Tics n Tatts Profile picture
Dec 18 5 tweets 2 min read
Subtle signs that could have indicated that I’m #autistic, but were missed when I was growing up…🧵

#ActuallyAutistic #Masking
Childhood:

- Overly shy.
- Only wanting one friend from a young age.
- Not understanding other’s intentions/real feelings.
- Reading the same series of books over and over.
- Being very talented at writing and art.
- Often in my own fantasy world.
- Being quite passive.
Adolescence:

- Playing games frequently and getting very upset if I couldn’t.
- Fitting in with the school outcasts, rather than the popular kids.
- Strange eating habits (e.g., eating the same food, not feeling hunger).
- Frequent overwhelm at school, but not outwardly shown.
- Mental health challenges (i.e., depression, social anxiety).
- Problems were internalised (e.g., often only shown at home, through my music choices or dress style).
- Perfectionist and very hard on myself.
- Very much a wallflower, not wanting to draw attention to myself.
There were likely more, and I acknowledge that everyone is different in how they present and interact with people.

This was purely my own experience, which may or may not resonate with others.

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More from @TicsnTatts

Dec 9
A few points on this:

1. When views are expressed that Tourettic people would be "too ashamed" to show our #tics online, & if we do we're "showing off" & don't represent what real TS looks like, there needs to be accountability. Ideally, by the speaker and your organisation.
2. While I appreciate finally receiving a response from the TAA regarding this issue, you have still not condemned this viewpoint, & it's unclear whether you agree with it or not.

3. What is clear, is the TAA has provided a platform for these views to be disseminated publicly.
4. Despite receiving clear and warranted criticism by the TS community in response to these views, the video still remains on the TAAs YouTube channel with no disclaimer or acknowledgment of the harm they may cause.
Read 5 tweets
Dec 7
A common belief about #autism is that women are far less likely to be #autistic than men, and if we appear socially capable, smile, or make-eye contact, we 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 after all.

This is not only very damaging, but it's also inaccurate. Here's why🧵
1. We require additional cognitive, behavioural, and everyday functional difficulties to get referred for assessment and to receive an autism diagnosis than males, despite having similar levels of autistic traits. This may contribute to under-diagnosis.
linkmix.co/13091815
2. Until fairly recently, it's been assumed that gender doesn't influence how autism presents. This appears to have had a flow-on effect in terms of adequately distinguishing autistic female presentations, particularly those of us with lower support needs.
linkmix.co/13098057
Read 7 tweets
Oct 16
Neurodivergent #masking (e.g., forcing eye contact, following a conversation script, tic suppression) is a symptom of society’s intolerance towards observable characteristics that don’t align with normative standards of ‘acceptable’, able-bodied behaviour.
Neurodivergent people are conditioned to “be normal” in order to survive, feel safe, or be accepted. However, this in itself presents challenges. When we mask, our condition is often missed, we face identity erasure, challenges setting boundaries, and poor mental health.
If we’re lucky enough to reach a stage in our life when we can finally be our authentic self, we have likely faced most (if not all) of these hardships. Meanwhile, it can take years to learn who we really are, while simultaneously unlearning these engrained masking strategies.
Read 5 tweets

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