My son is diagnosed with mild ASD and moderate ADHD. He also has anxiety. He is very loving and positive all the time. Speaks well but has social deficit. Not knowing what to ask and whom to ask. He has no friends, struggled in elementary, struggling in middle and I know he will sure struggle to fit in or have friends even in high school. But truly when will such kids find a genuine friend? Will collage be easy? Will he get accepted into the group? Has anyone had such experiences with your kids or had such experience themselves.

His whole schooling life goes in waiting for a 'real friend'

I breakdown whenever I see the scene in the film Wonder when Augiee gets a friend and brings him home for playdate.

I want to get an official diagnosis, but don't know where to begin. I was diagnosed with ADHD as a kid, but my parents just kind of ignored it after a year or so and stopped getting my medication due to how stubborn about not taking it I was. I never quite felt like it was the whole picture when I was being honest with myself and completely denying it otherwise. Socially I just have never clicked. With anyone. About half a year ago I saw a primary care doctor and they were leaning ADHD and recommended me out, but the person the recommended me to wanted to pursue Autism. Before I could get recommended on testing, my family rug pulled payment for it thinking I am just looking for excuses for the train wreck that is my life. I have some money saved from my job, but no insurance as they screwed me out of it. I haven't been able to hold a job for over 3 to 4 months ever since 2021 and am afraid to leave this job or that I will even be able to hold it much longer. At this point, I just want to know. For sure. How do I go about that?

It's a rant BTW.

So. I see ppl constantly say "emo music" when they hear Metal, I see ppl say "Goth" to ppl that just wear black, I see ppl saying that they have ADHD, when they just do normal things. Even my Dad when I played "Vi sittar här i väntan och spelar lite DotA" by Basshunter he called it disco-polo (it's Eurodance), but when he plays actual modern disco-polo, he calls it Eurodance...... I also see ppl say "Rock and Roll" when it's punk rock or metal. WHY? It just hurts so much when ppl do this!

it feels like I’ve been masking all my life. I mask when I’m alone, with family, with my partner, at school and etc. it feels like I’m not being true to myself, and I don’t know what to do about it.

I’m almost always trying to fit into people’s perceptions of me, to please them and not be true to myself— but now I’m not really sure whats really true anymore. I know I’m masking cause it quite seriously feels like roleplaying at all times.

does anyone know anything about this??

I'm asking this for a friend.

My friend has sensory issues to do with tight clothing. They really want to be able to wear tight clothing because they like how it looks and want the option to be able to, but due to sensory issues they can't.

I'm not sure exactly what it is that they don't like, but they say that when they wear tight clothing it feels like the fabric is sticking to their skin and it makes me uncomfortable.

Does anybody have any tips on how they might be able to make the sensory issues like not as bad? Like... to be able to manage it maybe?

Hello I have AuDHD and I’m Currently in my last week in rehab for addiction I was here for 3 months and I slowly lost interest in therapy I ditched every therapy and the other patients started kinda bullying me for it saying things like „he has no real burnout, hes not even interacting with anyone how can he have burnout.“ „He just takes his autism as an excuse.“ and my roommate even said „I have empathy for anyone but not for autistic people“ in front of the therapist after he tried explaining it to them.

I just sit in my room hyperfocusing on my special interest in complete isolation which is digital music production producing several hours a day I even released an breakcore album while I was here. I have no power for anything other then my special interest and going for walks/hikes alone (walking is my form of self regulation).

It makes me really depressed every social interaction beside my few internet friends is draining me, and none of the other patients really gets it they think I‘m just being an asshole. I barely eat anymore I keep forgetting to shower. I feel so alone and depressed and I‘m scared that I I‘ll start relapsing because of this

IM Charging MY LAPTOP BECAUSE I NEED TO DO MY FINANCES FOR THE NEXT 40 YEARS AND THE CHARGER US SO FUCKING LOUD!!!! AGHHHH

I am a 30 year old autistic guy and my hyperfixation movie is Top Gun: Maverick. I have watched it three or four times on Amazon Prime Video three or four times in the last week and a half. Does anyone else watch the same movie over and over and not get sick of it, or is it just me?

Was just thinking about how I’ll never be able to have the normal highschool experience because I have autism. I was homeschooled for half of it then in special ed for the other half where I made zero friends. Not even an acquaintance. I was too scared or nervous to use my voice and could go hours without speaking, it’s been like that all of public school. I never dated anyone or went to a single school dance, I wasn’t in clubs, didn’t do sports, nothing. In another world I went to prom with a highschool sweetheart. In this world people think I’m “off”.

Reposting since I got no engagement last time I posted this, and I want to hear your thoughts.

I often find that I can't focus on my interests for more than an hour or so at a time. I don't think I have ADHD or anything; my work consists of doing the same thing for 8 hours and I don't have too much of a problem with it. I think a lot of it is that, oddly enough, I've learned to suppress and be scared of the very things I'm interested in.

For instance, one of my biggest interests is outer space. I really like drawing planets and theorizing about what kinds of wonderful worlds are out there. But when working on personal projects related to space I can't shake the feeling that if anyone I know IRL "finds out" about my interest, I will be ostracized. The longer I work on it, the more likely it is that they find out I'm not good enough, and so after only an hour or so I'm completely exhausted just thinking about what could happen. The only time I can even begin to lock in is when I'm absolutely certain that no one will open my door and figure out how weird I am. The worst part is that I'm genuinely interested in these things, I daydream about it all the time, but I still have to force myself to get anything solid done!

The fact that this happens at all makes me feel like a fraud, since in my mind a "real" autistic person should be able to delve into their interest tirelessly for months uninterrupted. It makes me feel like this whole thing is just an excuse I'm telling myself to justify how messed up I am, even though I've been professionally diagnosed for well over a decade. Am I the only one that feels this way about their own interests, or is this a common thing? Does it have a name?

I love working out so much but I have issues with clothing texture and it’s hard to find things that work. Please drop your favorite comfortable outfits or brands! I love oversized tee shirts but they have to be thinner and really soft, the same for sweatpants and I really hate the thick waistbands that are kinda scrunched. Thank you in advance :)

I work in pest control and sometimes have to be in public spaces such as stations, I fly birds of prey so of course people want to come up and talk to me etc. when I’m overwhelmed I get really blunt and can’t look at people. I’m trying to find a lanyard that says I have autism so that people might understand a bit better. I don’t think the standard sunflower is very useful as that could mean anything.

I personally was never given one, was diagnosed with the DSM-V but in UK and was nearly 18 at the time of my diagnosis, so thats probably why, I am often curious of what I would be given though.

I truly feel like I'll never be a good jazz and blues pianist on account of my autism. I love it, I really love piano, jazz, and blues. I could listen to it all day and never get tired. Honestly, it's become a borderline intense interest. My strongest inspiration is Fats Waller, I just think his music is so great. He's so good at playing the piano, it inspires me a lot. I play the piano, so naturally this is the path I took. But I truly just can't do it.

My bad memory. My lack of coordination. I try so hard, but I dont know. I just can't grasp it. My piano teacher will play a part, I'm supposed to repeat it. I see him play the notes. I SEE it happen. I understand for a second, but immediately, everything has left my mind. No matter how slowly we play it, I just can't.

He'll say "lets practice this one part" over and over again, and practice it with me over and over again, but I still fail. I can't play quickly, I can't focus on many things at once. And if I do, it was a one time thing and I can't replicate it.

He'll introduce the rhythm of the piece, and I'll start playing the wrong notes, even if i was just playing the notes perfectly. I just can't focus on both the rhythm and the notes at the same time. Play the right notes, rhythm gets screwed up. Play the right rhythm, the notes are all wrong.

It's impossible for me. I still don't know how to read sheet music comfortably, and it's been years. I still have to pause, squint at the paper and say "every good boy deserves fudge, all cows eat grass, good burritos don't fall apart..." because it just doesn't add up in my head.

It's embarrassing to my teacher. Sometimes he chuckles at me. Sometimes I laugh as well, because sometimes it's funny, but it really isn't. I feel so bad. All I can think is "I'm sorry I'm playing so poorly. I'm sorry I just can't get it. I know I'm testing your patience, and I'm sorry. I wish I could tell you, without words, why I'm like this. I know why. But I'm nervous, and I can't say it."

I'm just a clumsy failure, and I can't play well. I know I'm a cruddy player, and this is even more amplified because of how passionate I am about the genres I'm playing. I just feel like my brain is not fast enough for these things, and I'm being held back or something.

When im overwhemed i go nonverbal...what do i do...how to i comunicate that i cant rlly talk hlep

tencily im self diagnossed...but im getting tested

i know this isnt new here but i dont know anyone else who understands. i was diagnosed and found out earlier this month that im autistic. i started a new job last month, after wanting one for a few months, and since then my energy levels have completely plummetted. ive never slept in past 11am, and now i’m struggling to get up at 3pm, and fall asleep constantly during the day. im frequently having melt downs. i only work 20 hours a week, and even that is too much.
i requested off two days this week so i could rest, and i got scheduled anyways because someone else requested off after me, who had been working there longer. so i called in and said i couldnt go and i had so much stress about it. im dreading going in friday.

if i sit down i fall asleep. im so exhausted, and i dont have time or energy to do any hobbies because i need to sleep all the time. we had a week off for july 4th, and i slowly was able to feel normal again, and now im back to sleeping all the time. what sucks is school starts again in less than a month and i dont feel like ive been able to rest at all. im trying to lessen the amount of loans i take out by working but i dont know if thats sustainable, my grades have already started dropping(after working for a few months at a different job, that i later quit for similar reasons). my family will put me down if i quit or dont work. i dont want them to say im lazy or something but i literally cant do anything but work and sleep and im close to losing it. my dad will compare me to everyone else and say that since others can do it i should be able to.

i am currently looking for another job, and i have an interview tomorrow for one on campus - as an office assistant, but its only 10 hours a week. the campus library is also hiring but requires a cover letter, and i have tried to write one but i am so tired i cant even focus and my nervous system is so shot that im freaking out about it, and havent finished it yet.
i dont know. im just so tired. i dont feel like im allowed to make it easier on myself though i know thats unfair to myself. i cant stop comparing myself and im losing hope. im so exhauted my body hurts all the time. i keep snapping at people. i get upset over everything.

i would appreciate any advice or anything. i think im looking for kind words or something. i feel very alone about it.

No- I don't think there is. Instead you just watch as seemingly nice people cross your path and fail to accomplish the most simple thing- talking. This is really heavy on me lately and I'm wondering if others go through this, it's becoming just painful. I've lurked here before but if I'm being honest, I really don't like labels and ever since I was diagnosed as Autistic some 19 years ago, I've tried to distance myself from it repeatedly because it's just another reason to hate that I can't act like a normal person. Sorry for the rant people. Would love any insight.

I have a few close friends who will come to me for their problems. I'll sit down and listen to their conversation about what's troubling them to vent. However, I really tend to struggle with it afterward, because it feels like from my perspective, they have dumped their problems on me. As a result, it feels as if I'm living in it, having to figure it out. It's led to arguments and people not wanting to talk to me in the past, because I'll bring it up again what they vented, and then they don't want to talk about it anymore. I just really feel overwhelmed.

I am in my late 20s and ever since I was 2 I have been diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder. I am considered high functioning but my major obstacles are that because of my PDD I am slow learner and even hard to unable to understand what others are trying to tell me. With all this in mind. I am starting a new career. A lot of responsibility and learning. The learning process has felt. Really difficult what it feels. Like I never. Understand what I’m learning because of the fact that takes me longer than things. Does anyone else struggle with this? Or have any advice I’m dealing with trying to learn new things with autism?

My hyperfixations are sometimes on other things but most of the time they are fixed onto my special interest. I will fix onto characters and only think about them for months. The issue is that when hyperfixed onto this character if I come into content about this character, or even just a photo of them it causes me to freak out. I then have to regulate myself over this usually by rocking or throwing my hands about. But usually I just have to stop interacting with photos of said character because it is so almost stressful and overwhelming and I cannot deal with it

I do not want to stop interacting with certain characters because I am obsessing over them. I obviously want to think about them. Does anyone else know what I mean by this? Does anyone have any tips on calming myself down enough to not freak out about them? I cannot regulate myself. I thought making merch about the characters I'm freaking out over and now I just have a physical object to stare at and freak out over. It's very tiring, stressful and freaking me out. I need to be able to be calm enough to just love my media but I'm not good at regulation

I feel like everyone thinks I make excuses and I’m someone who just isn’t trying hard enough to do things correctly and I flip out and melt down when it happens. Tone and outward thinking especially are issues. Am I the asshole? I don’t want to cause problems for others or be so self involved in my own world that I come across as not caring about anything other than myself.

I'm not sure if this is the right place to put this, but I am currently facing being homeless within the next 3 days. I have to be out of my shared apartment by Saturday and that's an issue because I can't get into my group home for at least another 3 weeks.

Living with most of my family is not a viable option, unfortunately. My mother has no more space for me at her small house, she can't even hold my things for 3 weeks and I am scrambling because my friends can hold my things for me but not myself.

My one aunt has my preteen second cousin and my uncle and his wife (my other aunt) probably cannot take me either.

I am highly disabled but I can cook and clean, I am working towards getting disability and technically I am on a list for a group home I can move right into when my paperwork is finished.

This is my very first post of this community, you guys can see it as an introduction or a rant post idk, depends on you.

I'm now a foundation college student, got stress on study (I hate the writing and research skill!!!!!!) but got more stress on making relationship with friends and lecturer (especially the impatience and easily angry one, so scary). Not long ago, the school just settled a girl who bullied me on discord, but now she still making trouble to me on doing the group assignment, she did nothing and I have to carry myself with my other teammates.

On the other subject group assignment, due to the subject is too difficult and I do very little in the report and presentation slides, and I am always suspicious on myself and afraid that I am the "free rider" on their thoughts. Even thought, our final presentation were completed just now.

On the relationship, I have joined a friend group, but as expected, I am somehow hard to make a long conversation with them. Because...... Lack of things that able to discuss with them.

Well that's gone too far from the topic, as a guy who live in domestic violence family (it's normal in Asian family, and I am part of them, too, lol) and can even reached to get a good grade (even thought is not that great) to be a college student. That's what I felt somewhat glad about, because I can do things that normal people can do, somehow.

I am not going to write more, or the paragraph is too long and not everyone wants to read, so yeah

No one ever talks about how as a kid it was so easy (at least for me) to blend in with my peers but nowadays I feel like I stick out like a sore thumb. I used to take pride in my ability to mask bc it felt like a superpower and now suddenly as an adult its like it left me😕💔