autism and lack of facial expressions

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It is said people with autism have difficulty expressing their emotions does did include flat and dead facial expressions a lot of the time.

This is not something I can really fix I mean how would I force my face to be expressive anyway.

Yeah, that's the primary reason I'm not a very photogenic person. It's very hard for me to fake a big smile.

Not only do I have trouble expressing emotion and make fewer facial expressions than most people but I am not aware of the facial expressions I am or am not making.

I feel like I'm smiling when a photo is taken but I look at the picture and it turns out I wasn't smiling. Other times people will notice expressions on my face that I didn't know I was making.

When I was younger, I think I rarely had a facial expression. However, someone I met demanded that I change that (when I was 20). Since that time, I have always been conscious of it and I would say that my expression is always incredibly clear. (For good and for bad).

One of my kids is very smiley, and because we've worked emotions, his favourite facial expression to do is SURPRISE! LOL. My other kid rarely alters his facial expressions though. My husband (possible AS) doesn't either and he also usually speaks with a totally flat tone of voice. Interesting that someone said they're not aware of it.. My husband recalls a time when he was a kid and he caught his reflection in a window and was horrified by how "angry" he looked and since then he worried about it. I don't have AS, but I'm a first generation immigrant and where I was born and raised, there are some very different social etiquette rules...one is that it's considered rude to smile at strangers. Of course in North America, it's rude NOT to smile at strangers! This was originally a tough thing for me to adjust to (though I've got it now).

This is pretty much my default expression http://i.imgur.com/qsCg32R.jpg
But sometimes am told I look cross or confused when having sensory problems.

Yeah, I get people saying I'm angry in noisy environments a lot

I also have a lot of memories of family members telling me to smile, and one girlfriend in my teens who would grab my cheeks and try to force me to smile.

It's hard, if not, imposable, for me to fake facial expressions. If I'm truly happy or laughing at something. The yes. I can put a real smile on my face. Ask me to fake it and it will look like sh!t.

I only show facial expressions when either having a meltdown (crying, anguish, baring teeth) or, the past, when in a manic phase (I go manic during meds changes).

Otherwise I struggle to not have a flat expression.

I am not very photogenic either.

if i'm not pretending/actively putting trying to make the correct facial expression for the situation, people think i look bored or upset apparently. i can't tell you how many times people ask me if i'm bored or tired or 'whats wrong'?