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Autistic Auntie to All and Crazy Cat Mom

@autistic-af

Asks Are Currently: CLOSED - Late Diagnosis Adult - Autistic, ADHD and Dyscalculia - She/Her - I just want to help people - Anti-Autism $peaks - Professionally Diagnosed but I am Pro Self-Diagnosis - Married - Cat Mom | Stuffed animal side blog is @plush-with-love |
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Important Information About This Blog

AKA: the pinned post

1 - Asks

Due to high volume of messages at any given time, my inbox may be open or closed randomly and without notice. It all depends on level of messages and my mental health.

Check my description to see the status if you're unsure.

2 - This is all personal opinion

I am not an expert. I just wish to help people, create a safe and loving environment, and give advice to the best of my ability.

I am constantly learning, and I am highly fallible. I look to lovingly teach and I ask the same so that we can grow together.

3 - Zero tolerance for ableism

Self-explanatory. This is a safe space for genuine and honest questions. But bullying or hate is just blocked.

4 - Tags

Filter #autistic-af spins to filter my special interest content, which sometimes I binge on.

Cat posts also are tagged with #cat posts, #cats, # cats of Tumblr

5 - About Me

  • Professionally diagnosed autistic, inattentive type ADHD, and dyscalculia
  • Age: 40 but feel somewhere between 5 and 80 depending on the day.
  • Location: Australia
  • Work full-time and always in burnout
  • Cat mom (feel free to ask to see pictures if you need a cheer up)
  • Married 19 years and counting
  • Special interests: The Phantom of the Opera, cats, stuffed animals, cosmology, quantum mechanics, most sciences, linguistics (Specifically the English language) and etymology, medical history, graveyard symbology, death positivity, shipwrecks and lost expeditions , and most morbid topics.
  • I am atheist and a skeptic. I answer most asks with a very analytical mind. Please be aware of this.
  • Favourite colour: dark blue or dark purple
  • Favourite animal: alpacas
#pinned post#important blog info
Anonymous asked:

I have a hard time with accepting my autism diagnosis. I do have mild issues but it is hard to accurately assess how much trouble they actually cause. I am uncertain how exactly very low support needs autism is actually different from being quirky neurotypical.

This is especially influenced by the autism tag on this site. I avoid it, but everything I see just makes me think of the behaviour of people in general. A lot of it just seems like stuff people do that slightly deviates from what is typical. I guess it is not fair because people do not share every moment of their lives but I really struggle to understand how we are supposed to be different from neurotypicals.

I did not even ask for an autism testing. I just got referred to a psychiatrist by some councillor I was seeing because she did not feel she could help me. The psychiatrist was female and I am slightly concerned that out of a desire to make up for biases against women she may have gone too far and not have been as strict with the criteria as she should.

I do not even fully understand the criteria or how they apply. People claim they have special interests, but then they have many interests when I thought it was only supposed to be a few and they are supposed to be all people can think about, not something easily replaced by a new things. That was not the only thing, but it is the only bit of criteria that comes to mind at the moment.

Also I think me not making eye contact contributed, but I can make eye contact. I just hate it because when I was younger I thought telepathy was real, and that people could read my thoughts if they looked into my eyes, and this lasted until I was maybe 17 (so until 2 years ago). I still hate making eye contact even though I know they cannot really read my thoughts (it still feels like they can, and sometimes people say stuff that makes me worry they know what I am thinking). When I was asked why I did not like making eye contact I said that I did not know and that it just made me uncomfortable because I was afraid of telling the truth, and maybe that made them think I a have autism.

Anyway, I am just confused and frustrated. I went to counsellor to talk about managing OCD and maybe depression and somehow ended up with autism diagnosis. And now we are doing nothing about depression and OCD. I even tried to get them to consider changing it but got told that it did not really matter what my true "neurodivergence" was and that people can get depression from not having autism dealt with. But I get not support for autism since diagnosis and now we are doing nothing about depression and OCD because of alleged autism. Plus the OCD makes me bad with doubt and I hate not being certain about autism.

Sorry for the long ask. I have looked at the DSM-V's autism criteria but it does not come with measures or really explains it (I guess because it is for doctors and not ordinary people like me). It really confuses me and I wish I could be sure about this diagnosis, especially if it is going to stop me from getting real help. My "autism" feels more like being a quirky person than a real disorder.

Hi,Nonny! I totally understand your concerns here and I'm going to answer in parts, but if you have more questions, please feel free to ask once my inbox is open again.

I'll also link a helpful resource article at the end that explains the autism criteria in easy to understand diagrams.

Please note: I have simplified my replies for the sake of brevity.

  1. I honestly cannot tell if you had an autism assessment or just had a psychiatrist that has assumed you're autistic. An assessment is hours long by a licenced autism therapist, has tests and lots of questions for you and family about your history. It also costs well over $1000 in most places. If none of this occurred, then you're not officially diagnosed with autism.
  2. If you have had an official diagnosis, her being female hopefully had no bearing on it. AFABs and trans women can present differently, however, to AMAB and trans men due to many reasons, and it's often beneficial to have someone who understands these differences.
  3. The difference between a quirky NT and an autistic is that our differences make our lives difficult to the point of disability (I'm making this very simple. My brain is also wired differently to a neurotypical, but I'm keeping this answer simple). A NT person who doesn't like small talk is not the same as my inability to understand general social interaction. An NT who clicks a pen when nervous is not the same as my rocking while standing in line at the shops because it's noisy. No amount of therapy will cure me of my autism.
  4. Autism is also a very vast spectrum. It's a social and language disability, but what those disabilities are vary. Eye contact difficulties is one of many ways that it can show. It all depends on the individual. And how it makes us feel varies.
  5. Special interests are personal. Some Autistics even have no special interests. And it is about how that interest makes us feel. It's not necessarily that we think about it all the time, but that we'd gladly talk about it all the time or interact with it all the time.
  6. Special interests are also highly variable. It can be something knowledge based or it can just having a Pinterest board if pictures. And yes, some have 1 or 2. I have at least 12 (they vary) and they can fade and return.
  7. Your therapist should be dealing with your depression and OCD, because they highly co-occur with autism. I'm suspicious that they are ignoring them.

I hope this helps, even a little, in your queries.

Image
DSM-5 Criteria for Autism (In Picture Form) — Insights of a Neurodivergent Clinician
There is a lot of confusion about what goes into the DSM-5 criteria for a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. In this article a Neurodive
Insights of a Neurodivergent Clinician
#long ask#long post
Anonymous asked:

(Cw vent) it feels so hard to be part of the autistic community sometimes. the guidelines and rules change so quickly and people are so unforgiving of mistakes or confusion and tend to make assumptions based on that (no, im not low support needs bc im confused by levels/support needs, im not rich and privileged bc im confused about politics, things like that) and i dont know what to do with these emotions, i want to feel free and supportedd by the online autism community bc my in person expericnees are so controlled by nonautistic people, but it just feels so stifling

*warm autistic auntie hugs* I understand, Nonny. This is a valid feeling to have, too.

I have had very similar feelings where I've tried to spread positivity or knowledge and get very angry responses telling me I'm doing it all wrong. It can be very discouraging and has made me want to delete my blog and give up.

I don't have an answer, though. Especially when I consider that MSN and HSN Autistics are ignored and talked over in much of the internet and IRL. But it's not easy, especially when I'm thinking "I'm on your side! Why are you attacking me??"

Anyway, I could make a whole post just on that. My point is that I understand and just want everyone to know I'm a safe space to vent your views (although I do sometimes misunderstand❤️).

#vent post
Anonymous asked:

im just gonna go ahead and ask the question, im figuring you might now something.

so for some time now, we speaking several months, i have delusional-ish thoughts(? im not sure what these would be classed as tbh, i have some pretty weird thoughts) and/or these bizarre ones.

basically my brain, pretty much outta nowhere (or maybe its been building up and i just didnt realise it) realised how heavy things are. buildings, cars, everything and it made me feel this frightening feeling of "because everything is so heavy, that means the world is, you know, going downwards" by downwards if you dont understand what i mean, because i am trash at explaining. imagine having this shelf, and you put stuff on it, like books, and this shelf is rather fragile, so with each book you put it, its losing its grip on the wall, its one of those mounted bookwalls. eventually with enough books on it, its going to fall down. and thats how i imagine whats happening with earth, because theres so many things here and new stuff being built, meaning its just keeps on getting heavier and heavier and ultimately, the earth is gonna plop down because it cant hold the weight of everything.

this whole wall of text may, or may not have made any type of sense, but what im wanting to ask, maybe you know? is that even possible? for the world to get heavier to the point that it then just gonna plop down like the mounted bookwall with the books talked about?

i this made no sense in any way, please feel free to ignore. i totally get why it wouldnt tbh.

i figured i'd bring my thoughts up whenever i get an appointment for my therapist, or whoever it is ima talk to eventually, but i feel like because im there for one sole reason and so i cant talk about anything else. like im going to be there for my anxiety of being outside and so because i am there for that, i cant talk about anything else, and i just feel embarrassed about these thoughts i have. :S

I don't know much about these types of thoughts, so I can't give any information on them.

However, I can 100% tell you that the Earth is gaining no extra weight from the things being built, because all the materials we use already exist on Earth. Taking 200 tons of metal from the ground and making it into cars, just puts the 200 tons back into place.

The Earth gains weight from cosmic dust, and loses weight from our use of resources. But this is nowhere near enough to cause any issues in that regard. ❤️

apod
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apod

2023 September 1

The Great Globular Cluster in Hercules Image Credit & Copyright: Serge Brunier, Jean-François Bax, David Vernet OCA/C2PU

Explanation: In 1716, English astronomer Edmond Halley noted, “This is but a little Patch, but it shows itself to the naked Eye, when the Sky is serene and the Moon absent.” Of course, M13 is now less modestly recognized as the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules, one of the brightest globular star clusters in the northern sky. Sharp telescopic views like this one reveal the spectacular cluster’s hundreds of thousands of stars. At a distance of 25,000 light-years, the cluster stars crowd into a region 150 light-years in diameter. Approaching the cluster core, upwards of 100 stars could be contained in a cube just 3 light-years on a side. For comparison, the closest star to the Sun is over 4 light-years away. The remarkable range of brightness recorded in this image follows stars into the dense cluster core.

∞ Source: apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230901.html

I don't know who needs this today

But this is your permission to just exist exactly as you are.

I'm sorry I haven't been able to get to many asks this week. I'm back at work and have shutdown twice this week, which makes me exhausted in the morning.

I'll try to get to some more this weekend.

Here's a ptarmigan as a thank you.

#cw birds#ptarmigan
Anonymous asked:

Do you ever get this thing where… I guess the best way to explain it is almost like I’m too bored to go to sleep. Is that even a thing?

Yes, lol. Definitely something I have experienced!

My mind then goes into ruminations, which sometimes is fun (but keeps me awake because I get lost in thought) or bad (which keeps me awake because then I start worrying). But I definitely have been too bored or understimulated to get to the point of sleep.

Anonymous asked:

Heya! I recently got braces and I've been really struggling with hygiene. I seriously cannot deal with the sensation of them in my mouth and I also hate the feeling of my breath being bad or my teeth being dirty, but it feels like all those things have been completely overshadowed by this inability to just get up and clean my teeth.

For context: teeth cleaning has always been something I struggled with in secret (I know I would be severely judged if I said to anyone irl I hadn't cleaned my teeth in a week) but I always managed to avoid cavities/severe issues. But when the issues I talked about above got bad enough, it was enough to force me to clean my teeth. Now, with the added strain of having to use an interdental brush to get between my braces and floss (something I had only ever done before when there was something in my teeth) I just can't make myself do it unless my parents specifically tell me to and check if I'm lying about having cleaned my teeth.

Do you have any advice/strategies I can use to try and get better at teeth cleaning? I'm very scared I'll end up with spots on my teeth or cavities when my braces are off, and my orthodontist tells me I'm not doing a good enough job of keeping my braces clean.

I'll put this to followers, as I've never had braces.

Any fellow Autistics who have tips on dealing with braces, cleaning and sensory issues?

#actuallyautistic#actually autistic
dilutedapplejuice asked:

Hi :,3

Any tips for handling depression as an autistic person? Especially related to rumination….

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I'll put this to my followers only because this isn't something I deal with much. I do have depression, but my Pristiq takes care of most of my symptoms.

And, as I'm medically minded, I do always recommend to see your family doctor and just get your iron, vitamin D, and vitamin B12 checked, as low levels of these can increase depression symptoms.

apod
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apod

2023 June 12

The Largest Satellites of Earth Image Credit & Copyright: Tianyao Yang

Explanation: What’s that near the Moon? It’s the International Space Station (ISS). Although the ISS may appear to be physically near the Moon, it is not — it is physically near the Earth. In low Earth orbit and circulating around our big blue marble about every 90 minutes, the ISS was captured photographically as it crossed nearly in front of the Moon. The Moon, itself in a month-long orbit around the Earth, shows a crescent phase as only a curving sliver of its Sun-illuminated half is visible from the Earth. The featured image was taken in late March from Shanghai, China and shows not only details of Earth’s largest human-made satellite, but details of the cratered and barren surface of Earth’s largest natural satellite. Over the next few years, humanity is planning to send more people and machines to the Moon than ever before.

∞ Source: apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230612.html

#all queue'd up