My Life on the Autism Spectrum: Social and Communication Deficits

[@Authentistic-ism]

I love these specific stories! So much more helpful than generalized clinical descriptions of traits. I love hearing other people's "how autistic of me" memories!

[@Authentistic-ism]

I also was skeptical of Santa Claus. I found the hiding spot for the Santa gifts after some snooping. I carefully unwrapped them to see what they were and wrapped them back up again. I was incredibly skilled, my mother had no clue until I started dropping hints to her that "If Santa thinks I want a doll, he's mistaken!"

[@Catlily5]

I figured out that there was no Santa when I was 3. My family went to visit my grandparents in another state. They had wrapped all the presents in yellow paper and I knew all of the various wrapping paper that my family had used. Since I saw no new paper under the tree x-mas morning I figured out there was no Santa. I told my 1 year old sister. For years she reminded me I spoiled Santa for her. I also told my 12 year old friend there was no Santa. I thought she would have known already. Apparently not. Oops.

[@VivekaAlaya]

hahaha love the therapist end. totally relate

[@xoxoLeony]

Hahaha the last one! I am usually good at sarcasm and not that literal but yeah, that one stumped me as you said it.

[@sandraneusch]

I would have had the same confusion if my therapist asked me that 🙃 Your experiences are super relatable (I was diagnosed just last year at 57)😉

[@skyyyskiii]

“My meow was on point” 😹 hahahaha. Love this video, I relate so much. I really want to make videos soon! I also just got diagnosed at 31. I saw Dr. Lauren Megrew just like you did, thanks to your previous video! She was great, I’m so thankful that you shared her info.

[@kaylaprinsloo-steiner9437]

That makes me so freaking happy! Thank you for your kind words. Congratulations on your diagnosis. Dr. Megrew is the absolute best ❤️

[@tomorrowsdoughnut]

I did at least half of this stuff myself, but I especially sympathize with number 6. It is *NO* fun to have to surrender your personal space, even just temporarily.

[@aboycalledfish]

I also had multiple "my parents thought I was missing but I was just hiding behind a pillar to get away from overwhelm" incidents in my childhood. It pretty much stopped once I got my own room and I could hide from the world in there instead of in the shed in the backyard 😁

[@jannawatford1757]

The one where you said you used to act like a cat really got me lol. I used to do the same thing, literally to the point where I started telling people I was part cat 🤣. And I mean cats have been a special interest of mine my whole life so it makes sense.

[@kaylaprinsloo-steiner9437]

I still think I’m part cat!! ❤️ YES! I love the shared experience.

[@Catlily5]

I am a good meower and hisser myself!

[@bradleybosley5835]

Really good video. It feels more real and personal. Like you are not putting on that internet personality mask like I see all over. Not saying that they are bad but it just usually feels like a high-school presentation. Very relatable video. Your memory of your childhood make me feel better cause my group hardly seems to dig deep or share these complex situations of their past. Like I can see things like a movie once I snapped into consciousness. I have a long story about that one. Anyway thank you for the video. I feel less like an alien. BTW I always give way too much info

[@ParadoxalDream]

3:15 omg, I had a four-legged run too as a child, but I was a bull 😂 Every adult coming over to our home would find it equally amazing and weird.

[@DunderMifflin_ThisisPam]

Same with the Christmas thing!! I never believed in Santa and could not understand why other kids did, and thought he was so creepy. It would be great to hear your thoughts on Christmas. I don't like any holidays. It's a nightmare.

[@bobbijoduneman5018]

I tried to write a zine around that age too! 😂 I also wanted to put on a lip sync concert and a block party including a piñata stand and an apple stand (selling green apples from my tiny apple tree and red apples from my friend’s mature apple tree)…I was an imaginative little planner. 😂

[@kaylaprinsloo-steiner9437]

So cute! 😆 I also had little stands selling stuff, but I’d run away if anyone started to approach me haha.

[@bobbijoduneman5018]

😂 my friends and I had parents who typically squashed those ideas or we were too shy/disorganized to pull them off. We often had lemonade/koolaid stands though and practically had a tent city every summer in our backyards.

[@Catlily5]

I liked setting up stands and selling things until around age 13. Now I hate selling things.

[@Authentistic-ism]

I had numerous separate creative endeavors result in visits to the principal's office! I was otherwise well behaved and academically successful.

[@ajayiesther5031]

God bless you

[@nicolemarcak9021]

Wow just had to comment about the cat thing! For YEARS I pretended to be a dog, I could run really fast on all fours, I would have my mom call me by my "dog name" when I was in dog mode ha ha I always put my hair in pig tails and put a belt in the back of my pants to be a tail. My brothers hated it and would even lock me outside sometimes and told me I needed to walk like a human, I probably did this until I got to middle school. Never thought I'd hear someone else say they did the same thing.

[@kaylaprinsloo-steiner9437]

Oh my gosh that’s adorable. “Dog mode” haha I love it! I had several actual cat collars I wore as well. One had a bell on it. 👌🏼

[@nicolemarcak9021]

@@kaylaprinsloo-steiner9437 that's awesome 😂