I really dislike the whole "autism is a superpower" framing because it completely ignores the disabling aspects of it, but also because it feels like when people say that they're humoring us rather than celebrating us.
I think most autistic people who have special interests are legitimately impressive in what they know and can do with that knowledge.
Some of us actually do achieve objectively amazing things because of it. But many of us are never truly appreciated for what we can offer the world.
And it's because of the package those incredible skills reside in.
It's because there is so. much. judgment, hate, and ridicule tied to the "unpalatable" aspects of our autism that people can't see past them long enough to realize that we are actually pretty incredible humans who have a LOT to offer the world.
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There are two areas of emerging research that change EVERYTHING about autism awareness... and I wish more people were talking about them...
1. A study found evidence to suggest that "mild" stress can trigger PTSD like symptoms in autistic brains
(There's lots of nuance to the research that you can find in the study, I'll link to it below)
2. Another study found that autistic people experience a type of anxiety that doesn't fit any of the existing anxiety disorders currently included in the DSM (link below as well)
To me, these studies explain my internal autistic experience better than literally ANYTHING ELSE I have come across.
And this is absolutely earth shattering for autism awareness in my opinion...
7 signs you might have distinct anxiety... the type of anxiety specific to autism that can’t be explained by any of the existing anxiety disorders currently outlined in the DSM.
1. If you get anxiety when you aren't able to talk about your special interests...
For me, this happens anytime I'm bursting to infodump on my husband but also know he'd be completely overwhelmed by it (especially after he's had a mentally draining day).
So I have to make a concerted effort to not infodump on him, but inside I'm EXPLODING with anxiety.
2. If you get anxiety when you can’t access your safe foods, clothes, or products...
Like when the recipes of your safe foods or meals suddenly change. Or items you rely on daily are suddenly discontinued.
3 reasons autistic people struggle with open-ended questions
Reason #1
About half of autistic people have alexithymia... which is the inability to verbally express emotions or feelings.
So, "How was your day" can be a tough question for an autistic person to answer because they might not actually KNOW how they felt about it.
Reason #2
Autistic people struggle with social context.
So to respond "appropriately," we have to actively think about who's asking the question, what their background is, where/why the conversation is taking place, what the other person's relationship is to us, etc... etc...
7 reasons being autistic is so. freaking. exhausting.
1. We're in constant sensory overload
2. We're constantly fighting against our executive dysfunction to do basic necessary life tasks
3. Our brains are always on... we literally never get a break (research has found that our brains generate ~42% more information at rest than nonautistic brains... I talked more about this in my last post)
4. We're in a constant and overwhelming state of anxiety due to our autistic needs not being met (researchers are calling this "distinct anxiety" because it's distinct to autism and tied to autistic traits)