Tattoos?

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Are there any other autistic people here who have tattoos? I am a suspected autistic and I have one and I just worry that if I ever get the chance to one day pursue a diagnosis the tattoo on my arm will be used to discredit me (as in: you can't possibly have autism cos autistic people can't do this this and this and so on) as it's rather visible...

Do any autistic people here have tattoos?

I don't personally have any myself, but do I have a friend on the spectrum that has several tattoos.

I know of autistic teens that have tats. A very high threshold for pain can be a common trait in autism, if that's what you are talking about.

I don't have any tattoos but I don't know why it would "discredit" you, I just don't have the money to do it nor am I able to commit to something that's going to be there the rest of my life. There are some ugly tattoos out there that a lot of people regret. I kind of want to get one but I don't know if I could ever decide on one, I honestly want to see what all the fuss is about the pain.

I have 4 myself. The noise of the tattoo gun bothers me much more than the pain, unless it's a realllllly tender piece of skin, haha!

I have a couple of tattoos and an autism diagnosis, I don't see how having tattoos precludes autism. I have no problem with needles.

I am on the spectrum and have tattoos - I became quite fascinated after my first one and enjoy the intensity of the experience - you have to be held quite firmly and I really like that - the release of endorphins probably helps as does the blood-letting/ritualistic aspects.

Hi,

I have many tattoos. It has been my special interest of mine. Many of them are done by myself.

My husband is an aspie and he is very heavily tattooed, to the point where he can no longer change jobs. He says it works well as a camouflage. People look at his skin instead of his face and usually attribute any odd behavior to whatever value judgement they already have about tattooed people. We also have a couple of friends who are on the spectrum, heavily tattooed, and semi-famous in tattoo artist circles. They also seem to "pass" most of the time, in that people don't seem to notice that they are autistic, and they just accept their autistic mannerisms without criticism.

From my personal observations, I would say that being tattooed and autistic is easier than being not tattooed and autistic.

However, you're only talking about one, which is pretty common these days. Unless it's a tattoo of something spectacular, like Jesus Christ riding a unicorn, I don't think anyone is going to notice.

I don't have tattoos but know a few who do. I did want to have tattoos once but then I changed my mind later on. I think the issue here shouldn't be about what people think of you having tattoos or not. The best thing to think about is to be always confident of what you have or don't have, and more often than not,(based on experience) people around you will see that positive outlook on you and treat you normally as they would everyone else. It's just that the more you take notice of something bad and try to hide it people will just notice it more.

Anyway, thanks for the posts. And hi to everyone! Hope I was able to help out.

Yessss. I currently have four, and have been tattooed six times. I have big plans to add to the piece on my back, and get a full chest job done. A partial insensitivity to pain really pays off here, literally - I can sit and be tattooed for hours on end and feel nothing, while most people need a break because it gets too intense. As some tattoo artists charge their rates by time spent = yay discount. I wouldn't have ink anywhere that can't be covered up easily though, such as forearms, hands, face, neck, ears, etc. Too many employers are conservative about visible tattoos, and I have already had one tattoo partially removed.
It interests me that people expect autistics not to be individual. Like we are supposed to all be exact carbon copies of each other, textbook stereotypes of an autistic diagnostic criteria and nothing else. It seems odd as people don't expect every person with depression, or schizophrenia, or even something developmental like Downs to be exactly alike. Why expect it of autistics?

I have always wanted a tattoo--just one. But I also want to get diagnosed properly, so I've been following this thread. For me the only issue I have with getting a tattoo is the fact that I can't communicate well to people, and I always thought you have to be kind of personable with the tattoo artist while they're working on you, as it takes a while and they want to keep you awake. (From what I've read.) I wonder if my wife telling the tattoo artist that I possibly am on the spectrum would make him or her think less of me.

Glad to know that so many people have tats and ASD, though. Helps me breathe a little easier.

I really don't get the appeal of tattoos. I know many if not most people get them when they are still teens because teenagers never think about how that tattoo is going to be with them for the rest of their life. How will they know they'll still like the tattoo a year from now, let alone their whole life? As we get older our bodies change, which can make the tat look distorted. Also I've seen a few videos and TV shows of people with fail tattoos. It's really scary how many tat "artists" can't spell, they certainly can't draw, and are probably high on drugs while injecting dye into your skin. People like that might also not be using sanitary tools.

But if you have a tattoo or plan on getting one, that's your decision. I'm not your mother, I can't tell you what to do.

It's certainly a matter of careful thinking, at least on my part. I spent several years perfecting the design of what tattoo I want, and it has a very deep, internal meaning behind it.

It's also important to REALLY grill the tattoo parlor about what goes on in there. Look up ratings, look up horror stories, look up everything. The whole nine yards. Thankfully there are some well respected parlors in my hometown with very high ratings and expansive, beautiful portfolios of completed art. Also what I hear is very common nowadays is for tattoo artists to print off your tat design and layer it over your skin, and then ink it by tracing. I don't know all the details, but I'd feel that would prevent any misspelled words or screwed up pictures. (Which is very important for me to know, as my own tat design would be spelled in Enochian.)

Well, I think the general consensus is yes, if it's just something you think is cool at 18 then chances are you're going to regret it by 30. That's a good reason not to get something meaningless.
Mine are all religiously oriented. My beliefs have changed much since I was 18 sure, but what was important to me spiritually then is still important now, because it is a core value. Growing older in and of itself doesn't always change these things. Hell, you get old enough your whole body starts to look distorted, not just your tattoos. Like everything with growing old, tattoos aren't going to look as great when you're 80 as they did when you were 18, but neither is your bum or your face, in all likelihood. Doesn't stop you from having a bum and a face.
As for the health concerns yep, you have to choose your studio and artist properly. Make sure they autoclave, use gloves and rubbing alcohol, the premises are clean and you are able to have a coherent conversation with the artist. They also likely have a portfolio of their work for you to see if it matches your intentions, an very often, people will see someone else's tattoos and ask where they got them done so you learn a lot by the artist and studio's reputation and work, and other people's experiences. Most of those tattoo nightmares go along with a very predictable story involving drugs, girls, home jobs, gangs, dares, dodgy people and dumb decisions. If you care about what you're doing, it's doubtful you'll end up with a disaster.
And anyway, tattoos are not permanent anymore. Tattoo removal is decent - I've had one almost removed on my thigh - long story.

I have a kind of gnarly stick n poke spider on my right hip and another much smaller spider hiding in the skin crease between my thumb and index finger. I do want more tattoos but I'm not in any rush.