Autism

When I talk of the weather it is not simply small talk. Because I usually have to work in the weather at least part of the time. And I work near tall metal towers so lightning is always a concern. As for today it's going to be 80F/26.6C which is rather warm. So I have to dress appropriately. Ironically I wear mostly black when it is hot. But what I wear is light and let's air flow through. I hear a cat upstairs doing something they shouldn't.

Dash is on the stairs.

This post is for casual conversation if you don’t feel like making a post of your own.

Does anyone have any experiences, frustrations or advice that they would like to share about maintaining long term relationships or starting over as someone with autism?

I‘m a millennial woman, and keeping people in my life has been a lifelong struggle. Today my spouse wants a divorce after 16 years of marriage. The reason stated is because of autism. I’m introverted, like to plan things, tend to lose focus and it’s like people just eventually get bored of you.

I have no family support, grew up in the foster system. I would lose my health insurance, home and everything in a divorce. Friends are through my spouse.

Feel free to PM me too if you are interested in talking. Could use a friend or maybe advice trying to start my life over somewhere else that I can get healthcare. I also happen to be learning German but open to talking with anyone.

The usual misunderstanding. Trying to learn how to naturally speak their language while still saying what I am intending to say.

It is not Saint Patrick's Day.

This post is for casual conversation if you don’t feel like making a post of your own.

The image, for context.

For context I have audhd. I've always been confused about the association between stacking toys and autism. I don't particularly remember stacking toys as a kid other than of course I did because I was a kid. Don't lots of kids try to stack stuff as high as possible occasionally? Why is this seen as an autistic trait? Is it a stereotype due to the historical bias towards autistic boys with a particular presentation or something else? If it really is associated with autism and not a bias, why do autistic kids do it more?

The teachers didn't know how to deal with me in elementary school. They treated me like someone with a disease they needed to stay the hell away from. They yelled at me when I had meltdowns and would drag me by the collar of my hoodie to the principal's office, constantly handing out referrals whenever I would cry for "disruptive behavior". I remember once, this one girl tripped and fell and started crying, but when I yelled "OW" and skinned my knee, the P.E. teacher wrote my full name on the board and said "Don't be so dramatic today like this kid."

Then, at my next elementary school, they would constantly not believe me when I got bullied and would yell at me. I also disregarded rules a lot as a child as I didn't see a need for them and liked to play around with stuff and got screamed at rather than understood.

In middle school, the teachers were okay, but the kids treated me like an outsider, a sub-human.

I got the diagnose of autism but I don't know if I'm ADHD. But now I'm kind of worried because I see this relation pretty often, it feels like you must have ADHD if you have autism.

How do you know you have ADHD (except consulting a doctor)?

It's Saint Patrick's Day!

This post is for casual conversation if you don’t feel like making a post of your own.

I enjoy preparing my lunches for the week and putting everything in order.

• Kalamata olives
• Dill pickle
• Garlic roast beef
• Baby bels
• Grapes

Not pictured is the fresh sliced sourdough bread and dipping oil that will be made each day. I patted the olives and pickles dry to avoid over mingling of the flavors.

I have several disorders which are located inside of the brain (which obviously includes autism, hence me posting here). I dislike calling myself "neurodivergent" for many reasons. For one, people use this term as a replacement word for autism, and I have many conditions besides autism.

For example, I'll see posts saying, "neurodivergent people sre more likely to do XYZ." There are so many disorders which fall under the neurodivergent umbrella that it isn't humanly possible for neurodivergent people to be more likely to say or do something than other folks; just say autistic in this context.

I also find that my personal experience gets watered down by calling myself neurodivergent; it feels like a modern version of being called special. I have several conditions which fall under different categories; psychiatric, neurological, and neurodevelopmental. To call all of that just neurodivergent is not very specific and doesn't tell a person what my needs are (plus, they'll just assume I'm autistic).

And we have bread!

This post is for casual conversation if you don’t feel like making a post of your own.

Let's bake!

This post is for casual conversation if you don’t feel like making a post of your own.

It is 14F/-10C outside right now. I am doing everything I can, to not go outside today.

This post is for casual conversation if you don’t feel like making a post of your own.

For context, I have a young child. I've spoken to his PCP (we're lucky enough to see a doctor regularly because of my job) about screening for autism but she's so far only given them general developmental milestone screenings. I don't know whether my child is autistic. I am, though I was never officially diagnosed, and there are people on both sides of the family with either formal diagnoses or identify as autistic but can't access medical care (including a diagnosis) for various reasons.

My question for y'all: is there value is pushing harder for autism-specific screenings for my child? If this becomes a diagnosis, would there be value in that, particularly for a child? What resources at school would they get access to, if any? Are there potential harms to a formal diagnosis?

As an adult and given my level of functioning, I don't see any value in seeking a formal diagnosis for myself. I'm...different*...from neurotypical people, and being able to put a label to that has very little practical impact.

*This is the kindest way I would describe myself. I don't and have never had a healthy self-perception. Yes, I've gone to therapy. It ended up being a catch-22 sitatuation: the issues I was hoping to fix prevented therapy from effectively helping me.

Well, there's going to be weather today.

This post is for casual conversation if you don’t feel like making a post of your own.

Sometimes when I walk past my refrigerator my magnetic Bluetooth earbuds latch on to it trying to escape my neck. It's always a bit disconcerting feeling a random tug.

This post is for casual conversation if you don’t feel like making a post of your own.