What have you learned here on WP?

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I’ve read that some people have “learned a lot” about autism as a result of being a member on here. What are some of the most helpful things you have learned?

I guess it would be: having some type of autism does not make you less of a human being. Society as a whole views having autism as defective; I've learned to say fxxk society!

Some helpful things I have learned:

• Arguing with people in authority will always get results; but the results may not be to your liking.

• Belief is irrelevant, and faith proves nothing.

• Facts, while interesting, are largely irrelevant to those who have already made up their minds.

• Moderators are not your friends; believing otherwise leads inevitably to bad feelings.

• Never let a YouTube video do your thinking for you.

• No good intentions ever go unpunished; even the kindest words are often mistaken for cruelty.

• No matter how hard you try, you just cannot fix stupidity; so it is better to not try at all.

• People asking for advice are often looking only for attention or an argument.

• Trolls thrive on attention.  Give them none, and they will seek it elsewhere.

That regardless of autism there are all types of people on this forum and it seems like the same type of people you see post on 'non autistic' forums.

More...

• Anything you say can and will be used against you.

• Being yourself is easy; expressing yourself is difficult.

• It never hurts to show respect for authority; but it rarely ever helps.

• No one can make you feel bad about yourself without your cooperation.

• Nobody likes being pitied.

• People only show you what they want you to see.

• Profound thoughts expressed sparingly impress more than silly thoughts expressed often.

• The fact that you have something to say does not guaranty that anyone else is going to read it.

• Those who vent their emotions on-line are often unstable off-line, as well.

I learned that i am not alone in the world. It's True that there are all sorts of people in this forum like any other place, but still seeing other people struggling with the same things i do makes me feel more connected to the world.

This. Before WP, I thought I was the only one struggling with the things I struggle with. I'm not.

how different we are.

That people without autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders/disabilities or diseases are called neurotypicals.

That empathy has different meanings depending on whether you're autistic or NT.

That you don't have to be high-functioning or mild to be able to type your thoughts and feelings (I learned that the hard way ).

That I'm not the only person in the world with Asperger's.

That there are nonverbal and partially verbal members here.

nonverbal? if the don't use words how do they communicate on this forum?

Learned common ASD lingo and what they mean. Learned a lot more about AS and ASD traits.

Before WP I only knew about selective mutism, episodes of hyper-fixation, rambling on about person thoughts and special interests, difficulties with various areas of social perception, speech impediments, and getting easily overwhelmed by people and sounds.

My previous knowledge painted a very specific picture of aspergers rather than the range of traits which ASD is.

I also had a lot of trouble associating myself and AS with ASD. The known autistic people I had met before where all people with fairly severe disability who required near constant attention.

What I appreciate most, however, was that I wasn't the only one dealing with problems I had so much trouble dealing with all my life and not knowing why.

I was using 'nonverbal' to mean communicating without spoken language in their everyday lives but are able to communicate with written language here.

I can't speak for others, but I myself have selective mutism that can sometimes kick into full 100% mute, which can manifest even when typing on a keyboard. And at least in my case it's almost impossible to realize I have it unless I specifically mention it since I just don't visit WP when I can't talk at all, or it just doesn't manifest in a way that can be differentiated from 'normal' behavior.

When dealing with a state of partial impediment it just means I avoid certain things, although I've learned plenty of tricks to get around the impediment and/or improve my state. Successfully writing SOME things improves my ability to write about more things. It's also far easier talking here than most communicative mediums.

I've seen a couple comments from some people that give me vibes of struggling or dealing with some form of speech processing disorder or peculiarity, though.

Apparently there are a lot of autistic people who are
literally non-verbal but sound really articulate in their posts. I find it amazing really, it's a bit like being able to run but not walk. But I learnt that the hard way, as like I already mentioned in this thread, I thought everyone here had the same social capability levels as me and I was surprised to find out that isn't the case. I found it out the hard way though.

That no one uses AOL instant messenger anymore **missing old school**