sensorystories.bsky.social
Advocating through science based education, validation, and empathy
Nicolefilipponeauthor.com/my-links
2,341 posts
11,081 followers
11 following
Regular Contributor
Active Commenter
comment in response to
post
Lol
comment in response to
post
This is also true 🙂
comment in response to
post
Let me know if you want me to deep dive into an explanation for each. 🙂
comment in response to
post
I'm on both! I just shared this video on FB as a reel. I'll be sharing it on IG next! (I'm so glad you're finding my content so valuable!)
comment in response to
post
It's a daily struggle for me 😬😅😫 (Based on your reply, it sounds like you might relate?)
comment in response to
post
Haha I'll totally buy into that too!! 😆🥰
comment in response to
post
If you're autistic... does any of this resonate? And if it does, I'd love to hear a story about how you chose to sacrifice a need for something that felt more important to you than that need (if you feel comfortable sharing ❤️)
comment in response to
post
Disclaimer... higher support needs autistic people and autistic people with intellectual impairments will struggle more with this because they have more needs and limitations. Something that I think is important to keep in mind.
comment in response to
post
And it's why you should NOT make assumptions about what an autistic person can and can't do when it comes to adaptability.
comment in response to
post
Which is why so many of us are able to have long successful relationships... build successful careers... live physically and mentally healthy lifestyles... etc. (Note: Many of us still struggle heartily with this. I'm just saying that adaptability is possible for autistic people.)
comment in response to
post
But when we understand how something is in our best interest and how that thing will get us closer to the life outcomes we want for ourselves... whether it be social... physical/health related... career related... mental health related... we WILL make the sacrifice(s) and be adaptable.
comment in response to
post
When autistic people do it, though... it VERY often comes down to NEEDS, not preferences.
So, yes... we absolutely do struggle when it comes to being adaptable. And yes, quite a bit more than nonautistic people do.
comment in response to
post
Now... to be clear... all humans consider the "what's in it for me" when making these types of decisions.
But when nonautistic people do it, more often than not, it's about PREFERENCES, not basic NEEDS.
comment in response to
post
But we have to first weigh whether or not the pros of making the sacrifice outweigh the extreme cons of our needs not being met.
Essentially, figure out "what's in it for me" and is it worth it.
comment in response to
post
If you're autistic, does any of this resonate? And if so... I'm curious what open-ended questions you struggle with...
comment in response to
post
So, besides social context being difficult, when someone says, "tell me about yourself," now, we need to think through the million aspects of our lives that might be relevant... and then figure out how to distill into a few short, yet somehow still all encompassing 😅 sentences.
comment in response to
post
Reason #3
Autistic people often think in very detailed and nuanced complexities.
So, it can be extremely difficult for us to answer a "simple" question without including every detail because our brains are telling us that every single one is important.
comment in response to
post
So, "Tell me about yourself" can really stump an autistic person because, in an instant, we need to think through all those social and contextual questions and figure out which part of our lives to share that would be relevant in that specific context.
comment in response to
post
Reason #2
Autistic people struggle with social context.
So, to respond "appropriately," we have to actively think about who's asking the question, what their background is, where and why the conversation is taking place, what the other person's relationship is to us, etc... etc...
comment in response to
post
So, "How was your day" can be a tough question for an autistic person to answer because they might not actually KNOW how they felt about it.
comment in response to
post
You bet!
comment in response to
post
And for those interested... here's research that discusses how empathy shows up differently for autistic people.
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
comment in response to
post
Some of us have low empathy, some have high empathy, some have no empathy, some have extreme empathy to the point of it being debilitating.
We are all over the map with empathy.
And I really wish more people understood this. (5\5)
comment in response to
post
So, with empathy... we do experience/express empathy differently... and it is likely a byproduct of our autistic brain wiring... but it is not a PART of the condition itself.
Also, and I can't emphasize this enough... there is no universal way autistic people experience and express empathy. (4)
comment in response to
post
Similarly, anxiety is not considered a feature of autism. Even though anxiety is one of the most common comorbidities with autism. And again, anxiety is likely a byproduct of the autistic experience. (3)
comment in response to
post
For example, it's very common for autistic people to have sleep issues. But that doesn't mean they are a feature of autism. More than likely, they are a byproduct of the autistic experience. (A mind that won't stop thinking, sensory issues, etc.) (2)
comment in response to
post
"Keeps score" in conversation to make sure I'm talking about my own stuff less than 50% of the time (if not much less than that)
After traumatizing bullying as a child, has learned to hide any aspect of myself that MIGHT be perceived of as "weird"
comment in response to
post
And when you can't, you're expected to apologize for having needs in the first place.
All day. Every day. Indefinitely.
comment in response to
post
I worry about doing something like this because of the comment Jessica just made. It would need to be done very carefully so as not to overstate what I'm sharing and why. This type of information is also questioned heavily by some medical professionals... so it's especially tricky to share.
comment in response to
post
I try really hard not to misrepresent myself when sharing information. I'm not a medical professional and don't want to be mistaken for one. I share information to offer insight that might help others do their own research. It’s never meant to be taken as universally true (because nothing ever is).
comment in response to
post
I haven't had food cravings since, which even years later still feels a bit unbelievable given how many years I spent struggling with this.
Anyway, I hope this helps someone. ❤️
comment in response to
post
I'm not exaggerating when I say that it solved this problem for me. Practically overnight. (It's easy to find on Amazon, I am not selling anything and am not affiliated with anyone who does.)
comment in response to
post
A few years ago, I discovered a very specific type of probiotic called saccharomyces boulardii. It's a probiotic made out of yeast ("good" yeast that balances out the "bad" yeast)
comment in response to
post
Look into candidiasis... the version that impacts the gut.
It's a yeast overgrowth, which causes intense cravings. Particularly for things high in sugar/carbohydrates (also vinegary things and cheeses).
I had this issue for literal years. It was pure misery.
comment in response to
post
P.s. executive dysfunction is not only related to adhd. It is also common in autistic individuals and can be due to other things as well (like trauma, depression, etc.)
comment in response to
post
Turns out... these are all signs of executive dysfunction. So if this resonates with you and you haven't heard of this yet, I highly recommend that you look into it.
Understanding this about myself has literally changed my life for the better. ❤️
comment in response to
post
-Has bought planner after planner and stopped using them after about a week
-Can't seem to consistently track schedule, no matter the platform
-Has a million sticky notes all over the place reminding me of different things... and still regularly forgets those things 😬😅
comment in response to
post
-Doesn't schedule regular checkups (doctor/dentist/gyn) even though they are important
-Doesn't cancel subscriptions even though never actually signed up for them or doesn't use them anymore
-Consistently misses window for returns