I Feel Like The Infantilisation Of Autistic People In The Eyes Of Science And Psychology Really Stunts

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…

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.

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

THIS.

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