Forgetting About The Tism

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#autism #actuallyautistic #autismacceptance #autismawareness #neurodiversity #neurodivergent #autisticadults #autistic

[joannelewis]

People in my life forget I’m autistic, except when it’s something they can weaponise to condemn me. They also forget the trauma I’ve experienced and expect me to speak and behave to suit their expectations.

[ProjectZERO.Gundam]

Me too bro. This is exactly how my family and my extended family act. Although sometimes they purposely ignore my autism because they don't want me to be autistic.

[jessiebrickley]

I experience this with EDS too. People, often people with no physical or neuro differences, are so caught up in their own experience of the world that they forget that other people face barriers that they don’t. I think of it as a form of ableism - they have the privilege of moving through life with far fewer challenges; the privilege of forgetting that it’s not like that for everyone.

[altyrrell]

I have a chronic illness that I've had to repeatedly explain to my family. I suspect that some of them haven't learned about my illness on their own at all. It's really frustrating.

[Etobicoke]

Trauma of child abuse also has the same difficulties in dealing with people who have not been abused. Autism left me open to abuse and confused about how other kids functioned. Masking to survive the extreme isolation has meant I have self advocated with no support but antagonism from family, local authority and the mental unhealthy system which only.knows how to label and medicate symptoms rather than find out the root causes of my inability to enjoy life let alone function and hold down jobs. I am beginning to experience enjoyment for the first time more than despair and confusion at the age of 60. I had a private diagnosis aged 58 and had 36 years of struggle to find therapy which helps me to parent my child selves split off to survive abuse.

[BabyBobRossJalapeno]

Thomas, your videos are resonating so deeply with me and many others I see. This happens with complex PTSD/High fx ASD as well. It’s not easy to have to repeat for self advocacy. And I hear you that you’re not bashing anyone. It’s not an upset with them, it’s just a generalized feeling. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us. You’re helping me gain the courage I need to advocate more frequently for myself. I’m 54. Just starting. Grateful for the younger generations who are so brave to share their journeys. 🫂

[randomdude]

My food habbits clashing with neurotypical family members and me having to repeat myself.
I can't mask anymore ( not in my home too )
I will complain but it hurts their feelings sometimes or makes them irritated.
My brother called it having more demands.

[autumnpendergast]

At least you are able to explain it. For those of us in our 50s 60s and beyond who have lived our whole lives desperately trying to advocate without an explanation. Deeply deeply traumatising. 50 plus yeats of thinking we were completely broken. That it was normal to live with chronic pain EDS etc. That we were weak and stupid for having meltdown etc. Be glad you can articulate what you are going through.

[sameusmaximus]

I remember trying to tell my friends this and they just accused me of being self centred.

[chesneymigl]

What I don't get is why it's so hard for them to "remember" when someone else can mention they're diabetic once and it's remembered at every gathering with food.

Understanding autism isn't that hard people!

[ar.a]

People don't 'forget', People don't give a s***. Your advocacy is only mostly for yourself, your channel and others that can relate. There will always exist a battle between tribes, even when you're not looking for a fight and want to just be left alone

[RedDeadLore]

Im pretty sure its your responsibility to deal with uour own stuff. The way my MARRIAGE works is my husband tells me whats wrong with me and i work on it. Then I tell him whats wrong with him and he works on it... No one should CATER TO YOU. Especially not your partner.

[Flynow-]

Why do meltdowns in high functioning autistic kids seem like dramatic scenes from a movie? It's more like a performance than someone who is genuinely struggling and the performance is to get people to feel sorry for them rather than hold them accountable for their bad behavior.