How's this?
Autism awareness
High functioning autism awareness
When someone says they are high functioning autistic, there's a tendency to think it's not big deal. Studies are finding that it may be more difficult to live with high functioning autism because of lack of support. They can appear normal while living with their difficulties.
HFA - they still have meltdowns. These meltdowns may look more like crying for silly reasons. It may look as if nothing is wrong, but the person is frozen in place. It may appear as rudeness because the person just left the room abruptly with no goodbyes ot anything.
Imagine what it's like to live in an invisible box (that many people on the spectrum relate to). Each added stresser makes the box a little tighter. While in their comfort zone (usually home), the box is large and gives complete freedom of movement, but outside the comfort zone,
or even when there's an invasion of their comfort zone, that box gets smaller and limits what they are able to do. It may take a great deal of effort to step outside - not outside the box, but outside the door to their home. Once outside the comfort zone, anything begins to feel like a threat.
Walking through Walmart is like walking through a jungle. The autistic doesn't see the whole picture, only the things they look at directly. When shopping for a specific brand, they have to look over each bottle infront of them, scanning all until they come upon their brand. Shapes of people
without faces walking past with mumbled voices, maybe pushing their way by. Often having a need to hold something, so they push a cart, otherwise feel like they will fall. Most autistics have to look toward the ground as they walk or lose their balance, so they either hold onto a cart or they walk
a little, then stop to look. Walking down the street, there's all these things around, but you see only the gum wrapper on the sidewalk as you hear cars rushing by and the loud humming noise of people talking. A girl was saying just the other day how she had to leave everything behind and
run out of Costco because it got to be too much for that outting. Her husband had to console her and then go inside to get her purse and jacket. But this is high functioning. The dehydrated person out of her comfort zone at a social function, which has caused so much stress and anxiety
that her invisible box has shrunk to the point she is unable to move. Also unable to walk three feet across the room to get that drink of water she so desperately needs. Or she's nervous talking to the doctor, knowing all she needs to do to stop herself from burning up and sweating is to remove
her sweater but her box prevents her from lifting her arms high enough to do that.
The adult autist has learned to control their rocking behavior, but frantically sits and rubs a finger against the thumbnail or a number of other repetative motion that is less noticeable. The stemming is always there, just doesn't stand out as something unusual.
The social aspect is a great challenge. While some autists prefer to be alone, most actually desire relationships and just don't know how to obtain them. Some have just given up on trying. The public thinks autism includes lack of empathy, but it's quite the opposite.
They become so emotionally affected by others that it may take days for them to overcome the feelings stirred up inside them. They don't know what to do with the emotions and, often, don't know how to share or show these emotions, even though they are quite strong.
Autists are often seen as rude. Not only do they not know how to make small talk, but they hate it - it seems completely uselss and a waste of the energy it takes to try to engage in small talk. They may have saved a few lines to be able to respond and then feel lost once
they have used those lines. They may seem uncaring after you've mentioned your very sick dog because they don't ask questions and moved onto another subject. They care, they just have no questions come into their minds to ask, and if they struggle and come up
with a question it will end up appearing stupid and/or uncaring. Honesty also plays a part in social communication which creates the illusion of rudeness. With exceptions, most are incapable of lying. The last thing they want is to appear mean and usually have no idea
that they've just insulted the other person. They lose another friend and walk away trying to figure out what happened.
The majority of autists have never felt a belonging to any group. They feel like aliens and spend the majority of their time trying to figure out how to function in this alien world that seems to go against everything as they see and understand it. Then after spending time in this strange world,
they become so overwhelmed, it may take a couple days to recover. The simplest things can be totally exhausting for them. They may run a meal over to an ailing friend, or acquaintance and go home feeling like they've just experienced something very traumatic.
It's not easy accepting invitation. In the world of autism, you have a list of foods you eat - new things may cause gagging because of the texture. Sometimes, favorites can create a gagging response if focus turns to the texture, so more than likely, they have to be doing something else while eating.
In the world of autism there's always a schedule. This is what is done in the morning, at this time the tv comes on, even if it's unwatched (it may be a way of being aware of the time of day). Any changes from routine is more than just a little frustrating. The only time it's okay to be off normal routine
is when a project prevents their mind from going anywhere further than the project itself. Hours or days of intense focus, forgetting to eat, forgetting to sleep, forgetting to go to the bathroom until you can no longer ignore it. It's not the subject that one decides whether someone is truly autistic, it's
the amount of focus put into it. There are no strange subjects really. There's a name for the study of almost any subject out there. And it isn't a lifetime of one interest, it can change frequently. It's the amount of intense focus put into that interest.
With the autistic community, there are always certain health issues and co-morbid disorders, such as depression, anxiety, ADD, social anxiety, PTSD, IBS, and the list goes on. I could say with certainty that every adult autist has been diagnosed with the things I just listed. Other co-morbid conditions
may vary person to person. It's possible that PTSD may be linked to their inability to know what to do in any situation involving others and often find themselves facing traumatic experiences in life.
Sleeping habits can become a problem. As a child, they will probably be last to fall asleep and first to wake up. As an adult, sleep schedule may become as immovable as other routine, or may be something they have to work on all their adult lives. But, more than half autists become night owls rather than
early risers.
This is just the surface of the high functioning autism life. The difference in high functioning autism and low functioning autism is based on the degree of interference on other people's lives. If a person can drive a car without having to burden someone to take them wherever they need to go, they
are considered high functioning. But that person driving is not problem free. The car may become their temporary comfort zone which makes it just as difficult to step out of the car as it is to step out of their house. They may be able to drive, but they know they need to allow themselves much
extra time getting to an appointment because they easily become lost. may become so overwhelmed they have to drive slower or other various reactions to driving. Because a person is able to work in a regular job and not have to be financially supported, they are considered high functioning. But
that working person has so many problems at work it's the only thing they are able to do and once home, retreat into their own little world to recover enough to do it again the next day. They have problems with co-workers and bosses because lack of social skills. But the work itself is probably above average
because the amount of focus they are able to put into it.
High functioning autism is not so much high functioning as it is low burdening.
Another image is that of a stranded alien. My mind seems to translate all thought processes in pictures and sound.
