Autistic Problems

Anonymous asked: hi, um, my friends and family jokingly tease that i'm autistic, but i've never seen a doctor about it, so i took the aq test and scored 39, does this mean i have autism?

Since the AQ is not used in any kind of diagnostic evaluation, I don’t think it means anything, especially considering that a lot of autistic people with professional diagnoses don’t score in the supposedly autistic range.

If you think you might be autistic and want a better way to gauge that, several autistic bloggers have put together resources that you may find helpful:

• The ‘so you think you might be autistic’ info packet by andromedalogic
• Autistic-created alternative autism criteria
• An explanation of the DSM-V’s autism criteria

You are also welcome to go to my personal askbox if you want to ask questions there.

queerability asked: Could you promote Queerability? It's a brand new blog for LGBTQ+ disabled people!

Of course! Queerability is a great project. Queer spaces need to be more accommodating of disability.

Anonymous asked: Max from Parenthood. Do you think his character is an accurate portrayal of HFA? I'm just wondering because I've begun watching the show and I've been talking to other (NTs) who watch the show and they seem to be thinking that this is exactly what autism is like, etc. etc. Obvious its silly for people to generalize from a tv show, but I'm wondering if anyone on the spectrum has watched it and has any thoughts?

I haven’t seen the show. Other people are welcome to submit their thoughts about it, though.

- metapianycist

mindamplified asked: I really think that whole April thing should only be directed to Autism Speaks rather than the idea of there being an awareness month. Because do you really think autism should be kept a secret? We still deserve a month of awareness, but not necessarily making it all about Autism Speaks.

I prefer acceptance to “awareness.” We get enough “awareness.”

- metapianycist

Anonymous asked: Hi um, I'm not autistic, so I'm curious as to why April is hard for autistic people? I don't understand :( thank you

April is when Autism Speaks runs a lot of awareness campaigns, including “Light it Up Blue” et al. I should put a note on that one about how it might only be relevant in the U.S.

campdracula5eva asked: Re: that anon - Also, most of us are considered to be permanent children anyway, so an interest in anything is taken as evidence of us being childish.

Yes, this.

Anonymous asked: I suppose I'm just a bit confused, because a lot of those "Autism problem" images are things that apply to everyone, autistic or not.

What makes them autistic problems is that autistic people experience them with a frequency that sets them apart. Being told you are childish for a particular interest (as one example) can happen to anyone, but it happens much more frequently to autistic people because autistic people are much more likely to have a very strong interest in something considered “childish” in the first place.

I also wasn’t aware that everyone experienced the sensations of shower water or cotton as painful.

Mod note: This is a submission received anonymously that is too excellent to present in any form but the original.

One thing that sucks about being considered high functioning is that you really doubt how disabled you really are. Then when it hits you that you are really as disabled as that, you feel crappy because you struggle so much.

What’s even worse is that because you seem so capable to others, they expect a lot more from you and when you don’t reach those expectations, you are scorned. If you tell them that you are struggling with it because of your disability, people think you’re just being a wuss and not trying hard enough, even if you try hard every single day to cope. 

Another problem (slightly related) is when you meet other, more accomplished autistics who turn out to have been far more severe than you were during childhood. I mean, obviously you are impressed and feel happy for them, but then you start feeling shitty and start wondering if maybe you are just flawed as a person.

These are silly little insecurities that I have, but they do have an impact. I wonder if others identify with this?  

imnotevilimjustwrittenthatway asked: First of all, anon, don't pay much attention to the people saying you're not autistic. No-one knows your mind as well as you, and you already sound autistic to me; if people already conceptualize you as being allistic, then they will pass off anything autistic that you do as 'being weird' or 'fidgeting' vs stimming. Additionally, it's okay to be nervous.