The ASD thread (Autism Spectrum Disorder)

[Boy]

I was so mad at those people while reading this article... Do these type of people really exist? Can they even be called - people?

"A BUS driver from York with Asperger's Syndrome who was called an 'imbecile' and an 'illiterate cretin' by work colleagues has won a £30,000 payout."

https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/233...s-wins-30-000/

[Dougella]

Fern Brady, who was on Taskmaster, has written a book which is partly about being diagnosed as autistic as an adult

[Percy]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-65764285

Sia's been diagnosed as autistic.

[choirgirl]

That does sort of explain the not wanting to see her audience and the wig over her face thing.

[Percy]

Originally Posted by choirgirl

That does sort of explain the not wanting to see her audience and the wig over her face thing.

I had the same thought.

[Percy]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/ideas/videos/t...istic/p0fqdsrd

[cymruambyth26]

Well, I have finally be diagnosed with ASC (as I call it) after 33 years on this earth.

I know now what has been going on with me after 33 years. I finally have an answer. I am looking forward to what the future has in store for me. I know it won’t be easy there is still a lot that needs to be done before autism acceptance becomes action.

Does this now mean that I still live social anxiety disorder or does the autism diagnosis eliminate the social anxiety disorder diagnosis?

I now feel that I was mis-diagnosed with social anxiety disorder. Nevertheless, social anxiety remains a real symptom/trait of my autism.

[Dougella]

^ Congratulations

It's really up to you I think whether you choose to still keep the diagnosis of SA aswell as your diagnosis of autism or choose to see your SA as part of your autism now.

[cymruambyth26]

Originally Posted by Dougella

^ Congratulations

It's really up to you I think whether you choose to still keep the diagnosis of SA aswell as your diagnosis of autism or choose to see your SA as part of your autism now.

Thank you. It's been quite a year for me and getting diagnosis. I was diagnosed with a condition called Eosinophilic Oesophagitis at the start of the year.

I think the way I described social anxiety in my previous post suggests I'll probably just view it in the future as a trait or behaviour associated with my autism. Social anxiety feels like an aspect of my autism. As opposed to a separate condition.

[Dougella]

"Jason Arday: he learned to speak at 11 and read at 18 - then became Cambridge's youngest black professor."

https://www.theguardian.com/society/...lack-professor

[Amara 94]

Being misunderstood a lot of times is actually making me more interested in non-verbal autistics.

[Amara 94]

Originally Posted by Dougella

"Jason Arday: he learned to speak at 11 and read at 18 - then became Cambridge's youngest black professor."

https://www.theguardian.com/society/...lack-professor

Yeah I heard about him. Will recheck his story.

[Dougella]

Pathalical Demand Avoidance.

[Laurel]

1) ‘ Autistic people are more likely to have physical health conditions across all organ systems, including the brain (e.g., migraine), gastrointestinal (e.g., coeliac disease) & endocrine systems (e.g., endometriosis). Important implications for clinical care’

2) Men over 40 their sperm degenerates to the point that they have increased chance of an autistic child.

[Merry]

Originally Posted by Dougella

Pathalical Demand Avoidance.

Hi,
This seems like advice as to how to cope with it, do you know where there's more of a (shortish...my attention span is very limited!) film just explaining what it is?

Sorry if it is explained during the video, I struggle to watch longer things and so when I realised it was more of a self help video than an explanation I switched it off.
It just resonated when she said that people with this 'take advice as a demand' as I really struggle with my eldest son, who gets very angry and has (what seems like to me) unusual reactions to me wanting to help him navigate life at all. A few years ago, in the run up to his GCSEs we had quite a fraught relationship but I have learned how best to try and prompt him to do things that need to get done at a certain time (like applications for college as an example) without provoking some kind of meltdown. Though that's from a parenting point of view, not coping with it yourself point of view.

I think the name of it sounds horrible, which is why I've never looked it up before. Also I think I got it muddled up with oppositional defiance disorder, which I've dealt with in work and is a different thing.

[Dougella]

10 signs you have Pathological Demand Avoidance.

[Amara 94]

This video is making me feel better about a study group I impulsively signed up for. I found 2 female peers acting awkward towards me as in avoiding me, being distant. I think the study group is not for me and am not attending again. Tbh I’ve had different women act like this in the past, and some gradually become open and nicer but it doesn’t feel genuine or it feels like they see me as below them but acceptable. Especially 23:35 in the video.

In my mind I think I want to feel accepted or like I have a meaningful purpose that I’m working for or towards. I don’t want to feel like I have to change myself to reach my potential. But real life at the moment requires me to change myself. Although I’m efficient at my job, dishwashing, I feel like I’m not naturally fast with my hands. Although I’m able to wash stuff on time I think the aspect of not having fast hands is an example of the work environment not being the most ideal one for me. Also the casual, small talk, banter and lack of deep thought required i think. I might fit a job position that requires more thinking. But then I feel like I’m too mentally broken to reach my top potential. For example, even something like teaching would be hard for me because of my ego, how easily I can feel threatened by others.

I just realised today that my relationship issues with some cousins are an extension of the social issues I deal with. So maybe if I dealt with my social issues it would help me with how I think about my cousins or how I perceive our interactions.

[Sunrise]

BBC News - Ellie Middleton: 'Learning the way my brain works has changed everything for me'
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/disability-67406374

A very interesting article. I haven't been diagnosed with autism and don't really have any intention of seeking it out, but when I read about experiences of women (and it does always seem to be women) like this I can relate.

It's the communication struggles I can relate to, but other aspects I see mentioned don't really apply to me at all. I definitely don't fit the "geeky male" stereotype. I find it mad that as part of the diagnostic criteria you're asked questions about if you like collecting facts and figures about trains and things like that. I'd rather watch paint dry than do anything like that, and I wonder if people are missing on help because of it. Why is being a nerd a part of the diagnostic criteria? If you have more "mainstream" interests is it not still a problem?

A few years ago I would never have thought I would have met the criteria for an autism diagnosis as I can't relate at all to what I thought was the typical representation of autism, but when I read about the experiences of women like her I can really relate.

[Dougella]

^ It is often called the "female presentation" of autism but autistic men do also present in that way. Maybe worth you looking in to it a bit more.

[paulthequiet]

I haven't posted on this forum for years but well I was recently diagnosed with ASC in my 40s. It explains a lot about issues in my life and why I developed anxiety around social situations in the first place. I just wish I had any idea about this much earlier.

Relieved I have a confirmation after waiting 2 years for an assessment. Not sure what I do next with this information mind you but its still good to have some sort of explanation for how I am.

[biscuits]

^ welcome back, Paul . That must have been an anxious wait, to wait two years but totally worth the wait at the same time. Have you been on: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/autism/support/

Originally Posted by Sunrise

BBC News - Ellie Middleton: 'Learning the way my brain works has changed everything for me'
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/disability-67406374

A very interesting article. I haven't been diagnosed with autism and don't really have any intention of seeking it out, but when I read about experiences of women (and it does always seem to be women) like this I can relate.

It's the communication struggles I can relate to, but other aspects I see mentioned don't really apply to me at all. I definitely don't fit the "geeky male" stereotype. I find it mad that as part of the diagnostic criteria you're asked questions about if you like collecting facts and figures about trains and things like that. I'd rather watch paint dry than do anything like that, and I wonder if people are missing on help because of it. Why is being a nerd a part of the diagnostic criteria? If you have more "mainstream" interests is it not still a problem?

A few years ago I would never have thought I would have met the criteria for an autism diagnosis as I can't relate at all to what I thought was the typical representation of autism, but when I read about the experiences of women like her I can really relate.

It's a good feeling when someone else find the words you're looking for to describe the way you experience the world.

I highly recommend Ellie's audiobook called Unmasked.



If you have sportily it's on there. You can also get it as a book, book - but I prefer the audiobook as it's read by Ellie.

p.s. The link in your post is missing a bit of the url: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/disability-67406374.amp

[biscuits]

sportily = Spotify!

[Chess&Junkfood]

Welcome back to the forum, Paul! It's good to hear that you've received your diagnosis. I hope this proves helpful for you!

[Amara 94]

https://www.reddit.com/r/autism/comm...c_people_have/

Hmm

[Sunrise]

Originally Posted by biscuits

^ welcome back, Paul . That must have been an anxious wait, to wait two years but totally worth the wait at the same time. Have you been on: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/autism/support/



It's a good feeling when someone else find the words you're looking for to describe the way you experience the world.

I highly recommend Ellie's audiobook called Unmasked.



If you have sportily it's on there. You can also get it as a book, book - but I prefer the audiobook as it's read by Ellie.

p.s. The link in your post is missing a bit of the url: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/disability-67406374.amp

Something I don't understand that this book seems to cover, and I hear a lot of other people say, is that getting a diagnosis suddenly seems to change how they feel about themselves.

I know for certain that wouldn't be the case for me. Whatever label you gave me, I would still hate absolutely everything about myself and see myself as an awful, broken and damaged person. It would offer me no comfort whatsoever. I wouldn't think "I can't help it, I have a condition". I'd feel like I was using it as an excuse.

I would still feel like a failure. Life would still be a massive struggle. I would still be completely incapable of forming healthy relationships with other people. I'd still be incredibly lonely and unhappy. The thought that it was just who I am and there was no hope to ever change would be soul destroying. It wouldn't feel like a weight has been lifted or anything like that, I'd still feel like a total failure.

A diagnosis wouldn't change how I feel about myself or the world. I think it would be more likely to make me even more resentful.

[biscuits]

^ that's understandable (the not finding a diagnosis helpful part). It all depends on how you look at it. Some people find a diagnosis to be helpful in terms of gaining support and accesss to services (theoretically because they're strettttttttched). It gives explanations and answers and a sense of belonging. Some people prefer not to go down the route of diagnosis for many reasons and that's okay too. It's different for lots of people. I personally don't like being put in a box.

When she says the diagnosis changed her life, she means she stopped feeling like there was something wrong with her. It helped her to accept and love how she is. It's that "it all makes sense now" feeling compared to "what's going on inside of me?" feeling.

[Sunrise]

I'd still feel like there was something wrong with me, the only difference is that "something" would now have a name.

The world isn't exactly an easy place to live in if you're "different", and I don't feel like labelling myself would really change that. Unfortunately we live in a world where you're supposed to adapt to meet it's needs rather than it adapting to meet yours. I don't think it would make things any easier for me, and I would still hate myself for not being capable of doing the normal, everyday things that most people take for granted.

[biscuits]

^ I hope you get to experience being around people and in environments where they are welcoming and adapted to different needs at some point.

[Amara 94]

[Amara 94]