I‘m rewatching #TheBigBangTheory, now 2 years after my #autism diagnosis. I dont know what people dislike about this show. Sheldon makes me feel very validated. his friends making fun of him both shows problems of modern society and boundaries we sometimes dont see (like speaking the truth when someone is already down).
@haui#BigBangTheory and #YoungSheldon feel to me like early efforts to put #LGBTQ characters in front of broader audiences. Coded and not discussed. Stereotypical, with a while male focus.
I’m glad they added a similar female character, but wasn’t impressed that only the two #neurodifferent coded characters were permitted to have a relationship. #LoveOnTheSpectrum does the same.
So I’m glad we’re more visible. I just wish it was more authentic.
When I was younger, I might decide to take an earlier bus stop and walk some extra instead of having to talk with someone I know and was riding the same bus. It's not that they were bad people, I just didn't know how to talk with them. I kicked myself for this: why can't I be a normal person?
Now that I've understood I'm autistic, I can cut myself some slack. It's perfectly ok to walk extra to avoid talking with someone. It makes it easier for my mental health.
I was seeking out something new and interesting to watch today. Found this and, while I’m not prone to crying in movies, this one got me TWICE... well, three times depending on how you count. Watched “Language Arts" (2020) on #PrimeVideo
Yes, that so tired you don’t feel tired feeling. But then you wake up after an unplanned nap. We’ve been here so many times. Head upstairs. Make sure child is engaged in bedtime ritual. Undresss. Get into own bed.
Note to sun. It’s quite alright if you sleep in a few hours tomorrow. No rush.
o. I am pretty sure I am #ActuallyAutistic , I had hints building up here and there, and then we took me out of my context, and I moved 300 miles away, and.. it’s like being off-balance every time I leave the house. Sometimes even inside the house. The question is what the fuck do I do about this?
@splott I always feel some sense of disconnection with the world around me, but I find it important to have spaces or activities to help be recharge/recenter/regroup. So I find myself wondering if there were particular aspects of your old home that you can recreate in your new one to help build a sense of comfort and connection… #ActuallyAutistic#ADHD#AuDHD#neurodifferent@actuallyautistic
🧵1/2 About 10 minutes away from parent teacher conference. There will be 8-10 people reading from their report over the 30 minute length of the meeting.
I’ve decided that I’ll zoom from my phone so I can’t possibly read along. No, feel free to read it as you intended. If you want to save time, listen to my repeated requests that you email a copy at least a day before. That is all. Suffer away.
🧵2/2 So the plan went as expected. They were caught off guard because I wasn’t reading while they stared. They were equally confused when I had almost zero questions for them. Nah, I’ll take my time and write up a novel once I read the report. Save us all time and email the report BEFOREHAND.
Messing with #allistics and their rando expectations is sometimes real fun. My husband had a smirk the entire time. I’d warned him in advance.
(1/4) I don't really consider myself old per se, but I'll be 50 in a year and a half so I'm not exactly young either. There are so many things that have changed since I was a kid. I see so many ways in which life is better but also so many ways in which today's kids in public school have been robbed. There are classes I had that no longer exist in the US public school system anymore like wood shop or home economics.
@monkeyninja This trend away from trades and skills, in preference to Tech Bro IPO and standardized testing as a measure of success, has had some tremendous impacts on society and the economy. And in #neurodifferent circles there are opportunities for success lost when youth don’t have avenues for success that aren’t part of #ableist hegemony. Bring back skills and trades!! We need them! @actuallyautistic@actuallyadhd
What they really mean is RSS makes us wish we were dead because the fucking fans are worse than vegan crossfitters who just discovered both firefly & THHGTTG.
(The latest item is a book/series I have never read because I don’t have to, as for over 40 years I have had that series quoted at me at such length that reading it would be redundant. It made me wish I didn’t need towels. Ever.)
Especially because you refuse to try to understand why people think RSS is dead.
@bynkii Where would one find such courses? They don't exist, because that sort of thing is supposed to be instinctive. For some of us, it isn't because we are somewhat autistic. Many of us become engineers because that's what we can do best. Sorry about our social skills, we're doing the best we can. #ActuallyAutistic#Neurodifferent
What is the one thing your younger self would not believe about life in the year 2024?
For me, it would be that he’d have figured out why people and social stuff is hard, and that it wasn’t the thing he thought it was then. Runner up is he’d be married to a man and have a kid.
Normally, beyond the simple political nature of being visibly gay and out in normal environments, I don't treat normal activities, like going to a gay bar, as a political statement.
It's just me, a gay man, hanging out with my friends at a bar, right?
I guess I get to add "political statement" to my reasons for going out on Saturday, now. Gotta make sure my attire rides the line exactly.
@zen_at_nite Whether as #LGBTQ or #neurodifferent, it’s amazing how just being our authentic selves can seem like a major political act. It reminds me of the motivation of gay and queer artists, like Tom of Finland, who shared their visions to raise awareness and sound a call to action.
The most important thing is to live by example and SHOW “them” that we are quietly and disturbingly “normal.” 😁
I like advocating for visibility for we #NeuroDifferent, #LGBTQ, etc folks. There are times when #ImposterSyndrome really kicks in. I was “nominated" to run a discussion panel at a work conference in a couple weeks, I was thrust into lead in a work diversity group (someone else moved on) and the first event I'm running is about to happen.
I'm feeling totally in the dark and just the teensiest bit terrified. Somehow things are happening. I'm thankful for that.
I am in my 40s and only just realising that i am probably #autistic.
I've been through a process over the last year or so that has brought me to a sudden realisation, particularly as my #ASD son is getting into his teens and I am recognising certain behaviours (but other factors too, including my sibling's diagnosis too). So I'm currently self-diagnosed, but when i made a list of traits, it got quite extensive, including long lists and mindmaps of traits I'd never thought were anything but "well thats just how I am". I am awaiting a formal assessment (which may be a 3 year wait) after which they will likely say I am #actuallyautistic . I know a lot of people on the autistic spectrum (both diagnosed and completely unaware) and can spot many traits a mile off, but seemingly it took many years to see them in myself.
So this is a bit of a learning journey for me, and when a formal diagnosis comes, I will need to decide who I disclose this to in the real world. Due to ableism in society and general lack of understanding, I'm really not sure how many people I will want to disclose to, after a lifetime of masking.
Hopefully a bit of interaction on this instance will be helpful for me. Especially looking to hear from people who have gone through diagnosis later in life.