r/autism

I don’t have the time or energy to decipher these constant codes and dialects in gay or fem spaces. It took me like a year to figure out “clock it” and other sayings. I want to be out and about and engage with my community, but why is this slang such a dealbreaker. It’s either you’re in on it and yayyy! Or oh you’re just a gay guy not that kinda gay guy. Like girly please I thought the checklist was smashing dudes not contributing to the zeitgeist of the dialect.

For a long time, I assumed certain things I experienced were just normal and that everyone felt the same way. It wasn’t until I learned more about autism that I realized some of those experiences were actually related to being autistic.
It made me wonder how many other people had the same realization.
What’s something you thought everyone experienced until you realized it was related to autism? It could be sensory issues, social situations, routines, masking, or anything else. I’d love to hear your experiences.

There are a lot of things people say to autistic people that they probably mean as compliments or encouragement, but they can still come across as dismissive or hurtful.
Everyone’s experience is different, so I’m curious to hear what stands out to others.
What’s one thing people should stop saying to autistic people? Why does it bother you, and what would you rather people say instead? I’m interested in hearing different perspectives.

(This post is NOT to start a debate about the actions of this author, please do not get political. I need advice on healthy ways to engage with it)

I’m so tired of having a special interest in Harry Potter, I’ve tried so hard to stop engaging with it but that just makes me anxious and sad. It’s been one of my consistent interests since I was very young and my mum read the books to me. I’ve read the books all the way through around 4 times now, and I watch the films constantly.

My issue is I really want to be able to go to things like the studio tour in London, I think it would be an incredible experience for me, but I simply can’t support the author like that. Does anyone know of any fan-lead experiences that aren’t going to directly support her? Am I supporting her by streaming the movies? I don’t know what to do :((

I feel judged for liking it, and people assume I agree with the author which makes me sad. I just love the world, it was one of the first times I felt seen by characters

UPDATE: thank you so much for your input everyone, I really appreciate the time to give me legitimate advice. I really appreciate those of you from the trans community shedding light without being hostile towards me, and have taken a lot on board. I’ve ordered a dvd player and I found the dvds second hand, I’m going to start watching them that way rather than streaming. I will be purchasing any merchandise the same way. I am also trying to expand into other similar franchises that align more with my views, and I’m actively looking for ways I can support members of my community.

A few things:

- some people need to learn about special interests, telling me to ‘change’ my special interest is an incredibly ignorant thing to say
- attacks on my character will no longer be responded to, if you read my whole post and replies to others, you understand I am 10000% someone who opposes her views and stands with the lgbtq+ community, I do not need to defend myself on that

Fuck streaming services, fuck the governments, fuck the countries, fuck the borders, fuck Discord, fuck Reddit, fuck YouTube, fuck Apple, fuck Android, fuck Samsung, fuck Windows, fuck Microsoft, fuck Sony, fuck Xbox & Playstation wars, fuck everyone, fuck sleeping, fuck heatwaves & summer, fuck waking up, fuck going to the same place doing the same shit everyday for the rest of your life and most of all fuck the world for putting people with autism down and giving us no choices, I feel so stuck in a system that doesn’t want me where I don’t belong. Life is so difficult I can’t make friends I can’t find friends or people who are not weird (I mean people who just drink and smoke and want to piss away their lives and don’t care about anything, no ambition). I am so so sick of everything I am sick of feeling like I have to do this because someone says so I am sick of having to do things because people say so I am sick of waking up everyday to the same bullshit everyday I am so physically exhausted my body feels like it could just shatter at any point I am so fucking tired I don’t know what’s wrong with me anymore. I am mentally exhausted my visions blurry I’m so stressed I feel like there’s this heavy fucking weight all over my body that is dragging me deep into the ground, I can’t escape.

During my teenage years I got this A LOT. I had an ease for schooling and learning, but then talking to me… I remember people looking confused, like I was saying the dumbest shit on earth

This used to be a common trope in 80s and 90s movies too, like a nerd who’s just an idiot and can’t pick up on basic things. I always felt that was me

Well turns out that’s just my autism and communication issues. I wanted to know if the same happened to you. It feels like relief, honestly

Living with family is hell for me. I haven’t been able to keep a proper routine because they always interrupt me asking for help with cleaning and help with cooking and obviously I can’t say no because I need to contribute somehow since I don’t have a job. It’s just super frustrating I wish I could be normal and have a full time job and my own apartment I’m sick of having to share I hate sharing.

All I want to do is have a scheduled time to cook and clean and exercise and spend the rest of the day drawing. I’m sick of having to bend for other fucking assholes.

i am a 19 year old autistic person (idk what level because they don’t do levels where i live, i just got diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder sorry). whenever i drink i feel like i have been temporarily cured because im not constantly overthinking and worrying about every single social situation im in. anytime im meeting someone new i feel the need to have 1 or 2 drinks just to be able to socialise and not be blunt or “off putting”. does anyone else feel like this or is it just me? and if anyone does how do you cope with feeling this way?

I lost my sponge. I don’t know where it is but it was there just two days ago in the bathroom and now it’s gone. But I planned to use the sponge for a bath but now it’s gone and I’ve looked everywhere and no one else saw it

My plan is interrupted and now I have no sponge even though I looked forward to using it and now I don’t know what to do and it’s agitating me a lot I'm sitting on the bathroom floor right now.

I also haven't eaten yet because I was tired. So I made some food but I planned to eat it after the bath and now it's all ruined because I don't have the sponge and the bath is already full with water. I bought it just two days ago it can't just be gone. I used it FRIDAY evening.

It's making me crazy I can't handle this and I’ve also just taken my medication so maybe that's why as well but I'm crashing out.

I'm crying and breathing hard because the sponge is gone. I bought it for cleaning specifically and I planned to use it today. But now it’s gone and I don’t know where it is and I'm going on a trip tomorrow and need it there too.

The hunger is making me feel a bit faint and I CAN'T eat until I have finished finding my sponge and taken a bath. I just don't know.

I've looked in the shelves, the litter box, under the carpets, in boxes and everywhere in the bathroom. Then also outside the bathroom but I still haven't found it and I'm going crazy because I can't buy a new one for tomorrow because I have to be at the location at 3:00 AM.

Stores are closed today and the store I bought it at would be too far away regardless with a bicycle. I don't want to use a small towel because I locked onto the sponge. It would not be the same and would not solve the problem of my sponge being gone and it's new I bought it for myself and now it's lost.

My mom said she might have thrown it away but I looked in the trash as well and saw nothing so I'm not sure. But maybe it really is gone already but then I’m wondering why she threw it away when it's an obvious bath sponge and now my day is ruined and I don’t know what to do.

I haven't taken a bath yet and haven't eaten yet. I’m not even fully packed yet. But I need my sponge.

I don't know why this is happening to me. It happens very rarely. Maybe three times a year or so for a specific thing. The fixation thing happens more often where I fixate and can't eat or take a rest or do anything else but that but with the medication it went away.

Maybe it's because I took the medication in the evening (now) instead of morning. Because it's Zoloft and fluoxetine, yes I know it's rare but he prescribed it like that and there have been no side effects so far. But yeah that is kinda it I'm sitting in my room now and the bath is still there and the sponge is still gone but if I go take the bath without the sponge I will be agitated really agitated but if I don't take the bath I’m not fresh for the trip and I can't eat my food.

*I FOUND IT

I'm happy to share about my Pokémon collection since I was little I love Pokémon and that's why he's my hyperfocus, my parents ended up buying some Pokémon I'm even crazy to buy a blanket I have some things: cards, stuffed animals, pajamas and in the future some dolls that will still arrive I'm happy that I'm managing to make a collection of something I love:D

This is my first post, anyway I can't look into anyone's eyes since I was little but my mother insists that I look even if I don't like it because it generates a lot of discomfort for me, especially since I stopped doing therapy and taking my medicines I don't understand why I have to look into a person's eyes to talk like it's not just looking down and talking normally?

Look it's one thing to be on benefits when your folks are alive but one day we'll all be on our own. What then? How do you plan to deal with it?

I took this from ‘ADHD Explained ‘ Facebook page.
How true is this ?

“Someone acts unkindly, seemingly out of nowhere, and while many people simply shrug it off and move forward, the autistic mind cannot let it rest so easily. It replays the moment repeatedly, searching every detail for the missing explanation that would finally make sense of what happened, convinced that somewhere, a logical reason must exist.
This pattern comes directly from how many autistic minds are wired, built around logic, pattern recognition, and a genuine expectation that behavior follows reason. When cruelty appears without any clear cause, it does not simply register as an isolated bad moment. It becomes an unsolved equation, something the mind cannot file away until every variable has been examined and understood. Asking friends, researching possible explanations, analyzing tone and timing repeatedly, none of this stems from obsession for its own sake. It comes from a genuine need for the world to operate consistently and predictably.
Underneath this search often sits a deeper, more vulnerable assumption, the belief that people generally act with intention and reason, even when their actions cause harm. Accepting that someone might simply be cruel without any underlying cause challenges that core assumption directly, which is precisely why it feels so difficult to accept and release.
As a therapist, I want to offer something gentle here. Not every unkind action carries hidden meaning worth uncovering. Sometimes people act from momentary frustration, insecurity, or simple carelessness that has nothing to do with deeper logic at all. Learning to acknowledge an unresolved answer, rather than endlessly searching for a satisfying explanation, is not giving up understanding. It is finally allowing your mind some rest from carrying a weight it was never meant to hold indefinitely.”
#AutismAwareness #ActuallyAutistic #Neurodivergent #MentalHealthMatters #AutisticMind #fblifestyle

Rn I have dogs barking, constant and loud fireworks, my cats are terrified. I took melatonin (thought it wouldn’t be bad) but I won’t be falling asleep until this is over😐😐😐😐

How are y’all holding up?

to be hones, my favorites are rock with you, heaven can wait bad Billie Jean and don’t stop till you get enough which I’m listening

get closer,

keep up with forces stop, dont stop till you get enough

PLEASE HELP I NEED ADVICE!

It’s 4th July. My neighbour always sets off illegal fireworks every year, they sometimes hit our house too. I am in the USA ofc..

My conflict is if I report them (fireworks hotline from the police department, NOT emergency line ofc) my area has a no tolerance policy. It’s a mandatory court date, at least 1000$ fine, and even jail time. I don’t want to ruin my neighbours life, but at the same time, we are in an extreme fire danger. There’s huge wild fires all around us right now. Areas around us have full fire bans in place it’s so bad (we have restrictions not a ban). The chance of a whole ass wild fire starting across the street from me is really high. What do I do? I can’t talk to them. My autism makes me uncomfortable with conflict. We did last year and they said they couldn’t care less, and my dad talked to him this year and they said the same thing.

Don’t want to ruin this guys life (he has a wife and kids) but also don’t want a fucking wild fire to ruin the entire neighbourhood. HELP!

UPDATE: I talked with my parents. Just as we were about to call, they went inside. They stopped. We’ll call if they go back out and start again. We don’t have photos or evidence of them doing it because the camera we have that faces them didn’t turn on as it’s motion activated and they were too far away for it to catch it.

There’s a lot of other illegal fireworks around us that’s going off, but we can’t report them all because we don’t have the streets where they are. We anonymously reported multiple times on the online local fireworks database that the local police own and use to find illegal
fireworks.

I’m sure we’ll see some police rolling around later tonight as they normally start patrolling this area after quiet hours start.

Thanks for all the help and I appreciate it! Next year I will just immediately report them instead of worrying. They’ll have to learn the hard way if they don’t want to do the easy way.

i have level 3 autism and am nonverbal. for some people their autism may not be disabling. but for alot of us it very much is. me included. i cant do any iadls and most of my adls alone. i will need 24/7 care for my entire life, im intellectually disabled, i can't communicate without AAC and need help with "simple" things like changing clothes, bathing, or using the bathroom. all because of my autism. i am very much disabled. i try to be understanding but it makes me very upset. how are you gonna say that when i struggle so much every day cuz of autism? it just makes me mad.

Honestly, I was a bit scared of the noise when I was little, but now I really like them. Yeah, sometimes the noise is still a bit annoying if I'm too close, but the colours and shapes and the explosions can be very amusing if I'm at the correct distance.

I used to go to a school with a high neurodivergent population (including teachers) and had many friends and wondered why everyone hated school. Now, i go to a school with a low neurodivergent population and am regularly bullied.