“He doesn’t look autistic.”

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This kind of response is one of the reasons I don't tell people I'm autistic if it comes up.

Years ago on here, I posted my picture as my avatar and a few people doubted I was on the spectrum because they thought I looked NT.

I guess if I were to "perform an autism" I could dig into my left-over knowledge about dogs from my childhood special interest. Talk about rough collies and what diseases to screen for when breeding them.

Or I could unmask and be super awkward and ramble on about stuff that no one cares about.

Both, if I'm feeling generous!!

I haven’t told many people about my autism diagnosis, but the ones I have told have generally said “that makes sense”. I don’t think I have many outward signs that I am autistic and iADHD, apart from staring blankly into space or at people.

Austistics are supposed to have a third eyeball in the forehead. Everyone knows THAT!

So if you lack that third eye you have no choice but to...break out into this song to prove it.


https://youtu.be/pHzz5pp5YXI

one thing i would love to ask in that situation is "what does an autistic look like to you?"
i would ask this with honest intentions as out of all the stereotypes i have come across, i seldom hear much about autism, let alone on appearance.

Isn't the "do an autism" thing just another autistic stereotype?
I'm sure I couldn't "do an autism" on demand if my life depended on it.

Some people looks autistic and some don't.

There is a look for some people, who are more severely affected (I am not saying this in any way to denigrate people who look visibly disabled).

Autism is a disability that is invisible, mostly, however. Any outward signs are usually more behavioural than intrinsically physical.

^I've noticed in photographs that I look different to everyone else.
I have a very rigid posture.
While everyone else is leaning in and looking relaxed, I'm standing there on the fringes like I have a broomstick stuck up my arse.

Of the people that I actually know and have revealed my autism to, 1/3 of them either responded "I'm not surprised", or "I've known that for years".

But I also have this shirt that I wear to the grocery store, etc.


I'm enough of an old geezer now, and retired to boot, that I don't care if people know. And maybe it will help break the sterotype

Some people are more obviously autistic than others.

A lot of people also don't know what autism looks like. You can list a dozen symptoms you have and they will agree all are true about you, but they don't know that those symptoms are indicative of anything.

When I disclosed to my sister in law (who is a Special Education helper), she said "no, you're not". Even my primary care physician was skeptical (and she's a great doctor, as they go). Yes, the further from stereotype, the more likely one is to hear this. People can tell I am different, but it doesn't match anything they know - I got called "strange" a lot as an adolescent. Recently an older woman blurted out how "cute" I was when my behavior was unusual by NT standards. Proud to be a "cute" 50 year old.