Physical Autistic Traits

pls don't make this more serious than it is, which is not at all
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[@stephenie44]

People with EDS absolutely age differently, and apparently there are a lot of people with EDS that are also autistic. There is some sort of link there. People with EDS have different collagen, not more or less of it. It’s less elastic. Some people with EDS seem to never get wrinkles, others had had wrinkles since they were a kid. I don’t have EDS, but I’ve had the beginning of crows feet wrinkles around my eyes since I was 8. 🤷‍♀️

[@australiafair5926]

Idk if I have EDS but I have very pronounced hypermobility (with chronic pain symptoms); I'm 35 and I don't have any wrinkles yet.

[@stephenie44]

@@australiafair5926 you can test your Beighton Scale score on your own, it’s one of the diagnostic criteria

[@comagirl666]

@@australiafair5926I’m similar age, I have facial lines but don’t think wrinkles per se. I still get ID’ed sometimes too which is flattering but frustrating when i forgot my ID last year lol😅

[@comagirl666]

@@australiafair5926hyper mobility is a spectrum too and there are diff types of EDS, might be worthwhile to look at the diff types? :)

[@kkuudandere]

Not only am I often mistaken for being younger, but sometimes people assume I'm lost and feel compelled to help me with directions because I just... like to look around a lot when I walk😅 I'm not lost, I walk the same path every single day! I just have to LOOK at everything So maybe there really is something involving both appearance and behavior that makes people think we seem "younger" in general, idk

[@fae3821]

I also have to look at everything. Sometimes people say I look lost. Someone said I looked lost at work😕 like why would I be lost, I've been coming here 5 days a week lol

[@nygmasc]

@@kkuudandere I can relate! Not exactly that I look lost but people often say to me that I look "not okay" when I'm just chilling

[@jordanleewalker]

Thanks for sharing this. I too have an "autistic walk" and I've been made fun of for it again and again. I really struggle to slow down and walk normally, especially when I'm alone.

[@DanaAndersen]

We just get to places fast, it’s fine 😂

[@s-nooze]

I also think we age differently than non-autistic people. I'm 38 but everyone thinks I am late 20s. But I also get "you look tired" or "what's wrong?" a lot. Incidentally I also "walk funny" but nobody explains it to me very well when I ask what they mean, so I stopped caring. This is a very interesting topic, thanks for talking about it.

[@steveneardley7541]

I'm 76 and people often don't believe it. They think I'm in my early sixties. Part of it is less wrinkles and a very full head of hair. I also think more like a young person, and am definitely more "emotionally immature." Emotionally, I'm basically 18. This does have an effect on your face. You are more open-looking, and that registers as youthful.

[@fkaroundhandleit]

I get the very same thing. I am 36, and ask my age all the time, cause I look early - mid 20s, look pissed off or tired, and get asked about why I walk funny. I just tell them, I suppose I am a deep thinker or serious person. People need to mind there own business.

[@comagirl666]

Omfg I get the same thing, thays look younger than I am (I’m 34) but also people ask me “are you okay?” And say I look distressed when I’m usually just thinking intensely lol😅 I’m definitely on the hypermobility spectrum, just not sure about EDS

[@frankbruder3097]

I'm also often told that I seem a lot younger. And this is the first time I hear of that possibly being connected to autism in some way. I watch other autistic KZbinrs. Why didn't anyone tell me? To a small extend it's just logical, isn't it? Your face gets less wrinkly when you have a flat affect. And having sensory issues with the brightness and/or the heat of direct sunlight keeps your skin aging slower than that of people who don't have those issues. But with the stress caused by sensory issues and social issues and the bullying, I would assume that I only age slower on the surface but faster below the skin. I stand autistic too. I notice it myself when someone takes a picture of me. I especially don't know how to stand next to another person for a picture. But it's also obvious when it's just me. I walk autistic. When I elicit strange looks while simply walking in the streets, I usually assume that that's the reason, but I don't know for sure.

[@nygmasc]

I have been told I look younger my whole life. Being asked for my ID in my 20s. Now I'm 26 and something I made notes about to talk with my therapist is, regarding my body dysmorphia, how looking a lot younger and being perceived as younger adds a layer of awkwardness to my already problematic relationship towards working environments. Like, I can't feel confident nor serious wearing professional clothing because I feel like a child dressing up as an adult and it totally messes up with the way I present myself to the world. But also there's NO WAY I could possibly dress like that. It feels wrong. Whenever I see how women my age or older dress up, I feel like I don't belong to that category of people. And like I never will, nor do I wish to belong there. It's like, not me. Like if somebody told me "from now on you gotta dress in this outfit that you consider absolutely hideous and you gotta pretend you don't feel absolutely ridiculous".

[@steveneardley7541]

I remember seeing Peter Pan as a kid. I resonated to the song "I Won't Grow Up" so strongly that I knew it was weird, and something I should keep to myself. Adult society seemed so boring, repressive, PHONY, and un-fun. I've rejected many basic "adult things" in life, and have never regretted it at all. The advantage of not fitting in, even when you want to, is that it gives you more courage to not fit in, when you don't feel like it.

[@nygmasc]

@@steveneardley7541 Thanks for sharing! I also resonated a lot with Peter Pan. It was one of the movies I've watched probably for months, on repeat, over and over again. But I also really want to have a job and feel comfortable in said job. It sucks being 26 and still depending on my mother for money. Every day I fear she will die and leave me with nothing. She's not the nicest person in the world also. I wish I could be fully independent

[@eimanm4676]

Yes , im treated as a child well into my 30s lol

[@Pleasekillme12369]

22 and treated like teenag, im 6,2 aswell fucks sake

[@jules9669]

Same lol. People always offer to buy things for me, do things for me, etc like I can't do it myself

[@AmarisFrede]

Love watching you. You're such an interesting and kind person.

[@paradisefound3536]

I can't remember where I heard it, but someone said that being autistic is like driving a manual car when everyone else is driving an automatic. This just makes so much sense to me both psychologically and physically. We're having to concentrate to manually do things that most people just do without thinking. And then add to that a high likelihood of eds, dyspraxia and poor interoception. There are gonna be some telltale signs. I've noticed that alot of us pronounce our R's quite softly (which I actually love) but I feel this would class as a fine motor skill which would definitely be affected by dyspraxia. Like you said, it's not necessarily important, but it's fascinating for sure

[@blanketthecat3586]

Also 27 and I get mistaken as a 16 year old often. I dress young and I think I act it too. Not trying to be immature it’s just…me. I feel so out of place with people my age because I feel like they act so “adult”. I find myself spending time with people a lot older because I feel like they tolerate me better.

[@MorbinNecrim86]

When concentrating on how to move your arms when walking it gets so difficult to keep a rhythm going. My late friend said she could always tell it was me walking due to the calculated steps.

[@JonBrase]

1:24 Protip: Growing a beard and leaving it somewhat unkempt is a good way to add 10 or so years to your apparent age. 😂

[@NickUncommon]

As a trans guy, I welcomed the time when my facial hair started to come in so I could keep the beard and stop bein thought to be a teenager, when for real, I am just coming up to be 50. Basically, "the beard evens out the Peter Pan" look. Everyone told me, I should cherish tjis time, it would be over soon, and it was not wort worrying about this. Having sensitive skin, keeping longer stubble will be the most comfortable. So I would like to try and be viewed as close to the age I actually am. Germany, where I originate from, has the formal you and the informal you, that older People say to younger ones if thes address them. How often I was asked to which High school I go from complete strangers.

[@faeriesmak]

My Mom says a TON of words incorrectly..she is autistic. I had to teach myself how to pronounce things correctly because of mis-learning them from her and then discovering that what she was saying was very, very incorrect. I have been told that I have a distinctive walk as well.

[@jamesmckean3221]

People always told me I was bouncing as I walked, but I wasn't aware of it. Like you, I started faking a "casual" walking style that was completely uncomfortable and unnatural to me.

[@kkuudandere]

A shame, because I find walking with a little bounce in my step quite fun and comfortable. But then I'm worried it will make me look even more "childish"

[@MorbinNecrim86]

I get that too, like what do they mean I'm bouncing?

[@dinosaurs_rule]

Unrelated to the video but your hair is so cool!! I'm getting mine cut soon and i think i might go for a style like yours :] love your content as an autistic teen

[@diospore]

I've been told I walk like I'm dancing, I swing my arms far to the sides like a cartoon penguin or a video game model A/T pose. I don't do it on purpose but it's harder to be out in public if I don't. And god I hate when people point it out.

[@josephine5257]

Pretty new here, but you are my new comfort channel 😂👋

[@DanaAndersen]

Happy to have you, and glad to be of service! 😂💕

[@SugarSwirl]

Im 19 and autistic and i usually get mistaken for 11-12 I didn’t realize it could be because of autism I thought I was just a late bloomer

[@flyygurl18]

I love your accent: super interesting video: had no idea these ideas about facial features where out there. I need to look up EDS cos I have no clue. I can confirm though that most autistic people I have met out and about do look much younger than their age..

[@UnvisibleGirl]

I defo have the autistic walk and stand, and have been mistaken for younger in my past, no idea about my accent thought, hate hearing my voice 🙃

[@nozo61]

A lot of creators have a sort of generic British or American accent, or maybe it’s a yt accent? I do love hearing the more regional accents, seems to add to the personality. I wonder if it’s a sensory thing, just liking the sound of words or accents. I can deliberately try and speak properly, no slang or swearing lol. When I swear I know I’m hyper or emotional, I need it to emphasise and I get OTT. More subconsciously, if I spend time with someone I’ll gradually start adopting their accent. I walk fast and springy, I lose my balance if I walk slow, but oh, I don’t have the face! I don’t think I can fit any more wrinkles on my face and they don’t respect boundaries!

[@westrain2]

Yes I am 68,but people say I look in my fifties. Did you think there is an autistic look. Love your accent 😊

[@TheCassierra908]

People have told me for quite a while that I look a lot younger than my age by probably 10 years. Usually I like it but sometimes I feel that Im not taken seriously. But then I feel like I'm younger too maybe because I look it. Also I do not know how to talk to people my age. I mostly know neurotypicals though so maybe it would be different with neurodivergents. I have wondered about that.

[@50m3th1n]

😅 you reminded me of when I'd only ever read the word macabre, and I'd pronounce it mackaber for years until i said it a friend who, thankfully, corrected me

[@lasphynge8001]

I'm from France and I moved to Québec (y'know, French Canada) which has its own accent and sayings etc. and funnily, I sometimes hear that "a French accent" (meaning a stripped down European or international French accent) is considered a clue that a child is autistic here.

[@fishinabox]

I love your accent. Especially with how much you can yak on and on! I am from Wolverhampton which is said to have the least intelligent accent in the UK. I am not broad but it’s there.

[@-book]

I've noticed that I and a few of my autistic friends sit different as well. I'm always curled up in a ball, even at desks.

[@keila_klips]

This was a fun discussion. I always got comments about how I talk and walk. And the awkward walk is so relatable. Like idk how to walk

[@lushxkitten]

Ive always got mistook for being younger. One time i was drinking beer outdoors and these guys walked past, looked at me and laughed and said to each other ‘shes like 12’. I was literally 18/19 (i cant remember exactly)

[@MorbinNecrim86]

Been asked a lot of I'm a pom, apparently I tend to speak with an English accent a lot, I put that down to growing up watching English programs more than American, and my grandmother always corrected my pronunciation, she spoke kinda posh like. And people tend to be shocked when I tell them my age, may not be just because of looks but my behavior too.

[@JonBrase]

4:52 I once knew a girl with an American accent that had the trap/bath split (as linguists call it). Her parents were from New Zealand, her and her brother grew up in Pakistan, and then they moved to the US later in childhood and has acquired American accents by the time I knew them. Her brother was young enough when they moved that he had a completely American accent, and her accent was mostly American, but she never got rid of the broad a. Given that American accents just *do not* do that, it sounded really, really weird.

[@orchidsadutchy4940]

Are your native language Danish or English? You mentioned living in Denmark for some time, and your name and appearance look very Danish. So i just assumed your mother tongue is Danish, but I might be wrong. As for ASD people speaking differently, not everyone do, but some do. For some it can be tone and volume. Maybe having a different accent could come from masking. We instinctively mimic other people, especially while growing up. I have heard some people change their accents without even noticing, while speaking with a person with a different accent. But we are all unique.

[@jackmellor5536]

I'm autistic and people think im around 22 when I'm 34. Also, I think I've got a Scottish-English hybrid accent. People in England think I sound Scottish, but Scottish people think I sound English. I'm originally from England but have lived most of my life in Scotland.

[@steveneardley7541]

I've lived in a bunch of places in the U.S., and have an odd mixture of mid-Atlantic, New England, and midwestern accents. I don't try to imitate accents, just pick them up sort of naturally. I live in New Mexico now, and hope I do not pick up the staccato Hispanic cadence. As an American, Dana's accent is easy to understand. The only weird thing is the verb "to sit" is conjugated differently in the U.S.: I sat, I have sat, I was sitting. "I was sat" is grammatically incorrect in American English. The British way of conjugating stand is also different.

[@helenaskew4851]

Age my hair has grey on it, but I am not old. I love scottish, English and American accent. I don't walk down unfamiliar stairs like the one at home. I didn't walk early as a child.

[@Authentistic-ism]

I'm 43 and have been mistaken for a teenager my whole life as a woman. Part of it might be a connective tissue thing, collagen/skin related but I don't think I have full hEDS because of my friends who do have it, they have much more joint hypermobility and stretchy skin than I do. But the other thing is I don't wear makeup. I've noticed other adult women who don't wear makeup get mistaken for significantly younger. Ironic isn't it? If I want to be taken seriously for something important I have to wear makeup to not be spoken to like a child. I think it's a misogyny thing and autistic women notice it becuase a lot of us choose not to wear makeup for sensory/dyspraxia reasons.

[@Authentistic-ism]

One time someone even misgendered at me as I got out of my car at a shop, calling me "young man" and asking me if I"m old enough to drive. I guess they thought I looked like a teen boy but once they saw me stand up they said "Oh sorry nevermind." Horrible

[@simonmcglary]

I’m 60 but my age is guessed at least 10 years down the way.

[@johnny_veritas]

😌 Making fewer facial expressions and not being out in the sun prevents wrinkles. 👕 Comfy clothing is a way of dressing of younger people

[@Blondythedragon]

Here in Denmark you can buy alcohol of any percentage as long as you are 18 of age. If you are 16, you can buy alcohol with up to 16%, meaning a can of beer at 4,5% is within the law for you to buy. Now, at the age of 21, I got the shock of my life when a store clerk asked for my ID, buying beer. This (60-ish)lady thought I was below 16 of age and it just baffled me. Fast forward to the age of 23(I think), I needed over-the-conter medicine prescribed by my doctor. The lady(also 60-ish) there completely ignored me, didn't at all discuss with me the change of medicine she would give me instead. She talked over me with another store clerk, asking them questions that was for me to answer. I don't like being percieved as a child, it's super uncomfortable, and I can honestly not wait to become 30 and up.

[@jenbloom6848]

In my 30s and 40s, I was always mistaken for my three sons’ sister in public settings.

[@aliciarosemusic]

Ohhh, so maybe that's why people always ask about my accent. An endless source of bafflement. I don't know if I walk funny but I have the opposite to you in that my feet turn badly inward, especially on one side, and as a result I always stand strangely with my legs crossed/twisted. I'll also sit in a chair with only the tips of my toes touching the floor. Idk why it just feels nice.

[@johnbillings5260]

I think our faces (at least) look younger in general. I get carded while in my middle 40s now. I've also been referred to as a son of my partner (happened with 2 different partners).

[@moments22]

We can’t change our scouse accents hun …. Been in London since 97 , still quite scouse . Also I have ASD 1 and look a lot younger than my age

[@DanaAndersen]

I didn’t start with it though! It’s not that I have an issue with the specific accent, just the existential crisis of what MY natural actual accent is 😂

[@MorbinNecrim86]

Ain't nothing wrong with a Scouse accent

[@paulinejulien9191]

I’m also 27 and people regularly assume I’m a teenager 🤦🏻‍♀️ I do think style plays a big role though. I could look a little older if I wanted to 🤷🏻‍♀️ I don’t know if I have EDS but I definitely have hypermobile joints 👍 my AuDHD partner definitely walks in an unusual way (maybe I do too 😂)

[@O-Demi]

I believe that us ND folks have a childhood of comments 'you're sitting wrong,' 'you're standing wrong', 'you're walking wrong.' In my case I specifically remember being made painfully aware that standing on your tip-toes is weird so now I often stand on the edges of my feet, which is also seen as weird, but I'm like 30 now so I don't care. I also pick up the accents from the shows I watch, and I also unconsciously copy the gestures of the people I like, or the things they do (like I still bite my lips the way my high school crush did it).

[@lauraburystedmundsyoga8231]

Really interesting video! I've also thought a lot about all these things even before I realised I'm autistic. I've always been considered awkward & clumsy (dyspraxia) & I wonder if that contributes to people thinking I'm younger than I am. I'm 20 years older than you are, but people regularly think I'm at least 10 years younger than my age. I've just started to get a few silver hairs, but apart from that I don't really look much different from photos of me decades ago. I don't have EDS, but I'm definitely hypermobile in some parts of my body. Yoga has massively helped me with my balance & proprioception & also taught me how to protect me joints by not over extending them & being aware of my posture. I also reflect accents I hear around me. I'm very good at accents too - we moved across London when i was little & I picked up the East End accent in a day to fit in at school! 💚

[@nannywhumpers5702]

My parents and grandparents yelled at me about how I walked, I remember hours with a book on my head. To this day, in my 50's, I think about how I walk when I walk. I don't really KNOW how to walk right. Also I do look younger than my age, one day I keep waiting for it to catch up with me.

[@emilyglonek7417]

0:33 my sister told me I had an autistic face the other day lol - It really confused me because what is that even supposed to mean

[@DanaAndersen]

I’d put a lot more stock in it if it didn’t seem to so exclusively apply to white/European features, but as it is I’m also confused 😂

[@emilyglonek7417]

@@DanaAndersen I agree, it's really weird

[@fishinabox]

Hi I have HEDS. Yes common with Autism but they say is not Autism because others have it. But if so common then what, is it or not. It was after my diagnosis I came across it and it was similar to looking up autism traits etc. I came across such and such and went oh! then came across such and such and went oh!. If you want to look it up then feel free to do so. Also there can be things as to how it affects people. Also have sandal gap toes. Apparently common with Autism and Downs. Also, I would rather walk than stand still. I like seeing the funny walks that some Autistic people do. Hope it is not patronising.

[@gmlpc7132]

Although I'm from a northern working class background I've never picked up much of a local accent and it does make me stand out from others. People have sometimes asked where I'm from assuming I must not be local. What maybe makes me stand out more though is speaking very formally. I try to speak more informally but find it hard - almost like trying to speak a foreign language without being fluent - so I probably slip in and out of formality which sounds strange. Plenty of autistic people do speak with local accents and use informal language so it's not a very common trait but probably autists are more likely to speak with either with an unusual accent or no accent or in other ways that aren't typical of those around them. By the way do not try to change the way you speak - it's fine and something that marks you out positively from many other autistic creators.

[@stargazerbird]

I have always been perceived as way younger all my adult life. I am 72 now and people think I am in my fifties. My dad was the same. Maybe we are autistic but I don’t think so. I am not hyper mobile either. My best friend has EDS and is aging worse than me. Some of us just have slow aging genes.

[@Fairyetheric]

I think that looking younger being healthy is great thing. As a man I'm 37 and I look 25. I teach students and I still shop at youth department at stores. I like to connect with students and I would not like if someone called me millennial or boomer :D

[@jules9669]

Trying to look "normal" as an autistic person reminds me of the scene in Parks and Rec where Leslie is trying to look natural and relaxed with several different awkward poses (bowling ep I think)

[@minecraftvillager8176]

When I first watched your videos, I was so confident that you were fully scouse based off of your accent but now I don’t really hear it anymore. I think your accent is getting more midlands over time

[@newworldlove7031]

I love your accent. Please don't change anything too fit in with anyones narrow minded views. How is your gorgeous cat?

[@nygmasc]

About the accent, I found it interesting. I pick up on other people's accents and particular words/expression so much that I get accused of copying but I'm literally absorbing it. And I always thought I don't have the same accent as the rest. I'm Argentinian, in my country there are several different accents but I don't think I fit in any. I can recognize someone from my own country having this or that accent but mine doesn't fit.

[@oiytd5wugho]

jeez, I definitely relate to those things. But, honestly, I don't know if I relate because autism or for other reasons. Like, I'm trans and everyone who transitions seems to look a bit younger so it might be that (I have my theory as to why but that'd be too long of a long comment, I think.) I'm bilingual and I wasn't a fan of my voice growing up so it's all a little odd on the accent front. I guess walking/stance might be just autism, but idk.

[@brbrbrbreannad3610]

Oh my gosh, my knees also sometimes bend backwards when I stand up! My natural positions seems to be with my legs as straightened out as possible. I was in marching band in high school (It’s an American thing) and the band director would tell us to not straighten our legs too much and keep our knees slightly bent so that we’d be more stable. So I just assumed that everyone defaulted to the same knee position I did and that everyone struggled with trying to keep their knees bent in the right direction, because if other people weren’t having the same issue, the band director wouldn’t have to say anything, right? I just figured I was particularly bad at keeping them in the right direction, just like I’m terrible at sitting up straight. For the knees and the sitting up straight in particular, keeping these bits of my posture “correct” takes more repeated conscious effort for me than I think is normal. Honestly, I think marching band probably helped with this issue. I was never in occupational therapy, but I feel like it could’ve had a similar effect on my ability to keep my knees bent the right way.

[@AmeliaEarhart53756]

My sister is autistic and 29, she'll be 30 in December, but to me she looks like she's 16 or 17 lol. Also, you look like you're like 13 or 14 lol. It's not your clothes, it's your face. And I like your accent!

[@thexpax]

Dana's🌹accent is great. It's interesting especially for viewers... a character of her channel !

[@Major-DoMo]

Sometimes walking and moving feels like I got thrown into fashion show or a theatre without being given the instructions. I do my best and have seen it done before, but nobody told me which character I am supposed to be playing today hahah. I get asked allll the time where I am from, (35 now and lived in the same city all my life) and I get sooo confused. Just gotten used to telling folks that I’m a social chameleon and pick up accents from people I meet. I swear I sound like everyone else, but anyone from out of town doesn’t track me as a local any more.

[@JonBrase]

I don't have EDS, but I do have a fair degree of hypermobility (which has decayed somewhat with age and weight gain). I don't have great joint stability, and standing still for long periods is painful, so if I'm not walking I tend to sway a fair bit. This may have to do with having trouble walking slow: it gets to be more like standing than like walking because your legs have a certain physically optimum pace, and going slower is less efficient and requires extra work from certain muscles. It would also be interesting to see if autism and/or hypermobility correlates with longer than usual limb proportions: that would tend to drive the natural pace up. I've noticed that other autists tend to share a fair number of characteristics to the way they stand with me: Lots of standing with one foot on top of the other, lots of rolling the foot to stand on one edge for a bit as a sort of stim, etc.

[@DJ_Black_Tourmaline]

my home region has a very extreme accent (e.g. autistic and artistic are pronounced the same way) and i never liked it so i adopted the pronunciations i heard on tv as a child. i have lived in so many different regions of America since i left home that i have ended up adopting the pronunciation of individual words in whichever accent they sounded best to me. it's a pastiche form of television and assorted local colloquialisms of diverse origin. somehow i end up sounding like Mork from Ork. shazbot!

[@magnus6881]

Dana you are definitely one of the most relatable autistic person for me. I feel that the way you talk about autism is so true.

[@jules9669]

Does anybody know what to do with their hands when they walk???

[@HomemakerDaze]

I look much younger and I walk fast

[@TubeWusel]

Can someone with too much money donate a mic? Terrible echoy sharp sound can be a real issue...

[@DanaAndersen]

I’m sorry 😅 I do what I can in editing, but all I have for filing is a 2020 iPhone SE so I can only do so much

[@stephenie44]

There is an AMAZING YT video called “This AUTISM/ADHD Trait can get you in trouble.” By Neurodivergent Doctor about linguistic convergence and it REALLY explains the adopting accents thing.

[@flyygurl18]

yeah good video

[@Randoplants]

There is a similar age thing among trans people,

[@DanaAndersen]

The big cross over between autistic people and also being members of the LGTQ+ makes me wonder if it’s stemming from the same thing

[@UnvisibleGirl]

I must have double the age power then =.=

[@DanaAndersen]

You actually look like a freshly born baby

[@UnvisibleGirl]

@@DanaAndersen 😂

[@blanketthecat3586]

Likely also tied to autism. Most trans people I’ve met have been autistic or seem pretty obviously neurodivergent.

[@pleepish]

family pointing out how i pronounced words or sometimes even which words i chose to use was continuous throughout my childhood (autistic adult now).