What the worst part of having ASD for you?

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anbuend
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08 Apr 2011, 6:09 pm

Joe90 wrote:
Uh, I must say, the worse part of having my disability is the fact that I look stupid and/or weird when I go out in public places, and constantly give off vibes to make people stare, laugh or tease. It's something I can't even work on, or improve, or prevent, because whatever I do to better myself, I still apparently get people's attention. I walk up straight, wear fashionable clothes, wear expensive boots, have a trendy handbag over my shoulder, have my hair straightened, and put perfume on. I do the best I can to look nice and ordinary, and I still can't seem to stop the vibes. I even put a happy expression on my face, and I never do anything other people wouldn't do, like flap my hands about or pace about or anything. I stand and walk naturally, like everyone else.

HOW CAN I STOP THESE f***ing STUPID VIBES FROM ATTRACTING PEOPLE'S ATTENTION!

If only there was a way!


You probably have very subtle differences in the way you move that you're not even aware of. The only way to stop the "vibes" would be to be able to detect and avoid those movements. Most people can pick up on extreme subtleties in the difference in how people move, and if anything is even a little "off" they'll detect it.


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hartzofspace
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08 Apr 2011, 8:29 pm

Sensitivity to noise, hands down! After that, inability to read people!


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08 Apr 2011, 8:45 pm

Being inflexible.



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08 Apr 2011, 8:50 pm

Not knowing what to say in social situations and being uncomfortable around people I don't know. Everything else isn't anywhere near a problem. Alright, maybe it would be nice to have some sort of multitasking ability, but even NT's struggle with that.


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08 Apr 2011, 8:55 pm

Lacking a sufficient frame of reference for contrasting my difficulties.



anbuend
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08 Apr 2011, 9:25 pm

Oh also (directed to Joe90) people can also often tell when we're reacting to our environments in ways that they wouldn't. So it could also be that you're either reacting to things they don't react to, failing to react to things they do react to, or both. One of the reasons it is so difficult to fully "pass" (and for that matter why nonautistic actors often seem to portray autistic people unrealistically), is that nonautistic people and autistic people perceive different aspects of the world -- each perceive some more intensely than the other, and some less intensely than the other. And it's very hard for one sort of person to know what all those things are, perceive them, and react to them, on purpose. May even be impossible.

One time I was walking along, and heard people making various odd noises. I mean, they were talking, but I noticed the tone, not the words. The tone was one I'd heard before, a "jokey"/incredulous/disgusted tone, followed by nervous laughter. I didn't even realize it was directed at me until later, and then I replayed it in my head until I had gotten the words. Then I tried to work out what the words related to. It took me ages to figure it out.

Turns out that I'd dropped a banana on the ground, picked it up, and started eating it, not realizing or caring that there were pebbles and dirt stuck to it. The words they'd said were "Aw, don't eat that!" And it took me forever to put all that together. And at the time I thought I was passing perfectly well. Differences in what we notice aren't always that extreme, but often things like that can happen and we're not even aware of what we're reacting to or failing to react to that other people are laughing at.


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08 Apr 2011, 9:53 pm

1. Getting to where I am today socially. I can go to parties, read people extremely well, make good conversation and bond with people....but when I got to college I made everyone hate me and didn't know why, for example, so...there are still challenges, but the worst part was getting here. Going from having people think I'm ret*d to having somewhat popular friends was a challenge.

2. Forgetting to eat. I'm 6'0" and 115 pounds. I've got a fridge full of bodybuilding-approved foods now, but...I haven't eaten yet today. I got really hungry a couple hours ago and ate a few handfuls of peanuts, now I'm fine. I should probably go eat after I post this.



Apple_in_my_Eye
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08 Apr 2011, 9:59 pm

I'd say having a brain which works much more slowly that normal, which (among other things) causes problems with communicating with brains that run at normal speed.

And executive dysfunction.



kraken
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09 Apr 2011, 1:14 am

The isolation.



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09 Apr 2011, 2:16 am

Anxiety
Meltdowns
My problems with relationships
Getting too absorbed in something



anbuend
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09 Apr 2011, 3:47 am

*

^----- the flash inside my head that happens every time I try to find words for the thing I meant to write here. And this flash itself is among the worst things, along with the thing that I don't know how to write.


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Joe90
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09 Apr 2011, 2:32 pm

Quote:
So it could also be that you're either reacting to things they don't react to, failing to react to things they do react to, or both.

I don't think I react to things they don't, but I do think I don't react to things they do (hope that makes sense :) ). Today I tried looking around at what's going on, rather than just keeping my eyes staring ahead, as though I look terrified to meet anyone's eyes. Also I looked at people, but not stare, just glanced lightly at them and moved on to the next person. I've found out that the more I look around at other people and the environment more, the less odd looks I get from people. I walked past a shop where a couple of elderly men were coming out of, talking to eachother, and I looked round at them - just glanced - then looked ahead again, then looked at some other people coming towards me, and it did help. I've figured that if you look around at what's going on, it makes you look aware and not so nervous. So that's what I've started to do. Looking around at the people and traffic just looks social when you're on your own, and it just makes people just think that you're aware of what's going on around you, instead of keeping your eyes on the ground all the time.


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09 Apr 2011, 3:40 pm

My obsessiveness interest. There are times when I'm reading a book or on the internet when I can't physically move until I complete reading something, so much that I blow off much more important things. Also, stimuli overload, for once I would like to go to a party and be able to not be in danger of fainting or going into a meltdown, or constantly be blinded by lights that don't seem to affect other people. I also hate my manic-depressive moodswings. I hate my faulty memory, which can remember useless things but never anything important. It seems I have to read a book twice to retain information. I also wish I could read people better, so I wouldn't be as nervous when talking to them. I also wish I could make eye contact, only seem to be able to look a person in the eyes when I'm angry at them.



Joe90
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10 Apr 2011, 5:49 am

I don't know if this is related to my Dyspraxia or not, but I don't like the way I find myself shouting at the wrong times. My voice is that ugly tone what is loud and high-ish, and carries through walls. My voice is quite low generally, but when I start getting onto a subject what makes me excited or angry, it reaches a loud, high pitch. And so when the window-cleaner comes round, my mum either wants him to come when I'm here by myself (so that I don't have anyone to bicker with), or when I'm not here at all, because she thinks I'm embarrassing when I start subconsciously raising my voice. (You know how NTs are - they think a bit of embarrassment is the end of the world.)


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tcorrielus
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10 Apr 2011, 9:54 am

I don't know if this is a prevalent characteristic of AS. But my worst part of having AS is saying or doing things and making impulses that I think are harmless, but can definitely offend people around me. I wish I had never had this problem ever in my life.



hartzofspace
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10 Apr 2011, 1:17 pm

Joe90 wrote:
I've found out that the more I look around at other people and the environment more, the less odd looks I get from people.

I have found this to be true, too. However, it is extremely hard to do when I'm already reaching saturation point.


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