This page is a peek into my life, and some of the things that make me who I am, and some of the things that make me different. Many of the situations or traits I describe are related to my autistic traits or neurodiversity, but not all of them do.
Click or tap on an entry to reveal a description of how that entry does or doesn't relate to me being autistic.
The descriptions use tags to indicate different traits I have. This is what they mean:
- #JustMe: As far as I can tell, this is just something about me and isn't directly influenced by my autistic neurology (although, everything is indirectly influenced by it)
- #SensorySensitivity: A sensory sensitivity is a heightened, abnormal response to a sensory stimulus. Most people experience sensory sensitivities sometimes in their lives, like when loud commercials play during quiet shows or walking into the midday sun after being in a dark room. Autistic sensory sensitivities tend to be all the time.
- #SensoryOverload: Sensory overload is when too much sensory stimuli has happened, leading to discomfort, pain, or becoming disoriented. Overload can happen due to too much stimuli all at once or from a build up of smaller amounts of over stimulation throughout the day.
- #Stimming: Stimming is behavior that uses sensory inputs as a way to focus or calm oneself. Most people stim sometimes, such as by tapping their foot or twirling their hair. For autistic people, stimming tends to happen more frequently, and can be a necessary activity to self-regulate and prevent discomfort.
- #SensorySeeking: Related to stimming, sensory seeking is when specific types of sensory inputs are desired. Most people seek certain sensory input sometimes, like wanting a hot bath to relax or lighting candles with favorite smells.
- #Impairment: An impairment is a trait that prevents me from performing tasks in a standard or typical way. Impairments without proper support can be disabling.
- #Masking: Masking is behavior that is done to conform to social standards, instead of doing what feels natural or correct. It's done as a defense mechanism to prevent trauma such as bullying or to preserve autonomy. Generally, masking is detrimental to the mental well-being of autistic people.
- #ActuallyAutistic: This is a hashtag used on social media by autistic people that started as a response to non-autistic people often talking over and for autistic people, without consulting with autistic voices
This list is not in order, and will actually load in a random order every time. The colors used for the list match those used in my COGnition logo. The random order, distracting colors, centered and thus uneven text, and related but separated thoughts represent part of the way my mind works. The colors that change based on math, uniform margins, distinct structure, and common elements such as black text and rounded ends also represent part of the way my mind works.
Overwhelmed or overstimmed? Try the sensory-friendly grayscale, ordered version of this page.