Can I please just clarify that autism is NOT “predominantly a social interaction disability”?

That’s simply what is most immediately obvious to non-autistic people, because (again) they’ve centred themselves in the narrative.

They mean “this is how it mostly affects us”. /1 It’s one of the biggest misnomers about autism, because for those of us who can mask (esp girls), the “social interaction” element is largely hidden, even to ourselves. We learn.

And if you find your people, you may find you’re actually GOOD at socialising.

Or ADHD too. /2

During Neurodiversity Week, I would LOVE to stop seeing people talking about dyspraxia as simply a physical disability.

Dyspraxia isn’t just clumsiness or a lack of gross/fine motor skills.

It ALSO impacts the brain, learning and speech, and here’s why that matters - /1 The belief that dyspraxia is “the clumsy neurodivergency” leaves dyspraxic people undiagnosed, unsupported and lost in the system.

You know what dyspraxia also affects? How you learn and hold on to information. Memory. Thought processing/speed. Ability to plan/structure. /2

LONG THREAD AHOY.

So I’ve been pondering.

(This MUST have been written about in depth by scientists, so point me in the right direction.)

I’ve been thinking a lot about neurodiversity, evolution and the history of autism.

And I have some theories. /1 (Caveat - I’m not a scientist, and I’m focusing on autism because I know it better.)

So… diversity is good, right?

From an evolutionary perspective, diversity is what helps a species flourish. Biodiversity is vital to maintain a healthy ecosystem.

That includes humans. /2

We talk a lot about autistic sensory issues, and (rightly) how they cause pain, distress, meltdowns and larger issues like problems with employment, education and day to day living.

HOWEVER.

I do think there’s perhaps some room to celebrate what they bring us too. /1 Autistic bodies and brains deal with sensory input differently, and while it can hurt and hinder us, it can also be a source of great beauty and joy.

Life is constantly turned up to eleven.

And while it is often overwhelming, it can be kind of magical too. /2

Lovely to see @Spectrum_10K prove our fears were well founded.

Here they talk about “Improvements in autism” (not autism support) + cost of the burden of autistic people + compare us to cancer.

Thought they couldn’t get worse?

My sweet summer children.

https://twitter.com/LiamODellUK/status/1443975254595051543

And, for the love of God, will people stop talking about the mental health issues of autistic people.

It’s not a mystery.

We have mental health issues because we are treated like shit, day in, day out.

And told we are a burden, then compared to cancer.

Ways I’ve Stopped Autistic Masking - A Thread

- My face moves less: I no longer consciously animate to look more “human”

- (This includes in photos)

- I don’t rehearse everything I say to make sure it sounds “normal”

- I respond more genuinely, without a script. /1 - I don’t fake “laugh” just because everyone else is laughing

- But I do laugh if it’s funny even if others aren’t.

- I don’t fake emotions (as often - still working on it)

- I allow myself to be unlikeable instead of faking it to be loveable /2

Let’s talk about dyspraxia.

In terms of neurodivergency, it doesn’t get much love. Most people don’t even know what it actually is.

This is important to recognise, because undiagnosed dyspraxia is an issue that impacts lives.

ESPECIALLY for kids.

Here’s why. /1 Pretty much everyone knows that dyspraxia affects motor skills and coordination.

It’s “the clumsy one”.

Simply put, I am unable to control my body properly. It doesn’t go where I tell it to go, and I have to focus just to pick up a glass.

I fall over a lot. /2

So I’m a Marvel fanatic, and we do not talk enough about how Ironman is 100% an autistic icon.

I’m going to prove it. /1 “He’s just a genius!” cries every NT on the planet.

Fact - there’s a statistical correlation between autism and genius.

But it runs way deeper than that. How about Tony’s ability to hyperfocus? He frequently doesn’t eat or sleep when in hyperfocus state. /2

Let’s talk for a hot sec about “making young autistic children undiagnosable” and how that is not the big triumph scientists think it is.

In fact, it shows they know nothing about autism at all.

Let’s go. /1 Thanks to my autistic brain, I have a ridiculously strong long term memory. (And a terrible short term one, thank you dyspraxia.)

I have very vivid memories from when I was two and three, and I remember being very happy in who I was.

I was a content little autistic girl. /2

Okay, controversial (maybe?) thoughts I’ve been pondering on ADHD and autism.

Feel free to tell me I’m way off and being offensive.

If there are books about it, point me in the right direction.

Here goes: I think autism and ADHD are exactly the same neurotype.

It’s all monotropism.*

We are all unable to filter and regulate our input and output, but some of us lean towards the “chaotic” (ADHD), some of us towards “rigid” (autism) and those in the middle get joint diagnosis.

As an autistic person with severe sound sensitivity - I will hate you for breathing wrong - one of my Special Interests is sound protection.

So I’m going to round up my faves in a thread for other NDs/NTs with misophonia/hyperacusis.

In order of sound blocking. /1 The very subtle but effective Calmer by @flareaudio. These don’t reduce sound but do reduce distortion, so things are a little less painful/confusing.

Good for bars/ restaurants where you need to talk but also need to feel a little… calmer.

Also comfy and imperceptible.

Thoughts on “lack of empathy”:

Empathy, sympathy and compassion are not, in fact, synonyms.

Empathy is the ability to feel what others are feeling.

Sympathy is the ability to understand and (I’d argue) express those feelings.

Compassion is acting on them. /1 They do not come hand in hand.

You can feel somebody’s emotions without expressing them or understanding them. You can express them without feeling them.

You can feel nothing at all but still be compassionate.

Yet they all get mixed up. /2

A thought about gaslighting and autism:

Since diagnosis, I’m finding myself less confused. I spent a lot of my life being told I was wrong, lying, that I had misunderstood, that something in me was fundamentally the problem.

Obviously, I believed it. /1 So when people tried to gaslight me - claim that their reality was right and my reality was wrong - it always worked.

I would find myself utterly lost, self-loathing, apologising profusely and believing that I had screwed up.

That the fault was mine. /2

So… I haven’t had a full meltdown since my diagnosis last year. This is totally unprecedented for me, and I’ve been trying to work out why.

Here’s what I’ve worked out so far.

I’m sharing in case it helps anyone else avoid even ONE of the blighters. /1 My system feels like an empty vase. Everything goes into it - noises, lights, emotions, mental processing, environment, demands… the works.

Before I knew I was autistic, I couldn’t sense the vase filling up. So when it reached the top and spilled over, I’d meltdown. /2

Here’s what I wish NTs knew -

It’s not just bullying that traumatises a ND person. Often it’s the tiny observations and criticisms you don’t even think about that can slowly destroy us.

Because multiply those by thousands, daily, over years, and we break. /1 We know we are different. We are trying to “be” like you; to pass as “normal”.

So when you tell us we “speak formally”, we tie ourselves in knots to seem casual. If we “stand weird”, we focus more on our bodies. If we are “intense”, we try to care less about our passions. /2

One reason why autistic people struggle to read emotion: there is often/usually a HUGE gap between how a NT feels and what they’re saying. Like, a chasm.

Autistics can see that and we get confused. -1 An NT will say “I’m so happy for you!” But their face/body will say “I want to kill you and hide your body”.

That’s a lot of mixed input for autistic people to process. -2

Looking back, I’m only now realising just how many adults knew who I was but were afraid to “label” it. 1/7 The nursery teacher at 3 who told my mum I was “special” and “unlike other children” so “my path would be a different one and that’s okay.” 2/7