Curated DJ lessons

15 things Auties do that aren't well known.

YES to all of them, all but the first.

1. We like secret thumb holes in clothing (or we create our own).
2. We don’t like being asked to identify our “favorite” anything… except maybe color.
3. We speak in paragraphs rather than sentences.
4. We are sceptical of marketing strategies.
5. We have trouble navigating group conversations.
6. We have very specific lighting preferences. (dim - photophobia)
7. We hate getting our hands sticky or messy or wet.
8. We struggle with the specificity of language and interpret things literally.
9. We ask a ton of questions.
10. We experience the “stand there awkwardly phenomenon.”
11. We are overwhelmed with the pain scale question.
12. We have trouble understanding expectations.
13. We tend to work with uneven productivity.
14. We have covert stims.
15. We are keenly aware of being “perceived” and it often makes us uncomfortable.

10 signs of undiagnosed adult autism


1. Social interaction difficulties. In person. Parties are hard, more people is more difficult.
2. Unspoken language. Body language or inferred speech.
3. Need for routines and structure. Disruptions causes real problems.
4. Sensitive to sights/sounds/touch/smells. Sounds that upset me, sounds of a canteen and crashing cutlery. Loud high pitch sounds.
5. Uneven skill sets. Superb at working with computers, but all other areas such as going for a walk leads to where, when, how far, do I need to bring food, water, chocolate. Other parts of life needs a detailed breakdown.
6. Emotional regulation. Or mostly dis-regulation.
7. Intractable sense of right and wrong. Very strong ethics.
8. Unusual connections. Making creative leaps and seeing patterns that others can't. This can be really helpful at work making better work environments and easier work.
9. You're weird, a freak, creepy etc. It could also be quirky, unusual etc. I doubt many of us hear positive things. This really leads to severe alienation or internalisation of negative thoughts.
10. Hyperfocus! The things we love. For me, computers. For others it's trains, horses, sewing, batteries, movies, engineering and pretty much everything. But usually one or two topics.

Bonus, PDA pathological demand avoidance. Google it.

Well it's done. I am officially autistic. I'll get a preliminary report in the next day or two, but yeah.
It changes nothing and it changes everything.

The official written report comes in 6-8 weeks time. I get a copy along with my GP.