ratcatcher

dyani , 4 days ago to ActuallyAutistic group

How would you explain to someone who is neurotypical (a nice one who wants to understand) what body doubling is and why it's helpful and sometimes even necessary for overwhelming tasks?

I've had to describe this to my very lovely NT friend and my explanation sucked lol. Pls help.

@actuallyautistic @actuallyadhd

chevalier26 , 6 days ago to ActuallyAutistic group

@actuallyautistic #actuallyautistic Do y'all know if it's an autistic trait to be super skeptical of stuff? Like, for example, my parents watch some questionable "health" people on YouTube, and when they show me a video from said people, I can tell IMMEDIATELY that they are grifters in it for money. Idk what gives it away but it's like a flashing warning sign in my brain.

I wonder if it has to do with social influence and the effects of charisma/agreeableness that NDs might not fall for.

pathfinder , 17 days ago to ActuallyAutistic group

@actuallyautistic

I often describe myself as a minimal speaker. It's because whilst I can speak, unless seriously overwhelmed, I vastly prefer not to. In large part, this is because the effort of speaking, and it is, more often than not, a real effort for me, rarely seems worth it. Since realising I am autistic, I have come to realise why this could be and also why communicating on here is so much easier and not just because it's text, because I struggle with that elsewhere too.

Language, whether text or verbal, is communication. Whether that be communicating thoughts, or feelings. Expressing emotions, or ideas. It is the medium and not the source. The source is where these things are coming from and it is what shapes our use of the medium and therefore in large part the assumptions we make about how others are using it and therefore the likely success of any communication.

Enter the double-empathy theory and the general acknowledgement that autism is a fundamental difference in the ways in which our brains work, often exampled by describing it as a different operating system. It means that whilst I am using the same language to talk with allistics, how we're both using it, the ends and purpose, even the nature of the information being transmitted, can often be fundamentally different.

An example I have used, is to compare it to a foreign language speaker with a reasonable understanding of the local language, but having to work incredibly hard to keep up with a conversation and having to constantly check their translations and whether or not they were making the right replies and not offending anyone. But to be truly accurate, you would also have to add in a cultural divide, a root level difference in the expectation and assumptions they are making about life and how this was also shaping their communication.

This, I think, is why speaking has always been so hard for me. Why it's always been so much of an effort and often without point. It's not that I am speaking a foreign language, or that my words themselves can't be understood. But that the information I am attempting to convey and the intended purpose of that information, is so far out of phase with the expectations of those around me, that miscommunication, confusion and the all too familiar fallout becomes almost inevitable. It's also why speaking here is so much easier.

Effective communication is more than just using the right words, it's about realising the intent and purpose behind those words. About understanding where someone is coming from as much as what they are trying to say. And that, as the saying goes, takes two to tango.

#Autism
#ActuallyAutistic

mighty_orbot , 1 month ago to ActuallyAutistic group

Neurotypicals: “This person likes me, so I’ll talk to them about things I find interesting.”

#Autistic people: “The only way this person will like me is if I don’t tell them about the weird things I find interesting.”

@actuallyautistic

ratcatcher , 1 month ago to ActuallyAutistic group

I like Loops earplugs, but I've always thought they were ridiculously expensive for what they are. So just for pig iron, I've ordered a couple of pairs of these from Ali Express for €1.42 per pair.

They look, for all the world, like Quiets. In fact, who knows, they might even be the same ones that are supplied to Loops (I doubt if Loops actually make them themselves).

Will report back when I get them and have had a chance to compare.

https://a.aliexpress.com/_EJZFcA7

@actuallyautistic

niamhgarvey , 1 month ago to ActuallyAutistic group

3 hours silent work in #Library was bliss. Then decided to treat myself to a cappucino so popped into shopping centre next door. Holy moly the assault on my #Senses was immediate and intense.
Thank goodness I had my #Loops or I would now be a dysregulated mess.
@actuallyautistic
#Autistic

rabia_elizabeth , 1 month ago to ActuallyAutistic group

Folks who are going on #Hajj are advised to get things ready in event of their #Death while on pilgrimage. Getting things ready this way is good practice, for any adult in any event.

So I find myself telling my emergency contact guy here in Spain about all the folks who likely would want to hear about it when I die. First time I do this particular task.

(The formal estate stuff is just about all sewn up, thank God. But there is the matter of emotional needs.)

I'm #ActuallyAutistic and have never been able to sustain most human relationships. Even so, there's a small number of people who I think would want to know.

@actuallyautistic @death @islam

devxvda , 2 months ago to ActuallyAutistic group

@actuallyautistic #ActuallyAutistic Got the new Loops Quiet 2, in white, with the new style case complete with optional engraving.

So far so good. The tips are slightly better. Overall a modest improvement. Not a huge upgrade from the old model.

I still miss the Maroon Quiets!