#actuallyautistic #adhd #adhdautism #teamneurodiverse

(due to ADHD time sense, all dates are approximate)

I am autistic

But I don't know how to BE autistic. I don't know what being autistic means 1/18

Mid 70's. I was diagnosed as Hyperactive. The diagnosis fit. I had the criteria. It made sense

Mid 90's. I now have major Depression. Hospitalized more than once 2/18

Now we're past 2000. Hyperactivity is now Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. I'm now an adult. However, I did not grow out of my ADHD as I was told I would. I am now ADHD (residual type). In other words, I'm an adult who still has some ADHD symptoms 3/18

Keep going. Early 00's. I am diagnosed w/ Atypical Bipolar Disorder. That means I get the lows, but I don't get the standard mania. Instead I become energized and impulsive. To this day I am not %100 certain about this diagnosis. The "highs" just seem like ADHD hyperfocus 4/18

Okay, here's where it hits. Ten years ago, I am diagnosed as having Asperger syndrome. The diagnosis itself makes sense. It fit. It fits even better when I my younger self 5/18

Now let's talk about now. Adults are allowed to have regular ADHD. ADHD is divided into 3 sub-types: Hyperactive, Inattentive, and Combined. Although it hasn't been officially confirmed, I am convinced I'm Combined 6/18

Also: Asperger's has been rolled into autism, perhaps partly because Hans Asperger was literally a Nazi who sent disabled children to their deaths 7/18

So now I'm autistic. But what does that MEAN? 8/18

See, I knew what autism was. I'd seen Son-Rise and Rain Man. I'd worked w/ disabled kids for a summer job. Autistic meant you sat on the floor, rocked back and forth, and hummed. Autistic meant you solved complex equations in your head in seconds, but couldn't drive a car 9/18

That wasn't me 10/18

In an online writer's room Someone mentioned they were going to do a story w/ an autistic man. They were unfamiliar w/ autism, and I said they should do research, not to rely on movies and TV. I mentioned that I am autistic. They asked me if I could give any insights 11/18

I couldn't 12/18

Now, I know how to be ADHD. I mean, I've learned quite a bit in the last year or so from Twitter. But I know enough about being ADHD that I can do a webcomic about someone w/ ADHD, adapting from my own life and experiences 13/18 http://adhd.thecomicseries.com 

I can not do this for autism 14/18

I'm looking at the Asperger's symptoms and they are a) the same as or similar to ADHD symptoms or b) part of what I consider my basic personality. I don't have moments where I feel "autistic" 15/18

I am uncomfortable in large groups, I have difficulty in social situations, I have various intellectual and artistic interests

But those don't feel like symptoms. That's just how I am 16/16

My ADHD impacts my life in many obvious ways. My autism also impacts my life, but to a lesser and more subtle degree 17/18

And in what ways, I am still learning 18/18