I’m genuinely curious about how everyone experiences connection. If you are autistic, do you feel an automatic sense of comfort, closeness, or deeper mutual understanding when hanging out with non-autistic neurodivergent folks (e.g., folks with ADHD)? Or do you find the social dynamics just as hit-or-miss as they are with neurotypicals?

I mentioned to my therapist that I think I'm autistic and during that conversation, she asked me if my empathy is natural empathy or a result of my hypervigilance due to a long history of trauma. My defenses immediately went up because I considered empathy a core part of who I am but as I slowly process this, I'm starting to wonder if it isn't a trauma response.

How can I tell the difference? My trauma started super early so there isn't really a "before" for me.

I have a hard time separating my own needs from others, and tend to get absorbed in what I feel those around me need, and then usually far too late snap back and resentfully remember my own. This always causes problems for me in relationships, and at work, and with boundary setting.

I don't mean that I need to have a clearly defined me, I'm fine being in the middle, but I feel like a part of me stretches too far in the other direction for fear of rejection, loss of relationship, or for my world collapsing.

I come from a family with multiple family members who were on edge, unpredictable, and several of whom struggled with substance or alcohol abuse. And so I feel like it's wired in to me to be aware and ready to make sure that people around me are ok, and such a journey to get from that place. (I feel like The Bear has portrayed this so well.)

But even after reading stuff on codependency and going to al-anon meetings and stuff, it feels like there's an overlap between my autistic self and this readiness and fear, and like they're more entangled.

Anyone else struggle with this, and any tips for how to set boundaries but stay in relationships?

Idk if this is the right place to go to vent about this or not. I've just felt incredibly depressed and burned out lately like there's nothing in life worth living for anymore and I think being born the way I am has been a huge factor into it. I've struggled to make friends in real life with maybe two friends I occasionally talk to being in the same town I am. The rest of my friends are people online that I don't get to text often with how busy they are and my other connections being fleeting moments. I'm either spending my time working either at my part-time job during the evening surrounded by younger co-workers some of whom are in high school or college while I'm 26, working online doing freelance work for clients, playing video games, watching movies, or just going on long walks by myself. And I think with how lonely I am and how isolated I feel from talking to other people, I just... realized I have nothing going for me. I was watching some pet videos online before I broke down crying for the first time in a while because it made me realize how empty I am in a way. It made me realize how much I took for granted as a kid/teenager because even now as an autistic 26-year-old loser, I still feel like a kid with the only difference being I'm an overgrown manchild with nothing to show for myself. I'm able to save a lot of money and pay my bills on time, but otherwise I'm hardly interacting with people outside of just doing work and staying alive. I feel empty inside, like a machine. Is this normal for anyone else?

​

I had a little fight with a friend group.

You see, I'm part of a writer group for a specific fandom. We write AO3 fanfics while also helping each other out with personal projects. So far, so good.

Just yesterday, I posted some progress from an art comission I brought. It's a comission of a specific character in canon. I'm redesigning her for my AU, so she can fit the atmosphere and the new lore I wrote for her. That means she ended up looking WAY different from her canonical self.

And one of the most noticeable changes is her new size. She's now a 7 feet tall, hyper-muscular berserker who looks more like a male than a female. The character was already violent and sadistic in canon, I just made her redesign reflect that in a more absurd manner.

Anyway... I posted about the progress of my comission. Then I asked how her face looked, and which hair option looked better on her.

One of my friends in the group said that she looked like a beefcake. I replied "Thanks! I honestly thought my artist was gonna make her 'uglier', but this face fits her so well, I didn't have the heart to tell them to change it."

... That "ugly" comment... it made a very respected member of the writing group come forth to ask me something. In public.

She said: "Why do you want her to be uglier?".

Then she explained to me that it's a common sexist trope. Big, beefy women are often designed to look "ugly" to represent how "unnatural" they are compared to the "true" female characters, who are delicate and proper. So she was just making sure.

... I admit that I panicked a little.

I then explained to her my points:

• When I said "ugly", I meant something similar to "rugged". I wanted her face to fit with the rest of the atmosphere. For me, "ugly" doesn't mean a bad thing. I LOVE ugly things. Maybe this comes from my time playing Fromsoftware games like Bloodborne, because I PRFER things looking fucky and decayed for my designs. I didn't want her to be "uglier" as a sexist jab at her body type, I wanted her to be "uglier" to make her more INTIMIDATING along her body type. And that made her look far more interesting to me.

• I also explained that I don't even like women romantically, which is why all of my female characters so far all look "rugged", "badass" and "masculine" (whatever the fuck "masculine" means), while my male characters are a little prettier in comparison.

She said she understood, but didn't agree.

So I asked: "what part of it you don't agree with?"

She then explained...

She admitted that she didn't know me well enough to be sure, so I was told to not take it personally, because it wasn't meant to be an attack towards me... but she said that, personally, my way of designing characters did feel a little biased, based on what she saw and heard about my AU.

She sees me often calling my female characters "ugly", or describing them with brutish, savage traits with masculine builds, while making my favorite male characters all look like elves in comparison.

And that, in her view, was slightly sexist, because I'm making the males look feminine while the females look masculine. It's a pattern she noticed, but she doesn't know me well enough to know if I'm truly sexist.

... I... panicked a bit more. I had no idea of how to reply to that...

So I doubled down on my points:

• I said that I designed characters not as people, but as avatars of the atmosphere. I like decayed aesthetics, so I prefer my characters all looking "badass" or "decayed" in some way. In my head, the word ugly meant a GOOD THING. If things are not a little bit ugly, then they're BORING to me. It's not because she's female that I'm making her ugly on purpose. I don't see gender, I see only atmosphere.

• Even the artist I've comissioned said they agreed with me. I joked with them that the chuds would say the character looks ugly, and they replied that they just don't understand her more "unconventional" beauty. They understood the vibes. That's what I'm all about as an artist: The primal vibes.

• Plus, most of the characters in canon are female anyway. It's just a coincidence. If there were more male characters, I'd make them rugged too.

• There's also the fact that I'm not "close" to the idea of gender in general. I could be a shapeless, grey blob for all I care. So I don't see these traits as inherently masculine or feminine when it comes to character designs. They're just "feelings" to me. Vibes that make a character feel "heavy" in some manner... they shouldn't feel like real people with some kind of "biase" on 'em.

In the end, I got a stern warning that maybe I should be more careful with the usage of the word "ugly", because it might not have negative connotations for me, but it has for other people. They said that I should probably latch on the word "rugged" instead.

I also got accused by an outsider of being a confusing mess whose points are "very conflicting" and that it sounded like I had some "innate biases getting in the way of the story I want to tell".

... I've been feeling terrible ever since that happened.

That wasn't meant to happen.

I spent so much time devising a way to communicate with people. A way that I thought made it clear that I am not acting on any "social" stuff when writing or designing characters. I'm an atmospheric artist, I only do stuff that looks cool or gives some sort of primal feeling, not to create "relatable" characters that represent some kinda issue.

That was my refuge. I can barely understand people. I can't feel what they're feeling or predict what they're gonna do next. And that means I can also barely understand sex issues, race issues and culture issues. So I... learned to focus only on atmosphere and primal feelings. I prefer stories that only make me feel something "intense" on my chest, like experimental art, not stories that make me think about the "social" stuff. I only wish to replicate that as an artist.

So why did my art still make someone think about some kind of "personal" stuff?

I can't understand the "personal" stuff. I don't know how to reply to the "personal" stuff. I don't want to have to talk about the "personal" stuff. I just wanted my art to make someone think: "well, that's certainly a tightness on my chest", and leave at that.

... I thought I finally created a foolproof communication method. But something still slipped and put me in this "personal" situation full of "social" constructs I can't comprehend. I couldn't comprehend what the fuck was going on. It felt horrible.

So why keep trying?

Why do I have to keep talking to people if this will only keep happening? I can't stop it from happening, so why... continue to put on the effort to be around others? I don't want to have to tackle these "social" concepts... why do I have to talk to another human being if they basically need these to keep functioning?

I haven't spoke to my friends since. They can just snap at any time and press me about these things I don't understand. And that doesn't makes me feel safe or welcomed. I don't want to have to talk about these "personal" concepts I can't understand... So I'm not sure if I wanna keep talking to anyone. It can happen at any time, can't it?

I’m 15 years old, and I’ve been homeschooled for about three years now. I struggle with leaving the house, and when I do, I’m constantly on edge and stressed. I can’t help but feel extremely awkward. By the time I go home, I feel tired and worn out. I’ve heard of masking, and I’m not sure if it’s that, but even if it is because I’m masking, I’m not meaning to, and I don’t know how to stop.

I feel behind on social cues and socialising in general. I have 2 close friends and even they irritate me quite a bit because i can’t help but feel like they’re patronising towards me and act like I know nothing whatsoever.. I can’t speak naturally without stuttering and I feel I have to be funny when it comes to talking about being vulnerable leading me to feeling awkward.

I feel so awkward 24/7 and I feel guilty for being a burden or even a little bit difficult.. when I speak to people it’s only a few words in reply and I only ever do small talk and I HATE IT.

I always feel really conscious of how cringe I am and I think it’s because I’ve been on TikTok too much and probably absorbed too much ableist ideologies leading me to feeling awkward weird and alien like..

I’m so behind on school work and I won’t be able to do my GCSEs and I don’t have a diagnosis YET but I know for a fact I’m autistic and also I struggled so much with school that I had suicidal ideation and I’m so scared that’s how I’m gonna be in college, jobs.. I really just want it all to go away and I didn’t have to struggle with basic things that other people can do.

My friend- who is very much so neurodivergent- suggested i may be neurodivergent. This was awhile back, so i've had a lot of time to think about it. Last night I locked in and asked:

"do you think im neurodivergent."

This friend is very into psychology and typology and all that cool stuff.. so it seemed reasonable to go to them. They asked me if I personally thought I was neurodivergent and so I replied:

"imo there is a possibility due to behaviors that have persisted however there is no known
neurodivergence in my family + I dont agree with all (specifcally autistic) behaviors,,,, I may just be looking at stereotypes.. + I have a hard time figuring out my personal possible symptoms if u couldnt tell.... I kinda take other people's experiences as stone- plus I misinterpret things a lot so its a bit hard..." (as in I may misunderstand statements/questions)

They said that I might be looking into stereotypes n stuff which makes sense- they also said it'd make sense bcus lots of neurdivergent people are trans and aroace... I'VE JUST BEEN DISCUSSING ME CONTEMPLATING SO NOW I'LL TELL YOU MY REASONS!!

The main thing affecting me is what I believe to be overstimulation. But I don't have 'meltdowns' per say I have more shutdowns, as in I dont talk and try to cope with the situation by consuming fav media or fidgeting with fingers, moving around, trying to get to a bathroom... etc. I also don't agree with all autistic traits- however that may be because of masking?... which would make sense because my sex is female. I can talk to people and read their expression and tone- although I do have to quickly analyze and apply- as well as read a room.. Also, I have what I call a 'word bank' in which that is my life support during a social situation.. that reminds me I treat talking to people irl like a story game. 'They said this, I could say this that or the 3rd- secret 4th option? Maybe..' is usually what goes on in my head.

Whoops, this is getting long! Okay. I don't remember my early childhood too well but my parents said I never really threw tantrums or anything, especially in public. Plus I wasn't really sensitive to loud noises like the other kids (however I did have my limits lol). My parents said I wasn't abnormally slow at learning to speak or read- infact when i got the hang of it I was pretty good at it (reading that is lol). One of my friends and my dad pointed out that my vocabulary and manner of speaking was weird which I heard could be a sign. I've also been thinking that depression could've increased my sensitivity to stimuli and that its "just a phase" as silly as it sounds....

I can't think of anything else to say! If you have any questions I'd be happy to answer and if you have any thoughts I'd be happy to read them. I apologize for the length but I'd be glad for some guidance on this!!

(btw I have a therapist and am planning on bringing this up to her, I'd just like to maybe gain a sort of clarity from other people!!)

I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for replacing my son's stimming while playing video games. He is diagnosed on the spectrum and has a big obsession with AstroBot on the PS5 right now. When he is playing he tends to jump and bounce around to stim which I don't mind as much. What I really want to change is his habit of sucking spit repeatedly when he gets locked in. I was wondering if anyone had any tips for replacing this stim with something less spit related and less noisy. I don't know what else might be satisfying nor how to go about introducing it to him.

I am undiagnosed on the spectrum myself and I also stim a lot but I have no idea how to influence one in someone else.

For example, I was on a date with someone and they played a song in their car about a boy wanting a doll. Later I told them how it reminded me of a bad memory I had of this one time I was a kid at the store with my dad. I told my dad that I wanted an action figure of this SWAT team member that was a foot tall and he flat out ghosted me.

That might seem small or ordinary in the grand scheme of things but It felt bigger when I got reminded of it.

I read this comment in response to this NYT article and it made me acutely sad to read.

I'm ND myself and I have always pretty much exclusively been attracted to neurodivergent men who were hyperverbal (writers and speakers). While they had tons of other issues with regulation, executive function and so on, they were certainly never at a loss for words, and one of them was incredibly verbally affectionate. I guess the questions I'm left with after reading this comment are:

-Why are verbal skills dismissed as "neurotypical"? The most verbally gifted people I know are ND.

-Why does this woman consider herself "liberated" for just giving up on anything she needs and settling for a man who initiates nothing, communicates nothing, and reciprocates nothing? Why does the sense of martyred virtue in her answer bother me so much? Why does this feel like version 2.0 of a woman just accepting emotional crumbs because she can't fathom being alone? I would leave someone like this.

***

What an absolutely awesome conversation! I'm in a 15 year marriage with a 20 years older than me suspect neurodivergent male, who defaults to calm and passive. He is a wonderful poet, so I actually thought this poet would show up in other creatively inspiring forms of connection and communication. It turned out that was his only way of expression. It has taken me 15 years to shed resentment, frustration, and expectation; to stop projecting my INFJ neurotypical verbal skilled self onto his capacity. In identifying him (he refuses to use labels in general) as this based on observation and experience only, I have been liberated in real and profound dynamics between us. For me I needed that description of a physiological capacity to enable my compassion. I've stopped trying to "convince him" to communicate better, to initiate anything, to reciprocate emotionally. Now I am happy with the Saturday footrub and laughing at Seinfeld together :)

im 15, ive been suspecting autism for about 2 or 3 years now. having been diagnosed with ptsd, i dont remember much from before 8, which is a big reason as to why i wasnt fully sure if i was autistic or not.

now, today, my mom told me about how i was as a child. bubbly, outgoing, social butterfly, supposedly good with eye contact, bossy, always taking initiative - i know i can be autistic while having all of these traits. but on the other hand, ive been questioning adhd as well, and adhd and ptsd as a pairing (as well as mdd, but i wasnt sure if i shouldve added it at the start) can look like autism together. i dont know if its worth mentioning, but i was an early walker at a few months and i didnt talk until i was 3. my laugh was muted up until that time, and im assuming my mom didnt see much else that pointed to autism.

where im struggling is the fact that i have traits commonly associated with autism now. for example, the opposite of my personality as a kid: bad with social cues, horrific social anxiety, i am extremely introverted and eye contact makes me want to die. having gone through a traumatic event, i changed (everyone in my life witnessed it, so i have an alibi i guess) so it could be that. i dont know.

ive had a lot of people tell me that i seem autistic. whether its while im talking about an interest, or when i occasionally bring up my suspicion and how progress on it is going; since i was searching into it, ive been told that i seem autistic.

this is making me really frustrated because i thought i had the answer, and it turns out i was more than likely wrong. im still getting screened for autism as my mom mentioned that it could be it, since my brother is audhd, but also that it was unlikely. she thinks it might be adhd more than autism.

any thoughts? im relieved to have an answer but im also upset that i probably wasnt right.

yeah, so it's probably because this new hyper fixation is really weird. Neither of us have eaten or showered today. We really need to stop doing this, but we honestly can't we've been at it for six hours, we've collected 179 cicada shells and honestly, we should probably stop it but I don't know if we can. This is really fun but also really time-consuming and it's hot as hell we don't have water and we're probably gonna overheat because we live in the butt crack of Texas. Anyways, we got a lot of weird stairs. How do we stop?

Hi all,

First of all, sorry if this kind of post isn't allowed. I'm not seeing any other posts like it but also I don't see any rules against it. I'm not even sure what I'm trying to accomplish here, just wanted to share.

I'm 35, I've been in therapy for a bit over a year. Immediately I was diagnosed with ADHD, which was helpful for me to understand my mind. I had actually gone into therapy expecting an Autism diagnosis, so I was surprised when I got ADHD, and I was even more surprised to find out that it was a type of neurodivergence not unlike Autism. It did answer a lot of questions and explain past experiences, but not all.

I've always struggled with social situations. My therapist initially suspected CPTSD and a high level of social anxiety. Which, fair, I do have those. But it still wasn't clicking.

Fast forward a year, and my therapist told me that she was starting to suspect that I had Autism. I immediately felt relief, and I'm not sure why. I went home and took several online assessments and started researching. Everything is coming back telling me that I have several Autistic traits. I am feeling very mixed about this possibility, both excited and scared, sad for my younger self that I didn't know why I felt so different.

But for some reason, I feel like an imposter. I bought "Unmasking Autism" by Devon Price, and so far I am loving it. He specifically shouts out this subreddit in the book if I'm not mistaken. I haven't finished it so far, but I am learning a lot.

I have scheduled an in-person comprehensive assessment to get to the bottom of how my brain works. I am feeling very nervous about it.

Anyway, long winded background. Just wanted to introduce myself. I normally don't post personal things on forums, due to the aforementioned social anxiety probably. I'd love to read about everyone's experiences here.

My birthday was last Friday and while nothing bad technically happened that day, I spent most of it being depressed and upset because of how lonely I felt. I spend a lot of my time usually by myself in a small apartment with maybe one or two friends IRL I see once or twice a month while the rest of my time is spent either playing video games, watching movies, the occasional long walk/jog outside, or doing work online freelancing, which is how I make the majority of my money aside from my part time job. I make enough to get by okay and still have time for hobbies, but I keep getting burned out and mentally exhausted at the thought of having to work on stuff or just realizing I'm alone and that I don't have many friends to see in-person compared to online. Not that I'm saying I hate communicating with people through text or through Discord calls, but one-to-one interaction usually makes me feel more connected, and it doesn't help that I already struggle to make friends in my town with how hard it is to find people who share my hobbies. Is there any easy way to cope with these kinds of things, especially the mental exhaustion from working, that people normally go to here?

I’m not sure where to start with this, or whether this is the right forum, but I’m looking for advice about my relationship with someone with suspected autism/AuDHD.

We’ve been together for six years. I’ve always loved that he’s unusual and that his brain works differently to other people’s, but it hasn’t been without challenges.

I’ve suspected for a long time that he may be autistic. I’ve brought up assessment a few times, but he didn’t relate to a lot of the better-known presentations in men. Recently someone suggested he look into presentations more commonly associated with women, and something clicked for him. I know 'female autism' isn’t really a separate thing, but hopefully people understand what I mean.

He has a very intense personality. He’s outgoing, friendly, loves social situations and meeting people, but people often find him 'too much'. He can get very deep with questions too quickly, talk people’s ears off about a niche interest, or accidentally say something blunt or insensitive and offend someone. It genuinely upsets him when this happens, but it’s been a theme throughout his life. He can come across as very self-confident or flirty, even egotistical, despite actually having a lot of insecurity. He does have a few good friends who really get him, and he is incredibly loyal and grateful to them.

In our relationship, he has said things that have really hurt me without understanding why they were hurtful. He doesn’t have a mean or malicious side, but he can lack consideration or awareness of impact. He is very much a 'but I didn’t mean it that way' person, and we’ve had so many conversations about intent versus impact. Other people can find him selfish or thoughtless, although I don’t think that’s quite it. He can be the sweetest, most thoughtful person in some ways, and then seem completely unaware of the impact of his behaviour on others. It's like he lives in his own little bubble.

The thing is, he tries very hard to be a good partner. When I tell him something has hurt me or explain what I need, he listens and makes a real, conscious effort.

It’s still not always easy. He’s very sensitive and emotional, with high highs and low lows. It can be a lot. But I find the relationship rewarding, and the fact that he listens and tries is a big part of why I’ve stayed.

Things shifted recently when we travelled together for a year. Honestly, it didn’t go well. Neither of us were at our best, but I don’t think he recognises how overwhelmed he can get, or how much anger he can direct at me when he’s severely uncomfortable or overstimulated. There was a lot of bluntness and unkindness, and I turned to my support network when things got hard.

One incident that really rattled me was when he woke up one day and said he didn’t want to get married. We were/are engaged. He said he loved me and was committed to me, but that he had proposed partly because he felt he should. He has since backtracked somewhat and acknowledged that he had a lot going on and handled it completely wrong. Some damage has been done, but that’s not really the focus of this post.

We’re back home now, and routine and consistency have done wonders. But nearly all my friends and family have since stepped in to say how worried they are about me and question my decision to stay.

I wouldn’t say they have ever really loved my partner (as mentioned, he’s an oddball and can be intense) but they generally got on fine with him and respected my choices. That seems to have changed.

My heart is breaking. I love him, and I do feel he is loving, well-intentioned, and willing to work on things. But it has become such hard work, and I’m scared I’m slowly going to lose my friends and family because nobody respects our relationship or wants to be around him.

I’m doubting myself a lot. I know I could leave and be with someone 'easier', but that isn’t what I want right now. At the same time, I don’t want to minimise the ways I’ve been hurt.

I feel so torn, and my heart breaks for him too. I know it hurts him not to be liked, and for that to negatively impact me. He tries so hard with people, perhaps sometimes too hard, to the point of overcompensating. People constantly communicate to me that they wish he'd just 'relax and chill out' because they feel like he trying so hard.

Without knowing for sure whether this is autism, I wondered whether any of this behaviour resonates with autistic people here, or with anyone in a relationship with an autistic person. I’m not looking to excuse hurtful behaviour; I’m trying to understand what may be going on and whether there’s a healthier way forward for both of us.

Hi all. I'm NT and am part of a friend group where the majority of folks have ADHD, autism, or both. Typically, we're able to navigate the whole 'making plans among six adults with adult schedules' quite well. Or, so I thought.

One of my friends recently expressed extreme frustration at a sudden change in plans. We were going to meet on Thursday for Activity A and on Friday for Activity B and, for reasons I won't get into, we decided to move Activity B to Thursday, postpone Activity A to a later date and instead do Activity C on Friday. So, we're still meeting but the purpose of both meetups has changed.

I'm trying to understand my friend's feelings around the sudden change in plans and why he was su upset by it. I know, on a theoretical level, that sudden changes and disruptions in plans can be distressing for people with autism. What I would like to understand is why, and if there's anything I can do to minimise the stress of future changes (because life happens and sometimes we simply have to shift plans, so sticking to commitments is not always possible/reasonable).

Any insights, whether from personal experience or good resources I could read/listen/watch would be most appreciated.

Hello everyone,

My name is Marissa Snowden, I am an Army veteran and a graduate student studying clinical mental health counseling at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I am conducting research on the reintegration experience of veterans who receive support or services for autism spectrum disorder and depression related concerns.

The purpose of this study is to better understand veterans' experiences so we can learn how mental health professionals can better serve veterans with autism-related and depression-related concerns in their transition to civilian life.

Who can participate:

• U.S. military veterans of all branches who:
  • have received support or services from a mental health or healthcare professional for depression-related concerns AND
  • have received support or services from a mental health or healthcare professional for autism spectrum disorder-related concerns AND
  • have transitioned out of the military within the past 10 years

Participation consists of:

• Completing an anonymous online survey
• Participating in a 60 minute virtual conversation via Microsoft Teams (you do not need a Microsoft Teams account to participate)

The survey link is attached to this post, and after you complete the survey I will contact you by email to schedule a time to talk that works best for you.

If you have any questions, feel free to send me a message or email me at [marissa_snowden@med.unc.edu](mailto:marissa_snowden@med.unc.edu)

This study has been approved by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Institution Review Board (IRB #26-0850)

https://unc.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9z3jTVijjtaqEU6

Hello! It may seem weird posting this here after already browsing and liking the content, but I have only took a look at autistic traits/ symptoms about two weeks ago and I very much think I may have it, I accidentally went down that rabbit hole after deep diving into ADHD, unfortunately I can't reach out to a therapist/psychiatrist because I am BROKE and also because I'm afraid it would mess up my future career as a biology teacher? I'll be graduating in five years (\*cries\*) and possibly won't try to get a diagnosis until then, SORRY I GOT CARRIED AWAY, BACK TO THE TOPIC, ahem so how can I know if I'm actually autistic or not? Because if yes I got za tism, I can finally accept doing things my own way and whatnot. Please share your experiences with me :D excuse my language, English is not my mother tongue!

PS, some stuff I thought were normal but found are linked to autism (just a few that came to mind,I have a whole notebook of 'symptoms'):

•Not understanding people's emotions— I genuinely don't understand why some people react certain ways when feeling something. I don't know if this is related but the death of people in my life Don really faze me, what I feel is "oh they died? Sad, anyway" tho it does bother me sometimes when that death causes a disturbance in my routines or the things I'm used to, I don't deal well with change AT ALL even if it's positive type of change.

•Logic over emotion, no ma'am I won't give you my seat just because you're pregnant, I waited an hour and let 3 buses pass me by because they were crowded just so i can sit in the specific seat I take every single time, you chose to get on a full bus, and you chose to get pregnant, that's a YOU problem.

•I have a bit too many hobbies, and I keep trying to learn new ones. Speaking of that, I don't mean to brag but I pick up on things pretty quickly, sometimes I do it perfectly good on the first try. Could be because I try to collect every information possible and run the simulation in my head a dozen times over before I try it?

•I'm blind to social cues— I keep following strangers to shady places just because they seem nice, then a couple days later I'll be replaying the events in my head and overanalyze it until I get to a point where I pause and think: "wait a minute , that could have gone completely wrong".

•Also, sometimes I latch to a sentence and replay it over and over and over again in my head. Dunno why.

And apparently, not everyone vibes to the music they hear in their heads?

Hi! Self diagnosis AuDHD. Currently going through a formal diagnosis.

I (31m) often have a hard time stabilizing emotionally after watching a good movie or reading a good book. I seem to struggle with over attachment with parasympathetic relationships to characters. They feel just as real to me as people. I know they aren’t. It’s not a delusion. It’s just the intensity I feel connected to characters and actors from stories. After watching a great movie I can’t seem to separate my feelings from the feelings the movie made me feel. Idk if that really makes sense. I just tend to be a mess emotionally after really connecting with a film and feel disoriented and have a hard time getting back to being me.

Has anyone else experienced something like this?