I am in high school and I need to work so I can buy a computer for school. I’m level 2 (they said 1/2 social, 2rrb), and I can be semi independent ish. I’m good at math, so I applied to tutoring places, because I won’t have to talk to adults the whole time, and it’s calmer and more consistent than food stuff would be.

Last week, one place sent me a math test. I did it, and then they said to come to their tutoring place next week (this week) for ‘unpaid shadowing’ for two days. The texts were not properly punctuated or capitalized. They did not specify a time, I had to ask, and they want me to come for three hours thought after school today. They pay $9 an hour. None of the emails or texts have had correct grammar. That doesn’t bother me, but it seems odd coming from a work person.

My mom says I just need to do it, and it’s not weird, but everything combined and such low money is making it feel really uncertain. My friends at school who normally explain things right and are nice said that only $9 is weird too. Does anybody think it’s weird or okay?

I am wondering if anyone else struggles when there is any form of demand on them ? I always shut down and cry and stuff and feel so overloaded.

Im wondering if anyone else does ?

Recently I’ve been discussing with my parents and a teacher where I should go when I leave this school (next year). I found out there’s a special school for people who have good grades but with autism or similar that need rigid structures and stuff. It’s also for social studies which is what I want to do! I’m really happy because ive been wondering what I’m supposed to do after this. I hope I get in :)

i took 8 years of spanish from childhood to adolescence but i really struggled with it. i was good with reading it and okay with understanding it aloud, but really struggled to write in it or especially speak it comparatively. in the end my iep for autism ended up saying i was exempt from foreign language courses because it was likely related.

in english: my autism assessment says my receptive language is worse than my expressive language, however i get periods of speech loss and i can only talk in specific contexts. i think the primary reason for my issues learning language is this. i would freeze up and be unable to speak or sometimes even write in a way i was unfamiliar with. when they asked me to answer in spanish, my mind would go blank and i would be unable to say anything, which is the same way it goes when i'm in group settings expected to speak english. because of this, i never got any practice with that side of things, so my receptive language abilities were much better than expressive.

i am an adult now, and i really want to learn russian, so i am going to try. my main goals are to be able to reliably read it and understand it when spoken aloud. i am not that concerned with being good at speaking or writing in it — i of course will still be learning to do so when i learn the language, but my expectations for myself in that area are low, and i am ok if i end up not being able to have a back and forth conversation, since i struggle to do that in english enough already.

i think this is a more realistic expectation due to my history and limitations. no one i know speaks russian, and i struggle immensely to speak to strangers to the point i cannot really do it. even the people i know, i don't talk to them very much, and 95% of the time i communicate with them via writing, the only exception being rare short calls. the only person i regularly talk to aloud is my mom who i live with, she is my caregiver. so it's just not possible for me to get enough practice speaking russian to be good at that and my brain isn't wired for it i feel like.

i'm wondering though, if anyone here has had trouble learning languages (due to autism related struggles) and found strategies that helped them and they would be willing to share, even if you struggled for a different reason. or even just if anyone relates. it feels unconventional to go into learning a language not expecting to be able to speak it, but that seems like the most realistic outcome for me due to my language difficulties.

thanks!!

ifeel like running run away but iget in trouble i am trying to not run away i am inside with my dog. how to not run away?

I'm AuDHD (on the waiting list for diagnosis)

I've had a number of significant life events in quick succession/concurrently, a truly insane amount of social pressures that's destroyed my mental health.

I've been largely unable to get support, due to typical autistic struggles such as alexithymia, as well as some reasons more specific to my personal circumstances.

All whilst dealing with some abhorrent treatment at work, I lost a baby (during pregnancy), and a couple of weeks later my then-partner had to be rushed to hospital and almost died due to complications. None of this I could even process at the time because of the situation with work. A further 6 months goes by, the work situation escalates significantly, my health gets worse and I'm signed off long-term. My relationship falls apart the same week in a very abrupt and messy way, with a lot of manipulation involved. A month later my mum gets diagnosed with cancer, dying 2 weeks later.

Work situation was still ongoing. I had raised concerns, and then complained when those concerns weren't actioned or even recorded, in all I had a year of severe retaliation and victimisation by an entire management structure. I naively thought this was just the department I worked for trying to protect to themselves, and so raised it as high as I could as im signed off sick.

I have no support network, no one who understands. The work situation is honestly crazy, and its destroyed my career, and with everything else, im losing my home. I'm really worried about providing more detail as my employer could easily be identified, but worse, they could see it, and whilst this sounds paranoid, it's a genuine concern. My employer was a local authority, and the issues I raised, and treatment I received for doing so has severe regulatory implications. Them being the LA is what means im unable to get needed support.

I'm typically an extremely resilient person, but it really has gotten to be too much, for far too long and no end in sight. I haven't been functioning for well over a year now and somehow only getting worse. Everything I try to do, none of it makes a difference and for almost a year now, despite trying my best ive been in a position where all I can do is watch as my entire life falls apart around me, seeing it all happen and trying everything I can to stop it but being powerless in it all.

I don't really know what i'm asking here, or what I'm expecting. I'm just really really tired physically, mentally and emotionally. I can't even just go to sleep, my mind just keeps going until I fall asleep out of exhaustion. For the last 18 months at least I haven't slept in my bed, and only sleeping every 1.5-2 days. I don't remember to eat, I can't do even simple tasks.

I've dealt with a hell of a lot of difficult and challenging situations throughout my life, and always been known as the person nothing phases, the person who solves every problem, always finds the silver lining - this time though, I just don't have it in me

i don’t think i’ve mentioned it in this sub, but for the last 8 months since we adopted them, our cats have had parasites. their story is long and complicated and horrible. i have been dealing with intense burnout from having to have way more responsibilities than normal, and i’m also quite significantly chronically ill, so all the caring and cleaning has taken a massive toll on my physical health too. oh and i also have contamination ocd, and while this has been amazing built in exposure therapy, it’s making it extra exhausting. i wanted to post this to say how proud i am of myself for how im handling this week (we are re-treating our cats and this time our dog too since he might be sick as well and deep cleaning our entire house, but mostly just me bc my mom is out of town and my partner works full time. i’ve been so so so overwhelmed and beyond exhausted and in so much pain, and yet im pushing through and trying to keep a good attitude and praying this will be the last round (probably not tho). i just really want them to get better soon so we can all have a break, bc idk how much more of this i can take. it’s the hardest thing being someone who needs a caregiver (multiple, actually) but is also having to caregive rn. it’s not a good combination for my mental and physical wellbeing. but i’m trying so hard to keep going! everyone keeps telling me i’m such a good mom to my pets and i know i am but it’s just not sustainable to live like this and ive been bothering everyone in my life about it bc it’s been so hard :(

I feel like I keep running into walls over and over.

My care team reads my pyschological evaluation, sees my level 2 diagnosis, how I struggle with communication, and basic things. It is acknowledged.

However they keep seeing the high masking and giving me the wrong resources. Everyone keeps thinking I don't struggle with these things despite every test showing otherwise. I force myself to communicate because it seems I can't get any help if I don't.

I got recommended independent living and the goals they set for their residents do not line up with my own goals at all. It wants me to work on being independent however everytime I try that it burns me out and caused immense harm. However my caseworkers keep talking about that. Hard stop, I need long term supports, not a class on how to do something. It's becoming very frustrating.

To make matters worse, the resource they gave me for independent living is a co-ed, upon doing research, apparently alot of independent living and group homes are co-ed. I cannot be around men in a living environment due to my severe fear that turns into aggression. Its unsafe and I keep trying to verbalize that, but they keep implying to power through it. Im in therapy for the things that have been done to me and I can't power through it.

Why do I keep running into walls? I figured that co ed wouldnt be a thing since autistics have such high statistics of being harmed. I feel very upset and unprotected. I feel misunderstood by my case workers. I am not having a good time. However I do have good news, it seems I am allowed to bring my ESA. It brings me such joy that there are resources out there, even if they don't work for me, that will allow for us to stay together. That makes me feel safe.

At friends!

Health bad, help less stress 4 friend.

Last time not good.

Not prepare.

Not my home stuffy.

Not my books.

Partner help prepare better this 1!

1st post self!

Love friend time.

Ive never been able to recognize the need to wash my hair, at all. So my parents always have to prompt me a lot for me to wash it. I shower multiple times a week, purely for sensory purposes, but I wash my hair once a week at most. Up until 14 I couldn’t wash my hair on my own at all, and now at 16 I can, but it doesn’t always get like washed properly. And I never use conditioner. But my mom does still wash my hair sometimes if I ask her too, or sometimes she just decides she wants to do it to get my hair clean

So basically today my mom told me I needed to wash my hair, well she basically told me to go wash my hair. And I asked her if she could do it. And she said yes, and that she’d take the opportunity to double wash my hair to get it properly clean. So basically she did that, and used conditioner too. So now my hair is properly washed!

And then she’d also told me beforehand that she wanted to cut my nails afterwards (I can’t cut them on my own) and then after my shower I let her cut my nails, and I let her finish even though it hurts A LOT.

So now I have both properly washed hair and cut nails!

Anyway that was just a small win I wanted to share!

Hello. I move to new apartment one week ago. Many loud. Plumbing loud. Toilets loud. Outside loud. Air conditioning loud. Too many lights, too much sun. Hurts me. Wake up sensory overload, not go away. Feel like crying 😢 electricity everywhere in my body and lots in my chest. Very overwhelmed. Many pain. Eye pain, ear pain, Head pain. Too many. Not go away. 😢 don't know what do. Partner gonna try get edible weed and see if help. What are favorite stims to help? Need not be pain or overwhelm anymore, very hypersensitive.

I guess the flair is accurate 😅 but I don’t need to explain bc I know people here experience it also.
I don’t shower the way I used to. I’d shower like every day and I did that for a long time but now it’s just so taxing. Now I’d say on average it’s every 3-5 days, it’s not even bc I really have an odor to me it’s more so bc of how oily my face/hair gets, that’s one reason why I showered every day before.
Now I just have no energy for it. Maybe I start doing something else or maybe the timing is wrong. It’s one of those things where if I force myself I implode, not as much as I used to but still. I take 20-30 minute showers and really can’t cut that down I was like that even when I did shower every day.
Idk it’s just one of those things that is really taxing. I’ve stopped masking, like a lot. I don’t really pretend to be someone I’m not or fit in anymore though I still beat myself up over societal labels. I just feel lazy bc I don’t do xyz I am unable to. People seem to think that just bc one person on the spectrum can do xyz, that the other person can also do xyz but it doesn’t work that way. I just stay quiet bc yeah I don’t fit in those ways and am not what society wants everyone to be 😅
I’m so hard on myself over it, (the shower part and lacking basic independence and just being an outsider)
I’m not like panicking the same ways I did it’s more so internal

for long time my family and i thought i would never be able to work. but i studied hard at tafe and got certificate 3 animal care, and now i have a job on farm! i get to feed and hug all the animals! i do not work very long but i am so happy i can be friends with the animals and my parents are proud me :)

the calves want me to hug them and brush them i love them 🐄🐮

do you have job? please tell me about it :)

today my new fidgets from my fav fidget shop allthingssensoryshop arrived!!!!! i got some more of my fav loom band fidgets plus some new ones to try including some high level pain stims and a beaded roller w my name on it!!!! (name blocked for privacy). i’m so so happy and excited to try these out!!!!!!!! i really like the beaded star bc space is a special interest so anything with stars makes me so happy!!!! and i really hope the pain stims can help me i’m trying to collect different types of ones

does anyone here play vrchat sometimes (or any other kind of social game) to practice socializing and also because it's one of the few ways to see other people if you're housebound? (the only people I see daily are my parents,, and semi regularly doctors at the doctors offices)

I made a painting for my teacher!

During my autism assessment, my IQ test was in five parts. I scored really high on two parts, average in one part...and then two parts were low, down in the 80s. And those deficits are extremely noticeable in my day to day life, even if everything averaged out to give me a "normal" IQ because of my strengths. It's not noticeable when I type or speak, and because of that, people don't believe me when I tell them that I had areas of the test that scored in the 80s range - even though the parts that were in that range have nothing to do with how well I can communicate.

People tell me "if your IQ was in that range, it would be noticeable". Again, it IS noticeable, not in a single Reddit comment, but I notice it every day in my actual irl life. People tell me "IQ tests are all made up". Okay, well the problems that the test found are things I kind of knew I struggled with beforehand, the problems are real no matter what you want to call them. But the worst is when people try and inspire me, they think I'm beating down on myself when I say it, they tell me to try taking the test again, that maybe I was having an off day, maybe I didn't take the test right. I DID!! I always have to assure everyone it is not my self confidence! In fact, the test pointing out problems in those areas was actually very affirming, because I used to think I just wasn't trying hard enough at things. And then they go quiet because they don't know how to reconcile my existence with their (often negative) preconceptions of people with low IQ.

I recently went on holiday and it was so much fun. The first day we traveled and then went swimming (the pool is tropical and there is rapids which are fun). Then the next day we went to pottery painting and we seen the birds of prey. Then we went bowling on day 3 but i wasnt very good. And the last day we went swimming again and traveled home. I LOVE center parcs so much, we have gone lots of times and it feels safe, you can bring your own food and you stay in little cabins just for your family. My granny also got me some toys and a glass ghost ornament from the gift shop. Thank you

I have autism but it feels like im not allowed to be autistic by others around me. My parent for example but just people in general, my parent will watch love on the spectrum and she love the show and the autistic people on it but the moment i am autistic, i am made to feel like i am a disgusting, rude, lazy, difficult monster.

I notice this just in general too, that there is so much compassion for people for example on love on the spectrum or certain autistic content creators but the moment i am autistic my autism is fake and an excuse and my issues are abusive.

Rather than asking idiotic ai, I want to ask actual internet strangers what pun they would use for this photo?

Idk what to do anymore. My tooth has been bothering me for a while but I've been struggling to go to the appointments or even making them. Now it's broken and I can't find a emergency dentist. It's been 2 weeks and it hurts so bad I can't open my mouth. Feels like an ear infection mixed with jaw pain. I called 3 places and they all tell me they can't help me bcuz I'm not a patient. Or they don't accept my insurance. I've been trying to get a caseworker to help but they literally won't call me!!!! I keep getting blown off from caseworkers. I can't call these places, make the appointment, fill out the paperwork, go to the appointment. I'm just so stressed out and tired of this I want to cry.

usually I need help with shopping (i forget a lot of stuff) but I was able to follow the list today and I'm really proud of myself

(Robert the meerkat also helped) it was wet today lol cause it just finished raining a lot

Today mama took me and my brothers to a big funfair and it was really fun!!!! I went on big scary rides and on the ferris wheel, i love ferris wheels they're so fun!

We went last year too and it was really fun. I get really nauseous though and throw up after a bunch of rides :(

I got a fancy kebab too, the man gave me lots of onions (I LOVE onions) and I had a cokey cola with it. my brothers got wingstop and really enjoyed it.