Ever wonder what Autism actually is? What it's like for someone who is Autistic? Why Autism Speaks is on the majority of the Autistic Community's "No, bad!" list? Just wanna hang out and chat?

Ask your questions here, and tune in to my Twitch stream starting January 5th, 2022, where I'll answer questions and tell stories about my experiences as an Autistic person! If I can't get to your question in the show, I'll try to answer here, as well as answer the questions asked for the stream/during the stream.

First, some ground rules!

1. NO NSFW QUESTIONS. I will ABSOLUTELY report those questions, and if they happen during the stream, Instaban.
2. I reserve the right to not answer a question or questions.
3. I will only answer a question once. Period.
4. This is not a topic for debating, and any attempts to turn things into a debate will be reported to the mods.
5. Be respectful, be kind, but most importantly, be curious!

Er. In all sincerity, does it count to ask what a twitch stream is?
Is it related to twitter? They sound kind of similar.

Twitch is a streaming platform. Usually used by gamers, but there's a wide variety of topics to watch.

Thank you, I appreciate that.

For an actual question...
How (in)accurate is the portrayal done in the play, "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time"?

One of the biggest misconceptions, which is mentioned in the wiki article about the source material for the play, about Autism and Autistic individuals is that we lack empathy and can't relate to others or put ourselves in their shoes. That's absolutely NOT true for EVERY Autistic individual. Autistic people tend to be VERY good at emphasizing with others. To the point that we don't always know where our own feelings (which tend to be VERY intense anyway!) end and the other person's begin. There may be some who do have comorbid issues that can affect their ability to emphasize, but overall, Autistic people are really good at emphasizing and relating to others. Where the "problem" occurs is trying to convey that in a way that makes sense to non-Autistic people, which is entirely due to differences in how the two groups communicate. I'll cover that during the stream, too.

An example of being overly empathic is that I will absolutely end up a gross, sobbing mess reading certain fanfics, especially ones that feature my favorite character from a series, because at certain points, I am literally feeling the grief/anger/bitterness/tiredness/whatever emotion is going on just as deeply as is being described in writing. Or I'll start crying because someone I'm watching on a show is getting emotional. Or even THINKING about such incidents.

So, basically, it may be accurate for some Autistic people, but it isn't an accurate portrayal that can wholly sum up the Autistic Experience.

Small note, sorry, you said emphasize/emphasizing when you meant empathize/empathizing.

Question- I don't think I am Autistic, but I work at a restaurant, where I was serving someone who I thought was Autistic. We ended up having a staring contest, because I always thought those with Autism avoid eye contact. In my mind, I was giving them eye contact because they started it. In case they were personally challenging themselves. They ended up being very rude the rest of the meal.

I was wondering if I did wrong. If you go out to eat, what would you prefer to experience from your server? I try to adapt to each table, and generate a good experience for everyone....

Here's the thing. Some Autistic people are okay with eye contact. Some aren't. I'm one who doesn't like it, because it feels uncomfortable to me... but I'll do what I can to to be polite.

Don't make assumptions, just be polite and treat everyone with respect, and you should be fine. If they're being dicks, then by all means, do what you must.

It's ridiculous when a movie comes out with an autistic character and people cry out, "We're not all like that!" There was a movie with an autistic murderer in it (gods help me I can't remember what it was, sure there's more than one but can't think of it) and people got all ticked off, "OMG AUTISTICS DON'T KILL PEOPLE." Well of course we all don't, but we're definitely capable of it and that one DOES, and for you to be upset about it is dumb. Saying a certain group of people can't be one thing means they MUST be another thing, which is exactly as un-evolved as you're trying so hard not to be.

I find it silly to even address things like this. What does an autistic like? Why not ask, what does a woman like? What does a black person like? What does someone who lives in Canada like?

AutobotDen wrote:Here's the thing. Some Autistic people are okay with eye contact. Some aren't. I'm one who doesn't like it, because it feels uncomfortable to me... but I'll do what I can to to be polite.

Don't make assumptions, just be polite and treat everyone with respect, and you should be fine. If they're being dicks, then by all means, do what you must.

I feel like I created an awkward situation, but I also have dealt with those who claim to be Autistic, that are just genuine dicks to people. Like they know what they are doing, and when challenged, will be assholes. It bothers me, because to me, most just want to be treated normally, or an equal. So strive to provide an even playing field.