26 Results in as or nt

Am I just an introvert rather than autistic?

I have always been a very quiet person and I am happiest when I am on my own. These are key aspects of introversion, which is feeling energised when on your own, (as opposed to extroversion, which is feeling energised when you are with others). Whenever I am spending time with someone, I can feel my social energy declining, and I am always relieved to be on my own again. Not because I didn't enjoy my time with the person, but because socialising doesn't energise me. Introversion explains a lot about me. Learning about introversion has been really helpful. In fact, before I knew I had Asperger's Syndrome, I just thought that the reason I was so different to others was because I was more introverted than them. However, I have still always felt extremely 'different' to other (neurotypical) introverts - and this is because I am autistic. I created a film to explain the differences between autistic introverts and neurotypical introverts. I hope you enjoy it!

How does social anxiety differ for autistic people?

Long before I knew I had Asperger's Syndrome, my GP said I had social anxiety. I did some reading on social anxiety and although it did sort of fit me, it wasn't an exact fit. Most of the literature on social anxiety talked about people who have self-critical, negative thoughts such as... "Nobody likes me" "What if I make a fool of myself?" "I'm such a failure at socialising" I sort of had these thoughts, but wasn't really sure. Those thoughts were probably more linked to being young and feeling insecure generally rather than anything else. As I got older and after I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome I realised that the thoughts I was actually having were more linked to my social communication difficulties rather than believing people to be judging me. I like myself and I know that I am a nice person! So once I fully understood and accepted that I had Asperger's Syndrome, I no longer had those sorts of thoughts at all. The reason for my social anxiety, now that I know I have ASD, is more to do with finding social interactions extremely difficult and overwhelming.

The Dissociation Effect

The Dissociation* Effect is a way to describe what autistic people might experience during a group social situation. It also describes what neurotypical people might experience in comparison. *Note that 'Dissociation' is a recognised psychological experience with trauma. It is not the same as what I am talking about in this article. Watch our awesome animation to see The Dissociation Effect explained:

What is Executive Function?

Executive function is the set of mental skills that helps people get things done, such as planning, working memory, organisation and how to manage the steps of a task. Autistic people tend to have weak executive function and struggle with these mental skills. Watch our amazing animation to understand a fantastic explanation of this complicated idea:

What does having no instincts mean?

One of the most severe difficulties associated with autism is the difficulty imagining what might happen in a situation. You could describe this as social imagination or just simply lacking instinct. Most neurotypical people will go into any situation and be able to cope with it on the spot. The situation can be anything, for example going on the train, going to a cafe, meeting friends, going to the GP or going to a conference. In most instances they don't have to do much 'preparation' beforehand, or least not overly conscious or right-to-the-very-last-detail preparation. Autistic people, on the other hand, have a tendency to either overprepare or underprepare.

What does “different not less” mean?

There is a phrase that goes around the internet that says, “Autistic people are different, not less.” I never understood what this phrase meant until I stopped and thought about it. There is actually quite a lot of deep insight behind this phrase that many people (including me!) do or did not understand. What is… Join The Curly Hair Project Community Today This article is available only to members of our community. If you would like to continue to read this articl…

Autism – a difference or disability?

In the UK autism is a recognised disability. I have noticed that some autistic people don't consider their autism to be a disability. This interests me as I feel strongly that my autism is a disability, however I can also see why people might think otherwise. What is meant by a disability? A disability is an impairment that affects a person's life.

What is meant by ASD ‘thought processes’?

On further contemplation about whether ASD is part of my personality or is it separate, I began thinking about my thoughts. I think that what human beings think about is linked to their personality which pushes me even further to conclude that ASD is a part of my personality. Obviously it is a deep complex… Join The Curly Hair Project Community Today This article is available only to members of our community. If you would like to continue to read this article, along with receivi…

Another way of looking at “challenging behaviour”

Throughout my life I have found myself in trouble on numerous occasions. I think this is because other people think that my behaviour is strange, naughty or thoughtless and sometimes the things that I do come as a complete surprise to others. But when people look a bit deeper and try to understand me, my behaviour completely makes sense. I’m no longer “difficult” but someone that is very anxious and has quite severe and complex communication difficulties. The issues surrounding my behaviour usually happen because I have difficulty communicating with people and they have difficulty communicating with me. I have three excellent examples I can think of. The first is when my workplace was organising the local community fair. This is a fair where local shops each have a stand and the fair attracts many people from the community. My workplace had a stand and my colleagues had asked me whether I could help out on the stand. My immediate thought was "no!" I tried to say to my colleagues that I wasn't able to help out but somehow this communication was either lost or ignored and, as what normally happens, I ended up doing something I didn't want to do - in this case, I ended up helping out on the stand at the fair.

Why am I so critical and how to manage it

The most common definition of to criticise is: "to express disapproval of the perceived faults or mistakes of someone or something." People on the autistic spectrum are often described by other people, as being too critical. Someone who is too critical can be a difficult sort of person to be around. I know that I have a tendency to annoy people by pointing out their mistakes all the time, and that I can ruin other people's enjoyment or experiences if we are out somewhere or doing something and all I do is find faults with the situation...