Asperger's & Autism Forum

Special interests have always been my main autistic trait. If my parents tried to take them away from me like I hear some parents do, I probably would have attempted suicide. Ever since I learned what a veterinarian was and that the role wasn't restricted to the lady we took our pets to once a year or even just pets, I always wanted to be one myself. But since I wasn't good at math I was told I couldn't be one.

I eventually realized I had dyscalculia and could get help for it and that a pre vet major wasn't ALL math like my mother made it out to be. I got sick around 15 due to some meds I was taking that were supposed to help me sleep but actually made me do nothing but sleep, and then again at 20 when taking one for anxiety that made me dizzy all the time to the point I couldn't walk.

People were telling me I was too old to apply for veterinary school. That didn't make since but I asked the American veterinary association and they said there isn't one and that they prefer...

I know that this year has been one of the worst but what are the things you can think of that made you happy during this time?

I am thankful for the strength to go on along with kind people and all of you guys

ADHD, Women, and the Danger of Emotional Withdrawal

I wasn't sure where to post this article, but I found it very interesting. It's about the correlation between ADHD and emotional distancing in relationships. The article is about women but I assume the same patterns happen for people of all genders.

I'm diagnosed L2 ASD and Combined-Type ADHD. In all my relationships including friendships, I often reach a point where I "max out" emotionally and feel like I have to turn inward because I can't access or express my emotions beyond a certain point, without discomfort. It could be in part from Alexithymia and Dysthymia, which I have quite profoundly, but I believe my hyper mind also contributes because I ruminate and can't process emotions in real time.

ADDitude is a good online resource for people with ADHD and I hope this article is helpful for some of you, as you venture through relationships which often seem to crash and burn.

I have a belief that the world might end some day by the result of the corrupt elite's scheming and this is something I am always distracted by to the point where I do not think many things through all the way.
For example I at age 20 during my work shift have sprayed a scan gun to sanitize it for covid 19 procedures, but i sprayed it in a area where the liquid can fry the gun. Id been holding this job for months yet I made this mistake after months of working there. I was totally disconnected with the reality of what I was dealing with (the scan gun). Btw I am age 20 and male. I also wanna say that I grew up in a nice neighborhood. I have graduated high school but I never accomplished much without luck. I havent even gotten laid either. I'm thinking its my lack of accomplishments thats what is causing me to worry about the end of the world...
So do i just have a mild form of autism or is it just my constant despair about the possibility of the end of the world happening?

Hi. As a lot of you know, I'm writing a book about autism and human rights in the U.S. Right now I'm working on the part about the moment when people leave high school and either go to college or try to find a job. I would really like to here some of your experiences with this moment.

According to federal law, students who had IEPs in school should be offered help with transition planning, starting at age 16.
So here's the question, for Americans who graduated from high school after 2004 when the law went into effect:
---As far as you know, did you have a transition plan?
---If you had a plan, did you play any role in drawing it up (telling people about your hopes for the future, etc.)?
---If you had a plan, did it help at all once you left school?

I've read that autistic people have a tendency to look at the ground a lot. I don't know if they're talking about just not looking people in the eye, or if this is about watching the ground as they walk, but now I'm wondering about this.

I pretty much always stare at the ground as I walk, unless I'm looking at/ for something. But in general I tend to watch the floor, relying largely on my peripheral vision to navigate.

Hi Everyone,

I truly need advice, insight, and suggestions. But the background for this is long. So if you make it through, you are a saint.

My son:
X is 15, but is emotionally around 7. He has severe autism, a speech impairment (speech is clear, high vocabulary, long sentences, just not very conversational), epilepsy, and severe ADHD.

Aggression:
For the last three years, our son had been highly aggressive. When I say he’s aggressive, he’s hitting, kicking, shoving, tackling, head butting, biting, punching, scratching, and verbally threatening.

At its worst, it was nearly daily and sometimes for 2-3 hour stretches. We have a rescue medication now so doesn’t usually last longer than 30 minutes and it’s usually 1-3 times a week now. But it is very intense and usually results in us having to restrain which breaks my heart. But he tries his hardest to injure us and has in the past.

Addictions/Obsessions:
Almost all have to do with screens whether it’s the computer, iPad, or TV....

Somebody I know has developed a saying that is seriously getting on my nerves. Whenever I say I like something, or whenever I state that I am pleased with anything, she responds with, "That's your opinion."

I told her I found that to be patronizing, so she doubled down and stated that it was not really patronizing, she was just saying that I had my opinions that differed from everybody else's.

Maybe this woman is more autistic than I am. Who knows? I find it annoying the way she says it, though. Yes, I know it is my opinion, no need to bring it up like that.

I am not exactly sure where this forum is based , but if anybody is in the United States maybe you can help me answer this question. I have tried and failed countless times to get a job for the past 8 months , and I have basically already given up on finding another one. I tried to do my own research, but every website I go to just makes it more confusing. Some sites say that I should apply for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) , while others say that I shouldn't because Autism isn't specifically listed in the official List of Impairments , and visiting the official website made it even more confusing. I am just wondering , I don't think I'm even capable of keeping let alone getting a job , is there any type of benefit I can receive or any way that I can put money in my pocket ?

Because of a recent painful experience, I have compiled a list of hurtful things people I thought that cared about me have said.

I feel the main issue we have in being ASD is experiential invalidation. This means that our experiences are not believed because social stuff is second nature to most. This means that people think that we are thinking or doing things that are stupid, "crazy" or intense because somehow we are flawed.

I am a kind and compassionate person, first and foremost. I am strong as hell because I have survived so much. It hurts when people tell me... "You are so X" or "You are not X enough" or "You are too little X". They cannot read me just as I cannot read them. They then assume I do things for the same reasons that NTs do things. I actually have no real reasons other than I don't know how to express myself appropriately. I have no intentions. I have no subtlety. I do not read between the lines or write between them. I am totally WYSIWYG.

Here is a partial...