Autistic traits that I experience aren't commonly discussed

Page 1 of 1 [ 13 posts ] 

spacecat1900
Emu Egg
Emu Egg

Joined: 4 May 2024
Age: 124
Gender: Non-binary
Posts: 2

04 May 2024, 3:27 pm

I have been lurking on online autism communities like Reddit's autism subreddits and elsewhere. I have been given the diagnosis of autism 3 times by 3 different psychologists. However, I don't relate to the majority of autistic experiences ( at least, those discussed online). There is a very strong emphasis on sensory issues- I was a very hypersensitive child, but as an adult, I'm *hypo*sensitive to sound and a lot of other stimuli. I'm quite sensory seeking too- I'm always running my hand over surfaces and touching things, so the hallmark autistic experiences of overstimulation and hypersensitivity are quite alien to me, at least as an adult. ( Of course, I'm not saying these experiences aren't valid! They absolutely are!)

Conversely, I don't see much discussion about the autistic traits that I experience to a significant degree- the need for things to be very predictable and always the same, especially in work situations (which has made most jobs a very bad fit for me- I need to do repetitive tasks that seldom change), difficulty with tasks that aren't part of my regular routine, and getting meltdowns when unexpected tasks arise.

It does make me feel kind of lonely when my manifestation of autism isn't all that common ( at least as far as I can see) and I can't find all that many people who experience what I experience. It's like I don't fit in neurotypical world or the autistic world. Am I just some kind of mutant?



funeralxempire
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 27 Oct 2014
Age: 39
Gender: Non-binary
Posts: 28,460
Location: Right over your left shoulder

04 May 2024, 3:31 pm

I'm quite sensory seeking too.


_________________
“Anyone who wants to thwart the establishment of a Palestinian state has to support bolstering Hamas and transferring money to Hamas, this is part of our strategy” —Netanyahu
戦争ではなく戦争と戦う
Faschismus ist die Gewalt der Schwachen.


Harmonie
Deinonychus
Deinonychus

User avatar

Joined: 14 Jan 2024
Age: 35
Gender: Female
Posts: 310
Location: New England

04 May 2024, 3:42 pm

spacecat1900 wrote:
Conversely, I don't see much discussion about the autistic traits that I experience to a significant degree- the need for things to be very predictable and always the same, especially in work situations (which has made most jobs a very bad fit for me- I need to do repetitive tasks that seldom change), difficulty with tasks that aren't part of my regular routine, and getting meltdowns when unexpected tasks arise.


Ooooh. Okay, so I haven't been screened yet myself, but this is exactly what I experience as well. My beginning research into autism symptom lists actually did mention with "routine" a lot. And it really flipped the switch in my mind to me thinking I might be potentially autistic. It is talked about, but perhaps not as much on communities like this? IDK.

I am a very routine person in general (I even have the same drinks at the same time each day lol) and do get upset when these routines get off. At work it has led to meltdowns many times before. After working at a job for a while, I get a feel for the "routine" and then expect it to be followed wholeheartedly every day of work and if something changes then I feel overwhelmed and get frustrated and angry even. D:

My current job is typically pretty routine, but every once in a while an unexpected task at an unexpected time happens. Like if a certain coworker is out, then there's a task that my boss will only put me on on those mornings and it interrupts the task I always expect to do at that time and I nearly lose it, even though the task isn't too bad in of itself.

Then there's phones... OH GOD. We occasionally or whatever get put on phones to "help", but it's not routine. It's completely unpredictable. It can happen any day. It also can not happen for a couple of weeks straight. May I also say that I despise being put on phones? The fact that I hate them combined with the fact that they are completely unpredictable is a recipe for a disaster with me. I can't always hide my frustration, and my boss always talks to me about it. If the interruptions happen too much, or are combined with sensory issues (I had a coworker that was making lots of noise...) it can and has led to all out meltdown. Thankfully I know to run to the restroom before that happens. But it's not like my management doesn't realize. D:

Oops, there I went off... Why did I have to go off that much??? Sorry for making this all about me. Suffice to say, I'm just saying I relate with you! You aren't alone!


_________________
Diagnosed with ADHD, Strongly Suspecting I'm also Autistic


utterly absurd
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 7 Feb 2024
Age: 19
Gender: Non-binary
Posts: 1,237
Location: Wisconsin

04 May 2024, 4:57 pm

I experience all of the things you describe as well. And while I do have sensory issues, they're not as bad for me as they are for many other people. I'm not sure why the things you do experience don't get discussed as much, but I think many of us here still experience them, so if you started a thread about them I expect people would have things to say.
I have at times felt like I can't relate to this or that autistic experience, but we're all different. Generally you're going to share some traits with almost everyone here.


_________________
Diagnosed ASD/ADHD age 5. Finally understood that age 17.
Have very strong opinions so sorry if I offend anyone--I still respect your opinion.
Neutral pronouns preferred but anything is fine.
Feel free to PM me--I like to talk about most things other than sports.


Edna3362
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 29 Oct 2011
Gender: Female
Posts: 12,462
Location: ᜆᜄᜎᜓᜄ᜔

04 May 2024, 10:02 pm

I also have traits and experiences that aren't commonly discussed either.


I can relate to the needing predictability part.
But many would term that as needing routine, needing repetition, wanting a schedule or plan...
Or it's inverse; not liking surprises or unexpected things, being on guard and anticipation because everything is unpredictable, etc.
Or something more subtle; difficulty switching tasks/attention (as a form of interruption), internal changes, the dislike or intolerance over unpredictability, not being fast enough to process shifting gears, reminder had to be visible, etc.

And not being able to distinguish in between.
Just lump into something simpler or is just under 'plan' and 'routine'.


Sensory seeking as a trait bit common actually. Maybe some of these were a bit personal?

Also the lack of distinguish between being drawn to stimuli to a point of overload, needing more stimuli for them to regulate, and actually a compensation for insensitivities in need for info.
It's just lump under sensory seeking.

Sensory insensitivities itself is a less commonly discussed trait alright.
Not a lot can distinguish the source of sensitivities; lack of filter from intensities from the lack of internal tolerance and threshold. Let alone insensitivities.

And insensitivities are not thing to be able to notice to. The daily lack of reaction is rarely discussed as opposed to daily overreaction and discomfort.
So... It's not particularly discussed because it's also not something that's widely complained either. :lol:


_________________
Gained Number Post Count (1).
Lose Time (n).

Lose more time here - Updates at least once a week.


ToughDiamond
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 15 Sep 2008
Age: 71
Gender: Male
Posts: 11,796

05 May 2024, 3:28 pm

I've seen something that says the sensitivity thing isn't linear, and that hyper- and hypo-sensitivity is often present in the same person. The article I read was mostly interested in pain sensitivity. Sorry I can't remember where I saw it.

The need for repetitive routine is also probably well-documented. I have that myself, to a degree, and I've seen it referred to many times here and elsewhere on the Web. And we're known to generally have trouble holding down conventional jobs.

So I don't think you need to consider yourself a misfit. It's probably just that there are many ASD traits and those Reddit pages you've seen don't happen to have mentioned them.

I started out by doubting that I had ASD because there had been a phase of my life in which I had a lot of friends. But the mystery was eventually explained. There's a common saying, that when you've met one Aspie, you've met one Aspie, which means that we're all individuals with our own unique personalities and profile of traits.



Aspinator
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 23 Feb 2008
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,224
Location: AspinatorLand

05 May 2024, 3:42 pm

I was diagnosed as probably having some type of a non-verbal learning disorder (NVLD). This disorder can sometimes be mistaken for a mild autism disorder



FleaOfTheChill
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 31 Jul 2020
Age: 309
Gender: Non-binary
Posts: 3,167
Location: Just outside of reality

05 May 2024, 6:46 pm

While I do have sensory issues, I can also be very sensory seeking. I do that as well, always touching things, running my hands on surfaces. Some things simply look to touchable to keep my paws off of. Lol.

I'm also a big one for routines, things to be predictable. I like repetition, sameness. I'm quite content to live a 'boring' life where I do the same things all the time. Things that aren't part of my routine totally throw me off and I don't like that. I don't have meltdowns over it much these days, but I certainly would when I was younger. These days it mostly just stresses me out and takes me a long time to recover from wrenches thrown into my daily norm.

I'm not sure why these things aren't being discussed as much. *shrugs*



ProfessorJohn
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 26 Jun 2014
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,153
Location: The Room at the end of 2001

06 May 2024, 1:29 am

I do like routines as well. I don't have sensory issues to speak of other than I don't like being in situations with a lot of chaos going on.

I can definitely lie, so I didn't get that Aspie trait.



JamesW
Toucan
Toucan

User avatar

Joined: 26 Jan 2023
Age: 60
Gender: Male
Posts: 288
Location: London, UK

06 May 2024, 4:18 am

You sound a lot like me!

Certainly as far as work is concerned, I can do different tasks, but only one at a time, and only if the tasks are properly specified. I'm brilliant at solving problems; what I cannot do is decipher questions. You'll find a lot of people saying similar things in the 'Work and Finding a Job' forum section.

There are plenty of 'typical' autistic characteristics that I don't have. I have empathy (plenty of it). I don't stim. While like a lot of autistic people I do have difficulties in social situations, I have no particular yearning to be better at making friends. I've been gainfully employed most of my life. I've been married to a beautiful NT person for the last 25 years. I'd become so good at masking that I feared the psychologists at my autism assessment would decide I wasn't autistic at all. (I needn't have worried there!)

The really good news is we're all mutants. There is no 'typical' autistic person. This is a huge relief to me, as I am what used to be considered the 'typical' autistic person, and the only type that was ever able to get a diagnosis at all once upon a time - I'm a cisgendered heterosexual high-IQ white Caucasian male from a well-off middle-class First World family. The autistic community is so diverse that I thought I simply wouldn't fit in. Happily I was wrong. I've been made more than welcome.



vergil96
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker

User avatar

Joined: 8 Jan 2024
Age: 28
Gender: Male
Posts: 72

06 May 2024, 5:47 pm

I have a lot of sensory issues and don't function well if asked to task switch and not have a consistent routine. People tell me I'm pedantic, because I organise everything, keep things in boxes, sorted, make detailed plans etc. I can't relate to most autistic spaces online. They make me feel even more alone than neurotypical spaces, because plenty of people say stereotypical autistic behaviours and traits are present only in books and aren't a thing or have some kind of "deep autism" if you do have them. I don't know, I'm doing fine, I don't have some "deep autism". Although I used to be a very stereotypical example of Asperger's in early childhood. It doesn't happen only in books. It all feels kind of offensive, having been there in the past. That's a bunch of rude, disrespectful comments.



IsabellaLinton
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 1 Nov 2017
Gender: Female
Posts: 72,421
Location: Chez Quis

06 May 2024, 11:10 pm

The key is that we're atypical and our nervous systems function atypically, whether that means we're hyposensitive or hypersensitive to various stimuli.


I have both kinds, but I'm sure some people are primarily hypo.

Image


_________________
I never give you my number, I only give you my situation.
Beatles


mgurak
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker

User avatar

Joined: 24 May 2024
Age: 56
Gender: Male
Posts: 57
Location: Virginia, United States

24 May 2024, 6:35 am

You are not a mutant. :) It could be that many people simply don't see anything wrong with their routines and so don't feel like talking about them. Not that there's anything wrong with routines, at least as far as I'm concerned. I'm routine oriented too and experience a lot of the things you do. It varies with the task whether a task that isn't part of my routine causes me difficulties or not and just how bad I get when unexpected tasks come up. I'm learning to be flexibly inflexible. I can bend to some degree but don't turn my world upside down.

To give you an example of my routines, this is what mornings look like when I've decided I'm up for the day:
Take my insulin, take my morning meds, get breakfast, check my two e-mail accounts (in order each time), check my bank account, check for Steam updates, check for Windows updates, check for updates on my laptop, check Facebook. Every. Single. Morning.


_________________
I wanna rock and roll until bedtime with the music kept to a decent level and party for an hour or so unless I'm with my trusted friends.