Thread by @TruthAutistic

Thread 🧵
Being Autistic for me is so similar to having my invisible illness and being an ambulatory wheelchair user due to peoples judgements and assumptions about my disabilities and physical health.
#ActuallyAutistic #allautistics #AutismAcceptanceMonth #AutismAcceptance

(I’ve had 3 knee surgeries and will need a knee replacement eventually and I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and heart condition etc)

1. People say I don’t look Autistic.
People also say I don’t look sick or disabled. But it’s not something you can always actually physically see. You can’t see Autism just like you can’t see a lot of disabilities and physical health conditions.

2. People say I’m more capable than I am when I’m masking my Autism just like they say I’m capable of walking and don’t need my wheelchair.
People don’t see what goes on behind me hiding the pain/ masking my Autism.

I can walk a short distance but anything longer I need my wheelchair and if it includes hills or uneven ground.
I can walk up stairs if I push myself to but it causes me pain to do it and just under a week of pain afterwards.

People don’t see me when I’ve had falls and broken bones or injured myself, people haven’t seen how damaged my knee is from 3 surgeries, people don’t see me barely able to walk 6 steps from my bedroom to my bathroom after walking a little more than a short distance that day.

The pain in my joints and calf muscles is barely bearable. But you don’t see that when I’m not with you or I’m at home?!

3. People say I can’t be Autistic and I can do X, Y and Z. Just like people say I can’t be disabled/wheelchair user if I can walk without it sometimes. Ambulatory wheelchair users exist. their need for wheelchairs is just as important as full time wheelchair users.

I push myself to fit in and do things that causes me distress because I feel like I have to, I feel pressured from people around me, society and feel judged. I mask my Autism for the same reasons and it means I get more exhausted easily and causes Autistic burnout.

It’s the same with my physical health/ being ambulatory wheelchair user. I push myself to try walk or do too much without using my wheelchair. Then I end up in joint/muscle pain and barely able to even walk a few steps which leaves me stuck unable to do much because of the pain.

Just like when I’m exhausted from Autistic masking and forcing myself to do things that distress me just to please others and fit in. Like going somewhere noisy/ loud that overwhelms me sensory wise. I end up exhausted or in autistic burnout and being unable to function normally

I just sleep lots and I don’t have the energy to think properly or even be barely able to mask my Autism. I have meltdowns more easily and have less tolerance and I’m easily overwhelmed or upset.

I wish people would stop judging what I am and arent capable of as you don’t live in my body so you don’t know what it’s like or what I experience or what I’m capable of.

You aren’t my doctor/ specialist so you can’t just judge or decide what I can and can’t do or if I need my wheelchair or not.
It’s the same with my Autism.

It’s harmful and it’s ableist to make judgements and assumptions about a persons disability, physical health or mental health.

And TRUST ME nobody wants to use a wheelchair and be limited on what they can and can’t do. I’d do anything to have a healthy body and live without pain and the physical conditions I have.

However I am happy being Autistic and I wouldn’t want to change that. It’s made me who I am today and it’s brought so many amazing people into my life and I’m able to use my experiences for good to help other people 💜

What I would want to change though is peoples attitudes and judgements towards/ about Autistic people. I would want to change support services for Autistic people and make sure there’s a service to support Autistic adults whether they have a learning disability or not.

Be less judgemental. Be more understanding/ kind.
Just because you can’t see anything on the outside or tell if they’re Autistic or have a disability it doesn’t mean they don’t, you have no right to hold opinions/ judgements about someone’s Autism, disability or physical illness

(Im not saying autism is the same as a physical illness by the way… I’m saying the experiences I go through with regards to judgements from people around me and society are similar)

#AllAutistics #AutisticAdult #actuallyautistic #autismacceptancemonth #autismacceptance #autistic #ableism #DisabilityDiscrimination #disabilityawareness #wheelchairuser #autismawareness

#autismawarenessmonth #autism #ableist #judgement #judgemental #EDS #ehlersdanlossyndrome #disabled #disabledpeople #wheelchairusers #invisibleillness #invisibledisability #disabledcommunity #DisabilityTwitter