I have been very sick from both ends and had to be in hospital overnight for dehydration. They told me to eat jello and chicken broth. So that is all I have been eating for days.

Then I had a diarrhea that was completely red and I thought I was dying but then I realized it was the cherry jello.

So I just wanted to tell other people (specially since the lettuce diarrhea that is happening) that to not be scared if they see red because it might be food dye!!!

i'm 16 with level 2 autism and combined presentation ADHD, i have a special interest in psychology.

I've been violent in the past during meltdowns in which my mom would just call the police on me. She said there was something wrong with me and that i was a terrible person. Now she wants to kick me out the second i turn 18 and move in with her boyfriend, i don't have good feelings about him because she told her he'd be shot and killed for walking in the safest parts of detroit with her, her response is to leave and go back to his house to drink and have sex.

It scares me a lot, she said she feels like he doesn't want to get married either, maybe it's all my fault because the one time he came over i got overstimulated and locked myself in my room to cry. When i cry i cry really loud so it probably annoyed both of them. I cant regulate my emotions and i have no idea how to get a job because every time i submit an application i get scared for how ill be treated and what would happen if i got overstimulated at work, i feel like accommodations don't work, maybe its because my mom never accommodates to me?

Ive been in 5 mental hospitals and each time my mental health gets a little worse, I don't know what to do because if my mom knew i was suicidal or harming myself she'd fight with the nurses to send me there. One time she was yelling at them to send me because she "couldn't deal with my behavior", at the same time i saw another woman crying because she was sad her daughter was getting sent to one. I really dont understand why my mom has such an uncaring attitude towards me, and I don't understand my own feelings or actions i go immediately into fight or flight. When i was 14 i overdosed and was in the ICU for it, i didn't want to burden everyone and it seemed like the only way out. Yesterday she told me she doesn't want to talk to me or be around me anymore so i feel like i should just die so she's happier with her boyfriend.

Since my special interest is in psychology i know what accommodations would work for me, and i tried to tell her i was overstimulated but she said "you're overstimulating me" (she doesn't have autism), I constantly feel like the butt end of a terrible joke that is living in a neurotypical environment.

What the first think you did when you find out you autism

This is a weekly scheduled post every Saturday, giving diagnosed higher support needs autistic people the opportunity to talk about their special interests.

Feel free to share in the comments about your current or past special interests! Fun facts, info-dumps, and pictures are all welcome.

This is a scheduled weekly post every Wednesday, that gives diagnosed higher support needs autistic people a space to talk about how their week is going.

Some question prompts:

How's your week been so far? Good, bad, in-between?

Is there anything you are excited about or looking forward to doing this week?

Hello everyone,

My name is Nerea Muñoz, and I am a PhD researcher in Cognitive Linguistics at the Complutense University of Madrid (Spain).

I am studying how people use language to describe sensory experiences.

Many studies about autism focus on diagnosis or clinical characteristics. My research is different. I want to understand how people describe and explain their sensory experiences in everyday language.

I am looking for English-speaking adults (18 years or older) who are:

• autistic;
• synesthetic;
• both autistic and synesthetic;
• or non-autistic and non-synesthetic (comparison group).

The study is anonymous. It takes about 10–15 minutes to complete. It may take longer depending on your processing, energy, and writing needs.

The questionnaire includes one short writing task. Short answers are welcome, and there is no need to write more than you are comfortable with.

You will be asked to describe ONE sensory experience that you remember.

You may choose ANY sensory experience that is memorable, usual, or meaningful to you.

For example, you could describe:

• a sound;
• a smell;
• a taste;
• a texture;
• something you saw;
• a change in temperature;
• movement;
• pain;
• or any other sensation that you remember.

There are no right or wrong answers. I am interested in your own experience and the words you choose to describe it.

If you need assistance to complete the questionnaire, that is welcome. However, the answers should describe your own experiences and, whenever possible, use your own words.

Survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RWJXRRQ

Contact:
[[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])

Ethics approval:
3257-4138-6B57P5A58-7A58

Thank you very much for your time and consideration.

If you know someone who may be interested in participating, I would be very grateful if you shared this study with them.

If you would like to receive a summary of the results, please contact me by email. Because this is an ongoing PhD project, the results will be available after the study has been completed.

This is a weekly scheduled post every Saturday, giving diagnosed higher support needs autistic people the opportunity to talk about their special interests.

Feel free to share in the comments about your current or past special interests! Fun facts, info-dumps, and pictures are all welcome.

This is a scheduled weekly post every Wednesday, that gives diagnosed higher support needs autistic people a space to talk about how their week is going.

Some question prompts:

How's your week been so far? Good, bad, in-between?

Is there anything you are excited about or looking forward to doing this week?

Fuck streaming services, fuck the governments, fuck the countries, fuck the borders, fuck Discord, fuck Reddit, fuck YouTube, fuck Apple, fuck Android, fuck Samsung, fuck Windows, fuck Microsoft, fuck Sony, fuck Xbox & Playstation wars, fuck everyone, fuck sleeping, fuck heatwaves & summer, fuck waking up, fuck going to the same place doing the same shit everyday for the rest of your life and most of all fuck the world for putting people with autism down and giving us no choices, I feel so stuck in a system that doesn’t want me where I don’t belong. Life is so difficult I can’t make friends I can’t find friends or people who are not weird (I mean people who just drink and smoke and want to piss away their lives and don’t care about anything, no ambition). I am so so sick of everything I am sick of feeling like I have to do this because someone says so I am sick of having to do things because people say so I am sick of waking up everyday to the same bullshit everyday I am so physically exhausted my body feels like it could just shatter at any point I am so fucking tired I don’t know what’s wrong with me anymore. I am mentally exhausted my visions blurry I’m so stressed I feel like there’s this heavy fucking weight all over my body that is dragging me deep into the ground, I can’t escape.

Hi everyone!

I'm Anvi, a Master's student in Mental Health and Clinical Psychology at London South Bank University, and I'm currently conducting research on autism, camouflaging, and burnout...three things I know many in this community are deeply familiar with. This research is being supervised by Dr Teodorini, a senior lecturer at London South Bank University.

My study is looking at whether the age at which someone receives their autism diagnosis, and their experiences of camouflaging (masking or adjusting autistic traits in social situations), relate to experiences of autistic burnout. It's a topic I feel strongly about, and I hope the findings can contribute to better understanding and support for autistic adults.

You can take part if you: • Are 18 or over • Have a formal autism diagnosis • Do not have an intellectual disability, acquired brain injury, or dementia

It is an anonymous online questionnaire and takes around 10 minutes.

Your participation would mean a lot, and every response genuinely helps. The study has been reviewed and approved by the LSBU Division of Psychology Research Ethics Committee.

Survey link: https://lsbupsychology.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cHnqie3Xf5bn542

Feel free to drop any questions in the comments or send me a DM. You can also email me on [email protected].

Thank you so much for your time!

Those that have partners or have had any in the past, do your partners help out with any aspect of your disability? Or is it always a carer / support worker’s job?

I’ve only recently started dating it’s very new to me and I’m scared because my autism affects me a lot and I feel like it would be impossible not to have to ask for accommodations / help with certain things but at the same time i’m also really scared of being a burden on people if that makes sense 😿

This is a weekly scheduled post every Saturday, giving diagnosed higher support needs autistic people the opportunity to talk about their special interests.

Feel free to share in the comments about your current or past special interests! Fun facts, info-dumps, and pictures are all welcome.

I'm a high schooler and I made a chrome extension recently that freezes and stops animations on sites. A few users commented that they have autism and that my extension was also beneficial. I originally made it for ADHD, and I know less about autism, but also want to accommodate for those who have it.

I did some research earlier and it said that parallax scrolling is an issue, but I feel this is not enough, and I feel I am not seeing the whole picture here, so I want to get some words from people who actually have autism.

The extension is here: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/stop-freeze-animations-si/glgdodamgegcnkjphieaaaebnlecklon

Please take down this post if it is not allowed. Thank you for taking your time to read this!

This is a scheduled weekly post every Wednesday, that gives diagnosed higher support needs autistic people a space to talk about how their week is going.

Some question prompts:

How's your week been so far? Good, bad, in-between?

Is there anything you are excited about or looking forward to doing this week?

This is my second time giving myself a concussion and it seems like this is getting worse as time goes by, any ideas on how i can work on this? The most I've been able to implement in my life is having my caregiver physically protect my head with his hands.

Im a type 1 autistic adult. I’ve had meltdowns before but this one is scaring me.

The heatwave screwed up all my routines, Im overstimulated and under stimulated at the same time and eveything is just not how its supposed to be.

The heat lasted so long and i went in survival mode. Usually there is something I can control to mitigate the worst of it but I cant control the weather.

Now its back to normal temperatures Im freaking out. Im low needs. I’ve never been this low functioning. I saw tiktoks about people who could barely get out of bed, that was never something I could relate to. I can usually cover the basics. But today I feel like I cant do anything. I scared. I terrified Im never going to get better.

I know logically its just a reaction to the stress of the last few weeks and of course i also started my period so the hormones probably arent helping.

I just hope to get some perspective, and maybe assurance that this wil pass. And maybe some tips so I at least dont make it worse?

I just dont want to be this scared anymore.

This is a weekly scheduled post every Saturday, giving diagnosed higher support needs autistic people the opportunity to talk about their special interests.

Feel free to share in the comments about your current or past special interests! Fun facts, info-dumps, and pictures are all welcome.

fearless not understand what this means?

they do know and have known

Looking for advice and ideas, cross posting in many places out of desperation. 

My son who is almost 13 is Autistic with high support needs, non verbal, epilepsy, aggitated Catatonia, and severe aggression as a result of the aggitated catatonia.  He has spent the last 3 years in crisis and has just finally received proper diagnosis for the Catatonia and epilepsy in recent months.

He has been inpatient on a medical floor for 5 weeks now receiving treatment via inner muscular injections 5x+ a day and ECT (six sessions in). He has ARFID and frequently makes his way to failure to thrive due to lack of calorie intake. He has an oral aversion and cannot tolerate things in or around his mouth, even things he really likes and wants. This is something he has worked on in OT and speech for 10+ years now.

He is not a candidate for a Gtube or NG tube due to sensory sensitivity and the known reality that he will hurt himself to remove it without a second thought. The same goes for ivs, checking vitals, blood work, dental exams..... he has to be sedated to accomplish any of this in a safe manner. We have discussed clothing options and bands to protect a stomach port but feel it will be  an unlikely success considering his strength and size.

We have worked with a medistraw during the time we have been here and been unsuccessful.  In the past we have hidden meds in drinks at home but it is very undependable especially with meds he cant miss doses of and needs multiples in a day.

He does not eat anything with a utensil and he doesnt eat anything that we can easily hide meds or med sprinkles in. On top of that, messing with his food is a dangerous game that leads to further ARFID complications.

Patches are a no go, they cause extreme sensory issues and disregulation. He is also hyper mobile and will remove them from anywhere on his back. 

They cannot send us home with IM shots plus he is at around 300 shots in the time he has been here. He is bruised and sore. On top of that he has a CK level of over 1000 from the catatonia and I imagine his muscles were already pretty dang sore from the rigidity before the shots even started.

The only thing keeping him from going home is finding a way to get meds of some form in him. We have talked to a compounding pharmacy and are still working on that option to see if they can formulate an option for him that could be considered. 

Open to any ideas that could help us and his medical team brainstorm.....  He cant be the only high support needs kiddo who has such a huge struggle with medication.  His care team at Motts is great but honestly I feel like we are all grasping at straws for any ideas. We just want him to be okay and to be able to go home as a family.

This is a scheduled weekly post every Wednesday, that gives diagnosed higher support needs autistic people a space to talk about how their week is going.

Some question prompts:

How's your week been so far? Good, bad, in-between?

Is there anything you are excited about or looking forward to doing this week?

I live with my best friend (medium to high support autistic) and I love having him as family; I love him. He's like the brother I never had. When I bought this apartment, I did so thinking of him and his struggles with employment and renting. I knew from the get-go that I wanted to be able to provide a roof and some support.

For some time, the situation drifted into a place I was very much not comfortable with: I became his primary caregiver, and I didn't sign up for that. We had some problems and tension arising from that because he'd take issue with how I did most things without recognizing that if done improperly, it was because of how exhausted I was taking care of him and his pets (two dogs), or I just did things differently than him, and this didn't mean they were wrong

The caregiving situation has improved, and I've been way better at setting and communicating my boundaries (plus his boyfriend helps out a lot), but the constant criticism hasn't. While I don't do nearly as much around the house anymore, I still don't like feeling like I'm being surveilled all the time whenever I am doing something. Plus, the drain from the last year of conflict has led me to make more legitimate mistakes. I've communicated plenty of times that I need time to recover, that I just need time, and he's even recognized that as the weeks go, I have gotten better. But yesterday he gave me an ultimatum: either get better faster (I literally can't, I'm using all the energy I have left) or he'll move out. This isn't really an option because I don't want him to struggle with housing again, and I don't want him to take the pets with him because I love them too.

In his message, he made many assumptions about my therapeutic process, which makes me uncomfortable, and he kept focusing on, "Yes, you've improved, but it's still bad." And I know; I'm sorry, I'm doing my best, and chastising me for it isn't going to help. He said he's tired and doesn't really want to talk about things anymore, which I actually understand. I'm tired too, and I don't even know what else there is to say. We're both tired and doing our best. End?

What do I even do?

I just need someone who understands. Most people don't; they just say 'he's being a dick' and that I should let him go, but I don't think that's really reflective of the situation. A long time ago, I came to the conclusion that anyone who loves me will take issue with him because of how much I do for him and how little recognition I get. And this is true—most of my friends and family don't like that, so I don't even talk to them about him anymore. I am okay with things, mostly; I just need time to improve, rest, and recover. Even he recognizes that I have improved, so I really don't know what I'm doing wrong or why he keeps getting angrier at me and feeling worse.

I want to have a job where im payed im completely mute so im not sure what are peoples experiences with being employed as a higher needs teenager especially if you have a speech impairment?

I am very likeable and bubbly and friendly so im not anti social and i would probably make good friends with whoever works there and be taken care of well but i dont know who would hire a mute what sort of jobs could i look for?

I dont want to do supported employment/work for disabled peoplebecause the only options where i live you aren't payed🙄i want to be payed for labour

Even if you dont know much i would appreciate any information because no one is helping me with this bc people dont think i could have a job 😔😔

This is a weekly scheduled post every Saturday, giving diagnosed higher support needs autistic people the opportunity to talk about their special interests.

Feel free to share in the comments about your current or past special interests! Fun facts, info-dumps, and pictures are all welcome.

This is a scheduled weekly post every Wednesday, that gives diagnosed higher support needs autistic people a space to talk about how their week is going.

Some question prompts:

How's your week been so far? Good, bad, in-between?

Is there anything you are excited about or looking forward to doing this week?

Hi everyone,

I made a free printable resource called Autism & ADHD Need Cards.

They are simple communication cards for moments of overload, shutdown, stress, exhaustion, or times when speaking becomes difficult.

The PDF includes English, Spanish, and French versions, and it is free to download on Ko-fi:

https://ko-fi.com/elaraclub

It is not therapy, diagnosis, medical advice, or crisis support — just a practical communication support tool that people can print and use privately, with family, partners, therapists, doctors, or trusted people.

I hope it can help someone who struggles to explain what they need when words become too hard.