NEW PODCAST:

"Neurodivergent Kiss: #Autistic Fairytale... or Fabulous Marriage?"

Updated text, new images including, "Under a Surreal Sun."

First podcast in 6 months. If you enjoy my work, please share it up! More to come this week...

WIth links to audio podcast and captioned YouTube to aid audio processing. Also includes new hi-res illustrations...

#ActuallyAutistic #Autistic #ADHD #AuDHD #AutisticAdults #LateDiagnosed #Neurodivergent

@actuallyautistic@a.gup.oe @actuallyadhd
https://autisticaf.me/2023/08/24/podcast-neurodivergent-kiss-autistic-fairytale-or-fabulous-marriage/

Exercised (on purpose) today for the first time in probably 2 years.

Doc says I'm finally showing signs of recovery from burnout. Leaving the "fight or flight" stage.

#mentalhealth
#actuallyautistic
#adhd
#LateDiagnosed

@AnxiousCat
#ActuallyAutistic #LateDiagnosed

You summarize late DX well.

That has been my situation for 10 to 15 years, I self DXed with Asperger's and the response of the handful of others that I told was never useful.

I instead sometimes describe behaviors and needs specifically.

I said to a close friend that a repetitive behavior was a stim, she looked at me blankly not having heard that term, but came back later after researching and said I was probably autistic and she'd thought I was soon after meeting me.

That lead me to look at current thinking. Which is much more coherent then a decade ago.
Now there is a wide body of work by autistics which is much clearer than medics grasping at trying to understand a bunch of symptoms, many of which eg depression and anxiety are by products.

This new knowledge is helpful as I am even less willing to fit in where I don't and more comfortable isolating and choosing where I do socialize

Being diagnosed with autism at the age of 49 has given me a parsimonious explanation for a lifetime of struggle, and that has felt liberating. So many things that I could never understand about myself now make sense. I now understand that my struggles are not a result of me being “lazy” or not “trying hard enough,” and that those are just ableist narratives that I have carried inside for too long. But it’s also really hard, because autism is not an explanation that most other people will understand or accept. It’s not really something I can share with others in a way that leads to anything but more invalidation. I fear that other people will continue to see me as lazy, or willful, or overly dramatic, even though this is not true. And this feels really hard. How do other late identified autistic folks cope with this paradox?
#ActuallyAutistic #LateDiagnosed @actuallyautistic

@autisticompulsive
I grew up believing I was in inherently wrong because that is what my parents had drummed into me through constant tellings off, assuming I knew what I should have done and having a brother who could almost do no wrong and at the most got a 'do not do that again' instead of being punished like me.
#ActuallyAutistc
#Autism
#Autistic
#LateDiagnosed

Free to #Medium readers...

"Slouching Toward Joy: My Best 6 Phases To An #ActuallyAutistic Relief"

Diagnosed #autistic as an adult… or care about someone? Maybe YOU are autistic, maybe not?

So excited Medium's "Artfully Autistic" published this! A fantastic publication for new #Neurodivergent writers.

@actuallyautistic @actuallyadhd #AutisticAdult #LateDx #LateDiagnosed #ADHD #ActuallyADHD #AuDHD
https://johnnyprofane1.medium.com/slouching-toward-joy-my-best-6-phases-to-an-actually-autistic-relief-7d2e3b551cda

🚨Exclusive for #subStack readers...‼️

"Promising Me Beautiful Lies: How Hollywood Failed My Autism"

A fully illustrated version with 17 NEW c r a z y graphics!

FREE to view for all readers. I'm thinking about turning my subStack newsletter into an on-going graphic novel....

Oh.. and the biggest boost ANYone can give my work? Hit the like, subscribe & share buttons. 👉Help independent writers beat the Algorithm...

@actuallyautistic @actuallyadhd
#ActuallyAutistic #Autistic #ActuallyADHD #ADHD #AuDHD #Neurodiverse #Neurodivergent #LateDX #LateDiagnosed #AutisticAdults #Shorts

https://johnnyprofaneknapp.substack.com/p/promising-me-beautiful-lies

🚨Exclusive for #subStack readers...‼️

"Promising Me Beautiful Lies: How Hollywood Failed My Autism"

A fully illustrated version with 17 NEW c r a z y graphics!

FREE to view for all readers. I'm thinking about turning my subStack newsletter into an on-going graphic novel....

Oh.. and the biggest boost ANYone can give my work? Hit the like, subscribe & share buttons. 👉Help independent writers beat the Algorithm...

#ActuallyAutistic #Austic #ActuallyADHD #ADHD #AuDHD #Neurodiverse #Neurodivergent #LateDX #LateDiagnosed #AutisticAdults #Shorts

https://johnnyprofaneknapp.substack.com/p/promising-me-beautiful-lies

What’s autistic variable ability feel like? My skills, energy, focus, _interest…?_ They materialize & vanish at whim… like ghosts.

Yanking my #autistic life up, down & sideways. A crazed puppetmaster jerking my strings. How’s THAT feel?

Let me demonstrate, my friend...

10:13, with captions to aid audio processing.
Includes link to full, illustrated transcript.

@actuallyautistic @actuallyadhd
#ActuallyAutistic #ActuallyADHD #AuDHD #Neurodiverse #Neurodivergent #LateDX
#LateDiagnosed
https://youtu.be/5P4qW_klsA4

I talk reducing noise to natural levels to increase #AutisticJoy…

I shoot for forest-sound level in my home. 20-40 dB. Quiet, restful.

Did you know street traffic is 60-70 dB…

&☝️ stove fan ADDS 50-60 dB?

Together more than a jet overhead near an airport?

Medium: https://link.medium.com/ykTrNBWOCxb

YouTube (captions aid audio processing):
https://youtu.be/ZHX576ZD2xI

Blog (free text, video, podcast)
https://autisticaf.me/2023/02/19/rediscovering-autistic-joy-my-4-easy-shameless-ways-as-an-autistic-adult/

@actuallyautistic @actuallyadhd
#ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD #AutisticJoy #Autistic
#AutisticAdults #LateDiagnosed

Any other #LateDiagnosed #Autistic consider changing their legal name?
In regards to a post about masking, I had replied something about how I don't even know who I am because I didn't create this person...society did. Or my parents or public school or every person I've created a mask for. That was never me.
I've never felt connected to my name. It was a name given to me, and I only tried to live up to the expectations of who they said she would be. I failed enough and burnt myself out too much. So I decided I won't be that person. I can't.
I want a name that represents me and who I am creating.

With a few exceptions, I have never found talk therapy to be super helpful, probably because my problems were largely rooted in the fact that I was an undiagnosed autistic person living in a neurotypical world. Over the years, I forged my own coping strategies and they have generally served me well. But after discovering that I am autistic, and after five years of unrelenting crisis and loss, my coping strategies just aren’t working anymore, and I have been struggling. So I finally made an appointment with a therapist recommended by the doctor who did my autism assessment last fall, and I meet with that therapist today. I am really nervous - self disclosure has always felt dangerous to me, and especially now when it feels like I’m just this mess of jumbled selves that need to be somehow reassembled (while I continue to do all the things that my life requires of me). Wish me luck - I really need this to be a good fit, because it took all the spoons I have just to make the appointment. #ActuallyAutistic #LateDiagnosed

Something that's really frustrating about realizing/being diagnosed with both autism and POTS in the same year is that I have no idea how much of my symptoms are caused by one or the other, or a combo of both.

I know that stress is my main trigger for my digestive symptoms(I also have IBS, because of course I do😅), and that I've definitely been in burnout most of the year, during which I've experienced an uptick in POTS related symptoms.

But now, after having a short period of feeling quite well both mentally and physically, I'm back to having a racing heart, feeling more anxious(especially in evenings?) and having more digestive issues(this also tends to coincide with anxiety in evenings), fatigue, and even body aches.

I've ruled out illness(everyone in the house is fine and it's been days at the same uncomfortable baseline) and ultimately I'm sure that the main cause is stress, but I feel it would be helpful to be able to parse out whether I'm too overstimulated or need more water or salt; if doing some yoga is what my body really needs, or if I actually just need to spend more time in bed/relative solitude. Or is it both/all?

Everything I do feels wrong or not enough. My husband is home from work all this week and I want to spend the time recovering but I don't know what it is I need most.

I know it's a very individual problem, but if anyone with a similar combo has had luck differentiating between autistic burnout and a POTS/IBS flare, I'd love to hear about that. Also, just solidarity.

#AskingAutistics #ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD #AutisticBurnout #LateDiagnosed #POTS #Dysautonomia #IBS #disabled #disabilitydon @actuallyautistic

Still trying to learn the ways of Mastodon after #TwitterMigration but the thing I keep seeing is ‘make an #introduction post’ so here goes…
I am #ActuallyAutistic, also think I have #ADHD but can’t access a diagnosis where I live. Identify as #AuDHD :) Also a #ChronicIllness person and identify as #disabled. Really passionate about #access and #inclusion and likely to talk a lot about that once I get going - in particular my own experience as an #AutisticProfessional, an #AutisticParent of an #autistic child, and being #LateDiagnosed.
I founded @LiveToYourLR (we’re not very active on here yet but have the same handle across all social platforms) during lockdown to help musicians and audiences connect with each other. We’ve now been running high-quality #folk and #acoustic #OnlineGigs for nearly three years, because despite what you might hear, #CovidIsNotOver and actually even taking that out of the equation, #gigs just aren’t all that #accessible for a lot of people.
I might also talk about #adoption and #trauma as I’m an #adoptiveparent of seven years and still on a massive learning and self-reflection curve. Wrote a couple of books about the #psychology of adoption and how you can use #music and #singing to support child development, which I will get VERY nerdy about, given half a chance. I sometimes blog about stuff on my website if there’s something on my mind, which you can find at catmcgill.uk.
Also I have six #cats. Most of the photos of them go on Instagram though as that’s how my brain works.
Looking forward to making connections and learning interesting things, and struggling to resist the urge to ask if I’ve done this right…

@ADHDNerdDad
I was #LateDiagnosed and took years learning my #AdultADHD, but once I got better at managing it, it taught me to listen to others. Really listen. As in, how "I can't" means "I can't" rather than "I don't want to", "I'm lazy" or "I don't care".

Thus, absolutely, understanding my #NeuroDivergence made me a better #parent and a better person in general, and I couldn't be more thankful for it!

Ich höre mich mein Leben lang sagen: "Ich habe sehr lichtempfindliche Augen" Seit Februar weiß ich endlich warum. Jetzt lasse ich 🕶️auch in Innenräumen mit gleißendem Deckenlicht an. Demnächst mit LF41 Lesebrille #ActuallyAutistic #LateDiagnosed #Sensorik #Hypersensibilität

Time to attempt a pinned toot about myself.

I have been seeking Aut-ID for a few years. I'm an ex-school non-attender with poor experiences of CAMHS. Seeking ID is a way of gaining closure from services' neglect and achieving some stability and support.

I am thankful for #ActuallyAutistic insights like monotropism and double empathy and hope that this is the last century in which anti-Autistic bigotry and allistic supremacy is tolerated and supported by society.

Some tags related to me:

#Asexual #Aroace #Autistic #ADHD #Monotropism #AutisticRights #LateDiagnosed #BTSARMY

A random collection of my special interests: bridges in Seoul, historical timelines, collecting information and compiling lists, anything pink, space exploration, Autistic rights and the battle against allistic supremacy.

Time to attempt a pinned toot about myself.

I have been seeking Aut-ID for a few years. I'm an ex-school non-attender with poor experiences of CAMHS. Seeking ID is a way of gaining closure from services' neglect and achieving some stability and support.

I am thankful for #ActuallyAutistic insights like monotropism and double empathy and hope that this is the last cenutry in which anti-Autistic bigotry and allistic supremacy is tolerated and supported by society.

Some tags related to me:

#Asexual #Aroace #Autistic #ADHD #Monotropism #AutisticRights #LateDiagnosed #BTSARMY

A random collection of my special interests: bridges in Seoul, historical timelines, collecting information and compiling lists, anything pink, space exploration, Autistic rights and the battle against allistic supremacy.

#LateDiagnosed #ActuallyAutistic #GenX #nonbinary #queer
50-something software engineer living in Cascadia with 3 cats. I like opera, gardening, reading, and travel.

Deep breath, #introduction time!

I'm Adva, a #homeschooling #mom, multiple #DogMom and #CatMom, and a #LateDiagnosed #ADHDer.

#AmWriting my first novel - a #fantasy deeply inspired by #ADHD.

Still checking out this new neighborhood... Would love to meet some neighbors! ❤️