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For obvious reasons I can't relate to everything in this fantastic piece by @NCWeek, but I can with so very much. Lockdown is pure uncertainty, couple that with the state of the world and it makes things very difficult for a lot of autistic individuals. 1/
https://amp.theguardian.com/society/2020/nov/11/siena-castellon-autistic-people-are-really-struggling-with-how-uncertain-things-are?__twitter_impression=true
https://amp.theguardian.com/society/2020/nov/11/siena-castellon-autistic-people-are-really-struggling-with-how-uncertain-things-are?__twitter_impression=true
I was diagnosed at 27. For most of my life I just thought I was weird. I couldn't understand how others weren't affected by the buzzing of electricity or how bright lights were. I was put in detention for preferring to spend breaks in the library than playing football. 2/
I was diagnosed as dyslexic at an early age though. I remember vividly being told by an English teacher I would never amount to anything. Fortunately another English teacher showed me he was wrong. That teacher instilled a love of reading and writing which stays with me today. 3/
That initial lack of confidence stuck with me though. It's one of reasons I get so angry at the diagnosed/self diagnosed debate. I didn't suddenly become autistic because I was diagnosed. It can take a long time, and, depending where you are, a lot of money to get a diagnosis. 4/
The tools available online now for self-diagnosis make it a lot easier for people to at least be able to recognise themselves as autistic. That's important. It stops you feeling like you are just "strange". It helps you understand who you are, and develop mechanisms to "cope". 5/
Right now, with so much uncertainty going on in the world, that's important. It's important so that people aren't left thinking they are "freaks". Aren't forced to permanently mask, which brings with it its own mental health implications. 6/
My methods for coping right now work for me, but probably wouldn't for others. As in the article, I also listen to the same playlist everyday. I tidy my bookshelves daily, not because they are disordered or unclean, but because it's something I find relaxing. 7/
I do breathing exercises, although can never manage the "visualise a ball of light" bits, and a number of other things. They don't always work, but at least I recognise now that there is a need for them and not that I should just try and "man up" as my father used to tell me. 8/
Formal diagnosis brought me a certain amount of peace. For others it doesn't. Self-diagnosis may be a way for some people to at least recognise something in themselves and surely that's a good thing. We urgently need faster and better diagnosis times and procedures. 9/
At the moment, during all this uncertainty and chaos, we need to support one another. If I didn't know I was #ActuallyAutistic I don't know what state I would be in as I tried to pretend I was "normal" by others' standards. There are people out there feeling it though. 10/
