finding out people dont usually add numbers by first adding something to make a ten (for example 7+6= 7 plus 3 is 10 plus another 3 is 13) & that its actually an adhd thing is the WILDEST shit literally ive lived like 10 years (or however old i was when i learned to add and stuff) thinking thats how everyone does it. what the fuck

My mom thought my childhood cat had autism and took him to the vet, turns out he was deaf This is my childhood cat, Simba. He is 17 years old and when I was little my mom (now deceased) was convinced he had autism because in her own words “he just doesn’t seem right and I am worried”. I went with her to the vet appointment and sat there and waited with her for the vet to show up. Vet shows up and asks why we are there and she word for word said “I think he has autism, what are our next steps” Vet did a full exam and told her “he’s just deaf” We left the appointment and I won’t forget how embarrassed my mom was and she dead ass turned to this cat in his carrier and said “I know you can’t hear me but you embarrassed me” 😭 Now he lives with me since her passing. He’s a sweet boy who sometimes bites my wife, but he’s a sweet boy. 💕

The hardest part of telling people I’m AUTISTIC/ADHD is watching them instantly start treating me like I’m fragile or less capable, when all I wanted was for them to stop assuming I’m being difficult on purpose.

that lack of eye contact does not mean that a person is being rude. Autism, ADHD, PTSD and social anxiety can all make it difficult to look someone in the eye. If people with these conditions force themselves to make eye contact they will often find it so distracting they won't be able to focus on what you are saying. Also there are many cultures, including Hispanic, Asian, Middle Eastern, and Native American, where eye contact can be considered disrespectful. For example, Japanese children are taught to look at others' necks to avoid making direct eye contact. Consider that not all behaviors considered "rude" are intended to be, or even universally considered rude. This is especially important to remember if you are a parent, teacher, boss, or other authority figure.

Anyone else does not want to have kids because you don't want to give your child your autism? As an autistic person, I have struggled all my life. I have a child who is autistic and he is struggling all because of my genes. I don't want to have more children because I don't want them to struggle. Anyone else feels this way?

My girlfriend told me I need to “get past” autism.. My girlfriend and I were having a pretty serious conversation and when we do I usually shut down and get stressed out which frustrates her. It’s understandable that it frustrates her and it’s something I’ve always struggled with. She knew when we got together that I am autistic and she was never weirded out or bothered by it. I never used my autism as an excuse for anything and I don’t like to bring it up in such contexts, but this time she asked me why I shut down like that. I got frustrated and stated that it is a trait of autism. She responded by saying it doesn’t matter and that I need to get past that, which she said multiple times. It really hurt my feelings because of course it’s not that simple. She has never really understood or acknowledged the fact that I am autistic and never seems to take into account how it affects me. Should I have not brought that up? Is the way she responded normal?

I wake up almost every morning hating capitalism Its a mix of seeing the inefficiencies and ambivalence of how the world works, also the sense of justice making me miserable that there’s so much inequality that is only made possible by greed that COULD be stopped but it continues on. I’m really struggling right now with figuring out what the hell im gonna do about my future, because all good paying jobs seem like they’re blood money at the end of the day. I want to just work a small and honest job, but that means living in poverty and it makes me want to scream. I will be 31 soon and I still live with parents, I got kicked out of school and I quit my soul sucking and overstimulating retail job because I couldn’t handle it anymore. I just want to flee to the woods and be free. I feel like every minute I work for some huge company means compliance is inescapable and my autonomy shattered. It’s so hard to keep going, I have amazing friends and an incredible partner, but we never get to see each other because all of them are constantly working to make rent and not go hungry. It’s so backwards. :(

The boredom is painful at times. No matter what I do, listen to or watch. It's never enough to get whatever my brain needs - but I don't even know what that would be. This heat doesn't help; the last two days were a bit cooler but now the temperatures are back to over 30°C and it won't get much lower according to the weather report. I sweat a lot and can't tolerate heat very well, which leads to me being overstimulated but mentally understimulated at the same time. Some people say to "sit with the boredom" but it genuinely makes me want to peel my face off. It's like I'm trapped in my own body and mind. I want to do things and have fun but I can't, it feels like I have to walk through chewing gum. Like trying to run in a dream. Sometimes I do five things at once because the boredom hurts too much but even that doesn't soothe anything. Focusing on just one thing is too much and not enough at the same time.

Some people act like weed is responsible for every problem in existence, while others act like it can never cause any problems at all. Reality is usually somewhere in the middle. Why is nuance so difficult?

It's so strange to me how people will ask the most vaguely-worded questions ever and then get mad when you ask "what do you mean?" I was recently trying on clothes, and my mom asked, "Are you gonna wear it in or out?" I figured she meant something like "are you gonna wear it inside or outside" but that didn't make any sense to me since I was trying on a dress shirt that I'd already said I wanted it for interviews and workdays. So I asked, "What do you mean?" She got annoyed and said she didn't know how else to say that, and my dad chimed in and clarified, "Do you want to tuck it in or not?" I feel like I wouldn't have figured that out. As a person who struggles to put their thoughts into words (especially verbally), I feel like it isn't THAT big of an ask to jst reword something. Another time, she asked, "Don't you ever just try to figure something out yourself??" in response to me asking "what do you mean" all the time. It definitely hurt to hear that and made me wonder if I'm the unreasonable one here, but then again, my mom is often on some bullshit so I'm not losing sleep over it. I'd just like to hear what this community thinks.