What does having autism entail?
By definition, it’s a genetic neurological disorder. It affects everything about you, the way you process things, how to you think, how you act, etc. It’s linked to other disabilities as well with the most common ones being adhd, bpd, narcissistic personality disorder as well as physical disabilities, the most common one being Ehlers Danlos syndrome that I know of.
Do you prefer being referred to as a person with autism or an autistic person?
Autistic person
Do you consider yourself disabled?
Yes
Do you have other related conditions?
Yes
I’ve been diagnosed with ADHD and I have a bunch of other underlying disorders
On a scale of 1 to 10, how much impact does autism have on your life?
Solid ten
It’s really hit hard now that I’m starting to unmask
How does autism affect your day-to-day life?
Executive dysfunction can be a bear to deal with at times. Other than that, biggest things I’m affected by are social. More specifically, I miss sarcasm, jokes, and hints. I’ve been taken advantage of many times. I’ve been called weird and bullied most of my life and I don’t have any friends in person
When were you diagnosed with autism?
I self diagnosed myself about a year or two ago as for an official diagnosis I never plan to get one. It just isn’t worth it and it can used against you
Did being diagnosed with autism help you understand yourself more? How did your diagnosis help?
Oh yeah
I no longer want to kill myself because of not knowing what’s wrong with me
What are your thoughts on the term “special”. Do you consider it offensive?
Yes and no depending on the situation
What are your thoughts on the r-word (retard)?
I hate it
I used to say it but know longer do because I didn’t realize how offensive it was
Do you go through life proud of your autism or do you keep it more of a secret?
I keep it secret until I get to know someone better
Do you get sensory overload? What does it feel like?
Yes
It’s hard to describe but I freeze and my throat feels like it’s closing up
I’ve only had three meltdowns to my knowledge and they all resulted in self sabotage
Do you ever feel like people underestimate what you’re capable of because you’re on the spectrum?
Probably
I can never tell if people know
How do you think people who don’t autism should interact with people who are on the spectrum?
Treat us like adults if the autistic person is an adult
Not every autistic person is the same so if we tell you we’re autistic don’t compare us to a relative/ friend etc because chances are we’re nowhere near the same
What are your thoughts regarding the idea that some people have that autism is caused by vaccination?
It’s bullshit that needs to die and it’s hurting the autistic community big time
Do you have trouble making friends?
Yes with neurotypical people not as much with neurodivergent people
Do you feel connected to other people on the spectrum?
Yes
We’re able to sniff each other out plus we tend to flock together
What are your special interests?
Diesel
Foraging
Welding
Have you ever been bullied? Did that take a toll on you? How did/do you deal with it?
Yes
It hurt me a bunch and it’s hard to forgive the people that did it
Have you lost opportunities due to having autism?
Probably I don’t pay it any mind though
How did/does autism affect your education?
I fell behind in math classes
How does autism affect your career?
I tend to get in trouble for doing things too slowly and for using the bathroom for too long
How does autism affect your love life?
I need to be careful with who I’m with because chances are I’ll get into an abusive relationship more than once because of gullibility and I’m too much of a people pleaser to stand up for myself
What is your general outlook on being autistic?
It would be a better experience if people were more accepting of it and understood what we deal with
How do you feel about autism jokes and people throwing around the word?
I personally don’t care as long as they don’t mention autism speaks or says that we’re retarded in them
What did your parents do right and wrong, in raising an autistic child?
My dad’s also autistic so he tried to do better than his dad he did hurt us but that’s dye to unresolved trauma on his end
And my mom did her best to raise us the best she could
What are misconceptions about autism?
That’s we’re all superhuman that can calculate any and everything
That autistic people have a specific look to them
What do you find is the biggest challenge of living with autism?
Executive dysfunction
What are things you like about having autism?
That I love learning
I love being open minded and learning from other people
How do you feel about how autism is portrayed in media? What are some of your favorite pieces of media with authentic representation?
A lot the time it’s inaccurate
The best authentic representation I can think of is Lapis Lazuli from Steven Universe
What would you like to say to autistic people?
Make sure you’ve taken care of yourself today
What would you like to say to parents of autistic people?
Be open-minded to what your kid(s) have to say about their experiences
What do you think society could be doing to better serve autistic people?
Accurately portray autistic people in media more
Get rid of misinformation about autism
Get rid of Autism Speaks
What would you like people to know about autism?
We’re people just like you
We have our wants and needs
Express our love in different ways
We’re almost always direct with what we say
What are your thoughts on Autism Speaks?
It needs to die asapp