Apparently, it *is* possible to look autistic.

[Neonatal RRT]

Agreed, though unfortunately there's a very few of us with such sentiments.

That's my understanding, as well. That's why I said "...at least my autism".

My life hasn't been easy either. There was a long list of reasons for seeing the psychologist in the first place. I agree that I did "slip through the cracks" and had some favorable circumstantial luck in life. I also busted my hump to get what I have, and basically started from nothing but a little 9 yr old kid doing yard work, clearing snow, and pulling my little red wagon loaded up with recycling newspapers. As I am writing this with my 5 frequencies of tinnitis ringing in my head and trying to see through the grainy pixels and the multiple little flashes of light constantly zipping across my visual field from my visual snow syndrome. We all have our long list of issues. All I am suggesting is that as compared to the chaos, irrational thoughts, and emotional triggers of the neurotypical world,...that, I think, would be worse to deal with. I try to keep myself mentally as far away from that circus as possible.

 

[Suzette]

. As I am writing this with my 5 frequencies of tinnitis ringing in my head and trying to see through the grainy pixels and the multiple little flashes of light constantly zipping across my visual field from my visual snow syndrome.

Oh my! I have never, ever, heard of anyone, besides me, to have this!!!! I have talked about it to every opthamologist I have ever seen when getting my eyes checked and no one has known what I am talking about! And here you are supplying a name for this!
I can't freaking believe it!. It has a name! I am so excited to find this. I never use the phrase "mind blown" but this is one occassion that fits!

With a name I was able to google it and found this article:
Visual Snow Syndrome - NORD (National Organization for Rare Disorders)

I've been reading it and just stuned that I finally have an answer. I have had this condition since puberty. And, another stunner, tinnitus. I have that too and had no reason to think they were related. Until now that is.

I have also had migraines with aura since before puberty. Interestingly, I haven't had a migraine in abiut 10 years, since peri menopause. I also have night blindness and am sensative to bright light but to a lesser degree.

How extrordinary!

 

[Suzette]

I think I figured out the aspieness of both our pics. School picture day was always bizarre, sort of a break from the routine, and they thrust you into a dark room and you have to sit up and try to look happy. In our photos, and the one with @Suzette, we all seem to not just be looking at the camera and smiling, we're looking through it, as if studying something beyond the camera and trying to figure out our places in this situation.

Yes! This is a very perceptive comment.
In fact, I hate getting my picture taken and I don't look into the camera. I look at the photographer as a whole or allow my gaze to be"diffuse" and look at nothing at all.
It is nice to see your pretty face

 

[Suzette]

OMG I have that too!!

Wow! I had no idea that others actually have this.

 

[SDRSpark]

Oh my! I have never, ever, heard of anyone, besides me, to have this!!!! I have talked about it to every opthamologist I have ever seen when getting my eyes checked and no one has known what I am talking about! And here you are supplying a name for this!
I can't freaking believe it!. It has a name! I am so excited to find this. I never use the phrase "mind blown" but this is one occassion that fits!

With a name I was able to google it and found this article:
Visual Snow Syndrome - NORD (National Organization for Rare Disorders)

I've been reading it and just stuned that I finally have an answer. I have had this condition since puberty. And, another stunner, tinnitus. I have that too and had no reason to think they were related. Until now that is.

I have also had migraines with aura since before puberty. Interestingly, I haven't had a migraine in abiut 10 years, since peri menopause. I also have night blindness and am sensative to bright light but to a lesser degree.

How extrordinary!

Hey, another Visual Snow person here!!!!

I've had this my entire life. I was in my 20s, I think, when I found out finally that not everyone sees that stuff, that it's actually considered a disorder or visual aberration.

I remember being a small child, asking my dad what the colored stuff was in the air, because I assumed that he saw it too. He had no idea what I was talking about, and I assumed it was because I was bad at explaining.

Mine looks like extremely fine multicolored/full spectrum static. I was watching a UFO documentary the other day and they used some sort of artistic effect on the footage that looked a lot like what I see.

 

[Suzette]

Another one! Wowie! Mine looks like a grainy, old poloroid photgraph.

@SDRSpark I just realized your version must be much worse than mine. Mine is grainy all over my far vision view but does not affect near visionat about 18" and closer. It is annoying and I yearn to see the world free of it, but it doesn't affect my ability to see in a general way. Your version sounds dibilitating to me.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

Oh my! I have never, ever, heard of anyone, besides me, to have this!!!! I have talked about it to every opthamologist I have ever seen when getting my eyes checked and no one has known what I am talking about! And here you are supplying a name for this!
I can't freaking believe it!. It has a name! I am so excited to find this. I never use the phrase "mind blown" but this is one occassion that fits!

With a name I was able to google it and found this article:
Visual Snow Syndrome - NORD (National Organization for Rare Disorders)

I've been reading it and just stuned that I finally have an answer. I have had this condition since puberty. And, another stunner, tinnitus. I have that too and had no reason to think they were related. Until now that is.

I have also had migraines with aura since before puberty. Interestingly, I haven't had a migraine in abiut 10 years, since peri menopause. I also have night blindness and am sensative to bright light but to a lesser degree.

How extrordinary!

@Suzette and @SDRSpark Visual Snow Syndrome and Tinnitus can be associated with autism. The latest literature I have found suggests this is a form of "thalamo-cortical dysrhythmia" as it has been identified on targeted EEGs in some individuals. In other words, they can actually see the "artifact" on the waveforms. The processing nuclei for vision and hearing are found in the lateral and medial geniculate nuclei,...right next to each other. So, it stands to reason if you have an autism-related abnormality in the neuronal formation and/or migration of the neurons in this area, it is likely that you would have one and/or the other symptoms.

You can go to an opthalmologist, but he/she may or may not be aware of Visual Snow Syndrome,...but there is nothing they can do because the cause of it is not in the eye or the optic tracts,...it's in the visual processing inside the brain. Proof is that we can close our eyes,...we can dream,...and it's still there. It's a neurological issue that is just being studied. Now, as you read the literature,...and I know you will,...there are individuals that will have these symptoms associated with vascular changes in their brain,...in other words, they didn't have these symptoms before, and now they do. This is not us,...we've had this literally from day one. I've always had this. I used to think I could see the air,...it has this much "texture" to it.

 

[Suzette]

. I've always had this. I used to think I could see the air,...it has this much "texture" to it.

And with the word "texture" I remember I used to talk about the air texture as a small child. It definately got worse at about 13 or so.

 

[tree]

Talking about the texture of the air would not have been
a happy topic for me to bring up, as a child. That would
have been called *trying to get attention.*

I remember being aware of of the grainy texture of the
air at night, when I was in bed, with my eyes open, when
I was nine years old.

 

[Suzette]

@tree I am sorry. That sounds like a miserable childhood.
But now you have two tribes, aspies and snowys!

 

[SDRSpark]

Another one! Wowie! Mine looks like a grainy, old poloroid photgraph.

@SDRSpark I just realized your version must be much worse than mine. Mine is grainy all over my far vision view but does not affect near visionat about 18" and closer. It is annoying and I yearn to see the world free of it, but it doesn't affect my ability to see in a general way. Your version sounds dibilitating to me.

Huh? It's not debilitating at all. My eyesight is very good. It's just, apparently, more interesting than most people's.

I hadn't noticed if I don't see it close up....lol I look at a lot of screens, which kind of look that way anyway, so how can I tell? Remember old CRT monitors with the little colored pixels? It's kinda like that. Not problematic in the slightest.

 

[SDRSpark]

@Suzette and @SDRSpark Visual Snow Syndrome and Tinnitus can be associated with autism. The latest literature I have found suggests this is a form of "thalamo-cortical dysrhythmia" as it has been identified on targeted EEGs in some individuals. In other words, they can actually see the "artifact" on the waveforms. The processing nuclei for vision and hearing are found in the lateral and medial geniculate nuclei,...right next to each other. So, it stands to reason if you have an autism-related abnormality in the neuronal formation and/or migration of the neurons in this area, it is likely that you would have one and/or the other symptoms.

You can go to an opthalmologist, but he/she may or may not be aware of Visual Snow Syndrome,...but there is nothing they can do because the cause of it is not in the eye or the optic tracts,...it's in the visual processing inside the brain. Proof is that we can close our eyes,...we can dream,...and it's still there. It's a neurological issue that is just being studied. Now, as you read the literature,...and I know you will,...there are individuals that will have these symptoms associated with vascular changes in their brain,...in other words, they didn't have these symptoms before, and now they do. This is not us,...we've had this literally from day one. I've always had this. I used to think I could see the air,...it has this much "texture" to it.

I do in fact still see it when I close my eyes! Huh. I never really thought about it this much before.

I wonder if it's actually common but people like me (who don't suffer negative effects from it) don't even know it's "a thing" so we're never identified? It seems like the sort of thing that would only get diagnosed if it has a serious impact on life.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

I do in fact still see it when I close my eyes! Huh. I never really thought about it this much before.

I wonder if it's actually common but people like me (who don't suffer negative effects from it) don't even know it's "a thing" so we're never identified? It seems like the sort of thing that would only get diagnosed if it has a serious impact on life.

It is an interesting thing being born with something,...whatever it is,...the body has a way of adapting. We see this all the time with our pediatric population with physical and even mental issues,...those kids just do things differently,...and in some cases, don't even recognize that they are different UNTIL someone points it out to them.

So it is with my autism symptoms, tinnitus, visual snow, etc. I just never had the perspective to question it. Sure, I had some difficulties and misunderstandings when I tried to do the things other people were doing, but I never put it together until very late in life. I was never one to complain about things,...in fact, probably due to my autism, never talked to anyone about any of the issues I was having. So, in my parents eyes, and my physician's eyes,...I was totally normal,...they never knew. You go through life, struggling in one way or another, never thinking that you ARE different. When I brought this up to my physician after I was diagnosed, he looked at me very confused. I had to explain to him that the vast majority of people that come to seek help from a physician are complaining about something that has changed in their lives,..."I've got this pain.",..."I am unusually short of breath these days."....whatever. In my case, I was born with all of this,...never questioned it,...just thought that's the way everyone was. Wow, was I wrong.

 

[Suzette]

Huh? It's not debilitating at all. My eyesight is very good. It's just, apparently, more interesting than most people's.

I hadn't noticed if I don't see it close up....lol I look at a lot of screens, which kind of look that way anyway, so how can I tell? Remember old CRT monitors with the little colored pixels? It's kinda like that. Not problematic in the slightest.

Oh I understand now. Your initial description seemed to me like your vision was obscured by the phenomena. That is entirely my misunderstanding. Thanks for the clarification.

@Neonatal RRT, being able to describe ones experiences in a way they will be understood by others is part autism isn't it?

My own difficluties seemed like emotional problems or maturity issues. Well, that's what others told me my problem was and I believed them. My mom used to tell me there was something "wrong" with me, so I tried to make me right.
So, from a young age, my issues were given the wrong focus.
I only started questioning this narative the same time I joined this forum.
Now every day is a series of mini revelations about my memories. It is a huge shift in my perception!

 

[Neonatal RRT]

@Neonatal RRT, being able to describe ones experiences in a way they will be understood by others is part autism isn't it?

Well, it depends,...in my case,...sitting behind the computer screen and typing along,...I can edit, pause, gather my thoughts, etc. So, YES. Verbally,...face-to-face or on the phone,...it's hit and miss,...mostly miss. So, NO.

I think working with the public and teaching as long as I have, I was able to learn how to stand in front of someone and discuss topics in which I was knowledgable about. I have learned that most people are not impressed by a large and somewhat obscure vocabulary,...,which I do have, but it usually puts people off. One of my mentors was a very wise man of God and medicine,...he would often say something like, "Physicians who use big words,...probably don't have a complete understanding on what that word means." I used to be confused by that, but it's true, when dealing with most people, especially the public, if you don't have the ability to explain things using plain language, you probably aren't getting your point across to them.

Now, I will admit that I do have quite a bit of difficulty dealing with physician's when it comes to analyzing mechanical ventilator waveform graphics and trend data. One, physicians are not, at all, in any way, trained in this. Two, they are used to looking at numerical and statistical data,...not graphical patterns. I see things that,...frankly, people that are trained should see, but don't. I usually end up writing a quick sentence and interpretation in the patient's chart,...which, unfortunately, rarely gets read. On occasion, I will notice that a pulmonologist will look at my notes and comment on them, but otherwise,...it's just more words in a chart. Frustrating.

 

[Ken]

[/QUOTE]

Autistic children have distinct facial features, study suggests
Facial features provide clue to autism severity | Spectrum | Autism Research News
Is it autism? Facial features that show disorder

Apparently people on the spectrum have distinct facial features. Even as a kid I wondered why my face looked kinda weird.

This is an important revelation as it also appears that autism manifests itself when a fetus is starting to develop a face.

Here is an old B&W pic of me at about 11ish:

I was born with several birth defects. One was a deformed upper jaw that was sunken in, making my teeth grow distorted and did not fit my lower jaw. Major surgery has mostly corrected the issue. Don't know if the sunken upper jaw could be associated with autism. Another birth defect is my hearing. The issue is neurological, not physical. It's a miswiring in the brain. This always confused audiologists. There are no commercial hearing aids that work. I also wonder if my neurological miswiring issue might also be related.

Oh my! I have never, ever, heard of anyone, besides me, to have this!!!! I have talked about it to every opthamologist I have ever seen when getting my eyes checked and no one has known what I am talking about! And here you are supplying a name for this!
I can't freaking believe it!. It has a name! I am so excited to find this. I never use the phrase "mind blown" but this is one occassion that fits!

With a name I was able to google it and found this article:
Visual Snow Syndrome - NORD (National Organization for Rare Disorders)

I've been reading it and just stuned that I finally have an answer. I have had this condition since puberty. And, another stunner, tinnitus. I have that too and had no reason to think they were related. Until now that is.

I have also had migraines with aura since before puberty. Interestingly, I haven't had a migraine in abiut 10 years, since peri menopause. I also have night blindness and am sensative to bright light but to a lesser degree.

How extrordinary!

But, now I sit here completely gobsmacked! I have had Visual Snow Syndrome all my life. I never mentioned it because I always thought everyone saw it just like me. I just thought it was natural. I just asked my wife if she sees this and no, she does not. I am just astonished how much I have learned about myself since joining this forum! Symptoms I have that I never knew I had because I thought everyone was the same. Learning how NT's are different is how I'm learning how I'm autistic.
I am also a type-1 diabetic (long story) and the flashes and streaks of light get more frequent when my blood-sugar goes below about 60mg/dl. It makes a good indicator that hypoglycemia is pending. It has always scared me because my optometrist said that seeing points or flashes of light indicates retina damage. Fortunately, she has never seen any damage. In fact, she points out that my retinas looks like a childs or young persons retina (I am 69) and no evidence of any retinopathy. Now I feel much better about those flashes!
Thanks to everyone for all this incredible information!

 

[Neonatal RRT]

I have found it quite interesting that it "appears" that visual snow is not uncommon amongst the autistic population, yet rarely described in the literature. I have seen journal articles on tinnitus in autistics,...and found it rather interesting that since the processing nuclei for vision and hearing are literally a few millimeters away in the brain,...that very few researchers have noted this phenomenon.

Perhaps, as indicated from some of our responses above, that we simply never realized that others were not seeing these things and never thought to comment on them to the right people.

 

[Suzette]

Now I really wish I had a neurologist friend who wanted to look at my brain.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

Now I really wish I had a neurologist friend who wanted to look at my brain.

LOL! You know, if you just said that out of context,...it is quite funny.

I would volunteer myself for all sorts of functional MRI studies if I had the chance.

 

[Suzette]

LOL! You know, if you just said that out of context,...it is quite funny.

I would volunteer myself for all sorts of functional MRI studies if I had the chance.

That line does sound like a come-on. "Hey baby, why don't we go back to your lab and examine each others brains."