Does the degree of your autism vary a lot?

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obsessingoverobsessions
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09 Jun 2016, 12:35 pm

It seems like every day is different and I function at a different level to the day before- one day, I can't seem to be normal no matter how much I try and my social skills are really bad, whereas other days, I can manage to be normal with only a bit of effort. Most days are somewhere in the middle of this, but I don't why I have so much variation in my functioning levels.

Is anyone else like this?


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ASPartOfMe
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09 Jun 2016, 1:13 pm

Bieng tired or bieng stressed makes my Autism seem more "severe".


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09 Jun 2016, 2:00 pm

My sensory issues, clumsiness, and a few other contributing symptoms vary with sleep, hormones, stress levels and probably other things that I've not yet correlated.

My intuitive communication differences though? Those are all me. They are made worse by my audio processing disorder being worse, or by me being tired or fatigued because I can't compensate as well. But even on my best of days that underlying differences are solidly, dependably a part of who I am.


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09 Jun 2016, 2:54 pm

When I'm tired or have a lot of things on my mind I have more trouble functioning and socializing. My sensory issues also get worse when I'm tired. Then sometimes I can be do good for a while and then it gradually gets worse as the day goes on.



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09 Jun 2016, 3:32 pm

My ability to pass as normal is likewise impacted by rest levels. The more tired I get, the harder it is for me to maintain my facade of normalcy. Also, too many things coming at me during the course of a day can send me into a tailspin from which I may not fully recover until the next day (and after a good night's sleep).



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09 Jun 2016, 5:39 pm

I'm a lot like that. I think that it has a lot to do with sleep for me too.


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09 Jun 2016, 7:30 pm

No my autism stays the same

But the calmer I am the more open minded I am and the more accepting to change.


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josh338
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09 Jun 2016, 8:27 pm

Yes, I've noticed that it seems to vary significantly. When I was traveling over the last few weeks I was having a terrible time with even casual interactions. Once I got home and was in familiar surroundings, the interactions became easier. It seems that my general level of upset exacerbates the symptoms, while a sense of security reduces them some.



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10 Jun 2016, 7:38 pm

Not sure. My environment & circumstances affect how I feel, and I seem generally more able when I feel good, and then I can often do things that (it seems) autism usually holds me back on. I've also seen a huge improvement while living among warm, non-ableist, non-judgemental people.

If I focus for a while on making headway on an apparently autistic weakness, I sometimes become good at overcoming it, but I can get out of practice and then I might lose the improvement. Overall, experience has helped me a lot, but I'm not sure the autism itself has actually lessened, I think it's likely that all I'm witnessing is the evolution of my coping and adjustment strategies. I guess that's the kind of thing that happens to people in general, as long as they don't stop learning. If you define autism as the conglomerate of a particular set of traits or abilities, like I suppose diagnostic manuals do, then yes, some of those change over time, hopefully the painful ones lessen.



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12 Jun 2016, 6:35 am

Yeah, my enviroment and surroundings deffinatley has an affect. For example when I' in a place I feel comfortable such as home where I'm relaxed with nothing to be stressed out about its almost as if it isnt there. But as soon as im at a place such as college where i have to intertact with people and get given numerous assignments all with different deadlines and various degrees of difficulty its then when i start to get more stressed out which in turn causes it to have more of an effect on me.

I try to adjust my life so its as unstressful as it can be but i cant avoid everything.


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13 Jun 2016, 4:06 pm

Yes, it does. Not the characteristics, but the strength does - according to how anxious, depressed, stressed or insecure, I am.


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14 Jun 2016, 4:56 am

I have seen pain charts. Like "Today my pain level is 6 out of 10".

I could do about the same with my autism. Some days I experience being more cognitively impaired, more hypersensory, have a shutdown/meltdown etc.



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15 Jun 2016, 3:18 pm

It varies on some factors. Sleep is one of them by example.


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15 Jun 2016, 8:32 pm

The severity of my traits and symptoms can vary greatly depending on my stress levels and how tired I am.


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17 Jun 2016, 10:35 pm

Some days I feel like I don't know how to interact or cope at all; I stim all the time, hardly talk, and don't look anybody in they face. I sometimes don't even answer my friends when they try and talk to me. Other days, I can act fairly normally; I hardly stim, I talk to people, and look in their faces. I don't know what specifically causes these fluctuations. Also, I can more easily talk to people with whom I am comfortable in places with which I am familiar.

I am undiagnosed, and in high school. My parents don't believe that I could have ASD, but they never see me at school on a bad day. I cannot discuss it with them, as they get angry because they don't want me to have Asperger's or similar; however, my friends are understanding (although I have never specifically mentioned my ASD concerns to them) and are patient with me and shake my hand instead of hugging me etc.

Sorry for rambling.


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08 Jan 2018, 1:16 pm

Sometimes I'm close to being normal, other times my autism is very severe. Sometimes I can easily communicate with people, other times I struggle really bad. I only stim when my stress level is high. I'm very sensitive to loud or sudden noises.

My AQ score is 36 and my RDOS score is 138 neurodiverse/88 neurotypical.