Individuals on the Autism spectrum such as people with Asperger’s and High Functioning Autism are extraordinary and gifted individuals. Like any human being, however, there are times where they do get upset, have anxiety, and get mad. Individuals on the spectrum are known to often get upset frequently in certain situations and many can get upset quite intensely. Many people sometimes wonder why they are getting upset at certain situations because sometimes it can appear to be confusing. I, as a person on the spectrum, and those who have known me when I was younger in school, am an individual who has struggled with being upset at times and from situations that may seem confusing to others. In the article, I am going to talk about some of the reasons why. When you see a person on the spectrum get mad or experience anxiety, there are fourteen main reasons as to why it may be.
The first common reason why people on the spectrum get upset is because they have trouble expressing what’s on their mind. Imagine struggling with something in which you feel you need help. Imagine not being able to get the help because you don’t kow how to state the problem. You know what the problem is but you can’t put it in words and can’t get help as a result. You can imagine the frustration. People on the spectrum often have to deal with this on a daily basis. The reason why this happens is because sometimes it is hard for people on the spectrum to articulate things. This is especially the case when things are abstract. It takes effort to choose just the right words, and when they are chosen, it will still feel like there could be better words chosen. This can be frustrating on its own.
The second common reason why people on the spectrum get upset is because they sometimes struggle to clearly identify something that’s upsetting them. Imagine being stuck with something, or overwhelmed, irritated, or upset about something but you not exactly sure what it is? Imagine there being a problem that you want to fix but you can’t because the cause of the problem seems invisible? People on the spectrum often deal with this on a daily basis as well. It is hard to face a problem or fix a problem because it is hard to find the clues to a problem and draw a conclusion on what it is. This often happens because people on the spectrum are wired in a way that causes them to have trouble making inferences and seeing the “bigger picture.”
The third common reason why people on the spectrum get upset is because of being overwhelmed. Many people on the spectrum struggle when they have to multitask or have to process several bits of information at one time. An autistic mind is great ability to focus on things, especially when it comes to focusing on one thing at a time. However, when more then one things needs to be focused on, significant struggle starts to arise. This causes significant more effort to be made and a greater chance of losing track of thoughts. This can be overwhelming. Significant stress can be added when such a situation happens during pressure when such a task is done at work or at other crucial events. For example when an individual has to socialize, they have to focus on eye contact, following what they say, read body language, and also thing about what they say back. As a result many individuals on the spectrum may find this to be just one of many reasons why they find socializing hard.
The forth common reason why people on the spectrum get upset is because of feeling like they are being neglected. The struggle with socializing, indifying reasons why they get upset, and expressing it when they do know why causes other individuals to have trouble totally understand them. A struggle for others to understand individuals on the spectrum often causes individuals to not feel understood when they wish they can. As a result they will eventually feel neglected by people in general. This kind of feeling will make them feel disappointed, sad, or even angry. Future events can act as reminders that can trigger these feelings a make an individual seem upset in ways that seem off or out of line.
The fifth common reason why people on the spectrum get upset is because of feeling like their different, wanting to fit in, and be accepted. Like any human being, people on the spectrum want to feel appreciated and accepted. However being that many of these individuals are different, they often struggle to fit in. This can, as a result, cause them to feel lonely, neglected, feel down, and upset. Again, different events can trigger these kinds of feelings.
The sixth common reason why people on the spectrum get upset is because of heightened sensitivity. Imagine certain touches or noises that you experience everyday to be very uncomfortable, or in fact unbearable to the point it’s painful? Imagine trying to live your life trying to avoid these sensations or trying to cope with it? People on the spectrum deal with this often. Trying to cope with it is stressful and this contributes to some of the reasons why individuals on the spectrum get upset.
The seventh common reason why people on the spectrum get upset is because being aware of multiple reasons that lead to frustration. Many frustrating situations are caused by more than one reasons instead of just one. Often times when people are frustrated about something, they look at the source of the situation as just one situation instead of several situations combined. People on the spectrum are often good at seeing and being aware of the multiple reasons. People on the spectrum are good at focusing on the details. This is a gift because it can help them resolve a problem that might frustrate them, however this can also make a person more upset before resolving it though. Being aware of the multiple source problems is like being fully upset at several reasons the same time instead of just one. This can make the person often more upset at the same situation another person may not get as upset at.
The eighth common reason why people on the spectrum get upset is when they feel like people don’t care. People on the spectrum are actually very aware of what people do. Oftentimes they can observe some of the unjust that goes on in the world such as government, corporate, or political corruption. Teachers at school may not really want to spend the time to help an individual who struggles are care to the point to really make the effort to understand an individual. These sort of things may upset everyone, however, individuals on the spectrum often can fixate on such thoughts and this could case them to be more upset then most people depending.
The eighth common reason why people on the spectrum get upset is because of the struggle with change. The mind of a person on the spectrum often has trouble switching from one brain center to another. This as a result causes individuals to fixate on a specific task, hyper focus on a task, prefer a specific method instead of being open to other methods, and struggle to snap out of an emotion. It often takes more effort for an individual to stop one task and start a new one. In other words it’s hard for an individual to “change gears” or switch a thought. It takes more effort and energy in order to do it successfully. This can be hard for an individual to deal with change as a result.
The ninth common reason why people on the spectrum get upset is because it is hard for them to snap out of an emotional state. Being that the autistic brain is wired in a way that makes switching a thought or task hard, this makes snapping out of an emotional state hard too. For example if someone is upset about something that someone said to them that hurt them, they may dwell on the upset feeling for a while. When they are upset, it is often hard for them to focus on other things that require focus like homework. In order for them to “snap out” of the emotional state they have to put in considerable effort to do so. This often causes them to seem more upset in certain situations.
The tenth common reason why people on the spectrum get upset is because struggle with short term memory. Imagine being at work and your boss telling you to do a task. You try to listen and make sure you understand everything because you want to do it right but you only get have of the information and the rest seems to just pass your head. You find you have to ask the people to repeat the instructions, you’re afraid they will get frustrated and they eventually do. This is common for individuals who struggle with short term memory. This as a result makes many things that seem easy for some to be a struggle for others. There are ways to cope with this such as writing things down , however it is still a struggle. This can contribute to added stress and anxiety.
The twelfth common reason why people on the spectrum get upset is because their emotions can be more intense and focused thoughts. Many individuals on the spectrum often claim that their emotions can actually be more intense compared to other people. This is often proven when they are around other people during certain situations where they seem to be more emotional compared to others. Many individuals often laugh harder at certain scenes in a movie, get more upset when an individual they know passes away, or get angrier during situations that are upsetting. The reason why this is observed is because of the hyper focused nature of the autistic mind. A person on the spectrum has the ability to focus intensely on specific thing and this can in return causes them to be more “focused” when they are upset.
The thirteenth common reason why people on the spectrum get upset is because of not knowing why a frustrating or undesirable situation is happening the way it is and being curious of why it is happening the way it is. Many individuals like to figure things out and understand the reasons why things happen. On the other side of the coin they do not like being confused. Confusion can make an individual feel anxiety, lost, and they will attach these feelings to contributing situations. For example, if an individual has a job interview and is not able to land the job, they may feel more upset about not knowing the reason why instead of the actual fact they didn’t land the job. When individuals on the spectrum get upset at someone, often they will get significantly less upset when they know why it happened the way it did.
The fourteenth common reason why people on the spectrum get upset is because of feeling like they get upset a certain situations that other people don’t find upsetting. Because of the many reasons mentioned so far, many individuals on the spectrum will get upset at things that most people often don’t get as upset about or not even get upset at all. It is hard for individuals to deal with being upset, however it is even harder for them when they feel like it’s something that can only make them upset about. The reason why is because people often don’t like feeling singled out. Being singled out can make an individual upset as mentioned before. However, when this upset is coupled to something else upsetting, it can magnifying anger or anxiety.
Many individuals on the Autism Spectrum get upset for various reasons. Many times they will get very upset, other times frequently, and often over situations that may not make sense to other people. I have talked about fourteen different reasons that have hopefully debunked some confusion and hopefully provide more understanding. All the fourteen reasons are reasons that, from my experience, have made me upset. There are more reasons and these reasons that I have mentioned may vary to each individual on the spectrum but I have hopefully help clarify and provide more understanding for people on the spectrum and those who know people on the spectrum. If you feel there are other reasons too that you want to share, please share them as well! I hope you find this helpful. Thanks for reading!
13 Mar 2016, 6:46 pm
