Ask an autistic person anything

[xAlphaStarOmegax]

I'm kinda bored and down, so I wanted to do an AMA. Interested? Then ask me anything.

FYI: I avoid questions and comments that are made as bait just to incite arguments. Other than that, feel free to ask anything as long as it's not breaking any rules or trying to start some sort of drama. Thanks.

[xAlphaStarOmegax]

Diposting pertama kali oleh 󠀡󠀡Eréndira:

When you say it is hard to relate, does that mean you cannot empathize or feel sympathy for someone else?

I feel empathy in my own way, but sadly, it will never be like that of a normal person. I mean, I would love to be able to, and I try, but it won't allow me to do that fully. It honestly makes me feel guilty to admit it. It's hard to explain, so I apologize. I can only give what I am capable of, if that makes sense?

Diposting pertama kali oleh 󠀡󠀡Eréndira:

When you say you have no filter, are you able to understand how what you are saying may come across to someone else? I know someone like that and while it's cool there is no fear of offending, that also creates some problems (and embaressment for others)?

Well, I am not only autistic, but I also have a few mental diagnoses, like bipolar disorder, for instance. But, by what I mean when I say that I have no filter, it's like normal people will think about what they wish to say before they say it. They will think, Is this appropriate or not? With me, I don't really have that. I am just blunt to a fault. I never wish to cause hurt, but I sadly do.

So, to answer your question, when I say stuff, I don't really get the implications of it. Like, if I hurt someone, it leaves me wondering why? Like, what did I say that hurt them? I have to ask my partner / carer about it, and even when it's explained to me, I still don't fully understand why.

[Shiro♌]

Diposting pertama kali oleh xAlphaStarOmegax:

Diposting pertama kali oleh Shiro♌:

.. Do you have Asperger's or do you have autism?
That is the question. I haven't asked anything about where you're on the spectrum. Think of it like the type of a question with only two answers, Yes or No.

I'll just drop it if you refuse to answer.. Because I don't care that much about how does that affect you, although the topic is very much a music to my ears.

The term Aspergers has not been used for at least a decade. I have autism. I am on the autism spectrum.

Alright, I won't ask again. You're not interested in answering, which I see as a small, but not important contradiction in regards to the thread's topic.

If I get back to the previous posts, though.. In particular this one-

Diposting pertama kali oleh xAlphaStarOmegax:

His name was Hans Asperger.
He is controversial in the community; that's why people have dropped the term.

I have just Googled that the term was dropped due to the frequent misdiagnosis, because different people with Asperger's were showing the same signs as people with autism from time to time.. And that was causing a huge chaos, as we do barely know anything about our brain and how it works.
We do lack the details to make it work, and this sounds like a very valid and reasonable way to drop it.

However by dropping it, this causes people with autism and Asperger's issues when it comes to the aid; Some do require different kinds of help from the government because their diagnosis do differ.. Yet, because they're all labeled under the same term, the government doesn't care and fails to help them.

[xAlphaStarOmegax]

Diposting pertama kali oleh Shiro♌:

Diposting pertama kali oleh xAlphaStarOmegax:

The term Aspergers has not been used for at least a decade. I have autism. I am on the autism spectrum.

Alright, I won't ask again. You're not interested in answering, which I see as a small, but not important contradiction in regards to the thread's topic.

I am actually really confused; I thought I answered your question. I just told you that I am autistic.

Edit: I am not high functioning. I have someone who takes care of stuff for me. I have dyscalculia. I will never be able to drive, read a map, measure things, do math, fully understand how to read an old timey clock, pay bills, etc. I used to be ashamed to admit that, I would try to hide it actually, but I have been coming to terms with who I am for some time now.

[Shiro♌]

Diposting pertama kali oleh xAlphaStarOmegax:

Diposting pertama kali oleh Shiro♌:

Alright, I won't ask again. You're not interested in answering, which I see as a small, but not important contradiction in regards to the thread's topic.

I am actually really confused; I thought I answered your question. I just told you that I am autistic.

You're making it sound like you don't know the difference between Asperger's and autism, making me leading to an assumption that you weren't diagnosed before 2013, which is when the term wasn't dropped, but combined with autism and refered to as low functioning autism.
Yes, both are on the spectrum.. And even if they were on the same level on the spectrum, they do affect the person differently.

[xAlphaStarOmegax]

Diposting pertama kali oleh Shiro♌:

Diposting pertama kali oleh xAlphaStarOmegax:

I am actually really confused; I thought I answered your question. I just told you that I am autistic.

You're making it sound like you don't know the difference between Asperger's and autism, making me leading to an assumption that you weren't diagnosed before 2013, which is when the term wasn't dropped, but combined with autism and refered to as low functioning autism.
Yes, both are on the spectrum.. And even if they were on the same level on the spectrum, they do affect the person differently.

I apologize. Yeah, I am not high functioning. Dropped out of middle school. I have to use Quillbot to get my sentences correct. I can't do math; I can only do very little minus and subtract using my fingers.

Diposting pertama kali oleh 󠀡󠀡Eréndira:

Thank you, OP. I do appreciate you sharing. While I have more questions, I feel that sometimes such threads can create almost an exploitative environment, where we're just asking questions no matter how personal like we are interviewing someone so incredibly different from ourselves, which is untrue. You are someone whose privacy matters just as much as anyone else's.

Ah, no worries; I really don't mind. I think it's good to let people into our lives a tad to better learn who we are, and even though we are different, we are still worthy of love and compassion like anyone else. For instance, most people don't know what PCOS is (which I have myself), and I know some people with it may not like having to explain it or talk about it, but I don't mind it at all because I think it's good for people to learn about it.

[couldbehope]

Do you ever feel weird talking to people with or without autism?

[xAlphaStarOmegax]

Diposting pertama kali oleh Integrity Girl2009:

Do you ever feel weird talking to people with or without autism?

I feel like I can relate more to people on the spectrum since they know what I am going through and they get me. But I only know these sorts online because, in real life, I have social anxiety, which makes it hard to want to go anywhere.

[Shiro♌]

Diposting pertama kali oleh xAlphaStarOmegax:

Diposting pertama kali oleh Shiro♌:

You're making it sound like you don't know the difference between Asperger's and autism, making me leading to an assumption that you weren't diagnosed before 2013, which is when the term wasn't dropped, but combined with autism and refered to as low functioning autism.
Yes, both are on the spectrum.. And even if they were on the same level on the spectrum, they do affect the person differently.

I apologize. Yeah, I am not high functioning. Dropped out of middle school. I have to use Quillbot to get my sentences correct. I can't do math; I can only do very little minus and subtract using my fingers.

Although you haven't provided me with the answer I've asked for, this and the edited part of the response are even better as they contain more details that are more than enough for me to arrive to the answer without you answering it; Autism it is, then, and not Asperger's.

[xAlphaStarOmegax]

Diposting pertama kali oleh Shiro♌:

Diposting pertama kali oleh xAlphaStarOmegax:

I apologize. Yeah, I am not high functioning. Dropped out of middle school. I have to use Quillbot to get my sentences correct. I can't do math; I can only do very little minus and subtract using my fingers.

Although you haven't provided me with the answer I've asked for, this and the edited part of the response are even better as they contain more details that are more than enough for me to arrive to the answer without you answering it; Autism it is, then, and not Asperger's.

Yes, it is autism. I said that earlier, and I apologize if it wasn't conveyed correctly.

[Marius]

Did you ever met another autistic person and be like: 'Wow.. He/she is more autistic than I am?'

I've a girlfriend with autism as well. I've it too. But whenever I talk to her or anything it reminds me how lucky I am cause I was diagnosed very late (On my 28th) thus I've learned a lot of stuff. I do love her a lot, tho haha.

[xAlphaStarOmegax]

Diposting pertama kali oleh Marius:

Did you ever met another autistic person and be like: 'Wow.. He/she is more autistic than I am?'

Yes, I have actually seen people where I could sort of gauge whether they were higher or lower on the spectrum, but I don't look at them and think, Wow, they are somehow less than me just because they, for instance, aren't verbal and so on. I myself can verbally speak, but I do stutter and very often forget what I am trying to say.

[Shiro♌]

Diposting pertama kali oleh xAlphaStarOmegax:

Diposting pertama kali oleh Shiro♌:

Although you haven't provided me with the answer I've asked for, this and the edited part of the response are even better as they contain more details that are more than enough for me to arrive to the answer without you answering it; Autism it is, then, and not Asperger's.

Yes, it is autism. I said that earlier, and I apologize if it wasn't conveyed correctly.

There's absolutely no reason to apologize.
Nothing of what you've said was taken offensively from my side, and I can only hope that you've felt the same way about my responses.

Diposting pertama kali oleh xAlphaStarOmegax:

Diposting pertama kali oleh Integrity Girl2009:

Do you ever feel weird talking to people with or without autism?

I feel like I can relate more to people on the spectrum since they know what I am going through and they get me. But I only know these sorts online because, in real life, I have social anxiety, which makes it hard to want to go anywhere.

I do sooo agree with this!

I'm not even sure how to describe it, but that's just how it works.
It's like trying to describe how painful it is to have your teeth pulled out; Everybody perceives pain differently, and so the answer will always differ.. Just like it is in this case, describing how do we feel while talking to people with and without autism.

We just feel it. It is easier to communicate with them, probably because they know what to expect and we know what to expect, resulting in far less misunderstandings and having our words resonating with theirs, and vice-versa.. For some reason.
That doesn't mean, we do always agree and get on good terms with each other; Different people, different opinions, and so are the encounters with them.. But from my experiences, it is far easier to talk to people with Asperger's than to ordinary people, because talking to ordinary people usually makes me feel pressured for an answer.

It is as if they were expecting more from me than I can offer, very often resulting in them being disappointed or confused by my answers because their expectations were different.

[xAlphaStarOmegax]

Diposting pertama kali oleh Shiro♌:

No worries, and no, I did not take any offense.
And yeah, you get it about how it's easier to relate to people like me. I want to relate to others; I try, but a lot of them don't understand me.

[Ȼħⱥꞥꞥēł8753452]

Diposting pertama kali oleh xAlphaStarOmegax:

Diposting pertama kali oleh Channel_04:

I have aspergers

this is my question for you.... why?

I don't know; I wish I knew why I had it, to be honest. I have wanted to fit in and just be normal for so long, but I have learned to try and embrace my quirks. I suggest that you could consider doing the same. :)

I've already embraced it, nothing wrong with us, the way I see it atleast.

[xAlphaStarOmegax]

Diposting pertama kali oleh Channel_04:

Diposting pertama kali oleh xAlphaStarOmegax:

I don't know; I wish I knew why I had it, to be honest. I have wanted to fit in and just be normal for so long, but I have learned to try and embrace my quirks. I suggest that you could consider doing the same. :)

I've already embraced it, nothing wrong with us, the way I see it atleast.

Same; it's taking me a while to come to terms with everything. But it is what it is.