Being over animated

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Can a person still have an ASD and be over animated in terms of the use of facial expressions and tone of voice.

I am certainly not monotone and also tend to pull my face around a lot when I am speaking (over exaggerated facial expressions) although there are times I don't have the right facial expression it seems (IE people keep thinking I am unhappy when I am not...I don't need to grin inanely to feel contented although I can smile when I am excited or find something funny).

You just described me perfectly. I over-gesticulate, speak loudly, pack a lot of emotion into my speech, laugh excessively, and smile at inappropriate times.

I have talked too loudly and grinned at people at the wrong moment and ouch! In my case it is a recipe for getting yelled at.

Yes, this is me, but mostly when I'm feeling particularly nervous, unsure of myself, or in fact not into being social but "have to" be, on that occasion, for whatever reason. Oddly, I was the opposite when I was a child and teenager and part-way into my 20s -- I was practically a selective mute around people other than my closest family members and the very few friends I allowed close. I was very reserved, overly so, kind of scared to express myself.

When I came out of my shell as I got older, it was like a pendulum swinging WAY too far in the opposite direction -- I became all the descriptions in this thread instead. Definitely a classic case of overcompensation, for me.

Yes, when I'm talking about or engaged in an activity I like, I can be very animated.

Yes yes yes. My last boss asked me "Are you weird? Are you strange?" because of my bizarre facial expressions. I mean, they really were weird. And my head would move all over the place. So I have learned through CBT to tone all this down and to present a normal face to the world now.

Aspies are people of extreme:
either no expression, or super-crazy expression.
either no eye-contact or staring.

People have told me I pull my face around a lot. Also I notice on videos where I am acting naturally I pull my face around a bit too much. I also have issues with posting pictures I think show one expression, yet everyone else thinks it is something else.

A lot of info is available about people being monotone or having no facial expression with an ASD but there not much is around in regards to odd or exaggerated expressions.

I know I can appear angry when I am actually excited or upset. People accuse me of being angry when I am not being angry. Also they keep telling me to cheer up when I am fine.

I wonder if I look weird and that is why people can tend to avoid me...

Should I try to film myself somehow when I am out? I want to see what others are seeing. I am either not aware of what my face or body is doing or I am not aware that I look weird if I do.

I know I am clumsy...3 times yesterday someone walked into me or I walked into them (usually the latter) and someone even swore at me to "watch where I was f*****g going". No need for that really, I apologised and kept walking..she kept complaining.

It could be me being senstive about such things though as since I've been trying to socialise I pay more attention to people when I am out (usually too lost in my own thoughts most of the time) and people seem to stare but don't speak or say anything. I am not bothered by people staring as such, I am just curious as to why they are staring is all. I don't quite know what to do really as I don't know why they are staring.

I am also paying more attention to myself, or trying to. As I don't know why I am having so many social problems so I thought if I could observe these things I might have more information for the therapist when I see her.

It is just that they want me to write down what help I want from them...well I don't know. Help with the social stuff? Except I don't know what I am doing wrong there...so um, I don't know really. I'm kind of stuck with the social thing...

I got the other stuff ok...am well into my fitness program, my physical health is much better since i changed diets and quit smoking etc, I am seeing a careers adviser about training and jobs I might be able to do...I have my eye on a few classes I might like (pottery, an A level course in anthropology...although the latter is home learning and Id rather have something in a class so I can practice the social thing). I am not needing help from a therapist for that.

It is the social interaction thing really but I need to know why I am having such issues and I don't even know what all the issues are exactly. I just know I am having a horrible time with trying to find friends or a partner and fit in when I do try to work etc. People seem to avoid me and I don't know why. I know I can be quirky, I'm told im odd, weird, strange, quirky...but really...!

And when people don't avoid me they seem to dump the social stuff on my unexpectedly or don't give me enough notice. Ummm, I like notice. I have to put my brain in social mode unless I am already going out with the intention to socialise but when I do that I rarely find anyone to socialise with as such. It is like some kind of sods law. When you feel social no one is there to socialise with. When you are tired, want to rest or need notice because you had your schedule organised for that day already and didn't want to change it...people want to chitty chat.

I am probably a bit ocd on top of everything else. It is just that my brain likes to do what it was expecting see..and people expect me to just change my plans suddenly.

I only really like that if 1 it was my idea to suddenly change my plans or 2 I have sufficient notice.

People tell me I am too elusive and complain because I don't answer my phone as well. Um, I need a handset with caller ID. Plus people keep ringing when I am busy or eating dinner or something. I'd prefer it if they arranged a time to ring as well.

I wonder if I am too picky when it comes to finding friends? I do like people who share my interests. Perhaps I should broaden my horizons so to speak? My therapist would probably say yes. But then I don't know what to talk about...people don't talk about much so most of my conversations die out quickly. I don't really know how to start conversations. How am I supposed to start a conversation with a view to making a friend?

Also with partners I can't tell if men are being friendly or flirting. How do I tell the difference? I asked my mother this question when I was 15 but she couldn't really answer me...she just said you sense it. Um how? I tried body language books but they don't help much (too many possible meanings to things like dilated pupils for example...ie could be lighting and nothing to do with desire).

I can do formal situations which have well defined rules of interaction (such as those between therapist and client) and I can do those which rely on formal polite (please, thank you, hold doors open for people, remember to let other people speak, don't interrupt people or talk over them (a bad habit I need to work at) and so on) so I shall start with those.

it is just when the rules are murky that I find things confusing.

I'm overanimated every now and then when I get to talking about something I love, even though most of the time I'm stoic. My behavior's been misinterpreted many a time.

I do this too.

When I'm acting like myself people laugh at my expressions when I'm not trying to be funny

When I was younger I would get angry and make an extremely exaggerated angry face, scrunching up all of my facial muscles. I have no idea what it looked like, but I know that after about 5 minutes my face would hurt really badly and I would have to rub it to make it stop because my muscles felt kind of locked in place, like a cramp. I know it was really strange looking because people commented on it.

When I'm with pretty much anyone other than my mom, sister and boyfriend I'm more monotone and reserved. I have no idea what to say or how to act. I try to make the correct faces in response to what people are saying to me but I've realized I just make one expression and it feels wrong. My eyebrows feel like scared face but I make my mouth smile kind of. Sometimes when I come home my face really hurts after doing this and I have a headache. Then I stress nap.

I don't know which of my expressions are natural to me and which I learned but I suspect I learned some of them from mimicking cartoons or anime.

I got some of mine from lee evans the comedian.

I also mimic some of his vocal tones.

People treat my default state as over-animated, often with a series comments similar to "Turn down the volume on your laugh". Eventually, it got so tiresome to try to accommodate their criticisms, so I said "screw it" and figure if they can't handle my default state, that's their problem.