Spectrum squad

[Biggle_Bear]

I'm not sure how to approach this topic.

So... I'm autistic.

Man, I find it hard saying that publicly, but I feel like I need to embrace it more. I got binge watching a load of autism related video on YouTube and I realised my need for support (especially after the day I had yesterday at work).

Therefore, I was wondering if there is interest in making a support group among Yaktribe members who also have autism? So that others don't have to come out and say it so openly I was thinking of opening a conversation thread and invite people who DM me.

Thoughts/suggestions/interest?

Reply here or dm me.

 

[ClockworkOrange]

I have many of the traits but haven’t been diagnosed, it wasn’t really done when I was young. But I’d say I’m a mild sufferer / I’ve learnt of ways to deal with it as I’ve got older.

For this current generation of my family one of my nephews has now been diagnosed and really struggles And I think one of my own children my also struggle in a similar mild way to myself.

I’d be happy for others to talk about it here.

 

[Punktaku]

I have two kids on the spectrum and my mother in law thinks I am, but I’m honestly just antisocial…

 

[breegull]

ADHDer here. Because we share a lot of similar traits (and of course lots of folks are both autistic and have ADHD), I've found that many of my friends are on the spectrum and/or have family who are.

I love geeking out about stuff with autistic folks, since they're often among the few who can match or exceed ADHD levels of hyperfocused enthusiasm.

 

[Biggle_Bear]

I was too young to remember being diagnosed. I went my whole life trying to prove people's expectations wrong, but only now try to understand it better.

And I am finding a lot of happiness in realising why I do certain things, such as "hyper fixating" just to loose interest at the drop of the hat. That always annoyed me about myself. Midway through a project and I just couldn't bring myself to finish it. (I know non-autistic people also loose interest but I find it reassuring that I can point to a specific reason for mine).

Strangely though, I know this desire to learn about autism is likely a hyper fixation and there will come a day soon when I will lose interest. I just need to be more mindful about planning projects, now that I know.

 

[ClockworkOrange]

Strangly I’m the opposite of that I struggle with OCD / Fixation to a scary level, I can’t leave a project (work and hobby) once started and it causes me anxiety until it’s finished As before though I’ve never been diagnosed I just see similar traits in myself to those in my family who have. I’ve accepted It’s just me / how I am, everyone’s different.

 

[Biggle_Bear]

Strangly I’m the opposite of that I struggle with OCD / Fixation to a scary level, I can’t leave a project (work and hobby) once started and it causes me anxiety until it’s finished As before though I’ve never been diagnosed I just see similar traits in myself to those in my family who have. I’ve accepted It’s just me / how I am, everyone’s different.

And all that is perfectly valid. There's loads of people on YouTube and tiktok who were in their 30s when they got diagnosed. It makes me wonder how many people are on the spectrum who just never get diagnosed.

 

[MedMos]

I honestly don't know a lot about autism or the spectrum, but lately I've been thinking about more things as being a sliding scale. Like sex (male-female) or sexuality (gay-bi-straight), where males might have some feminine traits or straight people might have like a 0,01 % chance of bumping into someone of the same sex they're attracted to. Does that make sense? We're all different, it is just way easier for the community at large to put everyone in boxes with certain labels. I don't know that I am on the spectrum, but I'm certainly antisocial, like @Punktaku mentioned, and have some mild OCD behaviour.

 

[Gunkaiser]

Kinda dislike spectrum terminology myself as someone who has what used to be defined as Asperger's syndrome (now who knows?). Maybe more of a matrix or a cluster?

I dunno, there just isn't much I've got in common with people who are non-verbal and can't see and hear at the same time.

I do lose my keys as soon as I put them down and can remember every toy I had as a kid though.

 

[Punktaku]

Personally, I believe that no matter how you classify things (spectrum, matrix, cluster, sliding scale), if you listen to enough people, there’s no such thing as “absolutely normal.” It would be extremely abnormal to be that normal.

But people like to classify or label things, and based on some personal experiences, I think that’s a double edged sword. On one hand it gives common ground (“oh, I understand this thing!”)but on the other it can lead to incorrect expectations. One of my sons who is on the spectrum (Asperger’s before it was changed) uses it as an excuse not to do things, and an ex went through the DSM-IV (for a class), and decided she had “X” because being “normal” was boring, and what do you know? Suddenly she was a textbook case for “X” despite some of the more common attributes for it being things she had never done before she diagnosed herself….

 

[Biggle_Bear]

Kinda dislike spectrum terminology myself as someone who has what used to be defined as Asperger's syndrome (now who knows?). Maybe more of a matrix or a cluster?

I dunno, there just isn't much I've got in common with people who are non-verbal and can't see and hear at the same time.

I do lose my keys as soon as I put them down and can remember every toy I had as a kid though.

The problem with using asperger's as a term was that there was too much grey area. As researchers got a better understanding they realised that there wasn't a scale of how autistic people are. There are certain characteristics that people on the spectrum have trouble with, but one might not have a problem at all in a certain area whilst suffering a great deal in another area. It looks more like a brain map, rather than a sliding scale. So they simply class it as level 1, 2 or 3 depending upon how much care the person needs, level 1 being little to no care needs.

And the greater autistic community aren't too keen on the term asperger's as it creates a class system. As in those with asperger's are to be treated as regular people and all the others are non-verbal and are a burden on society. But what I have experienced is that the community doesn't try to police what term you use for yourself.

 

[Thorfinn]

I think Autism is like melanin, metaphorically speaking - we all have it to varying degrees. Except for albinos. Can albinos be Autistic? But I digress... Just as there are very light skinned people and very dark skinned people, and every shade in between, but it's all based on one element that everyone* has. So Autism is (I believe) also based on something we all have** (so I theorize), and we're all somewhere between very slightly affected and very highly affected. I'd technically call that a "spectrum" or perhaps a "pendulum".


* Almost everyone.
** Except maybe albinos. Nothing wrong with albinos mind you. Just following the metaphor. Love my pale skinned friends.