r/autism

I'm not sure if this is an autism thing, but I've never understood other people's fixation on drugs and especially alcohol. They glamourize drinking a lot or not being able to get through a complicated situation (or just socializing) without drinking, and it never registered to me. It's absolutely wild to me how normalized binge-drinking is, as if it is something natural and normal. I myself don't like drinking - I think 99% of alcohol tastes like shit. Not to mention how problematic it is to normalize and glamourize genuine addictions.

I work in retail, and honestly I dislike being asked 30+ times a day "How are you?" when greeting people. It feels like being held socially hostage.

"How are you?"

"I'm good, you?"

"Good."

-and then they walk away. No point in it whatsoever. The same generic response over and over and over.

Even when I just greet people with "Hello guys!" they will immediately bark out "GOOD, YOU?" and I'm left feeling awkward.

Ive tried to use different replies, spice it up, but it seems everyone (mostly older folk) default to this exchange all the time. I hate it.

I love being clean but find it hard

I'm excellent at reading people, at gleaning information from what they say and reading between the lines. I have been told it's a little scary, that I can read people like a book, and, though she said she was joking, was once told I was almost like a psychopath, or some kind of hyper-intelligent machine or something. She desccribed me to a friend as beinig unusally gifted at social interactions, in respnose to her friend stating all autistic people suck at social stuff.

My issue comes with understanding emotions fully: not recognising them, but understanding why someone is sad, or angry. I sometimes confuse emotions to a ridiculous degree when stressed, too. I do not get these social interactions correct, either.

I am fully diagnosed, and 'obviously autistic' in other ways. I just wondered if other autistic people find they are 'good' at social stuff, or if it is as rare as media would have us believe.

This is my friend from elementary school who said this to me after my daughter died.

“ I mean this with so much love.... You know how hard nannying is? Mothering is harder. More thankless too. I know me telling you this will likely just piss you off, but the freedom you have is what every mother wishes she had. Every single one”

I didn’t respond.

She has since reached out saying “I hope you’re ok”.

I began watching The Good Doctor mainly because of the main character (I have aspergers syndrome) and I personally really like this representation.

I really like how he struggles to understand social cues and how he struggles to express his feelings in emotional situations. I also really like the sincerity of Freddie Highmore's character.

What do you guys think?

I have no desire to get married or have kids. No desire to own a car. Dont want to own property. Don't want to be a manager.

I feel like a weirdo for not wanting what were supposed to chase.

I'm more excited about a week off and getting snacks and a tv show to watch

I am into home renovations/maintainance, and I feel like I need to have all Dewalt brand tools. I think this comes from watching home renovation shows and seeing that is this is the brand that often got used on the show. I'm not sure if this is an autism related thing?

I recently stated collage to study psychology I told one of my proffesors I am autistic and dyslexic bc I trusted her and she promised she won't tell anyone oh how wrong I was she proceeded to undermine me talk over me whenever people interacted with me by yelling "she's special" I was like huh?? So??? I can handle things myself but I didn't say anything. Then she started calling me 'honey' in a sweet sorry voice with sympathy???? I ofc didn't like that tooo I wanted to tell her I only had level 1 and to stop treating me like I could do nothing??? To make it worser while we where all waiting for hrs she told me to scream and make an issue bc I am autistic so they can leave I am sorry what??? How can I undo this!! Help!!! 😭😭

I told her it would be nice if she could repeat the running notes bc I couldn't catch up with the rest I feel bad for telling her at all I am panicking I hate being treated this way that's the reason I told her I was autistic and dyslexic I could seriously use advice asap I can't handle her anymore she gives me more anxiety then any notes could ever give

Sound trucks, police sirens, ambulances, and motorcycles these are the things that easily stress me out; they really irritate my brain.

I also get stressed and anxious when I'm waiting in lines or when someone keeps repeating the same things in my head, but I don't get aggressive.

M24. It geniounly the worst thing ever. I've flunked mulitple tests and barely passed in high school.

I was diagnosed with autism last year (late diagnosis, I am 26), after i got my first “big girl job” and would have panic attacks on the way to work. Im not sure if this is an autism thing or just anxiety, but I’ve tried full/ part time, big/smaller jobs, and no matter what I start freaking out at the thought of having to go to a job and interact with people and handle responsibilities all day. im talking sobbing, can’t breathe, cant calm myself down. I’ve just accepted a new position that doesn’t even start for another week, and I can’t sleep at night knowing that I have to start the whole process over again soon. is this normal? I have to work for money, wtf do I do?? (ps, I would LOVE to find remote work, but that work is usually only offered to people with specific qualifications.)

It’s either lights or the sun in my face that gets to me I even have my blinds down all day so the room is nice and dim for my eyes.

I’m 32, and have plenty of classmates and friends who have started families, which is great!

But it’s odd to see the same people who distance themselves from that “weird person” at work, neighborhood, etc and will even clown people for liking certain things but then have the nerve to say we need to be welcoming to all people and not excluding someone for disabilities or disorders.

Seems like that rule is only for kids but being a jerk soon as the people are 18 is different 😳🤷🏻‍♂️ probably overreacting but still… 🙃

Hello! I am going to my first metal festival Saturday! I love metal and I am so excited. I already got the Loop Experience earplugs for hearing protection and plan to bring a refillable water bottle and wear a hat. It’ll be 101F (38.3 Celsius) so very hot. It’s a small area and I don’t know how the crowds will be.

I’ll be going from 2pm-midnight. My mom and nana are going too so I won’t be alone (they know one of the bands playing and are friends with them so they want to see them play).

Anyways I cannot wait and wondered if you all have tips? Thank you!

I have a brother who is 21 and has autism. He is non-verbal and needs assistance most of the day. He shows symptoms of sun-downing (a term use for people with dementia). He gets aggresive around 6pm and cannot focus or be re-directed. My parents are really struggling and I really do not know what to do. His psychiatrist gave him medication to help but it just seems to worsen it. He cannot sleep or sleeps less than 3 hours a day. Today, my mom was ask to pick him up from school as he was very aggressive and disruptive.

I have tried setting a schedule, lights, shades for his eyes and nothing has worked. This has been going on for around 3 years.

hi folks! i’ll cut to the chase.

i’ve tried so many things. earplugs, earbuds, over-ear headphones, and combining two of these at the same time. i’ve done so much research, yet none of this seems to be enough.

it is extremely important to
⚠️ block out as much noise as possible* and still play music, as i use it to treat my PTSD*. ⚠️ moreover, i have small ears and sensitive skin/EDS, so most implements hurt my outer ear and/or scalp.

i’ve highly considered over-ear sets designed for
shooting ranges, but a lot of them seem designed to let every day noise/conversation through or even enhance it, which defeats my purpose.

there must be other people out there whose sensory issues are as bad as mine. what is working for you?

thank you all 🫶❤️

*the Linkbuds S used to be my go to, but their quality has plummeted. i may repurchase the Between 3ANC despite their size since i remember the ANC being phenomenal. i’ve also heard good things about airpods 3 for people with small ears.

I told my parents about how I feel about clothes and my sensory issues with them and they're really supportive. For context I'm 15f and I've been diagnosed since the age of 7 and nudity was always normal for me because I have absolutely HATED the feeling of clothes since I can remember. I specifically hate wearing anything on my lower half, underwear, leggings, socks, shoes, pants, you name it I absolutely fucking HATE it. I hate wearing them and I want to be able to be "separated" from said clothes (if you know what I mean) freely at home but I was too nervous to tell my parents for a long while because I didn't know what their reactions would be. I explained to them how I feel about clothes yesterday and they both said I had to wear a shirt that hangs low enough to cover my "bits" (if you know what I mean) at the very least. I'm so happy that they let me I love how supportive of me they are but they also said that I'm only allowed to be fully naked in my room or in the pool. Wet clothes are the worst out of everything it feels even worse because it's tighter on my body and I've had a panic attack over it in the past. I'm actually overjoyed that I don't have to feel as uncomfortable around the house anymore, I can't express through words how uncomfy clothes are to me and I'm just so fucking happy :D. I'm so happy that I'm able to be free all the time and not just when I'm home alone :DDD

Btw for anyone who thinks I'm weird for this, imagine constantly being kept in a straight jacket for the whole day and only being able to take it off on rare SPECIFIC occasions. Clothes are a prison and I'm free at last :DD

(I mostly don't like being naked in a sexual way, I have a very low libido and the feeling I get from nudity is relaxation rather than arousal.)

[NSFW just in case]

I see no future for myself with autism. I'm only 16 and I've had multiple burnouts throughout my life. Will I ever get a break? I've seen people talking about how they've managed their symptoms and feel better but they still end up burning out. I want to live knowing I'll get some sort of satisfaction from life.

Am I just young, or is it actually just like this for the rest of my life?

Many different people have different standards for what is required for a relationship to work with another person. I am not even just talking about it in a romantic context: any bond with some reciprocity is also relevant in this issue I am experiencing.

I don’t know how to properly articulate it, but I feel like I have no real internal depth as a person. There’s just nothing really intriguing about me that others could find as endearing enough to develop a relationship with.  I don’t think I am particularly intelligent in any meaningful way as most of what I communicate back I think are shallow, emotionally dull, and probably predictable to some. Although other people rarely confirmed the negative beliefs I hold about myself, I  do think that when I compare myself to other people’s well thought out and insightful responses whether that be IRL or on the internet, I notice that my speaking style, even in my most exhausting attempt to sound formal, seems to sound way too basic for any meaningful interaction. 

This leaves me unable to bring something to the table, so to speak, because observing my own behavior brings me to the conclusion that It would be very difficult to meet most people’s standards no matter how small or effortless these standards may look. It could possibly be that I have not a lot of experience to communicate with others about, as exchanging knowledge of any kind is central and practical for most interactions to continue for prolonged periods of time. But even with me having very little intermediate knowledge about specific niches, a conversation of that topic alone can fade quite quickly because I think there would always be people who know more of the topic, which would cause me to feel dissatisfied and inadequate. 

Which makes it so difficult to be comfortable engaging in this subreddit along with any other. I’ve noticed that many of you guys type in a very particular way that shows very little flaws. You guys make smooth transitions from idea A to B, almost never use incorrect words in the wrong context, somehow perfect grammar that stays consistently perfect throughout different post and comments, and here I am barely confident that one small sentence sounds coherent enough. It sucks so much, I want to be able to interact with people more and develop my social skills, but I think that that you guys will be bored out of your fucking mind reading all these paragraphs and disregard them entirely. Hell, I even asked a couple of LLMs what they thought about the post and their comments literally proves my point.