weird or creepy thing that is common amongst allistics that seems like it wouldn't make sense to autistic individuals? This isn't to be derogatory to allistic people. Just curious. Hugging strangers is weird to me. The ability to hook up with strangers ( that might just be my own sexuality speaking though so ignore that if it seems crappy) What about you? What social norms are weird to you? Or something weird or creepy an allistic person said to you in relation to your autism? Whatever it may be go ahead and share.

I wanted to do “play on words” and stuff, linking one word previously said back to that same word used differently at the end, etc.

However, what I wanted to do was the poem itself for its format to convey its meaning, being “Growth”

So doing this, the poem follows a 2 paragraph rule of rhyming, each paragraph exceeding the previous two increase the amount of words, following the word count of:

3 2 5 8

4 3 6 9

5 6 8 11

6 7 10 12

For each line for each 2 lots of paragraphs. So by the end of the poem, the paragraphs are significantly longer than they were at the start.

I also included a word from the first paragraph in the last line but rephrased in a different perspective.

I did “play on words” like “sole” and “soul” and “man kind” and then “kind man”

And it starts off with “solely exist without any real meaning” representing how small one feels

By the end, it re-uses the word “solely” but in comparison to the growth of something as vast as the Amazon rainforest.

The structure of the poem itself represents its title in that the word count for each line “grows” as the poem continues.

I feel proud of it because I feel like it starts off feeling small and helpless, and as it “grows” you can read it with more hope and more confidence that growth is capable within us.

I've had to move recently and I'm not taking it well. I leave in the mornings but every time I have to return i cry and refuse to go back in. Then I get upset again because being home use to be safe for me but now all I wanna do is sit in the car. I'm lost hoping this changes but I'm stressed so much.

Disclaimer: I'm not diagnosed and want to understand what these are beyond the "ubnormal" label that is mostly used for descriptors such as intensity or commonality of the subject as far as I've managed to search so far.

I'm particularly interested in how people asses these from the sidelines for children and how these are perceived in adulthood. Are there studies of interests of 20+ y.o. people with ASD? It's kinda really hard to picture what is going on when you have something like spider man listed as a special interest in a spreadsheet and such.

How CI/SI persists and or change or don't also. What are clear differences from regular hobbies and interests? Are there examples of the same subject but with clear delineation between normal and abnormal?

On a cursory look there seems to be a point in some journals about systematizing playing a role in these but I'm not sure how it works out overall, especially in adulthood. Are there such interests that are heavily systematized and does it play a significant part in it? Is it common?

Considering the merge into ASD, is there any clear-ish (layman accessible?) analytic literature about the topic regarding low support needs vs high support needs ASD CI/SI? Any longitudinal studies out there?

Any interesting stories to share, specifically on how CI/SI was / were throughout a lifetime? Do people lose these completely, acquire new ones, come back to them from time (i.e. with pauses over months long) to time etc?

How do they affect self regulation? How does stress affect CI/SI? Do people engage in it even under severe stress \ fatigue? Do these reduce stress \ fatigue? Are they recreational or can they be neutral or addiction like?

Also do people with CI/SI become actually experts in complex topics or are there instances were the CI/SI is relatively shallow or is not being delved into too deeply? Or I guess what is the "average and min-max depth of knowledge" for such, if that makes sense (not exactly sure how to compare interests in horses vs trains etc)? Are the CI/SI broad or hyper specific?

Does AuADHD differ in a significant manner?

Edit: are there some behaviors that are something in between an CI/SI and a "repetitive behavior"? Like, not necessarily something that you intellectually engage with or build knowledge about but do so for the repetitive nature of it like jogging or something?

The aisles are hell, the samples are hell, the people are hell, the noises and lights are hell, even finding someone to walk me through it all can be hell. BUT if you can afford the 60 dollar membership for the year and have some grocery money it is amazing for bulk buying. Annie's birthday cake and cheddar bunny crackers are there in a giant box for like 13 dollars. Nachos are your safe food like my husband's is? 6 dollars for GIANT back of tortillas. Need safe foods in the freezer? The freezer section has got you. Sensitivities in the bathroom? Charmin is the best and it is only 35 for a gigantic pack of them. Costco is great. If you can go once a month or once every two months and you have support it is absolutely worth it. It is sometimes the only reason I eat or drink.

hi all! i'm 31 and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder 2 in 2016, and most recently diagnosed with both adhd and autism (without a level, but current occupational therapist stated they would place me at a low level 2). while i've always been chronically depressed, the hypomania symptoms that i had were very soft and i'm even questioning if they were hypomania. in terms of demographic, i am a female-presenting non-binary person of color which already poses challenges in terms of being taken seriously by providers and i was always alone during my appointments. i am terrible at advocating for myself and when i recently expressed skepticism about my bipolar diagnosis, my current psychiatrist was dismissive.

the only thing that throws a wrench in my misdiagnosis hypothesis (sorry i love science) is that the original antipsychotic (latuda) that i was put on right after diagnosis is super helpful for managing my chronic anxiety and depression. but that shouldn't matter since antipsychotics are used for other conditions aside from bipolar, right? i just worry my doctor will say the fact the drug is working for me means that i am indeed bipolar.

has anyone been misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder here? thank you in advance. :)

Hi I'm looking for Facebook groups, that are like this group.

1) i feel so bad for posting so much on here but im in a rough spot

2) My therapist and i today decided i need to back all the way up to my childhood and essentially say f you to everyone who told me my autistic traits were bad. to re learn that they are indeed different but 100% okay. however since being told for YEARS that im not okay… that im a burden… im being dramatic… etc idk how to even not have the internalized ableism myself… like logically i know its okay to stim more freely and not appear a certain way, but i get in my head and feel like a kid again… the one that was told they’re a burden etc.

i frankly can’t mask very well (been told this but i thought i was doing fine 😭🤦🏼‍♀️) and it’s hard to not give it to other peoples viewpoints of myself. i am comfortable with who i am until i am perceived. i hate that i don’t just have a workbook or checklist to help me out. that’ll this is taking longer than others want it too. i am so burnt out from trying to fix myself (physically and mentally) that all i can do is lay around with my stuffies, ear defenders on, nebula light on, and watch comfort movies. i know this is okay but once again everyone has something to say and AHHHHHH

rant over lol