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There are a lot of myths and misconceptions around autism - this is something that many of us #autistic people have to deal with every day. But what does #autism really mean? I'm going to attempt to answer from my own perspective. /2
One of the core experiences of #autism is having every sensation, sense and even emotion dialled up to 11. This hypersensitivity to sound, feeling, light, smell etc can make the environment very stressful for a lot of #autistic people. /3
So for example, an #autistic person may find bright moving, multicoloured lights extremely distressing, as the sensory input is more than the brain can handle. Similarly, an #autistic person might find certain smells absolutely abhorrent. /4
The key thing here is magnitude. It's not just finding a smell nasty - it's *needing* to be away from that smell. The smell is a physical assault on the senses. /5
This is why #autistic people can get very attached to certain foods or clothes or environments - they are familiar, safe, comfortable in a way most non-autistic people would understand. /6
It is also why #autistic peoples' reactions to certain stimuli can be so extreme. It's not a tantrum - it's desperation, panic to escape a sensory overload. It really cannot be overstated how integral this is to #autism. /7
Another key feature of #autism is the fact most of us don't appear to have access to whatever social rulebook you non-autistic folk have downloaded in your brain, pre-installed. For us, all social interaction can be confusing and new. /8
Honestly, it's like playing a confusing video game with no instructions - we're often just winging it, causing us immense stress and anxiety. Nearly all #autistic people will know the feeling of messing up an interaction and the associated shame and fear. /9
With every interaction a challenge, a minefield, many #autistic people complain of PTSD-like symptoms (possibly cPTSD) after the trauma of repeated failure to communicate effectively. /10
Bear in mind though, that communication is a two way street and whilst we #autistic people tend to bend over backwards to accommodate non-autistic people, we rarely enjoy the equivalent in return. Constant stress and anxiety. /11
The anxiety caused by this and the sensory issues seem to contribute to many of the more famous traits of #autism, such as stimming (calming repetitive movement) and meltdown (a moment of crisis caused by overstimulatiom and stress). /12
Then there's our third big thing - our hyper focus and ability to really immerse ourselves in a topic with seemingly no fatigue. This is a more typically positive aspect of #autism, and often an aspect #autistic people are particularly fond of. It also benefits society. /13
Our ability to often absolutely master a topic in exhaustive detail and seek patterns makes us potentially very good scientists, even if we're a bit crap at maths. It's not an overstatement to say #autism could be behind some of the biggest technological advances in history. /14
Our interests also act as a soothing balm to help us with the stress induced by the first two elements I mentioned. /15
There is *much more* to it than that but it is these three factors that I believe (me personally - this is just my take) are integral to the #autistic experience. Their interaction creates the myriad of autistic experiences we see around us. /16
So there's my thoughts. Other #autistic people may feel differently or have things to add - please go ahead! /17
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