12 Results in introvert

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!

Autistic introversion vs autistic extroversion

I always used to think that autistic people could only ever be introverted. As The Curly Hair Project developed, I soon realised this belief was completely false, because I have come across so many autistic extroverts. In this article I want to discuss why people might have the belief that autistic people are introverted, what the differences are between autistic introverts and extroverts, and how we can possibly support each type so that they have a fulfilling and enjoyable life!

How reactive are you?

Someone who is unreactive might never say or do anything at all. Someone who is very reactive might talk too much, might talk inappropriately, might stand too close to people, be too "touchy-feely", or they might attempt to 'take over' an activity being done. The former is what you probably understand to be an autistic introvert, the latter an autistic extrovert.

Why have I become more introverted?

I quite often read that people feel they become more introverted as they get older. I was wondering how this was relevant to autistic people. Let me investigate...

Is apathy a symptom of an ASD?

This is an interesting topic of discussion! There's some thinking that people on the autistic spectrum lack emotions. I can say that for me this is true a lot of the time in terms of apathy. Apathy: lack of interest, enthusiasm or concern Apathy may be a symptom of an Autism Spectrum Disorder. If somebody has a different world view and experience to the majority of people (neurotypical people) around them, it means they are unlikely to share the same values and desires and have the same motivations. It does not mean that a person is necessarily lacking emotions, but rather that they may feel differently about things and may feel apathetic about the things that stir emotion in most other people.

Difficulties associated with being an introvert

Once I learned what introversion was, a lot of things made sense to me. I am an introvert. Once I began to understand what it meant, I felt a lot better about myself (before I knew about introversion and extroversion, I used to wonder why everyone else was so social and I wasn't). What is difficult however, is that 99% of the people around me are not as introverted as I am. In fact, I have not, to date, come across anyone who is as introverted as me.

“Why are you so quiet?”

How many of you have ever had the question asked, "Why are you so quiet?" or along those lines? My quietness was commented on throughout my entire childhood - by peers as well as teachers. Yet no one ever suspected I had ASD. People thought quietness was a negative character trait. This is really sad as it can actually be a wonderful, positive trait. I always used to think what a strange thing it was for teachers to remark on, since as far as I was concerned, school was a place where students listened and teachers taught. I never used to say anything, I just used to get on with my work quietly. Why was there a problem? I was getting high marks and meeting deadlines. Even as an adult, the few times I've been in employment, I've had colleagues and employers tell me that I'm "quiet." Well, yes I am quiet, why is it such a big deal to have a quiet personality? "Why are you so quiet?" is such an odd question to ask. I would never dream of asking somebody that. It feels really judgmental. I wonder why people feel that this is an acceptable thing to say? It just seems such a ridiculous thing to comment on. In hindsight however, I understand why a teacher would comment on it. They think something is wrong and that the person's confidence needs to be developed. But never did they suspect it was a characteristic of my ASD. Being quiet can be a part of someone's personality (like mine). There may also be more to it (as in my case, too). Here are some possible reasons why a person on the autistic spectrum might be quiet:

“Autism” means “self”

The word "autism," comes from the Greek word "autos," meaning "self." I've been thinking this in more depth and there are a lot of aspects to "self", it doesn't necessarily mean selfish nor does it just mean the need to be alone... Social impairments The most obvious etymology of the word describes the social impairment symptoms. The way I describe it is that the social impairments cause the glass jar to exist around every person with ASD. This glass jar makes it very hard to connect with people, even if there is a desire to. Neurotypical people don't have the social impairments - at least not to the same severity - therefore there is no glass jar (it's more like a shell if the person is "shy").

The extra importance of ‘free time’ for people with ASD

'Free time' is important for everyone in order to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Free time could be defined as the time outside the normal working day or the time allocated to seeing friends or pursuing hobbies. For people who work a 9-5 working week or for children who go to school, their free time will typically mean the evenings or the weekends. Throughout the day, breaks and lunch breaks are also sometimes considered to be free time. There are a few things to consider when we talk about free time for people with ASD. Normal day to day activities consume an enormous amount of energy for people on the autism spectrum. There are various reasons why things are so draining, including but not limited to:

A person with ASD having friends with ASD

I sometimes come across people with ASD (mostly teenagers and young people) who are seeking to meet others with ASD. I always wonder why this is. Responses from parents of teenagers – and teenagers themselves – usually remark that they are looking to find friendships. I personally have never gone looking for others with ASD with the hope… Join The Curly Hair Project Community Today This article and our podcasts are available only to members of our community…