Hey, I’m autistic!
I wonder what story you just told yourself about what I just wrote?
The stories we tell affect everything we experience, and usually we are unware of them.
You see someone flapping their hands and tell yourself there’s something wrong with them.
I see that and wonder what they are expressing or coping with.
When I’m wiggling my fingers near my face, I’m actually flipping through the file folders in my mind trying to find what I’m looking for. And that physical movement often helps me focus and remember.
I had to practice at first – catching the stories I told that made me feel bad (What a rude driver!) and then thinking of one that didn’t (I bet they have to pee REALLY bad). But it comes pretty naturally now.
So for those of you who have such negative associations with the word Autism, why don’t you check why that is and what stories you’re telling. Maybe try: hmm, I wonder what this means and if I/they have a special skill? What challenges are there to be faced? And wow, so many of the individuals who revolutionized the world had similar minds, I’m so excited to stop trying to be/make someone into something they are not and be authentic and get support!
As far as comorbidities, I’m just going to info dump so folks can maybe find connections they weren’t aware of.
I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and there are initial findings that EDS has a higher rate of diagnosis among the ASD population.
Most likely due to the EDS I also have: Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), Raynaud’s Syndrome. Waiting to get a diagnosis on Mast Cell Activation Syndrome.
I also have anxiety, insomnia, fatigue and until I got my tongue tie released recently I had 3 day long cervicogenic headaches (misdiagnosed as migraines, which I also got until I stopped working some years back) regularly and rib pain daily. It was also the first time in 7 years my knees didn’t need adjustment, when I went to the chiropractor after the surgery.
Oh, I had tongue tie that the floor of my mouth was stretching up for so it was compensating to a lower level of disfunction, I’m think that’s EDS, extra stretchy.
Additional comorbids are dermatillomania, keratosis pilaris.
I used to have exercise induced asthma due to my ribs and sternum being out, getting adjusted fixed it, after 20 years of having it. I have ADHD. I’m hyperlexic. I have aphantasia. I’m a Highly Sensitive Person (hsp). I have pelvic floor prolapse due to EDS and childbirth.
And none of those labels limit me any more than saying I’m a bookworm and love music does. They are more like a band t shirt that allows me to find like minded folks. And they give me a shorthand to use when folks understand the labels, so I don’t have to waste time explaining.
Time to sleep!
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