Autism, ADHD, AuDHD

Easily distracted

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RSD 

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RSD can look like

- people pleaser. “I’ll do it all for you”

- low self esteem “I’m terrible at this, I can’t do anything right”

- avoiding new experiences “if I do it, I’ll embarrass myself”

- perfectionism “it has to be perfect or I’ll disappoint everyone”

- negative self talk “I suck at this, I’m bad at everything”

- receiving no response as negative “they haven’t answered me, what did I do wrong, they must hate me”

- feelings of inferiority “why is everyone else so much better at this than me”

- emotional outburst. “Hysterical crying, angry outbursts”

the most challenging thing for people with RSD can be the Perceived Rejectiin.  Things that their nervous system reads as rejection.  

NT = Neurotypical, ND = Neurodiverse 

NT to ND: I’m confused, thought you said you have time management 

ND to NT: I do, that’s why I have 5 alarms set for each meeting so I arrive early.  Don’t you do the same?

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“Control issues” for Autism

what looks like “being difficult” or “controlling” is often a Survival Mechanism for the autistic brain.  In a world that feels chaotic, loud and unpredictable, “control” is the only tool we have to lower our baseline anxiety and prevent a total system crash

for an autistic person, unpredictability feels like a threat to safety.  When we insist on a specific routine or “the right way” to do things, we are not trying to run your life, we are trying to stabilise ours

eg the “right way” can be

- specific sequence for doing dishes or laundry

- a specific sequence for hanging clothing or storing clean laundry

”Our Space”. When someone moves into our space, it can feel like a violation.  For autistic people, our personal space is a “sensory sanctuary” where everything is predictable and provides an area of “safety”

Impacts of AuDHD 

- getting overwhelmed by things way too fast

- everything feels too loud

- emotional dysregulation leading to snapping at others

- silence after verbal outbursts

- instant guilt following verbal outbursts

- replaying the event over and over in one’s mind

- telling oneself that need to do better

All this due to the brain becoming overwhelmed

Lot of people with ADHD struggle with

- overthinking and mental paralysis

- hyperfocus

- emotional sensitivity and rejection sensitivity 

- time blindness

- mental restlessness (even without physical hyperactivity

- trouble starting tasks (including important tasks)

- forgetfulness and brain fog

- impulsive talking and oversharing

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Don't know if these will attach in order. This is a section on ASD and Dissocitation, from the book "Unmasking autism" by Devon Price

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Some reasons autism may not be diagnosed in females until they are adults