Autism

Have you ever felt like your brain was wired for a different time? Maybe it picks up patterns no one else sees, or thinks in pictures instead of words? What if some of those traits weren’t just signs of autism, but also echoes of something much older? A new study suggests that some autistic traits might be linked to DNA we inherited from our ancient cousins, the Neanderthals. Yes, really. And it’s giving us a whole new way to understand where our neurodivergence might come from.

This piece is inspired by the famous blog post by sci-fi writer John Scalzi, Being Poor. Every autistic person is different, so while these are the little things from my everyday life, yours may be something else completely. As they say, when you have met one autistic person, you have met one autistic person. But maybe you will see something of yourself in the following lines. 

Being autistic is holding your breath when you pass a person on the street so you don’t have to smell them. 

Being autistic is pretending that the way you dress is just your style, so intentional, instead of the only clothes you can bear to wear. Pretending that you don’t really want to dress nice.

I’m preparing to change my general practitioner. There is a new doctor’s office that has recently opened right across the street, and the reviews are stellar. My old GP is half an hour away by tram, and the commute is stressful for me, so it would be really, really convenient to have a doctor right where I live. But I’m afraid. I’m scared of new things, and I’m scared of doctors after some bad experiences. My mind is full of second-guessing. What if I change doctors, and then I find the new one is actually horrible, and I can’t go back to my old one? What if the new doctor wants me to go to some grueling examination? What if she is angry with me because I’m not capable of that right now?

Some time ago, I saw a Facebook post that asked about the difference between deductive (top-down) and inductive (bottom-up) thinking. Being the curious person that I am, I Googled it – and my mind was blown. Inductive thinking described all the quirks of my learning and creative process, all the ways in which I felt different without being able to explain why. It turns out that neurodivergent people are naturally bottom-up processors, while neurotypicals are top-down thinkers. OMG, where has this information been all my life? 

Sensory overstimulation plays a big part in autistic burnout. So, in order to regenerate your nervous system and find your way out of the burnout, you need to pay attention to your sensory input. Your sensory system plays a big role in your well-being, and meeting its needs can help ease the weight of burnout. Here is what you can do to make the world more sensory-friendly (and pleasantly stimulating) to you.

Dear mum, 

I know you are confused about my recent autistic diagnosis. It’s difficult to adjust your view of someone you have known all their life – I know because it was difficult to adjust my view of myself. It took me some time and I understand that it will take you some time as well. But now I embrace my autistic identity and I would like you to understand it better.