Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD): Compendium Thread

catseye said:
I find myself doing 'dinosaur hands' and also flapping, when I'm serving people on the till. I have to remind myself 'hands by your sides' and I still find them creeping up!
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If you are in a group of other autistic people (don't do this NTs, it'd be MEAN!) then you can do dino hands and it'll spread. A bit like yawning! Also, a known moment of fellow feeling :group:
 
I feel the urge to admit that I have never discussed my thoughts on this with hardly anyone, either online or off, for over 20 years. I Have only recently discovered this thread.

I don't feel as though I 'fit', into any category of humanity, and whilst this only touches me rather lightly in everyday life, it has some weight when looked at head on.

So I am new to discussing. Previously I often (and quite wrongly) suspected that to be neurodivergent was actually more... authentic. I am ashamed to admit that, and currently don't subscribe to any theory whatsoever. I was quite young at that time!

What I have definitely found though is that other people like me, are generally NOT like me at all. I have previously found no solace in meeting others 'on the spectrum' (I still despise that term).

I haven't logged in here for a while. And now I am likely to have upset someone, but I dearly hope not.
 
And whilst I am a part of the pack, I can't understand why there are so many rules! I have been used to feeling vaguely offended since childhood, but am also aware that other people might feel similarly about me!
 
merricat said:
And now I am likely to have upset someone, but I dearly hope not.
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1) I'll punch them for you. Be at peace dear @merricat ! :bpals:

merricat said:
I can't understand why there are so many rules!
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2) blessing and bane :( if someone challenges you then look over the top of your spectacles at them for a while and then ask them where their homework is. It seems to be nonplussing enough to get them off the case :twothumbs: Also. see comment 1) above
 
Kondoru said:
While we are at it, I am interested in the Autism Act of 2009.

How do I get it to work for me?
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work out which part of the act and which sphere (education, housing, specific business) you are looking at. Search out a local to you partner if you can - NAS is a place to start. You are looking for examples that you can cite.
 
merricat said:
I feel the urge to admit that I have never discussed my thoughts on this with hardly anyone, either online or off, for over 20 years. I Have only recently discovered this thread.

I don't feel as though I 'fit', into any category of humanity, and whilst this only touches me rather lightly in everyday life, it has some weight when looked at head on.

So I am new to discussing. Previously I often (and quite wrongly) suspected that to be neurodivergent was actually more... authentic. I am ashamed to admit that, and currently don't subscribe to any theory whatsoever. I was quite young at that time!

What I have definitely found though is that other people like me, are generally NOT like me at all. I have previously found no solace in meeting others 'on the spectrum' (I still despise that term).

I haven't logged in here for a while. And now I am likely to have upset someone, but I dearly hope not.
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You may have found that lots of NDs feel some kind of imposter syndrome, like the description fits us but because we feel normal (it is our normal) we can't always feel inside how different from another person we are. That's because we don't know how it feels to be those poeple. It feels like we are the neurotypical and they are divergent from us! I have a great big document charting the way I qualify for a diagnosis based on the DSM Manual and I still feel like I may be faking it.

On top of that there is incredible variety and diversity even within the boundaries of divergence so it is true that you may meet other people with the same diagnosis as you but not be like them at all. It's less a spectrum and more a kaleidoscope. It is the same for neurotypicals - they are not all the same either but they have slightly less trouble recognising each other.

That feeling that there are invisible rules I can't find or obey is one I recognise.

I think it is okay to have doubts or questions or to feel uneasy about all this. It keeps you asking questions and learning so it's not a terrible thing.
 
Those of you who can't read faces, can you also not read them in paintings or sculptures?
 
Xanatic* said:
Those of you who can't read faces, can you also not read them in paintings or sculptures?
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I find representations of faces much easier. Much less data I think, and pictures are flat so there's no bothersome bits stick out or going in...

I've been through quite a bit of training where you are shown eggs/circles/ovals with lines/dots/squiggles which are meant to represent emotions so that one can then identify them IRL.

Easy enough to memorise the options and so start getting perfect scores. If I ever meet a cross egg I'll be able to identify the emotion within three guesses :twothumbs:

This exercise has led to no change in my ability to discern emotion from IRL faces. Everyone just looks angry until proven otherwise.
 
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The Problem of the Written Word:

Today, a newspaper's 'problem page' featured a letter from someone who complained - and the following is the paper's chosen headline - that 'My boyfriend wants us to move in together – but I need my independence and his dog won’t let us have sex'. It took me a half-second or so to work out exactly what was meant...yet I still have this vision of a dog standing on two legs besides the couple's bed, paws folded and tutting in prim disapproval at the pair. Or else barring access to the bed, with its paws outstretched, slightly reminiscent of GF Watts' painting titled Love and Death.:D

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Okay, that last bit was even more bonkers than the first section; but that's the perennial 'trouble' with associative thought - it's as much about pointless blind alleys as it can be about actual insights.
 
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I am not impressed that the Wikipedia article on Associative Thinking automatically redirects to one about Magical Thinking. Not impressed at all. But then I can only speak of my own experience of associative thoughts: not a trait worthy of clinical study, let alone diagnoses, but essentially harmless to myself and others, and often rather fruitless i.e. the connections suggested by my associative thoughts often fail to 'match up'. It's alarming to me that, these days, not a few unorthodox perspectives are deemed to be symptomatic of mental ill-health. For instance, the article links Associative Thought/Magical Thinking with what its authors call the experiencers' belief in 'supernatural elements' as part of the (two) processes; this merging of two distinct experiences is plain wrong to me, and feels like lazy thinking at best, prejudiced and assumptive at worst.
 
Today, I was planning to post an example of associative thinking as I experience it. This would, basically, have been a long list of possibly-connected subjects, inspired mostly by reading of things which interest me. But then I thought: 'What if my experience is not so different to the thinking processes of non-autistic folks?' I cannot know whether or not that is the case, is the simple truth.
 
As is usual, there are at least a trillion reasons. :D Seriously though, I most often post stuff about my life for three reasons ~

1. In the hope that autistic readers might feel less alone in their experiences, if those happen to be similar to my own.
2. Because I'm stumped or mystified, and am seeking enlightenment from other readers.
3. To inform allistic readers about everyday or unusual experiences in the life of an autistic person.

But, in this case, my list would just appear to be a bunch of theories gleaned from books, or else from articles.
 
Steven said:
But, in this case, my list would just appear to be a bunch of theories gleaned from books, or else from articles.
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I recognise and applaud your three reasons but... the associative thought posts are an examination of different ways of thinking and how they feel, as well as talking about the theory/names.

So, why would it not fitting (in your view) into your three points stop you from posting it?
 
I worry that, though the topics mentioned are very interesting to me, these wouldn't be at all interesting for the mass of forum members. If you don't mind, I'll run it by you and then act on your advice. :)
 
Steven said:
I worry that, though the topics mentioned are very interesting to me, these wouldn't be at all interesting for the mass of forum members. If you don't mind, I'll run it by you and then act on your advice. :)
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of course! Although it rarely occurs to me to be interested in what people think :dunno:
 
Steven said:
I worry that, though the topics mentioned are very interesting to me, these wouldn't be at all interesting for the mass of forum members. If you don't mind, I'll run it by you and then act on your advice. :)
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You forget...if it is not interesting to someone, they just don't read it :)
 
Here's a Guardian review of The Stimming Pool, 'an experimental feature shot over just 12 days that puts on screen the interests, passions and perspectives of its five young autistic creators.'

‘It’s supposed to be intense’: inside the experimental film that ‘truly captures’ autism

It stars a roaming shapeshifter – and a cat-faced soldier fighting a zombie in a swamp.

We go behind the scenes of The Stimming Pool, the first ever feature film to be made by autistic directors


Do you know how many autistic people there are in the UK? The answer is an estimated 700,000.

Yet until now, there has never been a single feature-length film directed by autistic people.

Or at least not one that has secured a theatrical release in the UK and slots at festivals worldwide.
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Trailer on YouTube -

 
Amaaaaazing how many presenters, journalists and politicians these days are qualified & expert enough to discuss the number of ADHD and Autism diagnoses...
 
maximus otter said:
Hacks and politicians know everything.

maximus otter
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Well I agree that they (and virtually every single authority organisation I can think of ) certainly think that they do. My experience suggests that they know sfa. It's never going to change and only get worse unforunately. In the meantime I'll enjoy winding these characters up when appropriate. It is no wonder to me that people begin to think that they don't "fit" when in reality society makes it difficult to live a simple life. GOG rant over:D
 
I've been busy haranguing newspaper commentators with replies to their pathetic, biased posts:

'What is explicitly and tellingly not mentioned in this time when, apparently, everyone from broadcasters to journalists personally unaffected by these conditions has strong opinions on this matter, is that NO-ONE talks of how people have been refused assessment on 'grounds' like "Well, you can't be autistic because you just made eye-contact with me". Incredibly, these ludicrous 'grounds' do occur and, often, issue from GPs(!)'

-----

'Anyone who's undergone official assessments for Autism would know how often quite brilliant the assessors are at recognising what is likely not 'autistic behaviour' and what actually is. This excellent ability alone frequently ends - for the assessed - the misery, turmoil and effective isolation of perhaps decades of stressfully wondering 'Why I am different?' or even 'What is wrong with me?' These professionals often provide a superb service - a godsend to many of those left in turmoil - and yet now, when it's politically expedient, we're strongly encouraged to believe that such professionals are all amateurs and 'bleeding-heart liberals'. Rubbish.

Besides, some critics are actually and deliberately lying: for example, one television news presenter regularly tweets about how autists are given 'free cars'; what an absolute load of nonsense that is - in fact, diagnosed people often complain about the entire lack of (material) support, and many don't even try to claim any at all.'
 
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Steven said:
I've been busy haranguing newspaper commentators with replies to their pathetic, biased posts:

'What is explicitly and tellingly not mentioned in this time when, apparently, everyone from broadcasters to journalists personally unaffected by these conditions has strong opinions on this matter, is that NO-ONE talks of how people have been refused assessment on 'grounds' like "Well, you can't be autistic because you just made eye-contact with me". Incredibly, these ludicrous 'grounds' do occur and, often, issue from GPs(!)'

-----

'Anyone who's undergone official assessments for Autism would know how often quite brilliant the assessors are at recognising what is likely not 'autistic behaviour' and what actually is. This excellent ability alone frequently ends - for the assessed - the misery, turmoil and effective isolation of perhaps decades of stressfully wondering 'Why I am different?' or even 'What is wrong with me?' These professionals often provide a superb service - a godsend to many of those left in turmoil - and yet now, when it's politically expedient, we're strongly encouraged to believe that such professionals are all amateurs and 'bleeding-heart liberals'. Rubbish.

Besides, some critics are actually and deliberately lying: for example, one television news presenter regularly tweets about how autists are given 'free cars'; what an absolute load of nonsense that is - in fact, diagnosed people often complain about the entire lack of (material) support, and many don't even try to claim any at all.'
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On the other hand these (usually) third party contractor assessors often have an agenda, usually to turn down a certain percentage of applicants and this has been exposed in the past. I've no experience in the Autism arena but know several people who have undergone these assessments for other conditions, been rejected, but proved their entitlement afterwards. In particular my friend found that the assessor had written in her report statements which were the opposite of what friend had said and witnessed by his brother. It does not surprise me that people are concerned about the lack of professionalism and hidden agendas in these assessments.
 
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