It's Autism Awareness Month so let's set some things straight about autism...

It's Autism Awareness Month, so time to set some things straight about autism...
What people think autism is:
- What it looks like in movies
What autism actually is:
- Sensory over/under sensitivities including extreme sensory anxiety when overstimulated
- Social and communication differences
- Social interactions are often challenging/draining
- Anxiety when routines are disrupted
- Struggles with transitions
- Difficulty with organization (particularly mental, which can make starting/finishing tasks extremely difficult)
- Repetitive movements (also known as stimming) & behaviors (e.g. preferring comfort foods and clothing items)
- Uncomfortable giving eye contact (not necessarily unable to give it)
- Intense special interests
- Difficulty consuming information that is not of interest
- Rigid thinking (for example, can have strong feelings about how to interpret and follow rules)
- Often takes things literally and has a hard time with subtext and unwritten rules
- Meltdowns as a result of unmet needs (some are visible to others, many are not)
- For some... difficulty understanding and expressing emotions (which is called alexithymia) for others, extremely capable of expressing emotions
- Hyper-empathetic for some, difficulty with empathy for others
- Exceptionally good attention to detail and high accuracy when completing assignments or work tasks
- Often analytical and extremely good at understanding complex concepts
- Able to maintain deep focus and concentration when the topic is of interest
- Excellent long-term memory and recall capabilities
- Often creative problem-solvers due to unique thought processes and perspectives
- Often honest to a fault and extremely trustworthy
- A loyal and extremely generous friend
- Has a beautiful mind and a beautiful heart
- Deserving of love and support
In most cases, there are no obvious signs of autism in adults... as most of us have learned (through many years of extreme difficulty, and in many cases, trauma) to adjust to fit in. So, on the outside, we often appear "normal" when really, we're struggling... a LOT.
If you're autistic, let me know in the comments if this resonates with you.
And follow for more content about autism and brain wiring differences

[@fyve4321]

I have a formal diagnosis for asd using dsmV and your list chimes well with my own understanding and experiences. Thank you for your quick summary.