Autism/ADHD Support Thread 🌈

[Mel1592]

Mine was adult diagnosed pdd-nos before the change to just ASD . I knew I was ADHD since like 1988 but never had anyone mention autism and I think they believed back then it couldn't overlap.

I'm so glad non stimulant drugs exist now. all the stimulants made me feel bad. Strattera does cause my heart to beat faster and it has to be watched but I'm so much better with it, I never knew there was a shortage of others.

What bothers me is not realizing on occasion that I sound rude without meaning to. And lack of common sense ughh

 

[StarlitGlitch]

I'm so glad non stimulant drugs exist now. all the stimulants made me feel bad. Strattera does cause my heart to beat faster and it has to be watched but I'm so much better with it, I never knew there was a shortage of others.

I tried Strattera before but couldn't get past the side effects D:

The only legal stimulant where I live is Concerta so I'm on a low dose of that now. Need to be careful when I take it + consider if I haven't taken it in a couple of days but trying my best to make it work.

 

[Suguri]

I was thinking of what to crochet for the Celebrating Diversity 2024 event and I figured I'd do something related to autism because I'm autistic. I looked up some patterns about this topic and got plenty of results, and one thing I've noticed with some projects is that they commonly use a jigsaw puzzle motif. I'm honestly tempted to include it in some form for my entry but I heard autistic people don't like the symbol nowadays because IIRC it makes them feel "incomplete" when they're already "complete," which I understand. I'm curious about your thoughts on the jigsaw piece symbol though. What do you think? Should I include it in my entry or no? I'm probably leaning towards "no" just in case

Also, I found amigurumi patterns for this thing which they call the "autism creature."

I don't get why they call it like that (the Know Your Meme page doesn't explain it) so I want to hear your thoughts on this too.

 

[Doo]

I was thinking of what to crochet for the Celebrating Diversity 2024 event and I figured I'd do something related to autism because I'm autistic. I looked up some patterns about this topic and got plenty of results, and one thing I've noticed with some projects is that they commonly use a jigsaw puzzle motif. I'm honestly tempted to include it in some form for my entry but I heard autistic people don't like the symbol nowadays because IIRC it makes them feel "incomplete" when they're already "complete," which I understand. I'm curious about your thoughts on the jigsaw piece symbol though. What do you think? Should I include it in my entry or no? I'm probably leaning towards "no" just in case

Also, I found amigurumi patterns for this thing which they call the "autism creature."
View attachment 568897
I don't get why they call it like that (the Know Your Meme page doesn't explain it) so I want to hear your thoughts on this too.

As for the jigsaw puzzle piece - I personally don’t like it. It suggests we have something missing, or that we need to be ‘solved’ like a puzzle. I think the infinity symbol is a better one to use but i dont know a lot about that. I wouldn’t include the jigsaw piece though.
No idea what the autism creature is, so I can’t comment on that.

 

[xSuperMario64x]

I looked up some patterns about this topic and got plenty of results, and one thing I've noticed with some projects is that they commonly use a jigsaw puzzle motif. I'm honestly tempted to include it in some form for my entry but I heard autistic people don't like the symbol nowadays because IIRC it makes them feel "incomplete" when they're already "complete," which I understand.

one of the biggest reasons why people hate the puzzle piece is because it is associated with Autism $peaks, which... well, you can easily find info online about how little they've done for autistic people in terms of actually helping. they're pretty awful.

a lot of autistic people (myself included) like to use the infinity symbol to represent autism, so that would be much better if you're looking for something like that.

 

[spawnpoint]

I was thinking of what to crochet for the Celebrating Diversity 2024 event and I figured I'd do something related to autism because I'm autistic. I looked up some patterns about this topic and got plenty of results, and one thing I've noticed with some projects is that they commonly use a jigsaw puzzle motif. I'm honestly tempted to include it in some form for my entry but I heard autistic people don't like the symbol nowadays because IIRC it makes them feel "incomplete" when they're already "complete," which I understand. I'm curious about your thoughts on the jigsaw piece symbol though. What do you think? Should I include it in my entry or no? I'm probably leaning towards "no" just in case

Also, I found amigurumi patterns for this thing which they call the "autism creature."
View attachment 568897
I don't get why they call it like that (the Know Your Meme page doesn't explain it) so I want to hear your thoughts on this too.

i think the puzzle piece is definitely a bad idea for reasons others have already stated, but im commenting to say the autism creature was originally just a random thing called the tbh creature , but some autistic people said it reminded them of themselves and it just kind of spread around the internet and is known as the autism creature now, its just a cute silly thing and i really like it

 

[Chris]

Apparently I've never posted in here. I've ADHD and considered "highly impaired" by my condition. It impacts how I communicate with people and I need support in the workplace in order to hold down a long-term job.

I feel lucky that as an adult I've been able to form a friendship group that consists mostly of (queer) people with ADHD and/or autism, so there is a general sense of understanding and patience in all of our interactions. I'm also in a long-term relationship with an autistic person, whom I live with, and while sometimes our symptoms clash we do our best to be empathetic and considerate of each other. We essentially take turns between having meltdowns and taking on the role of each other's frontal lobes.

 

[Neb]

I’ve noticed I feel a sort of language barrier every time I interact with most people unless it’s another neurodivergent person or someone really close like a parent. And then when a real language barrier appears it blows up in my face every time since I don’t know how to communicate with them on multiple levels. Is this just a me thing or a thing a lot of neurodivergent people feel in general?

 

[ali.di.magix]

I’ve noticed I feel a sort of language barrier every time I interact with most people unless it’s another neurodivergent person or someone really close like a parent. And then when a real language barrier appears it blows up in my face every time since I don’t know how to communicate with them on multiple levels. Is this just a me thing or a thing a lot of neurodivergent people feel in general?

Late reply, but yeah I feel the language barrier thing too. I can’t read between the lines very well which leads me to be frustrated and others frustrated too. I find it particularly hard with my flatmate (who I love very much) as she isn’t very literal with her words and I don’t get the hint. I also can’t read her emotions very well either. Sometimes she’ll tell me to be quiet or stop talking, which I don’t mind as then I know that I’m being too much for her

—

On another note, has anyone else experienced personality changes while on stimulants? I posted more in detail in the WBY thread, but in general I find that I’m more assertive, blunt and sometimes snappy with people. Not sure if I’m just unmasking or it really is changing me…

 

[Midoriya]

On another note, has anyone else experienced personality changes while on stimulants? I posted more in detail in the WBY thread, but in general I find that I’m more assertive, blunt and sometimes snappy with people. Not sure if I’m just unmasking or it really is changing me…

I don't know if it's related to this exactly, but I know I take two antipsychotics, one in the morning and one at night, partially for my autism and partially to help me sleep better.

It's actually not recommended to take them both together, but my case is peculiar as I've been taking them for years and even after talking with a professional psych about it not too long ago, getting off of even one of them could have disastrous effects for me.

I do know that when I miss my meds (like if I pull an all-nighter), the next day my emotions tend to be all over the place, and I can get emotional easily. Taking these helps stabilize my mood without completely getting rid of my personality.

It's not possible to skip my night med in particular for two days or more at a time now, as doing so would make my emotions uncontrollable, and, could result in me dying as well.

 

[Tsukiko]

I've been diagnosed with ADHD since I was a kid so it was hard for me to concentrate in school so I drank Concerta (i remember this name just recently) and I get all jittery and uncomfy so I tend to move a lot of places like seats and such and even in highschool I get bullied for my condition even by younger kids so it was hard for me to make friends. Even now that i'm an adult now i tend to have bursts of energy but i at least able to focus now unlike before.

 

[Suguri]

I wanted to revive this thread just to rant about something.

Spoiler: :(

This is from my experience so feel free to take this with a grain of salt, but sometimes I despise how difficult it is to adjust to the norm. I read a post here recently that was addressed to another autistic person who was dealing with something similar and it went something like, "If you can fit in easily on the forums, it shouldn't be much harder in the real world, right?" While I appreciate the poster's good intentions (I even put a heart react), I can't help but feel convinced that, at least for me, it is harder. Not impossible, just...super complicated.
I think the reason why I feel this way is because of the position I'm in. My family is neurotypical, so they want me to be "normal". Almost everyone I've interacted with IRL, whether they're classmates, teachers, etc. is most likely neurotypical. So every day with these people feels like a reminder that I'm not good enough and I need to change to be socially acceptable because neurotypical people work differently compared to neurodiverse people. But then, there's this part of me that just wants to be happy because I am me and that should be good enough. It's like a war against myself...and it only proves to be self-destructive in the long run.

So...yeah. This is not an attack against the poster, but me venting about my problems. I hope this is okay.

 

[Shawna]

^ @Suguri

I hope you don't mind being pinged, but I just want to contribute to the discussion.
I dealt with something similar back in January, so I would also like to talk a bit about that.

You do have a point. The other poster was just trying to help out, which I am grateful for and I hope the person it was directed to was able to get something from it. I do not mean to attack the person who was giving the advice, but I do want to give my two cents, as I am somewhere on the spectrum myself and very probably could have ADHD as well:

I don't feel like a fun, cushy, child-friendly forum, especially one that focuses around a specific game franchise, can be compared to the “real world”. Sure, they both have some of the same people at the end of the day.

But at the same time, there are some key differences:
- This form is family-friendly, the real world when you look at it, really isn’t.
- It’s easier to relate to people on a niche (in this case, being focused around a specific video game franchise) forum
- It’s just easier for a lot of people to fit in online that it is in real life, this can go for in general, not just on the specific forum. I myself can relate to this.

. . .
​

I’ve also been in a similar situation where people were trying to give me advice on here, but I didn’t necessarily agree with what they were saying. This isn’t an attack on them either, of course. I’m just trying to say that a lot of people without ASD and ADHD just don’t get how we are wired. I won’t get into specifics, but let’s just say it involved my poor social skills and me having a hard time with continuing/maintaining conversations with people, including family members.

Again, I get what they were trying to do. They were trying to give me advice on and theories of the situation, but with all due respect, it kind of felt like they didn’t quite understand my side of the situation although, to be fair, I didn’t really give much context because didn’t really have any context to give to begin with. Plus, I try not to bring my disorders into everything since I don’t want people to think I’m just throwing them around as excuses..

I’m not trying to call anyone out either, but I just wanted to get that off my chest, as it possibly ties into the topic of this thread. I know one of the main struggles when it comes to people on the spectrum and possibly ADHD is our struggle to continue/maintain conversations in most cases.

​

 

[Suguri]

-snip-​

Thank you Shawna for responding. :^) I want to mention that the poster in question is also on the spectrum (I... forgot to say that earlier oops), so I'm sure they understand some of what we go though. I appreciate their optimism a bunch, but sometimes I can't help but think realistically (and somewhat negatively), what with my past experiences and all. (I was also stressed from unrelated circumstances when I typed out my post BTW. I don't feel too bad now.)

Yeah I honestly wish more neurotypical people understood us too. I think it would at least make me feel better about myself in the long run. Thanks again for stopping by.

 

[TN4U]

I've been going through a mental breakdown in the past few weeks and feeling like the whole world is against me. I submitted a (now deleted) lengthy post in the "How are you feeling right now" thread a few days ago basically saying that my life sucks, everyone hates me, and don't want anymore help because it's undeserving to me. I almost wanted to cry that night; it's most definitely NOT the person I want to become. I believe it had something to do with the the election season upsetting me, alongside my lack of a social life making me feel incredibly miserable overall. For the longest time, I wanted to distance myself from the ASD community and reject help because of my fear of feeling embarrassed, but I think I'm beginning to identify the deeper problems I've been faced with that are holding me back from taking a stance and doing something about it. For example, the questions I often ask myself:

• How have I not been in a relationship or even a single date in my life?
• Why has my friend group cut communication with me for over a year?
• Why am I letting uncontrollable outside factors and minor things affect my mood big time?
• Why are my interests not aligned with many others my age?

The answers seem to be simpler than I thought. Have I pushed myself out of my comfort zone often? Heck no. Have I made attempts to improve my self-image? Barely. Do I have fears that affect my personal well-being and attitude? Most definitely. As someone who suffers from ASD, it is hard to push the boundaries I set for myself because it doesn't make me comfortable. My body tenses up and my heart races when I'm faced with a challenge that's easy for the average person to solve, but not me. I focus on potential negative outcomes way too much, which is why I cannot properly think straight and relax through traditional methods. I ease my stress by blocking those thoughts from my mind when I'm alone in my room, and focus on more positive things such as music and reading certain sections of this forum.

I sometimes think that I have the potential to express my thoughts and ideas through content creation. A good example is video producing. I'd like to say that I'm fairly good at piecing together clips to communicate a message. I really wish more people became aware of my talents, but alas, I haven't made many efforts to prove it. Excuses are hard to believe, but I'd totally make it more of a full-time hobby if I had the time and continued with it beyond my college years.

One of the biggest challenges I was facing was having to deal with my parents on a daily basis. I'll be moving out of their house in about a month, so I think I'll have a higher motivation to do things on my own the way I want to. I'll be limited budget-wise, but I must make planned changes happen.

 

[xSuperMario64x]

there's something I've been thinking about lately, and I want to see if my fellow ASD/ADHD folk can relate.

I read somewhere that autistic people struggle to eat/drink properly because they often struggle to recognize hunger/thirst. and it makes sense, because sometimes I don't actually feel hungry, and I forget to eat, so I end up going 8+ hours without eating anything. likewise, if I'm not, like, actively dehydrating then I'm not thinking about drinking water.

I've considered finding an app that will let me set recurring timers throughout the day (say, in 30 minute intervals) to remind myself to drink water. and I probably also need to set alarms to remind myself to eat, so I don't forget. I almost wonder if I'm malnourished because of my sporadic eating schedule (and also poor appetite).

 

[Suguri]

there's something I've been thinking about lately, and I want to see if my fellow ASD/ADHD folk can relate.

I read somewhere that autistic people struggle to eat/drink properly because they often struggle to recognize hunger/thirst. and it makes sense, because sometimes I don't actually feel hungry, and I forget to eat, so I end up going 8+ hours without eating anything. likewise, if I'm not, like, actively dehydrating then I'm not thinking about drinking water.

I've considered finding an app that will let me set recurring timers throughout the day (say, in 30 minute intervals) to remind myself to drink water. and I probably also need to set alarms to remind myself to eat, so I don't forget. I almost wonder if I'm malnourished because of my sporadic eating schedule (and also poor appetite).

I think I can kind of relate here; what I'm about to say is pretty different but also similar in a way. Can't recommend any apps as I don't know of any good ones but I feel like I may have a basic idea as to what you're talking about.

In general I tend to not do something that's supposed to be part of my routine at all unless I'm reminded. That includes eating/preparing breakfast/lunch/dinner, taking a shower, chores, etc. I actually know what must be done, but I tend to not bother (or at least try to) anyway because it gets in the way of whatever I'm currently doing at the time. I can kind of relate to the water thing too. Sometimes I go an entire school day and forget to drink from my water bottle.

I feel like it's starting to get on my family's nerves because lately my parents have been telling me I should be more "independent" instead of relying on reminders from them. My sister has also used brute force to get me to do chores before. Most people would brush my habits off as laziness (yes, I can be pretty lazy too), but sometimes I wonder if there's more to it than just that.

So yeah, I think I feel you, I also need a good reminder app but mainly so my parents don't scold me again and I know my schedule. ^^; If I may have misinterpreted anything please let me know.

 

[Chris]

I read somewhere that autistic people struggle to eat/drink properly because they often struggle to recognize hunger/thirst. and it makes sense, because sometimes I don't actually feel hungry, and I forget to eat, so I end up going 8+ hours without eating anything. likewise, if I'm not, like, actively dehydrating then I'm not thinking about drinking water.

ADHD here. I don't notice hunger cues until the hunger nausea kicks in. I find it hard to keep weight on. I tend to prepare food when I think I should eat and then surprise myself by finishing it quickly.

My partner is similar and is autistic - I have to remind her to eat or she might go 24+ hours without a meal.

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

there's something I've been thinking about lately, and I want to see if my fellow ASD/ADHD folk can relate.

I read somewhere that autistic people struggle to eat/drink properly because they often struggle to recognize hunger/thirst. and it makes sense, because sometimes I don't actually feel hungry, and I forget to eat, so I end up going 8+ hours without eating anything. likewise, if I'm not, like, actively dehydrating then I'm not thinking about drinking water.

I've considered finding an app that will let me set recurring timers throughout the day (say, in 30 minute intervals) to remind myself to drink water. and I probably also need to set alarms to remind myself to eat, so I don't forget. I almost wonder if I'm malnourished because of my sporadic eating schedule (and also poor appetite).

I eat normally. Some days I might not be as hungry as usual but I still try to eat something.

 

[chocovelvetcake]

It's weird, but sometimes I don't feel like I'm really autistic because I don't fit certain stereotypical depictions of autism. Not to mention I was also diagnosed with autism at an early age (I was four), which is unusual for black afab folks like myself. Because of this, I often find myself questioning as to whether or not I even qualify as having ASD.