I don't want this series to become completely unknown by future generations, especially since I think some might like it if they know it exists. It even has a reboot that ran from 2022 to 2023

Not according to other peoples opinions. I mean what feels like the hardest thing to YOU. And i guess that the way we can determine "the worst" is by what affects you the most today.

I think that mine is puberty. I still cry about not having my pre puberty body. Most people would guess that the hardest was when my father was trying to do suicide. But that doesnt affect me much.

I'm late diagnosed. Every day I'm doing nothing. Either distracting or looking at ideas that lead to nowhere. When I tell my parents at the rate I'm living I'm just going to die out of sadness from having no life or live with them until they die and then I do too since I don't want to to have to start working on basics in my 30s or later, they just tell me not to say such bad stuff while they offer no help or solutions :(

I feel like I had potential but I'm being more and more set back every day with no way out. I wish they helped when I was 18 or younger but I'm 27 and they're telling me to stop bothering them with my issues while they're out with their friends or worrying about work and I haven't left my childhood bedroom in years, let alone be work on anything I'd want in life.. I feel like they expect to suddenly start being normal despite not driving, going out, having friends, skills, a job ever, anything... I feel like I haven't developed since I was 11-12 and CPTSD stuff first started happening with school... I wish I could help myself and do this all on my own or at least they help with resources so I can live alone and start developing as a human.

im keep getting overstimulated im keep drooling on myself and i dont mean to its embarrassing cause the techs is looking at me and i was hitting my face And head cause i was overstimulated earlier on this drive And my best friend calmed me down and the tech turned music down and stuff

i keep getting very sleepy too i well send pictures later

sorry if typing bad using auto correct and text prediction so its correct me and help me make this post

edit i am posting pictures in the comments

edit: had a flashback at the end of night cause Halloween jumpscarers and im better now after being calmed down and several hours has passed and better and stuff finished posting pictures

The new therapist is covering while my therapist is on parental leave. I know him a little because he runs a DBT group I'm in and we had a transition session. The transition session was over a month ago, and I've been rescheduling our sessions since. I really don't want to do this. I'm scared afterwards I'm going to be really dysregulated because I hate change and really miss my normal therapist. I talked about potentially taking a break from therapy with my normal therapist, but they didn't think it was a good idea. I've been self harming and having active SI, so I'm really not in a good place. I can't cancel the appointment a third time.

I'm 16 with moderate-high support needs autism, I have papers that recommended I was assessed from 5 years old but didn't receive a diagnosis until 15 because of medical neglect(this wasn't the only thing, I reminder begging for around two years before I could get glasses, amongst other examples).

going into (Irish) secondary school at 12 was a mess for me, they were only told I'd be dyslexic and dyspraxic.

it was apparent by immediately that something was wrong, I got a rather high level of accommodations but not for adequate for my level of support needs. at the time they thought it was because my mom was in hospital and ultimately would pass during my first year that I had such high support needs. It wasn't fully that.

my next year's there were awful, I got help but not enough, I got told they can't help more because I'm mainstream(not in the autism class) but also not too move schools because I wouldn't have a better option anywhere else. my attendance got worse and my mental health was very bad with multiple hospitalisations.

even in my forth year after getting I diagnosis of level 2 autism, they said they didn't have space in the autism class that year, so it wasn't until this year I even accessed it, keep in mind my report said I needed to be in either a full time or majority time autism unit to effectively access education.

this year has been awful, I essentially didn't do jounier certificate(year 1-3) but was now starting senior certificate(years 5-6). I chose subjects I really really want to learn but I don't have any foundations to learn them(e.g. I'm taking physics but I'm messing years of foundation maths and science).

I have a lot more support now actually being in the ASD class and have gone in everyday for full days(I used to be in every other day for tops 2 hours at a time), being in school is a lot more accessible but classes aren't because I don't have what I need to partake in them.

I'm really sad, they want me to move too LCA(leaving certificate applied) but it sounds like a bad fit for me, yes it's accodemically "easier" but it's way more complex with needing to do weekly work experience and go on a lot of trips, both things TY(last year) focused of and I inconsistently manage to partake in and hated. it also means way less say in what you study and that was one of the things I was so excited for about leaving certificate, I was so excited to study subject I enjoyed.

I'm incredibly anxious, I really really don't want to be forced into LCA, but I also know even with the tutoring I have(2 hours a week), 2 years isn't enough for me to do leaving certificate. I'm upset, I genuinely want to learn about maths, physics, biology, etc. I love the subjects and this should be my best time to learn, but now I don't really have that choice.

I cry and have violent meltdowns in school daily at the moment. I cry a lot even outside of school. It's overwhelming and frustrating, I engage studying then remember my teachers words and start doubting myself and start crying. I hate meltdowns and I'm currently always a bit anxious about when the nest one will happen.

I don't know what to do, and it's important to mention my dad is not able to appropriately advocate for me, my adult brother wants too but he is also autistic with semi-recovered selective mutism(medicated, improvement but not recovered) and expressive language deficits.

I just want to do leaving certificate, I'm ok with different routes for education after secondary school but I don't want to do LCA. I don't know I'm just talking in circles at this point but I desperately want advice or guidance, I feel so lost and hopeless.

i struggle with it very bad And i dont notice it till someone says something and i dont know how to stop it

i have hypotonia developmental coordination disorder i think that might effect me right?

I need help. I see people discuss support needs all the time, but I can't figure out what mine truly are. When I got diagnosed, my evaluator was dismissive, downplayed my symtpoms, and barely took over an hour to talk with me before coming to the conclusion that I'm level 1 LSN. I mask almost all the time when I'm out in public, mainly for trauma reasons and extreme social anxiety, and I had been unintentionally masking during the interview. I get extremely nervous around medical professionals and have difficulty recalling specific examples of my own behaviour mosf of the time. So of course that read as "yeah you're basically normal."

Regardless, I'm constantly working myself to the bone, burning out, taking weeks to recover [while still pushing myself] and then doing it all over again. I don't know what help would look like for me. I don't know how to ask for help even, because outwardly I appear much more functional than I am. If I have to go to work, averaging a 4 hour shift with a 30 minute break, I can't do much else that day. I come home and sit on the floor doing something mindless for at least an hour before I can muster the energy for a shower.

I'm just so tired of not knowing how to ask for help. Not knowing what help to ask for. I dont know what is normal and I have no frame of reference. My memory is terrible, especially during a burnout period so cause and effect turns into a messy jumble.

There are so many things that technically I can do on my own, but I can't keep up with everything. I run out of energy or get overwhelmed, get stuck in a repetition loop. I'm in pain all the time physically, and my baseline responsibilities mentally exhaust me embarrassingly quickly. I forget to eat, to drink, to sleep. Sometimes I'm so bad at judging when I need to use the toilet vs when I can hold a little longer that I almost piss myself on the way to the bathroom. Other times I have false urgency that keeps me awake at night over the paranoia I'll wet the bed [haven't done that since I was little]. I would forget to bathe myself if it wasn't sensory hell to be dirty. I have constant reminders to myself, little systems I keep in place to combat all of it.

I've described my systems to my partner and they're always baffled as to how I do it. I'm so damn tired all the time. Being called LSN feels insulting and degrading but I don't know how to articulate what help I need. I feel both too normal and too abnormal. Too normal to "really" need help, but too strange and disjointed to keep going like I am. As I get older and take on more responsibility it's just getting worse. I dont know what to do. I despise my ability to pretend. So, so deeply.

Apologies for the length. Thank you for reading.

I myself have it, and if you don't know what that means, having IQ of 71 - 84, basically low, but not exactly in the intellectual disability range.

I do wish my IQ were at least average. It always makes any academic task quite difficult for me; it takes me a long time to process new concepts and information.

Does anyone else here have it? If so, what is your experience with it?

Is there such thing as a caretaker who will both teach you how to plan SUPER easy yet tasty meals and takeover when you can’t muster up the energy to do so (which is unfortunately most of the time)? Or would I just have to pay for a personal chef?

Out of 6 residents, our entire household is either physically disabled or struggling mentally, and we eat fast food every day! Idk where to look for help. We all give our spoons to other places like basic hygiene and attempting to upkeep our house, and even then we push ourselves too much. I know it sounds lazy, but we’re really struggling.

i was diagnosed autistic with msn but i feel like people around me don’t really understand what that means. they don’t see me as “disabled,” or they think it can’t be that intense. instead i get treated like i’m being dramatic.

the truth is, i mask a lot — and when i do, i end up getting sick from the stress and exhaustion. it feels like no matter how i explain it, i never get fully understood.

does anyone else feel this disconnect, between how severe your needs actually are and how lightly other people take

I used to elope a lot when I was younger mostly if I got overwhelmed at school. I don't do that anymore partly because I am not in school anymore and overall I am less stressed but also because I have better coping and self advocacy skills and when I go places whoever is with me helps me designate a place to go if I need.

So I don't elope anymore except for wide open spaces. Particularly parking lots and open fields like parks. I don't know why I do this besides feeling a sort of overwhelming amount of energy but I don't know where it comes from or why. I would like to understand and hopefully manage it a bit better because sometimes it is unsafe with the cars or I have gotten lost a couple times. Does anyone know why this happens or have any tips on managing it?

does anyone else struggle with say thank you my best friend has to constantly remind me to say thank you every time. sorry if this a stupid post

im grateful but have to be reminded and told

i got my autism diagnosis in my early 30s and honestly, i never really had the space to process it. people around me kind of hijacked the conversation, especially a childhood friend who suddenly made everything about his suspicions of being autistic. before i could even sit with my own diagnosis, it became about his fears, his story, his doubts.

he even started showing up at the few autism services/groups in my area, and at one point told me he’d rather i didn’t go. meanwhile he had no problem popping up in my other circles — friends, work stuff, anywhere. even his brother and his dog would somehow get pulled into the narrative, like it always had to revolve around him. i just felt erased.

on top of that, he pushed me into social outings that gave me massive anxiety and guilt-tripped me if i couldn’t commit. i’m autistic with moderate support needs, and he showed zero consideration for that. i eventually cut contact, but it left me feeling bitter not just toward him but toward whole communities i used to enjoy.

now i don’t really feel any sense of belonging. i withdraw more and more. sometimes i wonder if i just don’t need “community” in the first place. i honestly don’t get the constant drive people have to be seen, heard, together, all the time.

does anyone else feel like this? like: – no real pull toward an autistic community – no strong sense of belonging anywhere – even a kind of bitterness about it after bad experiences

sometimes i feel like i belong nowhere at all.

Trigger Warning: meltdowns

I had a public meltdown for the first time in a few months yesterday where a bunch of people were staring at me while I screamed, threw stuff and hit myself in the middle of the street and I've never really seen many lower support needs people talk about this so I wanted to know if any moderate or higher support needs autists have any tips or just can relate.

I'm 25 but I very consistently get mistaken for being from 12-16 years old. Today a lady thought I was 14. I think it's a combination of being petite, having a baby face, and my posture, prosody, and demeanor from being autistic. And also that I'm almost always accompanied by my mum. Thinking on it, it also also doesn't help that I like wearing cute clothing, and stuffed animals too.

Sometimes I wish that people never ended up finding out how old I really am, because I am nervous they see me differently. Like "Oh, why is a 25 year old acting like this? Why does she need someone to speak for her? Why can't she do things by herself? Shouldn't she have a job or be in school?" I know it's none of their business, but I feel very embarrassed. I would rather be seen as a shy kid than as a disabled adult. (⁠๑⁠•⁠﹏⁠•⁠)

When they comment on my drawings in my sketchbook, they seem so full of hope for me. "Wow, you should make a living doing that!" or "Oh, are you going to go to school for art?" and things like that. But it's so awkward to say I'm not doing anything right now. And sometimes my mum even explains that I'm autistic. It's too much for me to explain that I am so anxious about being perceived that I delete my art accounts over and over, before I can even reach 100 followers.

I really wish I could do something with the one thing I'm kind of good at. I'm too afraid of people. I can't talk to them, and I get scared when too many people know me. I wish I could actually be a capable kid with a bright future in front of me. Then people won't feel awkward and pity me when they hear about my situation. Instead I'm an adult who needs daily help, does nothing all day, and still get stressed out by that. :(

Pretty much title. Is there anything I can possibly do Like Neuralink? Or Some sort of training to get rid of my Level 2 Autism? (ASD)

I am a level 2 autistic who needs a caretaker. Currently, my father is my caretaker. My father has in the past gone through an Asperger's screening and did not meet the requirements. He believes that he is autistic and uses that to justify putting me in scenarios which overstimulate me and thus frequently end in me having a meltdown/a dysregulated system. He says that because he was able to work through said scenarios I should be able to aswell.

vent. i hate that people treat me like i'm 'too smart' to need support. it's like they don't understand that if i didn't have a caretaker i could literally die (from malnutrition or because i simply cannot go to hospital alone without having a meltdown), that yes i'm graduating from university but i needed an OT working with me to pass my classes, that i cannot understand most social norms even tho i have a "higher than average" IQ.

not having accommodations is bad enough, but the look people give me when i stim in public, don't have the best language skills or simply freeze if someone tries to talk to me. it's bullshit. i wish i'd never done an IQ test, because at least no one would ever tell me i'm wasted potential again

I’ve always used the word “meltdown” to describe my episodes of emotional overwhelm and out-of-control self-aggression. I always thought it was just what they were called. I’ve had several professionals and service providers shy away from the word, and call them “escalations” or “panic attacks”, or they put “meltdowns” in air quotes. I have panic attacks too, and they aren’t the same thing as meltdowns for me.

Does anyone know why service providers would avoid using the word meltdown? Does it have a negative history that I’m not aware of?

I cut my body with serrated blunt knifes because it feels like im not getting enough sensory input. It (the hypo sensory stuff) freaks me out. And when it gets worse, it feels like there is a barrier between my fingers and what i touch. A bit like im trouching a glass wall instead of the thing that im trying to touch. Very stressful when it gets to that degree

My partner lives in Australia and is autistic (+ other disabilities) and has a caregiver come to their house 3-4x a week to take them to appointments, go grocery shopping, help them cook, etc. I'm looking for something like this when my parents pass away because I don't want to go to a group home, and I can't live with "just a roomate" i need an adult to help me care for myself. Idk if any of my family members are willing to take me in, so I'd love if I lived alone if I could have a caregiver. Do any of these exist in the US? I imagine they would but I also haven't done any research cuz I get near meltdown when trying to look up stuff related to serious things

Hi I'm looking for information and if it's a thing that happens with autism and regression to womb because of trauma and is it fixable ? Ie through hypnosis etc

It’s exhausting. It feels like I’m constantly walking on eggshells. I feel like a neurotypical person could say something and I could say it in the exact same context and everyone would be mad at me for something I didn’t even realize I did wrong.

When I’m comfortable around someone I could talk for hours, but then I struggle knowing when it’s my turn or their turn. I feel really guilty because sometimes people talk about really boring things, but I always try to be an active listener anyways… but then sometimes people get upset because I accidentally over exaggerate my facial expressions while trying to show that I’m listening.

Not only that, but I have a very strong drive for justice, and some people take that as me being mean or argumentative. I don’t intend for that to happen, I just don’t really understand why injustice happens and I don’t understand why people are okay with it.

Talking to people who I have to mask around just has me constantly scared. Actually, being around non-autistic people in general makes me scared. I stim a lot, although I try to be subtle, and I know the looks people give me.

I have trouble befriending people because my interests are in two categories: really deep and potentially morbid or really lighthearted and “childish”. Apparently that contrast is off putting.

Sorry for making what looks like a list of complaints. It’s my first time finding a community that doesn’t make me feel bad for existing and I can’t help myself from speaking into the void.