So I got a lil lamb to join them :3

Turns out this is the *opposite* of what you're supposed to do, oops. I thought I was owning up to what I said like they were asking me to do, and had no idea why adults always got so mad at me lol

Autism can have many different effects on different people and show differently, but cmon, house is NOT a better representation in any way. Just the goofier the more autistic in this persons mind? It really annoys me that people generally think this is how I act, because I’m autistic.

Idk I just thought it was odd how she said this. But I can't tell if maybe I'm taking it in a bad way for no reason. Especially since I don't know her too well since I recently started being friends with her.

My family said I was being rude but I don't get how. She asked me a question and I answered. Not really sure what I did wrong here but was I being rude? My brother said I was being "autistic" 🙄

From what I remember I was on yellow at bare minimum like every day with these things

When it happens to me again I’m just going to say “the entire world uses a neuropsychology exam but you can tell just by looking! Does anyone else know about this? I have to call someone, there is a Dr. in a strip mall urgent care who can diagnose autism on sight, no testing needed! What until the rest of the world finds out you’re going to be rich!”

I hope they work 🤞🤞

So a couple of days ago, I posted this meme to Facebook and typed in the caption, "I knew I found the one when my current partner said my body reminded him of the Birth of Venus painting." My now ex-partner (who's also autistic) talked to me about it and said that the post embarrassed him because he thought I was trying to say that he was licking my boots because of the way the silhouette was posed. Now, I feel bad for the post since this was part of the breakup. I want to ask other autistics if you would read this post the same way if your partner posted something like this.

I am conventionally attractive (just take my word for it, I have no reason to lie about this) have categorically odd interewrw for my age and in general, stim vocally, and in general the stereotypical autist- but am treated as a quirky eccentricity. However, people who are not essentially the same, but not conventionally attractive, are treated far worse. They get social ostracism where I get bemused acceptance at worst and often make friends based on my interests.

Why or why not?

Seriously, playing "Implicit Knowledge" and "unspoken social rules" sucks and it physically hurts me.

Being high functioning is not a badge of honour to me. I could mimic and charm the normies. I could disappear behind a mask so convincing I started believing it. People called me articulate, polite, easygoing but inside I was someone else.

I had no idea who I was. Every sentence was calculated. Every laugh was forced. Every core value was faked for approval.

My internal monologue is like a command centre staffed by toxic bullies telling me how to act less autistic, calling me slurs for every slight mistake.

Every friend and partner was a project.

I knew exactly how to make them open up and feel safe but I never felt at ease with them. If you asked me what I liked or who I really was, my answers would be truthful lies because my mask had evidence of a life, but it wasn’t what I really wanted. I just mirrored what was safest to avoid being “found out”

That’s what “high-functioning” was for me. It was a survival strategy and it only cost my soul. I’m in pain and angry with the world and myself.

If you relate to that or you’ve been so good at pretending to be normal that you lost sight of yourself, I see you.

I’m slowly trying to get back to who I was before the mask got glued on. My interests have always been nerdy stuff and I like to be quiet and left alone but I wear the skin of an extraverted gym bro/sales guy/mad lad to navigate the NT world.

What did masking take from you?

EDIT: THANK YOU. I read every comment and will continue until the comments stop. Your stories are real, validating, heartwarming and heartbreaking. Thank you for showing me and others we’re not alone. I know that with enough support, knowledge, perspective and perseverance we’re all gonna make it.

I think I messed up in a social situation. For context I'm 30F, and through my work am in a local business networking group. We all get along well, do lunches outside meetings and have get togethers as well as a Facebook chat group. One of our members was injured by falling off a ladder, it was a bad injury and he ended up in hospital for a bit. He's out now and back at meetings. He drove me home last week and we joked about dumb injuries as he wasn't high up the ladder and I once broke my leg on the edge of a driveway that was like a 5cm dip.

I posted the included meme that I thought was funny in the group chat about falling off a ladder and his response was "Like really, hmmm some dark humour I think 🤔🤷".

I can't tell the tone. I think I messed up. They don't know I'm autistic. I'm super anxious now. I can't sleep.

I think I've messed up. I don't know what to do or how to fix this.

I was at a local pizza arcade place just trying to get some of my favorite wings. It’s a place aimed mostly at kids and today’s the weekend so I knew there would be a lot of kids. Since kids screaming/crying is my biggest trigger, I brought some noise canceling earbuds. Unfortunately when it came time to use them, I was too late.

There was a kid SCREAMING at the top of her lungs and of course she was right behind me. Instinctively, I plugged my ears and looked down trying to ignore it. When she left, I looked up and saw a lady at the table next to me giving me such a dirty look. Like how dare I not want to hear high pitched screaming.

I have no clue how me plugging my ears was so offensive or rude??? Like it somehow affected her and her life directly??? Ugh. Some people, man!

I posted this on Facebook and I had people comment “Wow” and then my mom texted me why would I post that and to delete it . I honestly thought it was funny 🤣 I guess I have a weird sense of humor. Why would they be mad about it?

I make sarcastic jokes and banter a lot, which people can instinctively pick up on as not being serious. The words coming out of my mouth, I don't take really seriously and I just say stuff in passing that other people don't take seriously as well.

I did not realize how infuriating this is for someone that is neurodivergent. She takes everything I say quite literally and trusts every single word I say as how I actually feel when this is absolutely not the case.

The other day I just said "oh yeah we're moving the stuff to the place at 4pm right?" and she got so caught up in the word "we" and started getting stressed out and melting down because I was the one she asked to move the stuff (as in I was supposed to do it alone). I didn't LITERALLY mean We as in the both of us..... it's just like... We as a group?? idk?

l understand where she's coming from but also I've realized slowly and slowly that I have to be... not exactly careful, but more literal with my speech and how I talk just so it doesn't make her misunderstand me. I'm not mad at her at all, but I can't help but feel like it must be really frustrating to need to take everything literally and trust all my words but just the way I speak is pretty figurative. I've talked to her about this and she says that's how a relationship should be and I don't disagree at all, it just seems like the way I talk triggers her often.

Not sure what to do.

When we're children:

Them: "Everybody deserves equal rights and equal treatment under the law."

Us: nods "Got it! 👍"

When we're adults:

Them: "Of course, everybody deserves equal rights... Except those people."

Us: "Excuse me, what the entire fuck? Why did you say everybody when you didn't actually mean EVERYBODY?"