Hiding the symptoms?
Jamesy
Veteran
Joined: 24 Oct 2008
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Posts: 8,392
Location: Near London United Kingdom
If you have AS is thier anyway you can hide some of your behaviour and symptoms? The issue is that your AS behaviour is hardwired into your brain and its very hard to overide it. Unfourtantly results in NT people not always accepting.
Any simple easy ways to hid aspie mannerisims?
I don't know about simple easy ways.
Its more a matter of learning which things you do that others consider odd and being conscious of those things if you want to try to hide them.
If stimming is an issue, try to find some new ways that are less noticeable or less odd looking so you can do them around folks.
Also, try to be realistic... some folks are extremely socially savvy and will notice anything abnormal, even the more subtle things. I hate to use the cliche but don't focus so much on looking normal that you forget to "be yourself."
Who cares if you look normal if you're then boring as hell. It's much better to keep people interested. So if it comes down to not talking to people but looking normal or talking and looking weird, I'd much rather be social and stim like crazy... then some folks actually get to know me and understand that wiggling is just something I do.
*Eye contact- take sign language
*Stimming-soemthing less noticeable (like tapping your foot)
*Focus on one subject- I want to get good grades
*When people want to make physical contact, as long as it isn't inappropriate, let them (like hugs and stuff, I have a problem with this[nobody is allowed to touch my face] I am working on this)
*There are sensory therapies that are supposed to help (I did this, and it kinda helped, so it is worth a try)
*Routines-try and switch it up sometimes
You need to put more specifically what you what to hide and then we can answer better.
Oh, and like that other dude says, you don't want to be too boring (or too much of an over-thinker, that is what I am, and it sucks)
One can do just about anything they put their mind to. However, 'hiding symptoms' is one of the hardest things to do for an aspie. The very definition of autism makes this clear. The triad of impairments; communication, interaction, and shared-imagination; are such that they make self detection of behaviors nearly impossible, which makes knowing if you're getting away with anything also impossible.
Communication impairment is the least detectable -- and the most frustrating. It's impossible to know you were understood, without asking, and the only way to appear neurotypical is to never ask. So, communication, for the faker, is always one sided, where they can never quite achieve the reality they seek, as they are always at the mercy of their errors. Everyone sometimes just 'let's things go', but the faker is constantly doing this. Essentially, to fake communication is to give up communication.
Interaction is entangled with others. People interact differently with someone they perceive as odd. Furthermore, owing to their shard-imaginations, people always assume you are aware of your eccentricities. This poses a major problem, as it makes faking normal interactions tentative. A single slip up will trigger others to compensate for it, which basically disguises it, or at the very least confuses you! So a day that was full of what one perceived as good, 'normal' interactions may of been just the opposite. That raise could've been because what you thought was being assertive, was actually melting down, and your boss knew that, knows you're autistic, likes you, and 'handled it'. You see, people are nice, almost to a fault. The group will carry you, whether you know it or not. Because they are apt at interaction, and adaptation is a big part of that. Are you fooling them, or are they fooling you?
Imagination is tied to communication and interaction. Furthermore, neurotypicals are very protective of their imaginations. They do not 'play' with just anyone, they must be comfortable and safe first. Even attaining this stage is improbable. However, even if attained, the likelihood of overloading their brain is high. You're eventually going to present some profound, to them anyway, divergence from their reality, which is the end of shared-imagination if they've no rebuttal.
Getting away with concealing symptoms means two things: that one does indeed fake it, and that people do indeed buy it. The problem is, how is one ever sure of the latter?
Now, getting along with others, owning one's autism, and flourishing, that's a different story.
i am usually quite able to hide the symptoms, although i do hide in the shadows most of the time.
the biggest giveaway for ASD's is the eye-contact; i solve this by looking at in between their eyes; the point where the nosebone attaches to the skull; this gives every neurotypical the illusion that you look them in the eyes without the anxiety of actually doing it. if this is still too much, look a a static point over their shoulder or close to the ear (switch op the left/right side in that occasion).
i have actually told some good friends of mine that i do this; and even allowed them to stare deeply into my eyes to confirm it for themselves (i was feeling strong that day; i could cope with the stress that gave), but they could not see it if told and actively trying to detect it, from inches away; i'm sure they stil dont really believe me.
as for the talking part; that is just a matter of trying, the first few times, try when you are slightly tired and are with only 2 or 3 others (not 1; you'd have to keep the conversation up) in the same situation; it lowers your own social thresholds and makes the others less attentive and more forgiving.
I sometimes limp to smooth out my odd gate. A football injury is a lot more personable than a developmental disorder. I also sometimes pretend to be a kind of unhappy person, to smooth out my flat affect, I've noticed I make the facial expression for criticism and deep-thought quite well. This generally just leaves me being a grumpy limper, but it saves me money at the mechanic. The phrase "I tell ya' what", and an imaginary bit of chew in my lip have gotten me out of near-meltdown level confrontations with car salesman and mechanics. I think that phrases like this are useful, as, for me, they seem compliment the echolalia. "Ball bearing!... I tell ya what..." this seems natural, but "Ball bearing!", that's a giveaway.
It's probably better to just own it though. I'll let you know.
I've been told that I "present myself very well" for someone with AS. For years I became hyperaware of how I came across to people and smoothed out any signs of stuff that would make me stand out. It took me years and years of work, but I simply worked on one piece at at time.
For example, I'd work on my facial expressions, and then I'd work on active listening. The one that was critical was taking an interest in other people and their lives...people became much more receptive to me. I also fake-smile quite a lot...and I think most NTs do this as well! People seem to respond well to that for some reason.
_________________
Given a “tentative” diagnosis as a child as I needed services at school for what was later correctly discovered to be a major anxiety disorder.
This misdiagnosis caused me significant stress, which lessened upon finding out the truth about myself from my current and past long-term therapists - that I am an anxious and highly sensitive person but do not have an autism spectrum disorder.
My diagnoses - social anxiety disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
I’m no longer involved with the ASD world.
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