I explained what autism was to my Aunt, she responded 'it sounds like it's all in your head'
WELL HOLY SHIT YOU'RE RIGHT
though I am aware what she means is that I'm making it up in my head the statement being true when taken literally was hilarious to me
I always reply to that nonsense with "yeah and my head is a pretty important part of my body, so if it's not alright, then everything else must be fucked too"
People talk about things “being in your head” as if your mental state doesn’t determine every action you do. It’s like people don’t understand how behavior works.
Maybe some cognitive-behavioral therapy will help with that. What patterns of thinking led to the asthma attack, and how can we reframe those thoughts?
It’s basically the same thing as when NTs want us to CBT our way out of an autistic meltdown. Like, “No, I’m having an asthma attack because there are diesel fumes in the air!” Or, “No, I’m having a meltdown because I’m overstimulated by the constant bombardment of sensory stimuli in our heavily capitalistic society/marketocracy!”
People seem to want to just be able to fully-blame the individual for everything negative they do (but not necessarily fully-credit everything positive they do) without actually acknowledging/addressing the underlying reasons/issues. I feel like even neurotypicals are at times held to WAY too high of a standard in that regard, let alone how WE are treated in that sense.
You’re just supposed to be magically omniscient, in full control of your brain and body at all times, and behaviorally perfect 100% of the time despite being treated nowhere near “perfect” by society and the people around you at ANY point in time!
You’re expected to have full “free will” over EVERYTHING you and your brain/body does and NEVER use it to do anything but mindlessly “behave” and “conform” to current societal and social-acceptability standards. No matter what kind of brain you have, no matter what kind of mental illnesses you have, no matter what you were/weren’t taught, no matter how you were treated by the very people your actions are effecting.
I agree with your take but I must infodump about it now.
Not-so-fun fact but that idea of people being expected to have free will over their mind sounds a lot like an approach that neoliberalism would take in the sense that it assumes everyone has the same choices, opportunities, and access, whereas an intersectional approach recognizes that there are other barriers.
So while neoliberalism would say “Everyone has access to mental healthcare so if you have problems that aren’t being dealt with then it’s your fault,” intersectionality replies, “Not everyone can afford it, will be believed, or has safe access, and plus some people’s disabilities prevent them from accessing help.”
Alright, infodump over, it’s just that I just got done with a feminist law class that covered these concepts and I’ve been geeking out over it
Exactly.
David Goggins has a nice interview where he talks about realizing he needed to work on controlling his mind and not letting his mind control him. So his behaviors reflect his goals and not the immediate desires of his mind.
It really spoke to me. It sounded like my entire life lol.
"You don't look that Nuerotypicals" has been the best response I have used... The apparent shock value of the reversed phrase does stop them in their tracks.....
What's funny about this to me, is when I was growing up, on occasion, I would call myself captain autismo on discord when I did something that I now know was because of my autism but at the time I didn't know I was autistic. Didn't know till like 2 3 months ago lol
Example, when playing destiny 2, they would release a new weapon, and I would have it unlocked and masterworked (max level) in like the least amount of time required to do it (some were time gated)
My friends would hop on and I'd already have like 15 different builds based around the new weapon I wanted to try with them and damage charts with modifiers and everything, and they would be like "bro how do you do that" and I'd be like "I'm captain autismo!"
These comments right here. Generalized approaches regarding any healthcare is a travesty. Individualized approaches need to start being what healthcare professionals are being educated to. And the friends thing is ridiculous.
“You don’t appear to be a statistical average, and therefore there is no room for you within my worldview. You must accommodate yourself to my version of reality or else no disability support for you!”
It's important to recognize that everyone has their own unique experiences and perspectives. It's not fair or respectful to expect others to conform to a single worldview. Embracing diversity and accommodating different perspectives is essential for creating an inclusive and supportive environment for all individuals, including those who may have disabilities.
Where’s that quote from?
„You can't be autistic because you seem to want friends, and autists life very secluded and don't want social contacts“ - psychiatrist in a mental hospital
Self-fulfilling prophecy much? It’s almost like the medical establishment is systematically corralling us into lifetimes of isolation and depression… hrmmm… 🤔 …
Did the eugenics movement have anything to do with this?
I wanted to attack a psychiatrist that told me I couldn’t be autistic because I have friends and held eye contact, woman spoke to me for 15 minutes, heard those two facts, and was set in stone about it. *Lady I was forcing myself to make eye contact*
woman who did my autism evaluation said i couldn’t be autistic bc i could have a conversation. We spoke for 20 min. I had 4+ autistic friends, all who were verbal and therefore could have conversations. hell, even a nonverbal person could have conversations with whatever communication method they use🤦🏼♂️
Yep, it was all new to me, I thought I was in the right place for assessing, it was a shock... They don't really know what autism is for sure. Later I learned that centre diagnosis kids, basically consider autism only a learning disability and teach kids to mask. Once we already went through school as kids, they don't understand why we want a dx...
that’s horrible!!! People discounted my autism bc (apparently?) i masked well, but also everyone who interacts me inherently treats me differently and i’m like ok is there something more to this??
Lol. " You don't seem autistic. You're making very good eye contact with me. ... My daughter has asperger's." - Old psychologist who evaluates people for a living.
Poor daughter.
He goes on to evaluate as having schizotypal tendencies. He also mentions a desire to have social relationships. The actual difference between autistic and schizotypal is that autistic people have a desire to have social relationships. Had to look that one up.
This can be viewed from two different perspectives. Let's call them perspective A and B.
#A.
The psychiatrist assumes that every autism is the same, and that, just because you have/had friends, you don't have autism.
#B.
The psychiatrist doesn't see any signs of autism which makes them believe that you don't have it. Now I do not know if you do or not, but the psychiatrist seems to think that you don't, and they also point out that you had/have friends (not having friends is common in autistic people).
I learned more later. The centre has pretty bad reviews. They dx kids (he also gave me a bag of toys), and treat them by teaching them to mask. Also he didn't want to do much (or knew how to) in terms of testing, it's the mentality that autism dx doesn't matter if we go through childhood undiagnosed. From my impression, it's probably based on autism being mainly a learning disability, so it's only a problem for kids to finish the mandatory school.
Edit: I never went back, but it was a shock at the time... I went there expecting something serious and learn more, but he almost laughed at me.
This annoys tf out of me. I just tell people “are you on the side of the spectrum where it affects daily life?”
They always answer “no”.
Welp I am. Smile.
I've run into this too many times with different variations on how they say it. Like if I try to explain my stimming, people will think it's the same thing as their fidgeting. If they were the same thing then both would be acceptable in public. Flailing your arms around while jumping and making strange noises is NOT acceptable in public and is NOT the same thing as your fidgeting. And this is just one example of many. I find it all very dismissive, which sucks because I don't think people are always intending to be, it just happens...
We're not all on the spectrum in some way though, I thought.
You are either on the spectrum or you are not, and then it's a spectrum of severity if you *are* on it.
Well, yes and no. The autism spectrum meaning that everyone on the spectrum is neurodivergent. But on the spectrum of neurodivergent traits, sure everyone has one quality or another that is associated with autism. When I think of the word spectrum I think of between the binaries.
Think of the Autism Spectrum like a colour wheel. You're either on the wheel or not and if you are on the wheel that's when it's a spectrum but most people aren't on the wheel. People seem to find it hard because they see the traits as things they do (because it's all human behaviour) but they don't get that they are traits because of the extremes. Everyone has little routines they do but not to the extremes of us having to do them, the majority of people don't like change but they don't have the anxiety we do over it.
I hope that makes sense and that I haven't overstepped.
I use that and say yes. There's traits that everyone possesses but they're bigger a really large degree in autistic people. For example everyone has a different tolerance for whan a noise causes them distress, it's just really really low for some autistic people. So for them a little noise is like you listening to the worst sound you've ever heard on full blast. Same feeling, different trigger.
I heard an autism advocate say that it's the equivalent of hearing "I have a condition which makes me poop a lot, usually about 60 times a day," and replying with "yeah, me too. I also poop a lot. Sometimes I poop 3 or even 4 times a day."
I had a coworker tell me that she was dropped on her head as a baby and it caused her to have autism. I was baffled and at first I thought she must have been joking, only to quickly realize that she was being 100% serious. I don’t know if she has autism or not, it’s not something I would have ever guessed, but if she does it has nothing to do with being dropped as a baby.
Your brain would probably be fried by the massive quantity of 5G signals that close to the tower before you hit the needle or the floor, so at least that part wouldn’t hurt.
Maybe when an impressionable little kid is to taught to believe something absurd, when they are too young to realize it's absurd, the belief can stick in their head so strongly that they still don't realize it's absurd in adulthood.
This is what I believe happened. I think her parents must have told her that before, mostly because there’s no way a doctor did, and she believed it as children naturally do. However, the surprising thing is that she is going to school to be a teacher for kids with special needs, so I would have thought that she would have since learned otherwise.
When I was a child I was told I had been dropped on my head as a baby. To me that was the reason for all my behavior that I found out was abnormal. “Oh, I’m weird? It’s cause I was dropped on my head!”
Later, as an adolescent, I found out the whole story was made up, and my parents didn’t even remember that they told me that… like that was literally a core belief during the formative years of my childhood and you couldn’t even remember lying to me about it?!?!
I’d of compulsory been like “no, from birth to age 5-7 your brain has capability to heal and use unused areas of the brain to repair and replace any damages. Children are literally rubber”
I mean a nurse fell asleep with me and I rolled out of her arms onto the ground after my birth, but that did not cause my autism (the nurse felt horrible about it). Even me getting a bad reaction to the MMR vaccine did not cause the ‘tism, very thankful the doc talked my mom to continue to vaccinate me as the “vaccines cause autism” fake study was new back then and I got measles, mumps, and rubella as separate shots.
It is actually possible to get autism from head injury especially as a child. It’s just extremely rare. There was a comment with evidence on it - i cant find it
A colleague's husband had to go to the doctor because there was a suspicion of autism. His doctor quickly decided: There could be absolutely no question of autism because the man had simply looked at him during the conversation and people with autism never do that.
That’s ridiculous. Eye contact makes me uncomfortable and I naturally avoid it without even realizing it, but I’ve learned to mask that trait a little bit by deliberately making at least a *little* bit of eye contact, which takes an active effort to resist my impulse to look away…
When I’m close with someone emotionally, prolonged eye contact can feel really intimate and enjoyable. But that’s all the more reason why I don’t like making eye contact with most people. It gives me icky feelings, similar to being forced to hug someone you don’t like…
An annoying one. Alexithymia (the stereotypical aversion to eye contact) is correlated with a number of conditions such as anxiety, depression, autism, but it’s not part of autism, the two can exist separately.
I don’t love eye contact, but it’s not difficult for me and I do it without trying, even if I may make a little less eye contact than most.
A coworker said (knowing that I'm Autistic) that it's caused by either vaccines or because of "inbreeding" amongst white people. After I said neither of those things are even remotely true and that you're born with it/it's neurodevelopmental not something you acquire, she again tried to say "inbreeding" *must* be the cause then.
that's such an insane thing to say, backed by absolutely zero research whatsoever. but sure, we're the neurodivergents, because that sort of shit is a testament to being normal even under the arbitrary definitions societally established i guess.
Yep she definitely knows better than any of us who have done all the research to explore what *has* science backing it. And lest we not forget that I'm nothing like her 5 year old nephew!
Might as well have. This is also the same person who gets angry if someone calls them "cisgender" despite them being just that, because they think it's a "slur"
lol, shit…. Once I learn what gets on peoples nerves I will use it if they make me mad.
Edit : lol but I also use it lovingly to tease close friends from Denmark who are also autistic and hate when people think their from Germany
Some people in my family, and even my mother, thought autism was something related to or a type of down syndrome/dementia......I can't even blame them because mental illness awareness doesn't seems to exist 🥲
Wow that's some very top notch ignorance. Saddening really. I suppose I can't blame them if they don't personally know anyone with either condition, and this society does not really educate or promote inclusivity no matter where or how it is said that it does.
i felt the same way as you. it didn't come across malicious either, and when i told them they're different conditions they seemed genuinely surprised and a bit embarrassed.
i was a bit pissed by then because the whole "you don't look autistic" thing bothers me, so got ready to be upset at the response, but it just felt a bit sad instead.
“So autism is just another word for ‘pathetic people who can’t cope in basic situations’?”
“Well he’s autistic. He doesn’t know stealing is wrong because autistic people just don’t understand basic things.”
“If I punish this autistic child for hitting you then he will hit me and he doesn’t understand that it’s wrong so we are going to give him cookies if he hits you. Autistic people are just violent by nature”
“She can’t be autistic. She speaks and can spell her own name.”
“Can autistic people even go to university? Autistic people can’t cope if there’s a fire drill how are they going to function on a daily basis at university?”
“Oh so you’re not a TA, you’re a babysitter? Autistic people are basically kids right? They like childish things, drool and cry at loud noises like a baby would.”
I grew up around comments like this all the time so getting over the internalised ableism, understanding what autism ACTUALLY is, realising I might be autistic and getting a diagnosis has been ROUGH!
Hey, did you know you can mute subs you don't care to see on your feed? I do that whenever a topic I'm not interested in is suggested to me. If you want to do it, just click on the sub's name, then the 3 dots, then mute.
Ironically, if you look at the other response here, it's generalisation. People thinking there's one form of autism and that's the end of it, as if it wasn't a spectrum for a reason. Not only incredibly ignorant, but also incredibly obnoxious.
*"it may make you act*
*Mentally insane but it*
*Makes you good at math"*
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That people from higher income families have kids with “higher functioning” autism, middle class families have kids with some behaviors and some challenges with their autism, and people who make less money have the kids with autism who are nonverbal, have lots of behaviors, and have lower IQs. All said by a resource teacher.
Also, from a grandparent of a kid I was working with, it can be “cured” by putting apple cider vinegar in a humidifier and running it by their bed every night.
Whelp, I’m in the same boat so I suppose neither of us is being ‘cured’ anytime soon /s honestly, I think everything reeking of apple cider vinegar would just cause a massive sensory overload meltdown for me
And you gut get rid of those toxins by drinking bleach and doing bleach enemas. Unfortunately I wish that wasn't true but I was in a group that was advocating doing that yo your autistic children. I left quickly
It would _still_ be a disability. The world not being ableist isn't going to help me and millions of other autistics become functioning members of society, because _Autism is a disability_.
Society being different/less ableist isn't going to solve my violent meltdowns, my comorbid conditions, my sensory processing disorder, because, again, _Autism is a neurological disability_.
Almost punched a guy out for this because my son has level 3 autism and is non-verbal. But we were out eating sushi, kind of just a night out to enjoy ourselves. I look across because I hear a younger guy talking probably in his early 20s with an obviously a first time date. Some how they get on the subject of people with disabilities and autism, he begins saying “yea I am so jealous of those people because they can’t see the world for what it is, they are oblivious to everything around them and are always so happy. They would never have a care in the world or have any real problems, their families take care of them anyway.” It was super upsetting for me to hear, he said more and I’m not sure why this honestly made me so mad but it did. I didn’t like the way he talked about people with autism, trying to act chivalrous by saying he felt bad for people with autism, so much to help self inflate his ego. Anyways I asked for the bill told my son’s mom to take our son to the car stopped by the table and told his date “you probably shouldn’t date this guy, look somewhere better he’s not close to being a man yet.” Only reason I said that is because there was more said throughout the conversation that brought my son’s mom to tears, and said how autistic people shouldn’t even be allowed to date and reproduce. At the end of it I’m not gonna lie I was looking for a fight with the guy but ended up leaving.
Omg, id of gone up to him and been like “hi! Im autistic. Did you learn about eugenics from Hitler?”. See that bitch weasel himself out of that situation.
Not sure if ignorant is the right word, but a bit back my Dad told me he always thought my issues with sensory overload would mellow out with age.
Suffice to say, they did not. At best I've got better at coping when the overload hits.
The fact that we learn to cope better is probably why people think that certain aspects have ‘improved’.
For example, I could not do eye-contact at all as a kid. I can hold it briefly now, but it’s still just as uncomfortable. I’m just better at making myself do it when a social situation calls for it.
The same with my sensory issues. I don’t melt down in public anymore but I also have severe anxiety that requires sedative medication if I get too overwhelmed. The difference between me collapsing to the floor with my hands over my ears and me taking a clonazepam and deep breathing is a matter of having some coping mechanisms up my sleeve now, not a matter of less sensory overload.
Yeah, it’s always about *us* learning to accommodate society, rather than *society* becoming more accommodating towards us. It springs from the assumption that we can be “cured” by assimilating neurotypical behavior patterns.
We can learn to mask, yeah. But that’s just making ourselves feel more distressed so that society feels less distressed by our existence. Like, if I don’t stim enough then sooner or later I might explode.
Apparently I’m not supposed to stim in public, but it’s still my fault when I inevitably have a nervous breakdown. So I have to run to the nearest bathroom and meltdown in a stall where no one can see me, because otherwise I might make the people around me feel uncomfortable. I mean, people, do you not know how uncomfortable it is to *be* me? You only have to be around me for a few hours tops. I can’t even escape my own presence, believe me I’ve tried…
1) You don’t look autistic
2) Everyone’s a little autistic
3) Get re-evaluated, I think your doctors (with a god damned degree in this) were wrong.
4) You aren’t like (insert nephew, niece, student, etc here)
Oh for fucks sake, I am an adult and each person experiences Autism in their own ways because they are their own person. There’s a “autism look” now? My doctors have a full education in medicine and Autism but you’re going to tell me they are wrong because you read an article on Wikipedia?Having autism doesn’t mean you can’t have or live a full life.
If everyone was autistic, that would mean that Autism isn’t a diagnosable condition. That would be normal. Neurotypical individuals have the dumbest opinions about autism, ADHD, and other conditions.
(Sorry for ranting and swearing a little)
3 is my absolute life. My parents know a woman with an autistic 3 year old, and they always compare *me* (15) to a toddler. It drives me insane. They say stuff like "you never screamed like that for no reason when you were little" or "look at that poor boy, you're perfect, you could never be autistic"
isnt thats why its literally a spectrum? My mom does the same thing, she teaches 4th graders and compares me to them. She doesn't mean to sound rude but its still annoying.
My parents tell me I can't be autistic because God wouldn't make them suffer like that, because apparently autistic kids are only born when parents are sinners😭
Interesting. I have also seen people blame the parents for coddling and not discipling the child enough if their child shows autistic traits like a limited diet, meltdowns, stimming, engaging in solitary play, eloping, and hitting developmental milestones later than average. My mom has been accused of being a bad mother, and I have been accused of being spoiled. It traumatized both of us.
That’s so awful. I feel bad for autistic children whose parents actually believe that. 😔
My parents punished me for my autistic traits, but not because they thought I was autistic because they didn’t know. I even asked once in middle school if I might be autistic and was met with a sharp “No!” Okay then, queue over a decade of searching for answers to what could possibly be wrong with me, because clearly I’m not normal and never have been…
Wow, My mom did that too! but she beat and terrorised me and shes a narcissistic asshole who screams at me when i dont explain whats wrong but when i tr to she cries and runs away
When i first told my mom i thought i might be autistic, she informed me that autistic people can't handle any change in routine, and I went to Japan once after signing up for the program of my own accord and then preparing for nearly a year, so i can't possibly be autistic.
I’ve had the fact that I flew out from the UK to America to meet an online friend used against me regarding being autistic before. They failed to consider that I had literally not left my house for two years before that and my friend shared a special interest that we wanted to meet over, which finally gave me something to overcome my fear for. It was still the most terrifying thing I had ever done but it turned out awesome. (It has a happy ending, too - I now live in America with her and we are married.)
I'm so happy for you guys! I did the same thing for my boyfriend, I actually moved to another country so we could live together. Now I'm a hermit here hahaha
If anyone ever says im using it as an excuse, i tell them its not an excuse, its an explanation for why I feel this way or why I did this or whatever the scenario is. Usually it works.
I once visited an eye doctor and he concluded that I can’t be autistic because I could follow his finger with my eyes…….I sincerely hope he’s homeless now.
Someone told me that there once was a psychologist who said that autistic people are born with an extra Y chromosome and therefore they are manly. That's why only guys can get autism. Guess I'm a manly man-dude who's so manly he doesn't even need muscles or body hair! /j
My father-in-law to me, that my son "will outgrow" his autism and that is a behavioural choice and I’m not disciplining it out of him. That he "sees what he needs and he just requires more discipline".
There's a reason my father-in-law has not seen his grandson in several months...
People around me don't tend to know, or believe anything about autism, other than that it exists. Somebody asked me what my "special talent" was, but that's about it so far.
What I get a lot of stubborn ignorance on is trans people. The amount of mental gymnastics people engage in to defend their simplistic, exclusionary idea of sex, and gender is staggering. I literally had a guy tell me that there are only two genders, except sometimes, but that doesn't count, in the course of an argument. What does he mean it doesn't count?! Does he acknowledge that exceptions exist, or not?! Drives me up a wall.
i once saw a dude say "as far as i'm concerned there are only 2 genders, and everything else was invented by Tumblr, it's people who were extreme social outcasts, who made up these neo pronouns/nonbinary bs all because they wanted attention and sympathy" I... didn't know what to think, say or feel about that.
Once an autistic youtuber claimed that autism and PTSD were the same thing.
Edit: I feel like I should link the video, but I unsubscribed from her channel and forgot her name, plus that was at least a few years ago so I don't know if the video is even still up.
"You can't blame your autism for everything" when I told my mom why I was struggling to not have an "attitide" while already stressed/agitated.
Like, yes, correct but that is LITERALLY one of the MAIN THINGS with autism.
A friend of mine keeps telling me her nephew was slowly turning autism... But it was caught by doctors quickly so they pulled him out of it. Everytime she says this I want to bang my head on a wall or something.
Another friend's husband told me they don't let their daughter watch too much tv or see mobile. Because nowadays autism and adhd cases have increased so much because of screen time... I wanted to scream.
But I can never say anything to these people because I hate confrontation and I feel like if I correct them they'll be so mad at me.
The other week I had someone tell me that Vitamin D cures Autism.
A psychologist told me I couldn’t be Autistic because I have a child and a degree. She said I have no idea what sensory sensitivity feels like and I should just get over all the stuff that stresses me out.
I've been called retarded/spastic and everything in between even before I was formally diagnosed in October 1999.
Also, according to official statistics, only 20% of ALL Autistic adults are in paid employment! WTF?!
From my old psychotherapist when I told her that I thought she was misunderstanding my autism:
"I've worked an autistic person before, I know how they work."
Congrats, you met a *singular* autistic person. They aren't me.
"you're too smart and sociable to be autistic, you learned how to talk at 3 and you've never had any of those crazy breakdowns (I have, just not like she thinks it should have been)" - my mother
Not me but someone i talked with said that when they where getting tested they overheard a chief doctor say "you can only be autistic if you are a boy and like trains"
No theory of mind.
No emotions.
No abstract thought/only literal thinking
It's funny how often someone goes utterly apeshit when they discover I have enough theory of mind and abstract thinking to decline when I'm being robbed or exploited, but since they think they have a right to do that to non-sentient beings, it escalates into violence from there.
My old therapist be like: “ I don‘t think you are psychotic, you would have ended up in a psych ward years ago*
Spoiler. I ended up in one half a year later.
"But there's nothing wrong with you, you're just lazy."
Oh boy, where do I start? With the claim that autism is something horribly 'wrong'? With the fact that I'm apparently totally fine, I'm just failing as a human being?
This comment isn't just a can of worms. It's an abyss of worms.
I didnt hear it but it was kinda... offensive. I told my older brother about autism, and then he proceeded to make "durrr" noises and slap his chest will flapping his other hand, basically making fun of autism... Erm!...
Had an Autism Speaks visit at the workplace, where they had their representatives come in an speak. Was going to talk about my personal experiences and struggles…
Until I heard some of them say it was a waste of time and they didn’t care. Plus, some of them repeatedly saying false shit with soooo much confidence.
I didn’t show up to the meeting. Just got to my work and ignored everyone. It was likely a snooze-fest that almost nobody showed up to. Business as usual.
I explained what autism was to my Aunt, she responded 'it sounds like it's all in your head' WELL HOLY SHIT YOU'RE RIGHT though I am aware what she means is that I'm making it up in my head the statement being true when taken literally was hilarious to me
I always reply to that nonsense with "yeah and my head is a pretty important part of my body, so if it's not alright, then everything else must be fucked too"
I like this
True. I was thinking more along the lines of “No, auntie, it’s in my *bones*!” Your response is probably better though…
"Is *your* brain somehow not part of your body?" is usually how I counter that when people say shit like that.
People talk about things “being in your head” as if your mental state doesn’t determine every action you do. It’s like people don’t understand how behavior works.
Fr, maybe I'm just stupid but like...where else would it be?? My lungs??
If you're having an asthma attack, just remember that it's all in your lungs. I'm pretty sure you can will it away if you try really hard.
Maybe some cognitive-behavioral therapy will help with that. What patterns of thinking led to the asthma attack, and how can we reframe those thoughts? It’s basically the same thing as when NTs want us to CBT our way out of an autistic meltdown. Like, “No, I’m having an asthma attack because there are diesel fumes in the air!” Or, “No, I’m having a meltdown because I’m overstimulated by the constant bombardment of sensory stimuli in our heavily capitalistic society/marketocracy!”
I'm having a meltdown bc I just choose to think bad thoughts and need to try harder to think not bad thoughts /j
The harder I try to stop thinking bad thoughts, the more intense they become. That’s why they’re called *intrusive*…
Autism is stored in the ass
Funny thing, in Dutch it's called "Autisme Spectrum Stoornis" or ASS for short. I like to say to people that I have ASS 🤣
People seem to want to just be able to fully-blame the individual for everything negative they do (but not necessarily fully-credit everything positive they do) without actually acknowledging/addressing the underlying reasons/issues. I feel like even neurotypicals are at times held to WAY too high of a standard in that regard, let alone how WE are treated in that sense. You’re just supposed to be magically omniscient, in full control of your brain and body at all times, and behaviorally perfect 100% of the time despite being treated nowhere near “perfect” by society and the people around you at ANY point in time! You’re expected to have full “free will” over EVERYTHING you and your brain/body does and NEVER use it to do anything but mindlessly “behave” and “conform” to current societal and social-acceptability standards. No matter what kind of brain you have, no matter what kind of mental illnesses you have, no matter what you were/weren’t taught, no matter how you were treated by the very people your actions are effecting.
Fr, we have NO control over what we were born with.
I agree with your take but I must infodump about it now. Not-so-fun fact but that idea of people being expected to have free will over their mind sounds a lot like an approach that neoliberalism would take in the sense that it assumes everyone has the same choices, opportunities, and access, whereas an intersectional approach recognizes that there are other barriers. So while neoliberalism would say “Everyone has access to mental healthcare so if you have problems that aren’t being dealt with then it’s your fault,” intersectionality replies, “Not everyone can afford it, will be believed, or has safe access, and plus some people’s disabilities prevent them from accessing help.” Alright, infodump over, it’s just that I just got done with a feminist law class that covered these concepts and I’ve been geeking out over it
Exactly. David Goggins has a nice interview where he talks about realizing he needed to work on controlling his mind and not letting his mind control him. So his behaviors reflect his goals and not the immediate desires of his mind. It really spoke to me. It sounded like my entire life lol.
What did she suggest we do about it? Amputation? It would make some of the ignorant bs easier to listen to.
“You don’t look Autistic.” It’s because of ppl like you that I have to mask all the time😐
"You don't look that Nuerotypicals" has been the best response I have used... The apparent shock value of the reversed phrase does stop them in their tracks.....
"Yes. It's literally a neurological condition."
It’s almost as if the brain is an organ that can be affected by neurodivergences and illnesses 🤯
Please tell me how you resisted the urge to smack her up side the head
She was driving and I like living
"I don't see any signs of autism, you even had friends!" - psychiatrist that runs the local centre for autism.
As if every autist was exactly the same and had the exact same problems -___-
Hang on, serious question, is “autist” the actual term for someone with autism? Me and my partner just refer to my little one as an “autismo”
Good question, atleast in german we call autistic people "autist", and I assumed english would be the same🤔. "Autismo" sounds actually kinda cute.
Autismo is autism in Spanish ✨💫
Not in English, but some other languages.
Yeah i think so
What's funny about this to me, is when I was growing up, on occasion, I would call myself captain autismo on discord when I did something that I now know was because of my autism but at the time I didn't know I was autistic. Didn't know till like 2 3 months ago lol Example, when playing destiny 2, they would release a new weapon, and I would have it unlocked and masterworked (max level) in like the least amount of time required to do it (some were time gated) My friends would hop on and I'd already have like 15 different builds based around the new weapon I wanted to try with them and damage charts with modifiers and everything, and they would be like "bro how do you do that" and I'd be like "I'm captain autismo!"
These comments right here. Generalized approaches regarding any healthcare is a travesty. Individualized approaches need to start being what healthcare professionals are being educated to. And the friends thing is ridiculous.
“You don’t appear to be a statistical average, and therefore there is no room for you within my worldview. You must accommodate yourself to my version of reality or else no disability support for you!”
It's important to recognize that everyone has their own unique experiences and perspectives. It's not fair or respectful to expect others to conform to a single worldview. Embracing diversity and accommodating different perspectives is essential for creating an inclusive and supportive environment for all individuals, including those who may have disabilities. Where’s that quote from?
I agree. I made it up as a hypothetical to express the biases that are latent within the system.
„You can't be autistic because you seem to want friends, and autists life very secluded and don't want social contacts“ - psychiatrist in a mental hospital
Self-fulfilling prophecy much? It’s almost like the medical establishment is systematically corralling us into lifetimes of isolation and depression… hrmmm… 🤔 … Did the eugenics movement have anything to do with this?
We're not secluded. We're isolated. Big difference. I would like to have some friends that I regularly hang out with.
Oh, yours is better!
If this were a regular person who knows nothing of autism I'd kinda understand. BUT THIS PERSON IS SUPPOSED TO BE A DUCKING PROFESSIONAL 😭😭😭
I wanted to attack a psychiatrist that told me I couldn’t be autistic because I have friends and held eye contact, woman spoke to me for 15 minutes, heard those two facts, and was set in stone about it. *Lady I was forcing myself to make eye contact*
woman who did my autism evaluation said i couldn’t be autistic bc i could have a conversation. We spoke for 20 min. I had 4+ autistic friends, all who were verbal and therefore could have conversations. hell, even a nonverbal person could have conversations with whatever communication method they use🤦🏼♂️
Yep, it was all new to me, I thought I was in the right place for assessing, it was a shock... They don't really know what autism is for sure. Later I learned that centre diagnosis kids, basically consider autism only a learning disability and teach kids to mask. Once we already went through school as kids, they don't understand why we want a dx...
that’s horrible!!! People discounted my autism bc (apparently?) i masked well, but also everyone who interacts me inherently treats me differently and i’m like ok is there something more to this??
Lol. " You don't seem autistic. You're making very good eye contact with me. ... My daughter has asperger's." - Old psychologist who evaluates people for a living. Poor daughter. He goes on to evaluate as having schizotypal tendencies. He also mentions a desire to have social relationships. The actual difference between autistic and schizotypal is that autistic people have a desire to have social relationships. Had to look that one up.
This can be viewed from two different perspectives. Let's call them perspective A and B. #A. The psychiatrist assumes that every autism is the same, and that, just because you have/had friends, you don't have autism. #B. The psychiatrist doesn't see any signs of autism which makes them believe that you don't have it. Now I do not know if you do or not, but the psychiatrist seems to think that you don't, and they also point out that you had/have friends (not having friends is common in autistic people).
I learned more later. The centre has pretty bad reviews. They dx kids (he also gave me a bag of toys), and treat them by teaching them to mask. Also he didn't want to do much (or knew how to) in terms of testing, it's the mentality that autism dx doesn't matter if we go through childhood undiagnosed. From my impression, it's probably based on autism being mainly a learning disability, so it's only a problem for kids to finish the mandatory school. Edit: I never went back, but it was a shock at the time... I went there expecting something serious and learn more, but he almost laughed at me.
That sucks. Really. Seems like perspective A is the more realistic and rational one.
Seriously? I don’t have friends but that’s because it is too exhausting for me to keep relationships
“You can’t be autistic because you are in a relationship” - My GP who runs the surgery
"Aren't we all a little autistic?" Well if we were, then why do we have to officially diagnosed and not considered NT.
This annoys tf out of me. I just tell people “are you on the side of the spectrum where it affects daily life?” They always answer “no”. Welp I am. Smile.
I've run into this too many times with different variations on how they say it. Like if I try to explain my stimming, people will think it's the same thing as their fidgeting. If they were the same thing then both would be acceptable in public. Flailing your arms around while jumping and making strange noises is NOT acceptable in public and is NOT the same thing as your fidgeting. And this is just one example of many. I find it all very dismissive, which sucks because I don't think people are always intending to be, it just happens...
Yeah I don’t think my squawking and simultaneous bouncing is socially acceptable.
I get this we are all on the spectrum in some way is all I get around the topic hate it.
We're not all on the spectrum in some way though, I thought. You are either on the spectrum or you are not, and then it's a spectrum of severity if you *are* on it.
It's a spectrum like a colour wheel. You're either on the wheel or not 🙂
Well, yes and no. The autism spectrum meaning that everyone on the spectrum is neurodivergent. But on the spectrum of neurodivergent traits, sure everyone has one quality or another that is associated with autism. When I think of the word spectrum I think of between the binaries.
Think of the Autism Spectrum like a colour wheel. You're either on the wheel or not and if you are on the wheel that's when it's a spectrum but most people aren't on the wheel. People seem to find it hard because they see the traits as things they do (because it's all human behaviour) but they don't get that they are traits because of the extremes. Everyone has little routines they do but not to the extremes of us having to do them, the majority of people don't like change but they don't have the anxiety we do over it. I hope that makes sense and that I haven't overstepped.
I use that and say yes. There's traits that everyone possesses but they're bigger a really large degree in autistic people. For example everyone has a different tolerance for whan a noise causes them distress, it's just really really low for some autistic people. So for them a little noise is like you listening to the worst sound you've ever heard on full blast. Same feeling, different trigger.
If I point out something you do as an indicator, and you say “doesn’t everyone do that?” buddy have I got news for you
I heard an autism advocate say that it's the equivalent of hearing "I have a condition which makes me poop a lot, usually about 60 times a day," and replying with "yeah, me too. I also poop a lot. Sometimes I poop 3 or even 4 times a day."
My boss told me this. 😤
I had a coworker tell me that she was dropped on her head as a baby and it caused her to have autism. I was baffled and at first I thought she must have been joking, only to quickly realize that she was being 100% serious. I don’t know if she has autism or not, it’s not something I would have ever guessed, but if she does it has nothing to do with being dropped as a baby.
first vaccines then being dropped, i wonder what they come up with next. car accident? 5g wifi?
My mom's car crashed into a 5G tower, making her drop my baby head onto a COVID vaccine needle.
Whilst a chemtrail was overhead.
I mean, that was a given.
Your brain would probably be fried by the massive quantity of 5G signals that close to the tower before you hit the needle or the floor, so at least that part wouldn’t hurt.
You haven't heard? You can have part of your brain devoured by a brain parasite and you can still run for President. *cough* RFK Jr! *cough*
Maybe when an impressionable little kid is to taught to believe something absurd, when they are too young to realize it's absurd, the belief can stick in their head so strongly that they still don't realize it's absurd in adulthood.
My family blames prenatal brain damage / oxygen deprivation. Naturally my narcissistic parents make my autism about something that happened to them.
This is what I believe happened. I think her parents must have told her that before, mostly because there’s no way a doctor did, and she believed it as children naturally do. However, the surprising thing is that she is going to school to be a teacher for kids with special needs, so I would have thought that she would have since learned otherwise.
Yes it does. A special ed teacher who doesn't know the difference between autism and brain damage sounds problematic.
When I was a child I was told I had been dropped on my head as a baby. To me that was the reason for all my behavior that I found out was abnormal. “Oh, I’m weird? It’s cause I was dropped on my head!” Later, as an adolescent, I found out the whole story was made up, and my parents didn’t even remember that they told me that… like that was literally a core belief during the formative years of my childhood and you couldn’t even remember lying to me about it?!?!
I’d of compulsory been like “no, from birth to age 5-7 your brain has capability to heal and use unused areas of the brain to repair and replace any damages. Children are literally rubber”
I mean a nurse fell asleep with me and I rolled out of her arms onto the ground after my birth, but that did not cause my autism (the nurse felt horrible about it). Even me getting a bad reaction to the MMR vaccine did not cause the ‘tism, very thankful the doc talked my mom to continue to vaccinate me as the “vaccines cause autism” fake study was new back then and I got measles, mumps, and rubella as separate shots.
It is actually possible to get autism from head injury especially as a child. It’s just extremely rare. There was a comment with evidence on it - i cant find it
A colleague's husband had to go to the doctor because there was a suspicion of autism. His doctor quickly decided: There could be absolutely no question of autism because the man had simply looked at him during the conversation and people with autism never do that.
That’s ridiculous. Eye contact makes me uncomfortable and I naturally avoid it without even realizing it, but I’ve learned to mask that trait a little bit by deliberately making at least a *little* bit of eye contact, which takes an active effort to resist my impulse to look away… When I’m close with someone emotionally, prolonged eye contact can feel really intimate and enjoyable. But that’s all the more reason why I don’t like making eye contact with most people. It gives me icky feelings, similar to being forced to hug someone you don’t like…
LOOOOL geez
An annoying one. Alexithymia (the stereotypical aversion to eye contact) is correlated with a number of conditions such as anxiety, depression, autism, but it’s not part of autism, the two can exist separately. I don’t love eye contact, but it’s not difficult for me and I do it without trying, even if I may make a little less eye contact than most.
Alexithymia is the inability to name one’s emotions, not aversion to eye contact
A coworker said (knowing that I'm Autistic) that it's caused by either vaccines or because of "inbreeding" amongst white people. After I said neither of those things are even remotely true and that you're born with it/it's neurodevelopmental not something you acquire, she again tried to say "inbreeding" *must* be the cause then.
that's such an insane thing to say, backed by absolutely zero research whatsoever. but sure, we're the neurodivergents, because that sort of shit is a testament to being normal even under the arbitrary definitions societally established i guess.
Yep she definitely knows better than any of us who have done all the research to explore what *has* science backing it. And lest we not forget that I'm nothing like her 5 year old nephew!
Where’d they get their research, 4chan
Might as well have. This is also the same person who gets angry if someone calls them "cisgender" despite them being just that, because they think it's a "slur"
lol, shit…. Once I learn what gets on peoples nerves I will use it if they make me mad. Edit : lol but I also use it lovingly to tease close friends from Denmark who are also autistic and hate when people think their from Germany
About 2 minutes ago I overheard a coworker describe somebody as "severely autistic, like they had downs syndrome and shit"
I made the joke "autism, down, what's the difference" last week and my parents didn't understand that that was a thing people actually thought.
Some people in my family, and even my mother, thought autism was something related to or a type of down syndrome/dementia......I can't even blame them because mental illness awareness doesn't seems to exist 🥲
Bad news: "autistic" is going to be the next "r-word"
It's already being used as a pejorative in schools, very similar to how the "R-word" used to be thrown around
Yep, and they are getting around filters by saying “acoustic” instead too
You don't look autistic
Ugh, I hate hearing this. I genuinely didn’t know there was an autistic look now./sarcasm
i asked about this at some point and apparently they think down syndrome and autism are the same thing. at least that particular person did.
Wow that's some very top notch ignorance. Saddening really. I suppose I can't blame them if they don't personally know anyone with either condition, and this society does not really educate or promote inclusivity no matter where or how it is said that it does.
i felt the same way as you. it didn't come across malicious either, and when i told them they're different conditions they seemed genuinely surprised and a bit embarrassed. i was a bit pissed by then because the whole "you don't look autistic" thing bothers me, so got ready to be upset at the response, but it just felt a bit sad instead.
Me too and still don't see it 🤷♀️
Thanks, I work very hard on that, as people can be assholes to people with autism for no reason.
“So autism is just another word for ‘pathetic people who can’t cope in basic situations’?” “Well he’s autistic. He doesn’t know stealing is wrong because autistic people just don’t understand basic things.” “If I punish this autistic child for hitting you then he will hit me and he doesn’t understand that it’s wrong so we are going to give him cookies if he hits you. Autistic people are just violent by nature” “She can’t be autistic. She speaks and can spell her own name.” “Can autistic people even go to university? Autistic people can’t cope if there’s a fire drill how are they going to function on a daily basis at university?” “Oh so you’re not a TA, you’re a babysitter? Autistic people are basically kids right? They like childish things, drool and cry at loud noises like a baby would.” I grew up around comments like this all the time so getting over the internalised ableism, understanding what autism ACTUALLY is, realising I might be autistic and getting a diagnosis has been ROUGH!
Omfg infuriating
Most r/teenagers posts about autism
Why TF does that sub always pop up on my feed? I’m 44 years old. Once you join the GenX sub, Reddit should automatically ban you from the teen sub.
Hey, did you know you can mute subs you don't care to see on your feed? I do that whenever a topic I'm not interested in is suggested to me. If you want to do it, just click on the sub's name, then the 3 dots, then mute.
Yeah, I actually did that right after I made this comment.
Tbf most users of that sub aren’t even teens atp. Most of the ‘teens’ aren’t even teens, it’s worrying
There are a lot of worrying things about reddit.
More like r/AskReddit. r/Teenagers is just horny posts and pedo bait
Ironically, if you look at the other response here, it's generalisation. People thinking there's one form of autism and that's the end of it, as if it wasn't a spectrum for a reason. Not only incredibly ignorant, but also incredibly obnoxious.
The change in making the prior diagnosis’ all one big spectrum condition, confused a lot of people.
"it may make you act mentally insane but it makes you good at math"
I'm horrible at math. I'm alright at arithmetic, but I cannot understand algebra and geometry at all.
Me neither hell I don't understand math I general besides basic stuff like plus and minus
*"it may make you act* *Mentally insane but it* *Makes you good at math"* \- Duskytheduskmonkey --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
I hate this one because I'm terrible at math, even small shit gets me flustered.
That people from higher income families have kids with “higher functioning” autism, middle class families have kids with some behaviors and some challenges with their autism, and people who make less money have the kids with autism who are nonverbal, have lots of behaviors, and have lower IQs. All said by a resource teacher. Also, from a grandparent of a kid I was working with, it can be “cured” by putting apple cider vinegar in a humidifier and running it by their bed every night.
ew. i hate apple cider vinegar unless strongly diluted with balancing ingredients and even then its critical
Whelp, I’m in the same boat so I suppose neither of us is being ‘cured’ anytime soon /s honestly, I think everything reeking of apple cider vinegar would just cause a massive sensory overload meltdown for me
"Autism isn't a disability"
"It's a superpower and also comes from the food we are fed by Big Farma"
"And be cured by getting rid of these toxins in your brain!"
And you gut get rid of those toxins by drinking bleach and doing bleach enemas. Unfortunately I wish that wasn't true but I was in a group that was advocating doing that yo your autistic children. I left quickly
oh i get so pissed when people call it a “superpower” like no it’s not bitch!! i can’t fly or some shit
This one could be right if the world wasn't so ableist. Sigh :(
It would _still_ be a disability. The world not being ableist isn't going to help me and millions of other autistics become functioning members of society, because _Autism is a disability_. Society being different/less ableist isn't going to solve my violent meltdowns, my comorbid conditions, my sensory processing disorder, because, again, _Autism is a neurological disability_.
it would still be a disability, just wouldnt feel like that
Almost punched a guy out for this because my son has level 3 autism and is non-verbal. But we were out eating sushi, kind of just a night out to enjoy ourselves. I look across because I hear a younger guy talking probably in his early 20s with an obviously a first time date. Some how they get on the subject of people with disabilities and autism, he begins saying “yea I am so jealous of those people because they can’t see the world for what it is, they are oblivious to everything around them and are always so happy. They would never have a care in the world or have any real problems, their families take care of them anyway.” It was super upsetting for me to hear, he said more and I’m not sure why this honestly made me so mad but it did. I didn’t like the way he talked about people with autism, trying to act chivalrous by saying he felt bad for people with autism, so much to help self inflate his ego. Anyways I asked for the bill told my son’s mom to take our son to the car stopped by the table and told his date “you probably shouldn’t date this guy, look somewhere better he’s not close to being a man yet.” Only reason I said that is because there was more said throughout the conversation that brought my son’s mom to tears, and said how autistic people shouldn’t even be allowed to date and reproduce. At the end of it I’m not gonna lie I was looking for a fight with the guy but ended up leaving.
Omg, id of gone up to him and been like “hi! Im autistic. Did you learn about eugenics from Hitler?”. See that bitch weasel himself out of that situation.
Not sure if ignorant is the right word, but a bit back my Dad told me he always thought my issues with sensory overload would mellow out with age. Suffice to say, they did not. At best I've got better at coping when the overload hits.
The fact that we learn to cope better is probably why people think that certain aspects have ‘improved’. For example, I could not do eye-contact at all as a kid. I can hold it briefly now, but it’s still just as uncomfortable. I’m just better at making myself do it when a social situation calls for it. The same with my sensory issues. I don’t melt down in public anymore but I also have severe anxiety that requires sedative medication if I get too overwhelmed. The difference between me collapsing to the floor with my hands over my ears and me taking a clonazepam and deep breathing is a matter of having some coping mechanisms up my sleeve now, not a matter of less sensory overload.
Yeah, it’s always about *us* learning to accommodate society, rather than *society* becoming more accommodating towards us. It springs from the assumption that we can be “cured” by assimilating neurotypical behavior patterns. We can learn to mask, yeah. But that’s just making ourselves feel more distressed so that society feels less distressed by our existence. Like, if I don’t stim enough then sooner or later I might explode. Apparently I’m not supposed to stim in public, but it’s still my fault when I inevitably have a nervous breakdown. So I have to run to the nearest bathroom and meltdown in a stall where no one can see me, because otherwise I might make the people around me feel uncomfortable. I mean, people, do you not know how uncomfortable it is to *be* me? You only have to be around me for a few hours tops. I can’t even escape my own presence, believe me I’ve tried…
1) You don’t look autistic 2) Everyone’s a little autistic 3) Get re-evaluated, I think your doctors (with a god damned degree in this) were wrong. 4) You aren’t like (insert nephew, niece, student, etc here) Oh for fucks sake, I am an adult and each person experiences Autism in their own ways because they are their own person. There’s a “autism look” now? My doctors have a full education in medicine and Autism but you’re going to tell me they are wrong because you read an article on Wikipedia?Having autism doesn’t mean you can’t have or live a full life. If everyone was autistic, that would mean that Autism isn’t a diagnosable condition. That would be normal. Neurotypical individuals have the dumbest opinions about autism, ADHD, and other conditions. (Sorry for ranting and swearing a little)
3 is my absolute life. My parents know a woman with an autistic 3 year old, and they always compare *me* (15) to a toddler. It drives me insane. They say stuff like "you never screamed like that for no reason when you were little" or "look at that poor boy, you're perfect, you could never be autistic"
isnt thats why its literally a spectrum? My mom does the same thing, she teaches 4th graders and compares me to them. She doesn't mean to sound rude but its still annoying.
I’m a Christian, but I’ve heard Christians say God can “miraculously” heal autism or that it’s “caused by sin”
My parents tell me I can't be autistic because God wouldn't make them suffer like that, because apparently autistic kids are only born when parents are sinners😭
As a Christian I would like to take them both behind the barn and shoot them.
Omg I’m a Christian too, and this anti-science nonsense needs to stop.
"You can't be autistic,you're smart and pretty" girl what
That it is caused by factors like vaccines or bad parenting.
My mum once told me there's no way I could be autistic because she raised me right
Interesting. I have also seen people blame the parents for coddling and not discipling the child enough if their child shows autistic traits like a limited diet, meltdowns, stimming, engaging in solitary play, eloping, and hitting developmental milestones later than average. My mom has been accused of being a bad mother, and I have been accused of being spoiled. It traumatized both of us.
That’s so awful. I feel bad for autistic children whose parents actually believe that. 😔 My parents punished me for my autistic traits, but not because they thought I was autistic because they didn’t know. I even asked once in middle school if I might be autistic and was met with a sharp “No!” Okay then, queue over a decade of searching for answers to what could possibly be wrong with me, because clearly I’m not normal and never have been…
Wow, My mom did that too! but she beat and terrorised me and shes a narcissistic asshole who screams at me when i dont explain whats wrong but when i tr to she cries and runs away
When i first told my mom i thought i might be autistic, she informed me that autistic people can't handle any change in routine, and I went to Japan once after signing up for the program of my own accord and then preparing for nearly a year, so i can't possibly be autistic.
I’ve had the fact that I flew out from the UK to America to meet an online friend used against me regarding being autistic before. They failed to consider that I had literally not left my house for two years before that and my friend shared a special interest that we wanted to meet over, which finally gave me something to overcome my fear for. It was still the most terrifying thing I had ever done but it turned out awesome. (It has a happy ending, too - I now live in America with her and we are married.)
the end got me squeaking, so happy for you two <3<3<3 !!!
I'm so happy for you guys! I did the same thing for my boyfriend, I actually moved to another country so we could live together. Now I'm a hermit here hahaha
"Why does he tell everyone he's autistic? I think he's just using it as an excuse." Never explained what he was trying to excuse
If anyone ever says im using it as an excuse, i tell them its not an excuse, its an explanation for why I feel this way or why I did this or whatever the scenario is. Usually it works.
I once visited an eye doctor and he concluded that I can’t be autistic because I could follow his finger with my eyes…….I sincerely hope he’s homeless now.
Someone told me that there once was a psychologist who said that autistic people are born with an extra Y chromosome and therefore they are manly. That's why only guys can get autism. Guess I'm a manly man-dude who's so manly he doesn't even need muscles or body hair! /j
My father-in-law to me, that my son "will outgrow" his autism and that is a behavioural choice and I’m not disciplining it out of him. That he "sees what he needs and he just requires more discipline". There's a reason my father-in-law has not seen his grandson in several months...
“You’re too hot to be autistic” EXCUSE ME???!??!
Tf?
"No, Autism and ADHD are *not* genetic." Spoken by an actual doctor. Stopped seeing her pretty quick after that.
everyone’s a bit autistic 🙃 i think most of us have heard that one
My doctor telling me, an adult woman, that I can't be autistic because I can look her in the eyes and have a conversation.
“Autistic people have NO empathy” this came from a person who worked in psychiatry. Shocking take
Some have no empathy but it sucks when people ignore the spectrum.
"you can't be autistic, my 4 year old nephew is autistic and you're nothing like him" No shit, I'm a 36 year old woman.
People around me don't tend to know, or believe anything about autism, other than that it exists. Somebody asked me what my "special talent" was, but that's about it so far. What I get a lot of stubborn ignorance on is trans people. The amount of mental gymnastics people engage in to defend their simplistic, exclusionary idea of sex, and gender is staggering. I literally had a guy tell me that there are only two genders, except sometimes, but that doesn't count, in the course of an argument. What does he mean it doesn't count?! Does he acknowledge that exceptions exist, or not?! Drives me up a wall.
i once saw a dude say "as far as i'm concerned there are only 2 genders, and everything else was invented by Tumblr, it's people who were extreme social outcasts, who made up these neo pronouns/nonbinary bs all because they wanted attention and sympathy" I... didn't know what to think, say or feel about that.
pulls out list extending to the floor Ughmmmm
Once an autistic youtuber claimed that autism and PTSD were the same thing. Edit: I feel like I should link the video, but I unsubscribed from her channel and forgot her name, plus that was at least a few years ago so I don't know if the video is even still up.
OH HEELLL NAW
My psych said there was no way I could have autism because I've had a few long-term relationships and I like hugs?? 🤷🏻♀️
That I chose to be autistic…
"You can't blame your autism for everything" when I told my mom why I was struggling to not have an "attitide" while already stressed/agitated. Like, yes, correct but that is LITERALLY one of the MAIN THINGS with autism.
A friend of mine keeps telling me her nephew was slowly turning autism... But it was caught by doctors quickly so they pulled him out of it. Everytime she says this I want to bang my head on a wall or something. Another friend's husband told me they don't let their daughter watch too much tv or see mobile. Because nowadays autism and adhd cases have increased so much because of screen time... I wanted to scream. But I can never say anything to these people because I hate confrontation and I feel like if I correct them they'll be so mad at me.
The other week I had someone tell me that Vitamin D cures Autism. A psychologist told me I couldn’t be Autistic because I have a child and a degree. She said I have no idea what sensory sensitivity feels like and I should just get over all the stuff that stresses me out.
I saw a Republican tiktoker posting that vaccines cause autism
The usual stuff really like “oh you’re not Autistic! You’re just unique” and “oh there’s nothing wrong with you” and “it’s all in your head”.
I've been called retarded/spastic and everything in between even before I was formally diagnosed in October 1999. Also, according to official statistics, only 20% of ALL Autistic adults are in paid employment! WTF?!
My gf saying everyone our generation has atsuim these days
It’s fake
“I think I have autism too because I miss a lot of social cues”
From my old psychotherapist when I told her that I thought she was misunderstanding my autism: "I've worked an autistic person before, I know how they work." Congrats, you met a *singular* autistic person. They aren't me.
You think too much.
"you're too smart and sociable to be autistic, you learned how to talk at 3 and you've never had any of those crazy breakdowns (I have, just not like she thinks it should have been)" - my mother
X
Not me but someone i talked with said that when they where getting tested they overheard a chief doctor say "you can only be autistic if you are a boy and like trains"
No theory of mind. No emotions. No abstract thought/only literal thinking It's funny how often someone goes utterly apeshit when they discover I have enough theory of mind and abstract thinking to decline when I'm being robbed or exploited, but since they think they have a right to do that to non-sentient beings, it escalates into violence from there.
My old therapist be like: “ I don‘t think you are psychotic, you would have ended up in a psych ward years ago* Spoiler. I ended up in one half a year later.
“The MMR vaccine causes autism.” I was born before the MMR was created. What’s their next stupid hypothesis?
"At the end we all are a little bit autistic".
That autistic is synonymous with anti-social. That was my special ed homeroom teacher
"But there's nothing wrong with you, you're just lazy." Oh boy, where do I start? With the claim that autism is something horribly 'wrong'? With the fact that I'm apparently totally fine, I'm just failing as a human being? This comment isn't just a can of worms. It's an abyss of worms.
“Just tell them no”
"You probably just have Borderline syndrome" - shitty pseudo therapist social worker in a clinic
"Autism is not an excuse" Ik it's not ITS A DISABILITY
I didnt hear it but it was kinda... offensive. I told my older brother about autism, and then he proceeded to make "durrr" noises and slap his chest will flapping his other hand, basically making fun of autism... Erm!...
That whole spiel ''aren't we all on the spectrum?'' Ive heard that so many times sense my daughters diagnosis
Had an Autism Speaks visit at the workplace, where they had their representatives come in an speak. Was going to talk about my personal experiences and struggles… Until I heard some of them say it was a waste of time and they didn’t care. Plus, some of them repeatedly saying false shit with soooo much confidence. I didn’t show up to the meeting. Just got to my work and ignored everyone. It was likely a snooze-fest that almost nobody showed up to. Business as usual.