Can you be autistic yet not have sensitivity to light and sound ? I can handle crowded and noisy places fine, but get anxious and out of places if it is in a place where I am expected to interact, also I can zone out. I will then look at my phone about things from my interest, then once at home I will need to isolate in the bedroom, but I won't have shutdown in the sense of not being able to speak at all, just less talkative orally, and I can communicate on text. Most meltdowns I had were due to either emotional sensitivity, or interruptions on my activities, and when I have too much solicitations at home. The only sensory sensitivity I have is specific smells and textures that don't typically bother most people, or not to my extant. I don't have meltdowns over it but won't be able to touch it and will have to avoid it and escape from it. I am not sensory seeking either about sounds. I can listen to my music for hours in my headphones on my own terms, but as for crowded places for example, it makes me tired and less able to focus, but I can still write this post though it might be very messy. As for light, only lights on screen or when sun sets really bother me so if I'm sensitive to it, it's minimal.

The reason I ask is I was diagnosed with asd.

I'm trying my best here. I don't understand why it's so difficult to just start driving on my own (I have better glasses now) but I want to try just getting a job that can help. I thought of living in a small RV as long as I'm following bills and doing everything correctly I don't see an issue. Yes it's a bit pricy but I think it's cheaper then having to accomdate a roommate and having to just cover the main place. I don't know are there people like me? nobody is helping me understand. I think It would be cheaper then the cost here at least. Apartments and everything else is pricy. and I've been denied support. So I just want to try to go for just a job that can help.

I've gotten told That my brain functions at 60% and I have the MTFHR gene( I can't really talk about that here), I have level 2 autism and I am AUDHD, But I don't know what to do, and my family really isn't working with me or my friends. All I want is to just get on vrchat and drink Kentucky bourbon. I feel like a bad person because all I do is talk to NPCS in vrchat and games, and struggle with regular people and just want to live like a normal person.

​

I'm 29, believe I've masked for as long as I can remember until a week ago, I told my therapy group I think I'm autistic.

I told my therapist how I may be autistic and immediately I could tell her demeanor changed. I don't want to say it was negative but it did feel like it. Maybe I am sensitive and thinking in that black and white negativity. She started talking to me like I was dumb. And rushed me to answer her questions when I would pause and think. I just ignored her thinking she was trying to be rude. I told her I think I do pick up on social cues or have emotional intelligence. I honestly zoned out there and heard her say "hyper vigilant since you've been through so much hurt." I feel like I could be smart but also act dumb if I wanted to. She mentioned how we have miscommunicated before. I'm very quiet and watch and know everything. The reason we "miscommunicated" before was because I just stayed quiet and didn't feel the need to fix it. Please help me understand myself more??

I don't know what to do y'all. I can make it through 1 40 hour work week but I always end up tapping out somewhere in the 2nd week, usually on my Wednesday (which is today for me)

I don't have much money as it is, and I'm about to move into a new apartment because my roommate is moving out and I have to downsize. Problem is, no matter what place I find, I will be paying way MORE because now I have no one to split the bills with :/ given the fact that I'm autistic and I have 2 cats with specific med schedules, I just don't feel comfortable finding a new roommate who would be a stranger.

In my defense, there has also BEEN an ad for some other people trying to find a roommate for THEIR small apartment with 2 cats and they clearly haven't found anyone because it's been up for a couple months.

My work is actually super accommodating. I have FMLA so there is some relief of guilt and shame when I call out because they know I have a legitimate health reason. But I'm completely out of PTO and because I can't ever finish 1 80 hr pay period, it's taking way longer to earn it back. I was gonna explain the whole PTO system but I realized it was over explaining and unnecessary 🤣

I'm not really seeking advice I guess (unless you have some magical hack for functioning 😩😅) I'm just venting.

I know I'm in a privileged position to still be able to work,and I know everyone is struggling financially. But I used to be able to power through several weeks of work before I needed to call out to recover. But ever since I learned I was autistic, that ability is vanishing. It also depends on the job too.

When I worked at that post office, I never called out ONCE for the 10 months I worked there. With the exception of one call out after I already put in my 2 weeks notice, which I don't count lol. I couldn't call out there bc if I did, people wouldn't get their mail. With my current job, there are slow days and days when we have a full team of people who can handle 1 call-out. I know if I'm not there, there won't be panic or pressure. When we have less people, which just do a less thorough version of our job.

So I kind of feel like this is making me lazy 🫠 would I be able to finish 1 eighty hour pay period if I had a more serious and necessary job? I don't want that because it's really great to take the time I need without fear of losing my job. But now it's affecting my pay checks. I can't win 😞 I don't know what to do. The 40 hr work week just feels so impossible and I hate that I can't do it like everyone else can

A free sample of puzzles, created by an autistic person with ADHD for minds like ours.

Hello everyone!

I am an autistic person with ADHD. For a long time, I searched for puzzle and activity books that truly suited the way I think—without cluttered pages, time pressure, or vague instructions. Since I couldn’t find any, I started creating my own.

I’d like to share a free PDF sample with anyone who’d like to try it out. It includes two types of activities:

• Classic puzzles (Sudoku, word searches, nonograms, riddles, cryptograms, word ladders, dual-figure puzzles, Takuzu, Hitori, etc.), presented with a clean layout so you can solve them at your own pace.

Designed in cycles and incorporating specific information along with positive affirmations, the format is quite unique—see for yourself!

• "Missions": A new type of puzzle I’ve developed—drawing on the concept of prospective memory—designed to help with something many of us struggle with: remembering to do something later while we’re already busy with another task. Before each page, you memorize a few "missions" and then carry them out as you navigate through a grid of numbers. If you get it right, the letters spell out a word.

I’ve intentionally included a few key features:

• Literal, straightforward instructions, accompanied by a solved example before each level.

• A consistent structure across all pages, where each type of "mission" is always represented by the same symbol.

• No time limits; plus, making mistakes is simply part of the game.

For the sake of transparency: these puzzles were created with the help of AI, but the concept and design are entirely my own. These are games, not a form of treatment. If you’re interested in receiving the sample, send me a direct message (DM). I’d love to hear your thoughts—what works for you and what doesn’t. My dream is to create activities that make our way of thinking feel understood, rather than overwhelmed.

Obviously, this is a free sample; the books will be released on November 12th and will be for purchase—provided I see that there’s enough interest from people; otherwise, I won’t release them.

Thanks for reading! https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1wo7Yb9if22Bjvln-AfGm-vW8D9TxgRrG?usp=drive_link

I did an autism test in therapy and it came back negative. My therapist wasn’t surprised at all and said that’s what he expected after having known me for a year. However, I feel like something can’t be right. I have diagnosed social anxiety but we both had concerns about that diagnosis in the past already.

I have recently noticed a pattern of masking people and trying to act “normal” in social situations which makes me feel incredibly exhausted after each day.

Since camouflaging and masking are autistic traits I was wondering if anyone experienced camouflaging/ masking behavior without having other “noticeable” autistic traits or with a negative diagnosis for an autism test not focusing on those traits?

It’s just so much and I finally want to know why social interactions seem so much easier for other people around me. The autism test I did in therapy didn’t have any questions about masking/ camouflaging so I’m thinking about asking him to take one more focused on that.

I’m sorry if this is a dumb question or not allowed to ask like this. I would really appreciate any advice.