A place for those of us who are autistic where we can discuss our disability.
I was just talking to my parents about how I’ve never liked ice cream since I was a kid because I found it too cold. They persuaded me to try a tiny bit as an adult. At first, I found it far too cold like as a child, but when I left it to rest a bit so it got warmer, I quite enjoyed it.
This got me wondering if this could be an autistic thing. Could it have been the coldness of the ice cream overloading my senses? Autism can make you experience sight, touch, taste, smell, and hearing more than an average person, and it was an aspect highlighted on a Chris Packham documentary series last year.
Could this have been why I have never liked ice cream, and is the solution to leave it to get a bit warmer first rather than having it when it’s at its most cold straight out of the freezer?
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Mhm, there’s certain food aversions that I only realized were a sensory issue later on… poorly cooked/steamed veggies that squeak against your teeth, or fuzzy peach/apricot skins. It really changed my life for the better once I realized what kind of aversion it was, and how to communicate it.
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For me it was often crunch.
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You’ve got me wondering if that’s why I dispise mushrooms.
I’m still trying to get a diagnosis, but when I had my gender dysphoria diagnosis I had loads of questions to answer and unbeknownst to me one of them was an autism test. I downplayed my answers and got 7/10, with which it was recommend I look into autism. Upon retaking the test and answering honestly I got 9/10
It’s one of those things that has led me to understand myself so much better and improve my life in general. Just getting an actual diagnosis is so hard as an adult 
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Not autistic myself but my eldest was diagnosed with mild autism (what used to be called Aspergers but isn’t any more apparently).
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Haven’t personally been diagnosed with autism or ADHD, but that also requires someone to actually be diagnosing you…
I’ve read enough on ADHD in the past to think there’s a pretty good chance I have it, though.
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I haven’t been diagnosed but my entire family seem pretty sure that I am autistic.
Unfortunately this also means my younger sibling has an easy route to insult me lol.
Only family member who doesn’t think I’m autistic is my dad who also believes that “everyone is on the spectrum” and has biases against kids with autism in the family.
I probably won’t get diagnosed or even look to get diagnosed yet, as it doesn’t interfere with my life atm. And even in public, I can just mask. Or maladaptive daydream to ignore the fact I’m in public.
Maybe I will in the future tho idk. It is creating rifts between me and my boyfriend though. He often thinks that I’m emotionless or like “a robot” and doesn’t really get that I just show those emotions differently. And Probably at a lesser intensity than neurotypical people. Apart from when it comes to cats.
Big Finish is so helpful at letting me maladaptive daydream. And then the humbling realization I’ve been existing within my own head for an entire day.
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I got diagnosed at 19, which isn’t easy. In fact, when I did all the paper tests the diagnoser almost told me not to continue with the testing because it looked like I didn’t have it, but I insisted and after ten minutes of listening to me ramble about bands and Star Trek he announced that I am autistic after all. It has taken a big load off my chest, less because I needed the confirmation and more because it meant I could apply for disability benefits, which I am now happily subsiding on. Commissions cover any additional expenses, and I’ve never been more sure that UBI would greatly improve the quality of life of literally everyone.
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Do you mean like crunchy chocolate? Never get the appeal of that.
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Yeah, more recently it’s been decided that what was formerly known as Aspergers is honestly just another point on the Autism spectrum, and treating it like it’s own completely different thing isn’t all that helpful
Not to mention that, to quote an autism.org.uk article about it
Hans Asperger worked with the Nazis during the Holocaust and his abhorrent descriptions of some autistic children as being less ‘worthwhile’ than others led to dozens of children being sent to a Nazi clinic, where they were murdered.
So also maybe not a great guy to name a condition like that after
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No, that’s fine. I’m more talking stuff like celery, carrots, onions.
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This is entirely a personal preference and while I avoided using the term Asperger’s since, I did feel more comfortable having a distinction on the spectrum. Idk if there’s a more recent one, but it seemed more acceptable to say I had undiagnosed Asperger’s regarding my symptoms than saying I have undiagnosed autism.
I think in some ways it hindered diagnoses, because at the time the symptoms of autism and Asperger’s were somewhat distinct. As in, when you say you have autism, but you can mask really well, people will dismiss you due to preconceived ideas of what autism should look like.
But on the other hand I completely understand why having the distinction is problematic on a community-wide level. My preference is just as an individual.
Even then “high-functioning autism” seems like a horrible term as well.
With time, I know what people expect will change and everything, but it’s always in the back of my mind whenever the Nazi is mentioned.
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My girlfriend definitely had to ease me into the idea that I definitely have autism, but knowing it has definitely helped me realize a lot of things about growing up. I do wish the science was better known when I was younger because that could have saved me a lot of pain. I’m glad a more nuanced discussion of what it is has been made available, though the stigma around it is still in a rough place. I feel like a lot of parents just view it in the worse way possible (likely because of how it is depicted in media) while a lot of public figures who are likely on the spectrum really haven’t been super open about it, either.
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I got diagnosed when I was 17, it really sucked but at least it explained what was wrong with me.
I still don’t really like the fact that iam what iam but I deal with it. My specific type is tied more to misunderstanding social cues and emotions. I also struggle sensory issues but only on certain days. I experience pain sensations a lot more than the average person which is definitely my least favourite trait that I have if I’m honest, a simple stomach ache can be sometimes crippling - it sucks. Iam technically classed as high functioning though which is something I guess.
My biggest thing is I just constantly feel like a weirdo and I hate it. That’s why I love little communities like this so much, you people make me feel like I’m not a weirdo and I’m not alone. So in all honesty thank you all!
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i probably have undiagnosed autism too, as well as adhd. my main issue is selective mutism, which, for me, manifests in the presence of strangers as well as simply posting online, so you can imagine how that might be difficult. i can be great at communication, but really only with people i’m comfortable with. i’m happy to see some people sharing a bit of their experiences here!
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Yeah I had finally found an identity as an “Aspie” and now that has been taken away from me due to PCness, which really annoys me as I surely have a right to identify how I wish. I don’t want to identify as “autistic” as to me that label has extremely negative connotations as a “disability” whereas to me it is simply a “cultural difference” which is how I try to explain it to NTs. So now I just describe myself as “on the spectrum”.
With me it was hot drinks - I hated the sensation of drinking something that hot, and they literally physically scalded my mouth. I can also get scalded by shower/bath water that is not too hot for other people.
So my standard answer to “Tea or Coffee”? is “no thanks” which really confuses people!
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I’m on the waiting list to be diagnosed with autism but it’s likely to take years if I go through the NHS which is fustrating. Alternatively, I can spend hundreds of pounds on a private diagnosis.
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Interesting. So it sounds like there’s a trend with those of us who are autistic in experiencing temperature at a more extreme capacity than an average person. For me, being something that’s cold, for you something that’s hot?
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Can’t remember if I was diagnosed as a kid or if I’ve always been undiagnosed, but I know I have it and knowing since a young age has helped me a lot with navigating it.
I don’t have much issue with textures in my mouth generally (other than ice, which I can tolerate) but some textures feel very bad to me generally. I hate hate hate standing on sand.
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I have a love-dislike relationship with being autistic. For example, it makes me perseverate on interests like nobody’s business, but at the same time it’s pretty isolating. If someone isn’t talking about one of my interests, I’m sorry to say, oftentimes it becomes incredibly difficult for me to focus on the conversation. I was surprised to learn that people are able to make friends with those who do not share the majority of their interests; they simply like the companionship.
For me, it’s impossible. To consider someone a friend, the other person has to be as invested in my special interest as I am. If they’re not, I’m immediately not interested in being anything more than a friendly acquaintance. If I could clone myself, I definitely would. But it’s that restriction that can make life isolating at times. It’s incredibly difficult to find people who like the things I do.
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