autistickeely

[autistickeely]

I’ve officially been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. If you have fibromyalgia please comment below as would love to talk to some people who understand! It also seems that fibromyalgia is quite common amongst autistic people which I wasn’t aware of!

#fibromyalgia #fibro #actuallyautistic #autism

[autistickeely]

Language really matters, so change the way you phrase certain things around autism. For example, instead of autistic symptoms, say autistic traits. Instead of disorder, say neurodivergence. Instead of people with autism, say autistic people. It’s not hard to make these little changes and yet the impact they have is huge. It’s a big step in the right direction towards autism acceptance.

[autistickeely]

Happy Pride Month! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈

For pride month I wanted to talk a little about what it’s like being autistic and trying to figure out your sexuality. (Trigger warning for mentions of relationships and sex)

It can be much more difficult for autistic people to know and understand their sexuality, especially if you’re late diagnosed or self diagnosed. This is because as autistic people from a young age we are coerced into acting “normal” or in other words, acting like neurotypicals. Through this autistic people learn how to mask to fit in. I learnt how to mask from a young age because I was told off for behaviour that was natural for me but was deemed “abnormal” so I wasn’t allowed to be myself. Autistic people can also find it difficult to identify their emotions (alexithymia) which makes trying to figure our your sexuality even harder.

Through masking I copy the people around me and I put on different masks for different scenarios. The people around me are all straight, including all my friends and family, so through masking I always felt I had to act straight. Growing up I never even knew about gay relationships, and I had no idea that I may not even be straight. I felt so different from the people around me already that my sexuality just blended into everything else that I was feeling and I didn’t even give it any thought. I was masking so much that I completely lost sense of who I was as a person. I assumed like everyone around me that I was straight so I decided to try to date some men. From the first date I went on I knew something was wrong, because it just felt completely unnatural and uncomfortable for me. Even though I had these feelings I kept going on dates with men and I even tried to have sex with a guy. After what was an absolutely horrible experience I decided I was going to stop acting the way people around me act and I was just going to be myself and do what feels right to me. So I went on a date with a woman and it felt sooo much different. I absolutely loved it. I even kissed a couple girls on different dates and it felt amazing. I was shocked because after kissing men I thought maybe I was just asexual, but after kissing women I realised I’m actually just into girls!

After finally allowing myself to actually be myself my life is already 100 times better. I feel so much more free!! I think it’s important to teach children in schools about lgbtq+ relationships, because I grew up not even knowing that I didn’t have to date men. And being an autistic person who masked her way through life, I just copied the people around me and dated men for years. I wish I had the opportunity to realise sooner that I didn’t have to be with men, because the experiences I had were not nice and I never enjoyed them. I wish I had learnt from a young that it’s okay to date people of the same sex/gender and that there’s nothing wrong about it. It’s important we help autistic people to accept themselves and allow them to be themselves so that they don’t have to mask and they can discover their true selves sooner rather than later. This can also help to prevent trauma from being put in situations that they really don’t wanna be in.

#pride month #happy pride 🌈 #pride #gay pride #actuallyautistic #autism #autistic pride #autistic experiences #my life #my experiences

[autistickeely]

hello! i hope you don't mind me asking this question, i'm not sure who to talk to about it! i am autistic and sometimes i go nonverbal, but i'm not sure how to let the people around me know. are there any common ways to let someone know, e.g wearing a bracelet or badge? thank you sm! ♡

Hiya!! I’ve seen some places sell badges that let people know you are nonverbal or sometimes go nonverbal, I found this badge on Etsy buy a creator that might be a good option for you to wear! It will let people know you sometimes go nonverbal without having to tell anyone. I have linked it in the post.

Another tool I would suggest is communication cards that you can hand out to people. You can buy some online but I find it easier to make my own for free and I can write whatever I want on the cards! I’ve made some in the past that say “I’m autistic, please give me space, I may go nonverbal”. You can put the card on a lanyard that you wear around you or you can just hand people a card that says “I am nonverbal right now” which you can make yourself at home! If you cut a small square of paper and write your message on there you can keep it with you to hand to people whenever you need!

I hope these suggestions help you! 🤗

#nonverbal #nonverbal communication #actuallyautistic #autism #autistic experiences #autistic #ask #anon #autistic questions #autistickeely

[autistickeely]

Common myth: “neurotypicals don’t stim”. This is actually false. Neurotypical people do stim, it’s just usually in a slightly different way. Common stims that you might notice a neurotypical doing include: nail biting, hair twirling, leg bouncing, foot tapping, pen biting, skin picking, knuckle cracking and more. These are stims that go unnoticed most of the time because they are so common. Autistic people’s stims are usually more noticeable. Stims you might see autistic people doing include: hand flapping, rocking, echolalia (repeating words or phrases), head banging, excessive blinking, spinning in circles and more. Stimming is not an exclusive autism trait. It’s the short term for “self-stimulatory behaviours” which every human being does in one way or another. It’s a completely normal way of regulating emotions. I’ve seen some people saying “neurotypicals don’t stim, they fidget” but fidgeting is actually a form of stimming.

The reasons why a neurotypical stims is usually different to why an autistic person does, however, the reasons can be the same. Stimming can help in stressful situations where anxiety levels are high. You’re more likely to notice a neurotypical person stimming when they are particularly anxious, for example in an exam or a job interview. Autistic people stim as a way of expressing emotions, for example we will stim when we are happy or excited, not just when we are anxious. Autistic people frequently experience sensory overloads and stimming helps to calm us down.

I find it ironic and hypocritical when neurotypicals make fun of autistics for stimming when they literally stim too. My parents will comment on my stimming when my mum is sat there biting her nails and my dad is bouncing his leg and picking his skin. How are my stims wrong and their stims right? Before you judge an autistic person for stimming take a look at yourself because I can guarantee you stim in one way or another. Let’s normalise and embrace stimming because not only is it beautiful, it’s incredibly important. Suppressing stims can be detrimental to our mental health.

Embrace the stim! No matter how big or small! All stims are valid!! 🤗🤗🤗

#stimming #stims #autistic experiences #actuallyautistic #autism

[autistickeely]

[autistickeely]

I’m so sad Club Penguin Rewritten has been shut down 😭 I was reliving my childhood through it and it brought me some much needed serotonin 😭

The people of London may sleep easy, knowing that *checks notes* the devs of a fan remake of a game that isn't even commercially available anymore are behind bars

#club penguin rewritten #cpr #club penguin

[autistickeely]

These yoghurts I bought taste so nice but they have bits of fruit through them which have an awful texture so I am using my spoon to divide the yoghurt from the fruit bits and I’m licking the yoghurt off the spoon to ensure I don’t accidentally eat a fruit bit 😂

Where you at ND gang

#actuallyautistic #autism #textures #food sensitivities #sensory issues

[autistickeely]

[autistickeely]

this autism acceptance month, I’d like to offer a shoutout to autistic people with high support needs.

it’s okay if you’re never going to be independent. it’s okay if you need help with tasks that other people think are easy. it’s okay if you need help with looking after yourself. it’s okay.

acknowledging that you need to rely on other people is a sign of strength, not a sign of weakness. you deserve to get the support you need. you deserve to be able to have autonomy over your life. you deserve to be able to lead the life you want to lead, even if that includes more support than the average person.

it’s okay.

[autistickeely]

Thank you for sharing your experience!

Can a person with alexithymia still show different facial expressions? Or does the flat-face affect usually go together with that?

I don’t know too much about alexithymia so I did some research. It is a condition that causes difficulties in expressing and identifying emotions. If you don’t understand what you’re feeling it’s likely your facial expressions won’t express accurate emotions or they will appear blank, however, that doesn’t mean you won’t have any facial expressions. Studies have shown that most people with alexithymia have more trouble with identifying emotions rather than being able to express them, so their facial expressions may follow their frustration from not understanding what they are feeling. It seems many people with alexithymia are told they have no empathy, but this simply isn’t true. Just because they have difficulty recognising those feelings it doesn’t mean they are not there. It’s important to never assume someone’s emotions purely from their facial expressions anyway as facial expressions aren’t always reliable. For example I don’t have alexithymia but I’m always told I look angry and annoyed when in fact I’m feeling happy so my face just doesn’t match my emotions. If you have alexithymia please comment your experiences in the comments if you feel comfortable doing so!

#alexithymia #actuallyautistic #autism #autistic experiences #masking

[autistickeely]

Hello! I saw your post about how neurotypical people stim too and I was wondering if shaking counts as one? There was one part where you said that stimming isn’t for just anxiety, when you’re happy or excited too. And when I’m anxious or happy, I find myself shaking a lot and was curious if that counts as a stim. Anyways, have a nice day.

Hiya! What type of shakes are they, are they full body involuntary shakes? This is a difficult one because when you’re anxious your muscles tense up which causes shaking and trembling. I wouldn’t consider this a stim because it’s caused by stress hormones which increase your heart rate and blood pressure, causing the muscles to tense up. When you’re excited, adrenaline stimulates your nerves which can give the same muscular response causing shaking and trembling. I wouldn’t say this is a self-stimulating behaviour because full body shakes are completely involuntary and can’t be stopped immediately without medication or other medical help. Whilst stims often happen subconsciously, they can be stopped (obviously I don’t think they should be!). As long as the shaking isn’t caused by underlying medical issues such as low blood sugar then it shouldn’t be anything to worry about and could just be your body’s normal response to emotions. In that case there is a possibility the shaking could be considered a stim, but I can’t say for certain without knowing more about your experience. Feel free to message me if you have any other questions!

#stimming #stims #actuallyautistic #autism #autistic #autistic experiences #autistic life #ask #anon #question #questions

[autistickeely]

Can a person with alexithymia still show different facial expressions? Or does the flat-face affect usually go together with that?

I don’t know too much about alexithymia so I did some research. It is a condition that causes difficulties in expressing and identifying emotions. If you don’t understand what you’re feeling it’s likely your facial expressions won’t express accurate emotions or they will appear blank, however, that doesn’t mean you won’t have any facial expressions. Studies have shown that most people with alexithymia have more trouble with identifying emotions rather than being able to express them, so their facial expressions may follow their frustration from not understanding what they are feeling. It seems many people with alexithymia are told they have no empathy, but this simply isn’t true. Just because they have difficulty recognising those feelings it doesn’t mean they are not there. It’s important to never assume someone’s emotions purely from their facial expressions anyway as facial expressions aren’t always reliable. For example I don’t have alexithymia but I’m always told I look angry and annoyed when in fact I’m feeling happy so my face just doesn’t match my emotions. If you have alexithymia please comment your experiences in the comments if you feel comfortable doing so!

#alexithymia #ask #anon #questions #actuallyautistic #autism #autistic experiences

[autistickeely]

How does it feel to be autistic in a world of predominantly neurotypicals you ask?

It feels like life is one big soup, and I’m a fork 🤷‍♀️

#actuallyautistic #autistic experiences #autism #autistic #autism acceptance #autism acceptance month #autism acceptance week #autistic feels #autistic life #my experiences

[autistickeely]

Happy Autism Acceptance Week to all my amazing fellow autistic friends!! ❤️❤️❤️

Autistic people are underappreciated, undervalued and underestimated members of society. We are treated as if there is something wrong with us, we are told we need to be “cured”, we are discriminated against and bullied for the way our brains are wired. We don’t just deserve awareness, we deserve acceptance. Life for autistic people will never change unless we are accepted and appreciated in society for the amazingly wonderful people we are. We deserve more than just awareness!!!

#autism acceptance week #redinstead #autism acceptance month #autism acceptance #actuallyautistic #autism #autistic #autistic experiences #autistic life #autistickeely

[autistickeely]

My mum wrote an article for the charity Aspens on how their support has helped our family immensely over the past few years of getting my diagnosis. It’s a nice read if anyone is interested! Especially for all the families out there with autistic family members, it is vital support is given so that the whole family can thrive. Autistic people are amazing and families need the knowledge to know how to support us so we can live our best lives! My mum is now working for the charity Aspens and is using her knowledge from helping me to help other young autistic people! ❤️

(Picture descriptions: The first picture is of me and my mum sitting next to each other on the sofa. We are holding our dogs Lily and Grace. I am wearing my Grogu Oodie and my mum is wearing a flowery top. We are both looking at the camera smiling. The second picture is of me on my own in the same Oodie holding my dog Grace, I am sitting on the sofa and looking at the camera smiling. )

#autism #aspens #aspens charities #actuallyautistic #autistic charities #autistic experiences #autistic families #autistic #my experiences #my life

[autistickeely]

Tw: covid talk.

I have covid and it’s absolutely awful, I never expected to get it this bad due to only being 18 years old. I am on a lot of medications though so maybe that’s impacted my immune system? I’ve had both doses of vaccine as well as a booster jab so it just makes me wonder what my experience would have been like if I had no vaccines to protect me. It just goes to show how covid affects everyone differently, and that you can get really sick even if you’re considered young and healthy and fully vaccinated. My mum and nanna have both got covid too and yet my symptoms are more severe than theirs, and they’re both over 50. This is crazy to me!

#tw covid #covid #covid 19 #coronavirus #my life