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I don't know if it's an autism but when I was a kid or even now I smile when looking at people, being around them or talking to them.

Sometimes it didn't happen but most often it did and I'd turn my back when passing by someone because I couldn't stop myself from smiling and laughing even though I didn't want to.

To this day I don't like looking at people because if that, and when I'm mad I can't express my thoughts correctly and end up smiling and laughing which bugs me because I don't want to smile and laugh.

This isn't something I've experienced, but it could be a trigger effect...your brain associates smiling with laughing... So any smiles can trigger laughter. But I can't say for certain.

i get so worried im faking autism and adhd because i also have anxiety and some of the symptoms are the same... do you have any advice/ideas on how to differenciate the three?

If you're worried you're faking it, then you're not faking it. Faking is a willful act.

And as you've probably seen me mention in other replies, the why is the key factor. Plus, anxiety is highly comorbid in both autism and ADHD. So, you can have all 3! I certainly do. And they affect each other in many different ways.

Saw your asks were open! Don't burn yourself out with answering, please.

So, a thing I've heard sometimes is autistics having a low "mental age". Both from people in my school* and more influential sources that make out autism as a tragedy. As small news articles and ableist teenage boys aren't the best sources, I'm asking you! Do (some) autistic people actually have "lower mental ages" or is that a complete myth?

("I wish I had autism so I could also get benefits." "Dude, do you want to be four years old for the rest of your life?" That type of thing.)

This is very factual, but with a major caveat: it's not the mental age. It's that we don't adhere to social norms and will continue to enjoy or act in ways seen as younger.

I collect stuffed animals and have a toy box full of colouring books and stim items. I also don't dress my age and wear jeans and Disney t-shirts.

Not all Autistics do this. Some act older than they are. Some have intellectual disabilities that NTs deem as "child like" (they're not... They're adults with intellectual disabilities. Not an adult with the mind of a 4 year old.)

So, yes. But with lots of reasons.

yall. i see a lot about masking, and i just wanted to ask that, well personally, i dont mask. and i feel like thats weird because i keep hearing how, it feels like everybody else is in some form masking?

i dont even know what masking entails, what it is, i only know some very few information that it is like, well one is wanting to touch stuff but dont? idk, i just, if i wanna touch something, i touch it. but im not obsessively touching stuff. i dont like, stim either, in the autistic way, im sorry if that came across as rude i just wanna say i dont do it because of autism, i do it because of my severe anxiety. i only do stuff, crossing arms, twisting foot, idk how to explain it, if im stood still, i will like, bend my foot so it looks like it might break but it wont lol...etcetc, are those even stims? they dont sound like it now that i wrote some down haha, because i have severe anxiety and i feel like im gonna pass out and vomit when im out of the house. i have a whole ass YEAR left until i begin my cbt therapy. i dont even know if thats gonna help, i tried it before years ago but pretty much gave up because i felt it didnt do anything and im depressed af and have zero motivation. because im never gonna get better anyways. i had a nurse telling me that too ages ago and i still remember it because he was all like "so im not supposed to tell you this because its private information about me, but you'll never get better from this. this is a lifelong issue you'll have to deal with for the rest of your life, because i have it too" real comforting when you just told that person you wanna kill yourself because you suffer so bad. i feel like he wants me to kill myself so they'll rid a troubling annoying person. but anyways!

oh yea! another one is forced eye contact, i dont do that either haha, i look up people in the eye, or in the middle, and then if i dont wanna, i dont. so im sure i dont mask and is that normal? is there anybody else out here that dont either?

yall, a list of various ways of masking would be appreciated so i know whether i am or not, even though im preeeeeetty sure that i do not.

thank you. and i hope you have a good week.

I'll answer this in parts.

1 - Autistic masking is the conscious and unconscious act of pretending to be neurotypical.

Conscious versions of this are things like practicing conversations, practicing facial expressions in a mirror, watching others communicate so that you can mimic them. However, unlike neurotypicals or allistics (non-autistics), at no point do we feel comfortable or confident in doing these performances. It's exhausting and we're very aware of our actions and other's actions.

Unconcious versions of masking are those that are drilled in to us either by society, family (on purpose or not), bullying etc. These include forcing facial expressions, forcing eye contact, forcing vocal tone, holding back or permanently repressing stimming, ignoring special interests due to mocking or bullying, enduring adverse sensory experiences etc. These are often enforced from infancy and we may not even be aware we're doing it. But we are aware we're exhausted from tasks others are not.

Unconcious and conscious masking mix and match. They're fluid, and not everyone experiences the same versions.

2 - Not every autistic masks. Higher needs may not mask, intellectual disabilities may prohibit it, and supportive families may never enforce it. Some autistics grow up and refuse to mask any longer. And many different versions of this, too.

3 - Everyone stims. Stimming is any repetitive behaviour that is used to modify external or internal input via a soothing behaviour. Autistics and many other NDs simply do it a lot more and have more variety. So, yes. If what you described is done in order to add input or block out input, it's stimming.

4 - Not all Autistics struggle with eye contact. Whilst clinicians use it as this big indicator, it's really not.

5 - Lastly, that nurse who spoke to you in that moment of need was a complete ass. Anxiety is difficult, but it's not the end of the road. If CBT therapy didn't help, it may be that you need a modified version, or try something different all together. There are many different therapies and avenues. There is hope, you just need to figure out what road is yours.

Remove the stereotype of knowing everything about the so called special interest, I have never had one, but I'm curious why is it called like that, when it isn't for Neurotypicals?

So the list you posted, it just sounds like something a person likes, but why is that it is called special interest?

Because if a Neurotypical would say, if they had those interest(s) that are on that list, or more. Its just...likes. hobbies even. But when a Neurodivergent has any of that, its called a 'special interest' why is that? It just occured to me too this question, I find it strange. That it has a name like that for Neurodivergent but not for the Neurotypicals.

I also feel like, if you utter you like something, then people just assume straight off the bat that it is a 'special interest' when it may not be.

Its the same with the Autistic Meltdown, or that other thang I forgot what the name of it is. Why is it called like that? Because again, if a Naueotypical has, like a big outburst of anger and they get real mad even throwing stuff, whatever someone does, it's not called specifically a meltdown, or that other thing i forgot the name of it. I'm genuinely wondering btw, not trolling.

This is a good question, and completely understandable.

Firstly, a special interest is specific to autism. My post lists a variety of ways that they can manifest, but obviously it's not the only ways.

A special interest is different to a hobby in the way that an autistic engages with it. A hobby for a neurotypical is something they know all about and do to pass the time. They may even take breaks from it.

A special interest for an autistic may not even have a physical component, we have anxiety about not interacting with it, and it's not to just pass the time. It can feel like a core part of us.

Which is why if a special interest fades, we can be left in a state of deep loss. It's like losing a loved one. It can cause grief.

Autistics can also just have hobbies.

Now, an autistic meltdown or shutdown is once again specific to us because it's linked to how we engage in the world. Specifically, sensory input.

A neurotypical can have a "meltdown" after a bad week at work, a break up, plus their car won't start and they'll scream and need a day off. It may even lead to a breakdown. They are serious, and they need self-care. But it's a long build up of stressors.

An autistic meltdown is a painful experience of no longer being able to endure sensory input. We need to escape, and harmful stims, screaming, crying etc are our only coping skills we have left in our arsenal. There is no emotion behind it, no end goal, except to make the pain stop.

I’m looking into autism for myself, and I think I may be autistic? The thing is I don’t really see enough like… examples when it comes to meltdowns or shutdowns or missing social cues. So off it’s not too much trouble… could you maybe share some experiences so I have a better idea??

Certainly! Followers are totally okay to give their own examples, because these can be very individual.

Social Interaction Difficulties:

Not understanding how to perform small talk

Listening/eaves dropping in on other people's conversations in order to create scripts in your head so you can act out successful interactions

Same as above, but learning conversation through books or TV/movies

Getting exhausted from conversations or navigating social situations

Needing days or weeks to recover after social interaction.

Anxiety over interaction because you don't understand how to do it and you dread the exhaustion and the mental leaps it's going to take to do it. This is different to social anxiety, where you dread messing up or being seen as incompetent.

Difficulty holding conversations. You may trail off mid-sentence, talk continuously so that the other person feels like they can't respond, or struggle to listen and respond to the other person.

Difficulty making or keeping friends. May also not be able to define what a friend is.

Low eye contact or no eye contact.

No vocal tone (monotone) or improper vocal tone to what is being said (this can also be due to other reasons other than social difficulties).

No body language or incorrect body language (also can be due to other reasons).

Meltdowns:

Can be sudden or a slow build up

Sensory input can suddenly feel too intense or painful

Often accompanied by an intense need for the input to stop

Stimming often increases. If standard stims don't help, more aggressive stimming may be used such as self-harm, screaming or full body movements such as running back and forth

Has no end goal other than for the sensory input to stop.

Communication is limited and the person may not be in control of their actions.

Some people may be able to hold back meltdowns, but this is very bad for their mental health as the damage continues and they are not able to release the pent up energy.

Sensory input may include: noise, lights, smells, touch, taste, delayed emotional responses, inability to communicate effectively, delayed sensory input (the build up happened mainly before the current moment) or sudden input.

May be accompanied by a time of "reset" (also called a shutdown) where you don't move or respond.

Shutdowns:

As in meltdowns, but no outward signs are given.

Often described as "an internal meltdown". Many Autistics describe these as worse than a physical meltdown, as no relief is given from stims and those around you may be unable to attend to your needs to remove the input.

i feel like the infantilisation of autistic people in the eyes of science and psychology really stunts them when it comes to talking about some of the issues that come from being autistic in a world built for nt people. like i dont think ive ever seen substance abuse rates discussed wrt autistics because thats an “adult problem” and the public at large has an image of autistic adults as overgrown kids, despite the fact that almost every other autistic adult ive met has had a history of substance abuse issues at least partly in response to the stress of existing in the world as an autistic person. like if youre constantly beset on all sides by stress and sensory overload of course youre going to gravitate towards drugs and alcohol and things that smooth over those sharp edges, make socialising easier, etc…

if you want to actually truly support autistic rights, you need to accept the fact that many autistics will forever and unchangeably be wildly socially incompetent, and this does not make them bad or dangerous.

Finally, someone put this into words! Crosshair is a relatable antagonist! Say it louder for all the haters to hear!!!

I also think this works as a good way to explain his behavior without the chip (yes I think it was removed, though I doubt the Empire was behind it, there's no reason for them to do it).

Crosshair is really the only character in the Bad Batch that I care about, and a lot of people hate him. Which is fine because he's a fictional character, that's your right, but I just find him so interesting.

Chips and treatments and other manipulations aside, he's a person who has been told his entire life that his only value is as a weapon and a killer, and he decides to stay with the only people who still appreciate that value.

He doesn't question the morality of his actions because he's never had to before; they always trusted the republic were the good guys but what choice did they have, really? What choice did any of them have?

He's too prideful to fade into obscurity, and that's his flaw. But his reality is that he only has one skill to offer the world (or at least, he believes he does) so his options are limited, and none of them are particularly morally upstanding.

He's someone in a difficult position who makes mistakes and bad decisions, who feels abandoned by the people he loves, and who is willing to do anything to prove his worth, and I find that infinitely more entertaining than characters who do no wrong.

today im thinking about the huge buff bread guy from kikis delivery service. highly underrated guy

Oh. My. FORCE. How did I not notice that?

Wait, so the the original four are pretty obvious, but where do Echo and Omega fit into this? I mean, Omega could be April (clueless but fiesty at the beginning, eventually becomes one of the badasses), but I'm lost on Echo. Also, any ideas for AZI and Gonky?

The realization that Crosshair is the Raphael of the family just hit me like a train

I die every time I see this! Fives delivers that line PERFECTLY. It was nice knowing you Kenobi. 🤣

*inhales* EEEEEEEEEEP!!! I LOVE THIS SO MUCH! The mash-up I didn't even know I NEEDED!

just imagining an AU where the Bad Batch meet the Serenity crew

The Crew

Jayne and Crosshair shooting contest

Jayne and Wrecker. (That's it.)

Jayne and Hunter and knives

Jayne teaching Echo Cantonese swears

Mal teaching Omega cantonese swears

Mal and Hunter staredown when they realize they're both Sargeants. Hunter slightly confused when the Crew call Mal "Captain".

Wash and Tech trading crazy flying stories

Wash:I'm a leaf on the wind Tech:What does that even mean?

Wash teaching Omega more about "flying is about a feeling" (Leaf on the Wind)

Wash responding to Crosshair's snark with the cheekiest sarcasm

Wash asking Zoe which Sarge they're gonna listen to

Zoe, annoyed by the Sargeants, and seeing how well The Crew (except Jayne) get along with him, decides Tech is in charge because "it's his ship, Sir... Sirs"

Zoe teaching Omega the 1st Rule of Battle

Zoe and Crosshair holding direct, unreadable eye-contact, arms crossed, for about 3 seconds before slightly nodding to each other. They never say a word to each other, but there is just pure understanding and respect between them. Neither the Crew or the Batch really get it.

Zoe asking if they can trade Jayne for Wrecker

Simon being overwhelmed at the idea of bacta and medical droids, staight up fainting when he finds out Echo was literally blown up, and is now half droid

Kaylee repairing the ship with Echo while Simon is passed out

Kaylee making improvements to the ship that Tech was too Tech-y to think of

Kaylee helping Omega paint her room

Kaylee being unbearably cheerful with Crosshair (she paints a tiny flower on one of his reflector discs he sticks it to the lid inside his wepons kit because it reminds him of his nickname for you)

River playing hide and seek with Kaylee, Omega, and Wrecker. They resort to asking Hunter to track her down, and she's almost too good even for his senses

River balled up in the copilot seat just absorbing every single thing Tech says, occasionally interjecting with her own theories/calculations/corrections

River, to Echo: He's proud of you. ("Who?") Your twin. The others are too. You lived to fight another day.

i had more ideas but i made myself cry with that last one. will probably add to this over time and do a list from the side of The Batch

Loved seeing that, it was a nice touch, and it was kinda adorable.🥰 Now I kinda want to see Hunter (and perhaps Tech, too) with wet hair.

Okay here’s where I’m going to be an animation geek because one thing that absolutely floored me in episode 15 with appreciation is that they actually had Omega’s hair become floppy and looking soaking wet-

It’s such a cool detail that they didn’t have to do, but they actually put in that effort. Which is either they had something more complex going on with how her hair is rigged on her model, or they made a whole other model just for Omega with wet hair for just this short time (unless we see it more next episode)

Now that's some REAL high Fives.😆 My kinda guy.🍃😏

this man is having a blast on twitter

Tech's behavior throughout this whole story is CHEF'S 👏 FUCKING 👏 KISS! 👏💋 Sympathized and agonized thought the whole thing. Well done!

Burning House

The sound of screams are easier than just my thoughts with no one here. But it’s too late, but it’s too late

─── ❖ ── ✦ ── ❖ ───

Sobbing. That's what filled Havoc when the jump was complete. Omega fell to the ground and started crying. Wrecker picked her up and she continued to wail, even as he tried to calm her down. "We'll get him back, we'll get him back-" Wrecker whispered, rocking her back and forth.

In the cockpit, Echo took off his helmet, biting his cheek as he thought what they were going to have to do. Tech sat there, unable to move as he listened to Omega cry, his skin begun to crawl. "Hunter use to cry a lot..." Tech muttered. His voice was barely above a whisper, "Omega sounds like him-" Echo looked over, "He'd cry, he never stopped crying, they'd take him away, put him in a sensory deprivation tank, then when he came back, he'd cry even more-" Tech rambled. But his voice was dull, as if it wasn't even his voice at all.

"-We need to go back! Wrecker! We need Hunter!" I need Hunter! Omega screamed, hitting Wrecker's chest. Who, of course, took all the pain, took every hit, and made not a single reaction. He only continued to hold her and love her.

"We'll get him back-" was all Wrecker could say, he wished she'd stop crying. Hunter, you need to stop crying, it'll make it worse.

"Get him to stop crying, please-" Tech held himself tightly as he begun to shut down. He needed Hunter to stop crying.

"Omega, Omega's crying." Echo said, Tech's head jolted to look at Echo, pure shock on his face. Tech opened up his mouth to speak but all that came out was a squeak as his eyes started to tear up. He never made mistakes like that, he never made mistakes like this. But this, was the second time it happened.

Echo's eyes went wide, seeing Tech's eyes fall apart and in a second, Tech took off his helmet and Echo couldn't help to notice the way his hands shook, Tech's hands never shook. "Omega," Tech spoke, telling himself not to make that mistake again. He tried to hold his helmet, but his hands would start shaking, his bones started to ache, he had to move them, he couldn't keep still. Tech shook his head, discomfort growing until, at last, he threw his helmet on the ground, slamming it on the ground.

"Tech!" Echo jumped up, but Tech, all his moving, and shaking, he'd stopped, he'd forced himself. Inside, Tech was forcing himself not to move, not to blink, not the breath. "Tech." Echo went to his brother as Wrecker came in to see what happened, Omega still crying. Echo gave Wrecker a blank stare, "Tech we're gonna get him back, we just gotta make a plan-"

"I'm aware that we'll get him back!" Tech hissed, standing up, making his brothers jump and Omega turned to look. She stopped crying. "I'm aware of what needs to happen but this never should have happened! We should never have been placed in such a situation where we are missing two of our brothers!" He screamed as he fumed, crying as he did, unable to control everything inside that had just broken loose. They all stared at him. He hated to be stared at.

He looked at them as they looked at him, he tried to pull himself back together, holding himself as if that would shove everything back inside. But he had simply shattered. He couldn't look at them and he didn't want to be in his body. He wanted to disappear, to hide away, he hated this attention. He had been frozen but he couldn't help his shaking. Scared of what they'd say, scared of what they'd think. He was completely terrified, he was only terrified. "I," He looked at them, eyes wide, filled with that terror that crept up his body, whispering in his ear, 'You left them, Crosshair and Hunter, they're going to hate you-' it whispered in Tech's ear. "He ordered me to leave him-"

"He ordered all of us to," Echo spoke softly and slowly. He didn't see past the terrified look on Tech's face, "It isn't your fault." We're not gonna blame you if we never get him back. We're going to blame ourselves.

"No, no he didn't. He said my name, he ordered me." Tech corrected Echo, "It's going to be my fault, just like it would have been my fault if Wrecker hadn't woken up, how it's my fault we keep leaving Crosshair-

"Tech-"

"Don't inturrupt me!" Tech yelled, "I hate it when you do that!" He knew he was being irrational, he'd talk himself down soon enough. So right now, he didn't care. Hunter was gone and for all the logic in the universe, Tech felt it was his fault. It was his fault. He couldn't be here any longer. He needed to hide from his shame brought upon by the wide-eyed look of his brothers and sister. He looked down, cursing himself, all he could do was leave the room. He needed to leave.

As he left, there was a stillness that flowed through them all, defeat. Their brother, they just abandoned, but this brother, the absence of this brother was as if they had one lung instead of two, possible to live, but much too hard and failure to adapt is always possible. Tech, was failing. "Sorry.." He mumbled as he left. He had nothing else to say. Echo and Wrecker just watched, they did not blame him for being unable to exist without Hunter. This was different. Losing Hunter was different. They didn't have a replacement for Hunter.

"Tech!" Omega cried out, unable to do anything else. It was the only thing she could do, yell. Which made Tech freeze. He turned his head slightly, waiting for Omega to speak, "Don't leave us too-" She begged through tears. Tech lingered there in the doorway, thoughts racing, he then looked forward, away from his brothers, away from Omega, and all she could do was beg, "Please," She whimpered,

"Please don't leave me."

─── ❖ ── ✦ ── ❖ ───

Everyone else seems to have their soapbox lately when it comes to Star Wars and representation, so here's mine.

On Autism representation.

I can't think of many examples, but the two that spring to my mind are Thrawn and Tech from TBB. In my opinion, I think they are both done well.

I haven't seen much complaining about Thrawn, but the Tech posts have been rampant. Saying he's tone-deaf, unfeeling, robotic, and misses the point frequently. People have said that this is bad representation. The thing is, that is how Autism can present itself, especially in someone that has been more socially isolated. Something that Tech experiences. His social life is limited to the rest of TBB (which all have various aspects of neurodivergency themselves) , Kaminoans (who are an entirely different species and culture that are also isolated), and the other Clones (who have been shown to treat TBB badly).

I see so many traits in him that I see in myself, my family, and a friend of mine. All of these people fall somewhere on the Autism spectrum. Because that's what Autism is, a spectrum. Everyone experiences it differently.

-leg bouncing when he's anxious

-info-dumping

-meticulously collecting information about topics that he's interested in

-not understanding "it's a feeling" in relation to flying

-frustration when things aren't going according to plan and when the things they are supposed to do are interrupted

-seemingly tone-deaf direct comments on what he sees

-focusing on what's important to him and ignoring other things around him

Everytime he does one of these things, I smile to myself, because I feel seen. The reactions of others around him are so accurate as well. Hunter rolling his eyes/shaking his head. Wrecker saying "yeah yeah we know". I've experienced those reactions my whole life.

Before you criticize representation, and automatically assume that it's bad because it might not be perfect, consider the opinions of those represented. Not their family members, not health professionals, not what you think it is.

Also that ableism term you all like to throw around? Dismissing the experiences of those with the conditions you're critiquing because they don't fit into your narrative is far more ableist than the thing you think is bad.

Anyone else notice that when Hunter said that they are "CT 99s", Gregor said "defective clones"? As in that's what being a CT 99 means?

One particular clone's name just went from odd (and perhaps a bit interesting) to sad (and me wanting to punch whatever clone named him that).

I would never be able to share this enough. We should be accepted, not prevented.

THIS.

I decided to create something that I wish I had when I first got diagnosed with autism - so here’s my comic for ASDComicTakeover! You can find out more about the project here!

Keep reading

Dunno enough about cars to agree or disagree with the Firebird bit, but I do know that regardless of what vehicle he would have, he would not only drive it like crazy, he'd put a lot of work into it, too (with Wrecker's assistance for the heavier parts, of course).

I feel like if Tech existed in our world he would drive a firebird and just be drifting it like crazy.

Which is great because my husband has three. 🏎️🏎️🏎️🔥🦅

Come drift with my husband, Tech. Pls?

You said this far better than I ever could. I'm autistic myself, and I can relate with Tech in a few ways, especially the infodumping (and being ignored or silenced when I do it 😅) and being WAY too literal, so it's nice to see that there are others who feel the same about Tech.

i decided to yell into the twitter void about tech today because i’m an autistic person who is tired of seeing a fictional character who exhibits behaviors similar to my own condemned for those behaviors and called a negative stereotype.