#actuallyautistic Timeline

45d

@autistics #ActuallyAutistic there may be something to this…

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44d

#TimsASDjourney Diary of an AuDHD Squirrel. Day 1004 , Tuesday 28/07/2026

Up earlier than I expected at just after 7am thanks to next door, noisy lot!

A nice quiet day after the chores were completed.

A good thing really as my body was whining about all the bending & stretching that happened on Monday!

Final Thoughts.

The quiet before the storm, gym, blood test & a shopping trip to Costco™ tomorrow!

Thank you to all those who are helping me on this journey, in a myriad different ways. I am thankful to each & every one of you! 🫂 🫶🐿️🖖

@autistics
#TimsASDjourney #ActuallyAutistic #Neurospicy #TheMammutMoves

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44d

@autistics #ActuallyAutistic first of nine slides

https://www.instagram.com/p/DbX48JHjAMQ/

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20d

#Autism

A thing I absolutely despise: when people think they can make decisions for me, without my consent or knowledge. Seething, thermonuclear level hatred I have for this behavior.

#Autistic #AutismAwareness #Neurodivergent #ActuallyAutistic

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29d

One of the most neurotypical sentences I come across pretty often, when the communication develops beyond small talk is “You don’t have to explain yourself.” and as an AuDHD person, I very much dislike it.

At first it seems as if neurotypical people say it in good faith, some even do, often followed by something like “People who really like you, don’t care about you being autistic, queer or other differences.” or “It must be exhausting, that you have to explain yourself all the time.”

I very much disagree.

Psychology has been my special interest for decades, finding out that I am queer, that I am autistic has been extremely important to me. It changed my life. I find the way my brain and the ones of other neurodivergent people work very interesting, how our bodyminds work, what needs we have because of that. All this is not only my special interest, it’s an essential part of every neurodivergent relationship for me, understanding these aspects about one another is a necessary step to be able to accommodate each other’s needs.

As an AuDHD person, talking about my special interests is something I really like to do, it’s the opposite of exhausting for me and people would understand that, if they actually listened to me and asked questions, instead of telling me their neurotypical superficial, feel-good phrases. The latter is the exhausting part.

Sharing detailed information about these aspects of our personality would contribute to a mutual understanding. But to me it seems, that neurotypical communication is not about understanding, it’s about judgement. So, telling me, that I don’t have to explain myself, means “I won’t judge you, therefore you don’t have to explain yourself.”

To me that is such a telling part of the double empathy problem. It’s also one of the reasons, why we most autistic people don’t like the “Autism acceptance month”. Accepting differences should be the bare minimum for every kind of human interaction. I want mutual understanding.

#ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD #neurodivergent
@autistics

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29d

Guys outside dismantling four storeys of scaffolding. I don’t think it’s possible for human beings to create any more noise (without extreme machinery) than dropping scaffold for hours on end. 😬 My everything is jangled. ⚡️🧠⚡️

#ActuallyAutistic #Autistic #ADHD #AuDHD @autistics @actuallyadhd

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44d

Dans le cadre d’un groupe de travail sur « être artiste en situation de handicap », le @CAAP cherche à collecter des témoignages d’artistes concerné·es.

👉 https://framaforms.org/inclusion-handicap-1784707847

#handicap #artist #temoignage #syndicat #actuallyautistic

inclusion-handicap-1784707847

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43d

Diary of an AuDHD Squirrel. Day 1005 , Wednesday 29/07/2026

Up early to go to the gym, not a bad session although my knee complained about the leg press!

Got back did a couple of chores then had breakfast.

Had to go for a blood test &, as is the case these days, the phlebotomist had problems fining a willing vein!

Mrs S has been pestering me to do the front hedge so I tackled that this morning & then, in a fit of ADHD enthusiasm topped the hawthorn tree. I only had hedge trimmers & a set of long handled loppers to tackle the job & the hawthorn was not for giving in easily as the many scratches on my arms attest!

My entire body now hates me, but at least the job is done!

I was treated to a chinese takeaway this evening for my efforts so that was nice! It went well with an episode of Cadfael!

Final Thoughts.

A much, much busier day than I at first envisioned but the front garden looks better, although I need to get out there & tackle the runaway wild strawberries next!

Thank you to all those who are helping me on this journey, in a myriad different ways. I am thankful to each & every one of you! 🫂 🫶🐿️🖖

@autistics
#TimsASDjourney #ActuallyAutistic #Neurospicy #TheMammutMoves

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20d

I am so tired of getting answers that show they never read what I already said - I want the blue one
.
“Oh, you want one? Cool. What colour?”
.
No, never mind, I don’t want to buy anything from you, fuck off.
This in TEXT. All they had to do
was look at it. 😠🤮
.
It’s a fictional example and it’s probably exactly what people experience talking to me
too, but still. If you’re Autistic and this happens, that’s OK, we’re good, shit happens, we focus on the wrong things a lot. It’s just when I think it’s some regular person to whom I’m invisible and inaudible I get mad and tired. 😠
.
#ActuallyAutistic #ND #AuDHD @autistics

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20d

It doesn’t mean anything that,
“we are all unique,” it doesn’t matter that we all have something unique about us - except that it’s the opposite of, “neurotypes exist.”
.
The point the world needs to learn is that everyone is NOT unique, that everyone is a TYPE, with traits common to many, that’s science, that’s information we could be doing something with - while, “we are all,” ANYTHING is the untrue opposite, a meme that destroys actual knowledge and erases actual neurodiversity.
.
Why you wanna be unique (and alone) anyway? 🫣😀
.
#AuDHD #ND #ActuallyAutistic @autistics

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104d

Why has autism persisted across all human populations, across cultures, and most likely across centuries?

A hypothesis: not individual advantage, but group survival.

https://dev.to/raphink/why-autism-hasnt-disappeared-a-hypothesis-1b6g

#autism #autismAwareness #ActuallyAutistic #Neurodiversity

@autistics

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1d

@autistics #ActuallyAutistic

https://www.instagram.com/p/Dbsyx9pxXfh/

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43d

Whats that? There are no audio sitcoms made by autistic people, for autistic people?
Well think again. The amazing @TheDailyTism have a new podcast out wherever you get your podcasts.
Having listened to episode 1, I found myself:
1. Entertained
2. Represented
3. Personally attacked (in a consentually accurate way).

https://pca.st/podcast/fa337d10-5a95-013f-1f83-0e98e27f20d9

@autistics #actuallyautistic

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210d

Hot take: Refusing to adapt to AI/LLM mirrors a lack of patience for autistic & neurodivergent persons. If you can't handle an AI, you can't handle a person. I'm talking communication & treatment, not Copyright. Refusing explicit context reveals bias.

#AI #Autism #Neurodiversity #ActuallyAutistic

@autistics

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26d

I *FINALLY* understand why we tend to self-harm. Our senses can become so overwhelmed that the only way to manage them is buy causing intense localized discomfort to force us to focus ourselves to a far smaller set of sensory inputs. In that way, self-harm is a form of sensor-deprivation, as counter-intuitive as that may seem.

I realize that I have had these kinds of behaviors, in different forms, almost my entire life.

The more I reflect on the entirety of my life, the more past autistic experiences and behaviors reveal themselves. Back then, what I lacked was the autistic frame of reference. After all, I was diagnosed at age 50.

#actuallyaudhd #actuallyautistic #actuallyadhd @autistics

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42d

@autistics #ActuallyAutistic just had my annual review...

…manager/peer ratings were 0.8 higher than i self rated (no surprise as i hold myself to unrealistic standards)…

...what was surprising, multiple comments on being a good communicator (both in writing and told directly by my boss)...

…for context, i am barely (if at all) doing any masking anymore...

…funny how that works out

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42d

Diary of an AuDHD Squirrel. Day 1006 , Thursday 30/07/2026

Thursday has been a recovery day, after yesterday’s exertions!

A quiet day, with breakfast & chores to start the day then a bit of exploring the galaxy.

I did make a start on sorting thru the tools & stuff that I brought back on Monday!

Final Thoughts.

I’m toying with going over to my late MiL’s tomorrow & do another stint in the garage but we shall see how things are in the morning. I still ache from yesterday.

Thank you to all those who are helping me on this journey, in a myriad different ways. I am thankful to each & every one of you! 🫂 🫶🐿️🖖

@autistics
#TimsASDjourney #ActuallyAutistic #Neurospicy #TheMammutMoves

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28d

"High-functioning autism" is code for "no support for you, not ever."

#actuallyautistic

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28d

Question for the Fediverse: are there any texts on how neurodivergence, especially autism and ADHD, is perceived and/or dealt with in cultures other than western European/North American culture? Scholarly sources, fiction, whatever (preferably in English).
#actuallyAutistic #askFedi #actuallyADHD

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27d

Diary of an AuDHD Squirrel. Day 1021 , Friday 14/08/2026

Woke up just after 06:30 - my body is getting used to the every other day gym session. Today however I woke with the headache I went to bed with last night & felt like someone had hit me in the face. So I decided that cautions was the better side of valour & skipped gym - I will get back on that particular horse next week when the weather has cooled down a bit!

Next door prevented me for sleeping in, they hit the hoover about 5 minutes after I initially woke up! What is it with these people!

Had a relaxed day, chores & some gaming then finishing off the Hobbit trilogy.

Ordered a Hotdog stuffed crust pizza … interestingly I got a hot (spicy) pizza with a cheese stuffed crust - no hotdog to be seen though.

I only managed ½ of it I can take spicy food to a certain degree but not a whole pizzas worth!
Still one way to help with the diet!!

Final Thoughts.

Not a bad day, we managed to move forward with regards to my MiL’s property, still a work in progress but every step is a step closer!

Thank you to all those who are helping me on this journey, in a myriad different ways. I am thankful to each & every one of you! 🫂 🫶🐿️🖖

@autistics
#TimsASDjourney #ActuallyAutistic #Neurospicy #TheMammutMoves

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42d

About neurodiversity, gender and why the personal is very much political

There’s a lot of confusion when it comes to the concept and terminology around neurodiversity and neurotypicality. Gender and Intersectionality have been interests of mine for more than a decade by now and since I found out that I am autistic, I am working on getting a deeper understanding of neurodiversity and how it is all connected. So here are my thoughts on the topic and I am very much interested in yours.

Neurotypicality is the performance of the social construct of neuronormativity, similar to the performance of gender, which is a social construct too. In the same way your sex does not define your gender, your neurology does not define if you are neurotypical or not. Same as gender, neurotypicality is about behavior, about how you present yourself.

And the point where it becomes tricky, is that “neurodivergent means having a mind that functions in ways which diverge significantly from the dominant societal standards of “normal.” (Nick Walker) When we stick to that definition and keep in mind, that neurotypicality is a social performance, you can have a neurodivergent mind and still perform neurotypicality, that is called masking. So, the opposite of neurotypical is not neurodivergent, it is neuroqueer, because queerness is a about behavior and identity, not something that is defined by your body, but something that you decide to live.

Being autistic is something that you are born with, it’s a difference from the neuromajority in the body, not a something you perform, while being neurotypical is something that you can choose to a certain extent, it is a performance same as gender. But your neurology strongly influences how difficult this performance, the behavior, that is perceived as normal is, to the point that it becomes extremely damaging or even impossible. In the same way nobody is born neurotypical, nobody is born a woman, it is an identity you choose on a more or less conscious level, not something that is defined by your body parts.

The opposite of the concept neuronormativity is the neurodiversity paradigm, not neurodiversity itself. “Neurodiversity is the diversity of human minds, the infinite variation in neurocognitive functioning within our species.” (Nick Walker), it is a biological fact.

While neuronormativity defines a neurology, that diverges from the majority as disordered, the neurodiversity paradigm sees neurodivergence as a valuable part of human diversity. For that reason, people who embrace the neurodiversity paradigm are so critical of the diagnostic criteria of autism, because they refer to a behavior and deem it as deficient, rather than understanding the neurology behind it. The diagnostic criteria of autism are not based in the science of neurology and neurodiversity, but on your ability of the performance of neurotypicality, which is a social construct. This where the nonsensical idea of “outgrowing autism” comes from.

The personal is very much political here, because all kinds of normativity (neuronormativity, heteronormativity etc.) are concepts that are upheld by people in power to control the masses, who are below them in the social hierarchy. The more your needs, your behavior diverge from what is defined as “normal”, the more difficult you are to control and are therefore defined as disordered by people in power. As a part of a minority group you are the living proof of the fact, that this system is not about meeting people’s valid needs, but about control, about upholding the power of a few. Validating your needs, would lead to a systemic change and that is not in the interest of the people on top of the hierarchy.

From this point of view, psychiatry is (at least partly) pseudo-science, it is a tool of control. This is why some people say, that many therapists are “cops” too, this is why “therapy” is not safe for so many of us, why it is not the one size fits all solution.

#ActuallyAutistic #neurodivergent #queer
@autistics

[Edited a typo in the 7th paragraph]

Edited 42d ago

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26d

About AuDHD, CPTSD and neuronormativity

This text is about certain aspects of AuDHD and trauma, that are rooted in our neurological differences and the role neuronormativity plays in it.

There’s a dynamic (one of many), that can cause CPSTD in AuDHD people. The ways in which our bodyminds work differently is not understood by neurotypical people, often not by AuDHD people themselves, at least not to the full extent. Therefore, our needs are not met, because of our communication differences, we are often misunderstood, judged, we experience that since early childhood over and over again.

At a certain point we conclude, that we are not ok and our needs are not important, even more so, if aspects of intersectionality add up to that. In psychotherapy with a therapist, that is not informed about AuDHD, often CBT, the therapist works on deconstructing these “believe systems”, assuming that they are a consequence of unmet needs in our childhood. What they overlook is the fact, that these traumatic experiences are constantly reinforced by the neurotypical society. It’s not just “in our head”, it’s daily lived experience.

When we find out about what being AuDHD means, this lifelong process has already caused CPTSD in many of us. At a certain point in our lives we slowly start to understand how our bodyminds work with the help of information and validation from other AuDHD people. We start to understand our needs and our ways of communication are validated by the AuDHD community. What stays is the neuronormative society working against this process.

For that reason, neurotypical people can only be safe for us, when they take their time to listen to us and do their best to understand how our bodyminds work, trust our perception, respect our boundaries. The problem is, that most neurotypical people don’t do that, they judge us instead, they reinforce our trauma.

I am at a point where I am not willing to interact with neurotypical people more than absolutely necessary. Encouraging AuDHD people to interact with a neurotypical society is encouraging us to be exposed to trauma triggers constantly while our nervous systems are set on fire by an environment that overstimulates us. This is one of the dynamics, that make AuDHD a disability and why the social aspect of it is so important.

#ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD #neurodivergent
@autistics

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41d

@autistics #ActuallyAutistic

https://youtu.be/xX6bXewTQpU

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41d

Diary of an AuDHD Squirrel. Day 1007 , Friday 31/07/2026

Friday, last gym day of the week & it took me an age to get ready & get out of the house.

Not a bad session at the gym though, although I was forced to use the despised new treadmill! Really they could have got one with a fan!

Got home, did my chores & finally got breakfast at around 9am. I do appreciate it when Mrs S helps … on the odd occasion when she does. Today was not one of those days.

I was all set to go to my late MiL’s & have another go in the garage but once again the car was suddenly unavailable.

So I spent the day doing various bits & bobs in Starfield but my heart wasn’t in it.

Final Thoughts.

I don’t miss much since I retired but I REALLY miss having my own car!

Thank you to all those who are helping me on this journey, in a myriad different ways. I am thankful to each & every one of you! 🫂 🫶🐿️🖖

@autistics
#TimsASDjourney #ActuallyAutistic #Neurospicy #TheMammutMoves