You know, I was diagnosed with autism at 14, today I'm 18, I didn't have that much treatment and my development didn't progress, I practically spent years locked up at home without interacting much with people, I never researched much about autism and I never went that deep, So I don't know many things, recently in a conversation they mentioned that my autism may have progressed to level 3 support, I'm level 2, I wonder if these years locked up without socializing, having an addiction to pornography could have I got worse, does anyone have any reports? Anyone who has already migrated from one level to another? I did some research and it really is possible, I joined this community to try to see opinions and topics about autism, anyway, thanks for your attention!

I’ll go first, mine is Happy by NF, I’ve been listening to that song for 3 days straight and it was my no.1 on my Apple music wrapped

I really wish I could form a routine because I have so many things I want to do (read books, learn a language, improve my art, etc.) but all my attempts to create a routine end up failing, even if it’s simple.

I love when routines are imposed on me (middle school, high school, and college). But I can’t follow my own plans for my life.

I was tested for ADHD but found out my attention on one task was above average and my self-report didn’t come back with elevated ADHD symptoms.

I’m thinking this may be due to slow processing, monotropism, and executive functioning.

A lot of my friends who are autistic don’t have their licenses and it seems to be a common rhetoric online that autistic people don’t like to drive

I can understand why, it’s very intense sometimes having to watch for so many different things and make snap decisions and predict what other road users are doing.

But honestly I love driving, I’ll take any excuse to use my car. It’s just the most fun thing in the world to me, getting to drive at 80mph in a 1.2 ton hunk of metal.

I feel like I am literally unable to live because things get to me SO much. And people are (often unknowingly) unbelievably cruel to me, I'm hurt all the time. I can't go to school and I can't work because too many things incite extreme anger and hurt in me, I basically fall to bits every 10 minutes. I've been to 9 different therapists, it did nothing. I've been to the psych ward for 2 months, it made me worse than ever. It might actually be over for me

How do you deal with having heightened emotions and being hurt again and again every day 24/7 because people don't realize how cruel they're being?

What do you think about this statement?

I just got fired from my job because i didn't wake up on time. I will not be able to pay rent so I'm getting kicked out from my home. if I end up on the streets I will probably never recover, do y'all got any tips how to fix my situation? I can't find another job quickly last time it took me 2 months :(

Mine would be music, And neography/phonetics

Mines mario kart or marvel rivals wbu?

If you had the power to become neurotypical would you be that way or stay neurodivergent

I like it because both birds and bats are able to fly and use the power line.

Sometimes It genuinely feels like my autism affects me more negatively than others. I get so envious hearing about peoples special interests being school or career related. The few interests I've had, they've never gone anywhere. I wasn't born with a gift like other autistic people, I'm pretty bad at most things I do. I wish there were upsides to my autism.

I think it's really interesting how "pretty privilege" intersects with autism and other disabilities. When you're "conventionally attractive", people ignore that you're disabled, attribute signs of disability to being "weird" or other personal flaws, see you as attention-seeking for asking for support, and label you "high-functioning" no matter how much you're struggling.

On the other hand, if you do "look disabled", you're infantilised, assumed to be incapable of making decisions for yourself, and excluded by abled society.

I personally put effort into maintaining my "pretty privilege", because while it sucks be treated like you're not deserving of accommodations or like all the signs that you're disabled are choices you're making because you're just a bad person in some way, i'd rather be disrespected by people who are clearly influenced by their objectification of me than be excluded entirely, as I have been in the past.

I've also been exploited, assaulted, and abused while in both positions, either because people assume virtue in my abusers simply for tolerating a "burden" like me, or because people assume that I "know what I'm doing", I'm "crazy", or I'm "asking for it".

I'd love to hear other people's thoughts on how superficial factors influence the way neurotypicals treat us, because it can be kind of lonely seeing through something everyone else treats as rational and normal.

I don’t really do this when I’m overstimulated, I more-so do it when I’m mad at myself. Like when I do something embarrassing, or when I stub my toe while I’m already in a bad mood. I just get filled with an unbridled rage and Idk what else to do with it.

My high school best friend is in town. I'm probably the last person he told. He sent me a snapchat that he was in town. I asked him when he was free. He had already made plans with everyone else in town. This isn't the first time this has happened.

For many years he was my only close friend and while we were friends there were a lot of ways he took advantage of me and my kindness and generosity because I thought we were best friends. And then I started learning about how he was MY best friend but I wasn't really HIS best friend. All of the group chats he had with people I knew from school that I wasn't included in so I never knew about anything going on unless or until he told me. And for the longest time he wasn't just my best friend; he was my only friend because making and maintaining friendships is hard for me. I knew people but I was never really friends with them because I never got the chance to because I only had contact with them through him.

So I would always be there for him at the drop of a hat, I'd buy him things, pay for every meal, go out of my way for him, but he never really did the same for me. And over the years I slipped further and further down his list of friends.

I would be there to pet sit for him whenever they went out of town, I spent so much goddamn time at his housein the last few years he was living in the same city as me and most of that time was when he was gone! I would try to schedule times to hang out with him and he'd ditch me to go hang out with other people, people I also knew, and he wouldn't invite me. He'd tell me that he was going and made it clear that I wasn't coming.

There's this term called mate crime. It's when people befriend you to take advantage of you. A lot of autistic people are victims of mate crime. And I'm one of them. And it sucks.

I've been crying all night. Ate a bunch of cookies to help myself feel better. It's hard realizing that the person you care most about in the world doesn't really care about you. It's hard coming to terms with the fact that you've been a victim of abuse for over a decade. It's hard coming to terms with the fact that he's never going to change.

At least I have other friends now.

i’m an adult now. i just got diagnosed with AUDHD and i am totally scared to fail.

i cannot drive, never worked a day in my life. i’m going to school for fashion design but i think i will be a horrible seamstress. i’m already doing bad in highschool. my first dress was wearable but it looks like a bust, it’s horrible. i’m scared for my next looks and i’m scared i won’t be cut out for this. i cant drive, it’s horrible and scary and knowing how easily i get frustrated and want to stop immediately what i’m doing, i quit, and have a breakdown. i’m scared i won’t be fit for college. i’m scared i won’t make it… i don’t want to end up poor like my mother or father… i really wanted a name for myself but what if i can’t do it anymore? all my friends can do it… i wanted to be a teacher for fashion but i’m so scared i won’t be good enough anymore..

I have read through a lot of advice on r/Autism-Parenting, a lot of good tips and ideas, but I always felt like to get a better understanding of something go to the source rather than asking those that are exposed to it. So my question is, you as a person with autism what are things you wish your parents had done, or done better at, or what are the best things your parents did that helped you feel supported and helped you grow as a person?