Yes, rigidness has been used against autistic people and has become a stereotype that can be harmful, but I think we are only hurting ourselves if we allow that to prevent us from acknowledging it as a legitimate autistic trait.

#AllAutistics #ActuallyAutistic

Being autistic makes me very creative and innovative. I don’t see the box to fit in it. I’m a singer/songwriter. I’ve released music and even heard myself on the radio. I’ve taught myself to play piano by ear and graphic design when they were areas of intense interest for me.

My ministry has always pushed against the status quo. However, what I’ve also realized is that I can have a difficult time imagining things that I haven’t experienced before. I think in patterns and if no pattern exists to reference, it can leave me stuck.

In seminary, I missed out on an opportunity to go to Israel, that I’d jump at now, because it wasn’t in the area of the world that I had flown too before and I hadn’t been in a different country than my twin before.

When I was younger I had a difficult time with jobs because if I thought what my boss wanted me to do or change was stupid, I’d push back or I wouldn’t do it.

Even now, if someone makes a suggestion to me that will require me to personally do something different, I have to push back against my first inclination to say no. I’m great at problem solving when it comes to organizations, creating systems and strategies, etc.

But, I’ll get stuck trying to solve problems that require personal change.

If autistic people don’t talk about these things, then we leave a vacuum for NT professionals to fill.

Just like every other autistic trait it doesn’t apply to every autistic person and certainly not in the same ways.

Self awareness is gold.

I am an autistic person that is rigid in some ways but I’ve experienced more personal growth, even when I was younger, than most of my peers. I value growth and learning. I’m not close minded. I’m creative and innovate. I can change, but I’m still very much rigid in some ways.

I think people see rigid thinking as a resistance to change. Resistance to change may be the output of rigid thinking, but I think at its core it’s a difference or issue in executive functioning