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katelynmakenzie86
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20 Jun 2016, 1:45 pm

I was diagnosed last year in March a few months before my 29th birthday with Asperger's syndrome. A lot of stuff that happened to me as a child finally kind of clicked into place. I'll be 30 next month, and I still have a lot of meltdowns. I feel like if I had been diagnosed earlier in life, I could have learned the coping skills most children learn when they are young. After my meltdowns, I always feel like crap. Sometimes people that don't really understand will tell me that I need to grow up or I need to get over stuff, that seems little to them, but it's huge to me. As an adult, being recently diagnosed, can it ever get easier. Is there a way that I can let people know about the meltdown before I am in the meltdown or a way for my work to be able to deal with my meltdowns? I feel like I'm really not being heard.



ASPartOfMe
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21 Jun 2016, 1:04 am

Welcome to wrong planet.

Here you will find a lot of people that found out that they are autistic as an adult and have been told all thier life to grow up, get over it, just try harder. You are also likely to find people who have the same problems as you and will sympathize and provide coping mechanisms for you. It won't get easy, but with knowledge it can get less difficult.

Meltdowns are caused by an accumulation of stress and sensory overload. When you get to your limit it could be the most minor thing that sets it off. You need to identify the things that are stressing you and try to lesson them as much as possible. Sensory overload somtimes is obvious and sometimes it is not. You might feel anxiety, tired, and stress and not know why because the actual cause is a sensory sensitivities. Also because you have lived your whole life with these sensory sensitivities you will think it is normal. One example would be wondering why the flikering flourecent lights that drive you crazy do not seem to bother anybody else.


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Professionally Identified and joined WP August 26, 2013
DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity

“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman


GiantHockeyFan
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21 Jun 2016, 11:00 am

Quote:
Meltdowns are caused by an accumulation of stress and sensory overload. When you get to your limit it could be the most minor thing that sets it off. You need to identify the things that are stressing you and try to lesson them as much as possible. Sensory overload somtimes is obvious and sometimes it is not. You might feel anxiety, tired, and stress and not know why because the actual cause is a sensory sensitivities. Also because you have lived your whole life with these sensory sensitivities you will think it is normal. One example would be wondering why the flikering flourecent lights that drive you crazy do not seem to bother anybody else.


Welcome to WP!

I cannot offer any specific advice, but I agree with what was just said above. For example, one grocery store entrance absolutely killed me because there was a high pitched squeal that felt like Styrofoam being crumbled. NOBODY else ever experienced that to my knowledge and it went away years later when they renovated but it was torture: I used to run as fast as possible to get through it.

I've been known to calmly deal with serious issues such as a fire in my building and a coworker collapsing and dying in front of me, yet something minor like losing a $2 coin will cause me to be upset for weeks, if not longer! I've also played hockey and out of the blue get so angry I break my $100 stick in half over someone very small and insignificant.

I have learned the things that set me off: this is much easier as an adult because you can get away from them far easier. Other than that, I can't really offer much.



katelynmakenzie86
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Joined: 20 Jun 2016
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Location: Coeur d Alene, ID

23 Jun 2016, 11:31 am

GiantHockeyFan wrote:
Quote:
Meltdowns are caused by an accumulation of stress and sensory overload. When you get to your limit it could be the most minor thing that sets it off. You need to identify the things that are stressing you and try to lesson them as much as possible. Sensory overload somtimes is obvious and sometimes it is not. You might feel anxiety, tired, and stress and not know why because the actual cause is a sensory sensitivities. Also because you have lived your whole life with these sensory sensitivities you will think it is normal. One example would be wondering why the flikering flourecent lights that drive you crazy do not seem to bother anybody else.


Welcome to WP!

I cannot offer any specific advice, but I agree with what was just said above. For example, one grocery store entrance absolutely killed me because there was a high pitched squeal that felt like Styrofoam being crumbled. NOBODY else ever experienced that to my knowledge and it went away years later when they renovated but it was torture: I used to run as fast as possible to get through it.

I've been known to calmly deal with serious issues such as a fire in my building and a coworker collapsing and dying in front of me, yet something minor like losing a $2 coin will cause me to be upset for weeks, if not longer! I've also played hockey and out of the blue get so angry I break my $100 stick in half over someone very small and insignificant.

I have learned the things that set me off: this is much easier as an adult because you can get away from them far easier. Other than that, I can't really offer much.

I am working things out with my counselor to try to find things to help cope or deal with things. I hate grocery shopping or just shopping in general. There's always so many people and it's crowded and the bright lights.... and I've even be ran into the back of my heels with a shopping cart more times than I can count. Stuff like that puts me into a panic, or I freak out before I even get to the store. I have a hard time shopping alone, but I don't have a lot of friends and the ones that I do, can't always come with me.

And work is so overwhelming for me. I work in a call center. And trying to talk to a customer and explain something to them, and trying to get help with the problem and having someone talk to me in the background just sets me off! And I honestly feel like I've gotten worse. 8O