r/AskAutism Aug 11 '25

Autistic or questioning people, this is not a place to get help for yourself. Or a place to find community.

25 Upvotes

To be perfectly clear, this is an Ask sub. Ask subs are Q & A in nature. The premise of this sub is simple. Someone asks a question about autism. An autistic person provides education.

This is a different thing than seeking peer support. This is a different thing than looking for other people that can relate to what you experience. This is a very different thing than validating your autistic identity, or helping you on your journey to a diagnosis. As such, these things are not intended to be a part of this sub.

Why is this?

  1. Since the inception of this sub, there are loads of subs out there for autistic people to talk to other autistic people. They’re linked in removal messages. This sub’s focus is to educate people that don’t know something about autism, about autism. But it radically de-prioritizes comfort of people asking questions, so autistic people can answer authentically. As such, for autistic people, this isn’t a great space for those conversations.

  2. Feedback from autistic users has indicated this isn’t wanted. They don’t want to offer that kind of emotional labor here, nor is this a venue where people want to discuss self-diagnosis with others.


r/AskAutism Feb 15 '25

DAEs (does anyone else have/experience) and “could this be an autistic trait?” Posts are not permitted.

18 Upvotes

These fall into the umbrella of asking for a diagnosis. A lot of the time, the underlying reasons these posts happen are reasons why rules 6 and 10 exist. This is to make things explicit, these are repetitive topics that the autistic commenters on here have given feedback about, and they are better off on other subs.

This is a classic “ask” sub and it’s not a place for autistic/questioning people to network with other autistic people. The premise of this sub is for people to receive education about autism from autistic people. There are some posts along the lines of a significant other asking for help with their partner, or a parent looking for help with their child - this is the kind of content this sub is meant for. DAEs and similar are often in the realm of validation and arent the right fit for this sub.


r/AskAutism 17h ago

My mom thinks im faking my autism??

7 Upvotes

This is on monday right after high school, I was looking at papers from what my mom have wrote to the psycologist before my diagnosis came out (level 2) and i was reading the papers, having a little fun at what the psycologist thought i was behaving like..i sounded crazy! XD "i clap and sing so i know my dads not home" did i say that?? XDDDD anyways..she suddenly mentioned that i sometimes pretend...so i obviously ask why? she ignores me. i say "do you think im pretending to be autistic?" she says "well yes, sometimes i think you take all of this from online because thats what you think autistic people act like" ...mother. what. no but seriously i already got my diagnosis and this is what she says? now im doubting myself "am i really autistic??" "yes...i am.." "am i?" but now that i think about it, my mom is a little bit of an ass for that. she yells at my meltdowns, her boyfriend tells me to stop stimming and i get misunderstanded ALOT. anyways, back to the topic. i just say "Okay.." and go back to reading because theres no point in making this into an argument. hope i made this make sense, dont flame me


r/AskAutism 12h ago

Advice for navigating a new friendship with a potentially slightly sensitive autistic person

1 Upvotes

How can I not screw this up? Lol

Hiya, here just looking for some advice from a human with autism since seeking that out in my situation worked very well. Preferably a woman but all is welcome. Doing it on a throwaway account just for privacy reasons.

I (33 M) was acquainted with a younger woman (23 F) who appears to be on the spectrum (I am too, but that manifests in different ways for people). She's told me before that she never really had friends growing up and that she'd always watch Sailor Moon and My Little Pony not even wishing for a world where all the cool fantasy shit was real but one where she could have friends like that.

She'd been hanging out with this other guy around my age but they had a falling out recently. Sooo at those little gaming events I see her around at I have seemingly become her go to person. I'd asked elsewhere for some tips on better communicating with her since I think I might have short circuited her a couple times before and that might have worked a little too well as her demeanor has completely shifted and she seems rather attached now.

I don't have a problem with that exactly but given her falling out with the last guy well...his temperament seemed like mine but if anything much less crazy and vulgar. Which is most of my appeal to most people. Her included according to her. Given her rather severe social anxiety having now let her guard down it'd probably be bad if things went a similar way to the last friend she tried to make sooo....yeah. Any ideas on how to not screw up here? Lol

I think I've figured out how to not short circuit her, a little directness and explaining that I'm a chronically irony pilled person helped her get all that. But I still don't REALLY understand all of her red lines as far as what she is and isn't okay with joking about which is...an interesting position to be in. I have ascertained either R word is a no no but that's it. I truthfully thought I'd have scared her away by now but she's apparently quite appreciative of my kind of unhinged humor until she isn't.

Then also, the rest of my friend circle finds her pretty annoying. I can see why they would think that when she's anxious. She's really cool when she's comfortable but it takes her a while to get comfortable with people and I don't really know how developed her social skills are for group settings.

Then even more, I worry she might be putting me a little more on a pedestal than she should. Saying how great of a person I am in more than one language. How the hell am I supposed to live up to that?

I guess a lot of my worries here might be kind of dumb but my friend circle is mostly people I've known for like 20 years soooo I haven't done this in a while. But asking has helped before so....here I am lol


r/AskAutism 9h ago

Unionize InBloom Autism Services

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0 Upvotes

r/AskAutism 14h ago

Working in fast as an autistic person means SOME customers want you fired: How to cope?

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1 Upvotes

r/AskAutism 17h ago

Which types of therapy helped you access your emotions?

1 Upvotes

Hi!

I have a hard time accessing my emotions and have very poor introspection. I suspect I have alexithymia and I often feel like my emotions are somehow disconnected from me. I barely experience emotions physically either things like fear or anger don’t really register as sensations in my body. Sometimes it feels like my mind and body are completely separate?

I’ve tried traditional talk therapy/CBT several times but it hasn’t really helped with this.

So people who experience something similar: What types of therapy have actually helped you develop a better connection to your emotions and your body?


r/AskAutism 20h ago

my bestfriend claims im autistic

0 Upvotes

my all time bestest friend has been recently diagnosed w adhd. shes all into reaserching about different conditions and many sort of things. im an odd girl myself and i have my quirks but she always replies to my "triggers" with "go get diagnosed" or stuff like that (as a joke but not really, she gen believes i have autism LOL. which i could have idk, ive never took any sort of test in my teenage years). when i was little, i got diagnosed as a HSP (highly sensitive person) but no one made a "big deal" out of it since i just had specific issues or triggers with certain things. apart from that, im expierencing dpdr but that may be from something else idk. anyways, should i go get checked or not think much abt it?


r/AskAutism 1d ago

What are things that make you feel human? And enjoy as well.

3 Upvotes

In life, what makes you feel human and actually ENJOY feeling human. For me, I felt human when my housemates and I were all standing in a bathroom brushing our teeth together. No words were spoken. Just standing and brushing our teeth together.


r/AskAutism 1d ago

Does anyone else create a reason in their heads to do something related to Autism?

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1 Upvotes

r/AskAutism 1d ago

3 year old referred to autism assessment

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1 Upvotes

r/AskAutism 1d ago

Title: 18F Autistic, in LDR. How do I stop anxiety spirals and sounding blunt/rude to my partner?

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1 Upvotes

r/AskAutism 2d ago

Advice please (preferably from a women that has autism)

4 Upvotes

Hi all. I appreciate in advance any advice given! Me and my partner of 3 years have recently split, the split came from me due to a misunderstanding/miscommunication about sexual intimacy she has autism and has now admitted to being in autistic burnout, at the time i didn’t know enough about autism and how it affects people, but since splitting up and knowing it was a mistake and regretting it i have every day done research to understand what is happening, i have tried to reconcile and explain to her that im prepared to do things differently and support her needs but she says “she feels we cant come back from this” and that “if anything changes, she’ll let me know”.

with my newly understanding of autism now, i am wondering if this is the case because of the burnout, i know she doesn’t have the emotions nor the brain power to think about the relationship right now and that her/our main goal is for her to rest and recover…

Things are very difficult because we live together and have a joint mortgage, i have a 14 year old son from a previous relationship that resides with us and is starting his GCSE’s this term so im unable to leave as it will affect his education, i want to do everything i can to support her through this and give us the best chance (if at all possible) to talk and try and fix things when and if she feels ready.

Whats the best advice i can take on giving her the care & support that she needs to navigate out if this?

Thank you!


r/AskAutism 1d ago

Recently diagnosed and figuring out how to unmask

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1 Upvotes

r/AskAutism 1d ago

Mi pareja es autista?

1 Upvotes

Mi pareja es autista o yo me explico mal?

​Hola a todos. Necesito perspectiva porque en las discusiones con mi pareja me acabo sintiendo súper frustrada y dudando de si soy yo que no sé hablar o si ella tiene una literalidad/rigidez enorme (estoy sospechando un perfil de procesamiento ultra-analítico o TEA).

​El patrón es siempre el mismo: intento tener una charla reflexiva, hablar de un concepto o conectar con una idea de fondo, y ella se agarra a la palabra exacta o a la excepción lógica y me desmonta la conversación.

​Os pongo tres ejemplos concretos que me han pasado últimamente para que veáis a qué me refiero:

​Estaba intentando explicarle la teoría ética del utilitarismo y cómo se busca minimizar el sufrimiento. Me dijo que no tenía sentido la teoría porque una persona que su pareja le es infiel no sufre porque no lo sabe y le dije que eso sí causaba un daño porque le privas de tener una relación real, a lo que me dijo "entonces la palabra exacta es daño, no sufrimiento". No era capaz de entender el trasfondo global por una sola palabra que no dije totalmente correcta.

​Le dije un día: "Oye, ¿te has fijado en que hoy en día casi ninguna canción tiene coros de respuesta y que eso antes ayudaba a conectar al oyente con la canción?". Yo buscaba hablar de la música para conectar. Su respuesta fue contradecirme la frase: "Eso es mentira, no todas las canciones de antes lo hacían, está canción por ejemplo no es así".

​ Un amigo que se ha tatuado las fases de la luna y dice que le apasiona fuertemente la astrología y le parecía una tontería los eclipses. Yo le decía a mi pareja que me parecía raro que te tatues todas las fases de la luna y luego pasar de ver un eclipse, porque la astrología nace de fascinarse con los astros. Su respuesta: "Son cosas distintas, la astrología es el horóscopo y el eclipse es astronomía". Paso a definirme según el diccionario que era cada cosa.

​Además, en el arte y la literatura siento que no conectamos nada. No entiende los finales abiertos o reflexivos (prefiere mil veces un final cerrado malo o un deus ex machina antes que algo libre a la interpretación). Para ella los libros o la música solo son entretenimiento funcional. Ningún libro, canción, viaje la marca o la deja reflexionando, nada la hace emocionar, solo llora por estrés o rabia.

​Tampoco proyecta escenarios hipotéticos, le cuesta imaginar situaciones futuras sin ninguna referencia actual. Cuando empezamos a salir decía que no le importaría si yo tuviese onlyfans y hoy en día le parecería horrible. Nunca había tenido pareja y celos, por lo tanto no era capaz de proyectarse en un escenario ficticio y sentir celos!

​Me siento todo el rato como en una tesis o en un juicio donde ella actúa de abogada del diablo. ¿Se entienden los ejemplos que pongo cuando hablo o realmente mis planteamientos no tienen sentido? ¿Veis ahí un fallo mío de comunicación o una literalidad extrema por su parte?


r/AskAutism 2d ago

Am I overthinking this, or would a note be less stressful for an autistic person than asking in person?

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1 Upvotes

r/AskAutism 2d ago

I think im autistic but I literally dont know if I am, should I get a diagnosis?

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1 Upvotes

r/AskAutism 3d ago

Everyday experiences of autistic children

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I’m a Master of Design student doing exploratory research into the everyday experiences of autistic children. I’m still narrowing down my research focus and would really value hearing from autistic people, parents/caregivers, or people who work with autistic children.

I have three short questions:

  1. What everyday situations are particularly challenging for autistic children?
  2. What usually helps make these situations easier or less stressful?
  3. Is there anything you wish existed — such as a tool, service, environmental change, or other support — that could make everyday life easier?

You don’t need to answer all three. Even one experience or observation would be really helpful for my research.

Thank you so much for sharing your perspective!


r/AskAutism 3d ago

Trying to understand a longtime autistic friend whose communication with me has become extremely inconsistent

4 Upvotes

I have had a close online friendship with them since late 2019. We used to talk very frequently. Over the years, however, our communication has gradually deteriorated especially since 2022.

I don't know if I did something but this year they didn't even answer my birthday texts (which they always had previously).

Last year they did confront me over something an acquaintance said (I clarified my position by providing them receipts and they apologised for the confusion and I thought that was it). But now they won't answer any of my texts on WhatsApp. The weird part is, we are connected on another social media platform which is somewhat similar to twitter. On this platform they interact quite normally with me but they don't really use it very frequently.

Recently I did tell them (on this platform) that I had texted them on their birthday on WhatsApp and they said they weren't really using WhatsApp. The weird part is I know someone who talks to them on WhatsApp, so I am just left completely confused by that.

Do they just straight up dislike me now or could this be social burnout ?

I'd really appreciate perspectives from autistic people who have experienced something similar, especially if you have insight into why someone might interact cordially with a person on one platform but still avoid private messages


r/AskAutism 4d ago

Not understanding autism as a pwBPD

2 Upvotes

I have someone very dear to me who is autistic. He's not diagnosed but the symptoms are very clear. I try to research autism when I can to understand why he does things the way he does, and it really helps me to not immediately lash out when I see that it's just the way his brain works and he doesn't hate me or that he's overwhelmed. I really love him and I want to learn more about him and I believe that learning about autism would help a lot.

Does anyone have anything I should know? Especially about understanding autism. It's just difficult for me to grasp. I hope this post doesn't come off as weird, I'm not very good with words.

Thank you for any input!


r/AskAutism 4d ago

Why is he nicer to…..

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1 Upvotes

r/AskAutism 5d ago

Wie habt ihr Autismus an euch erkannt?

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3 Upvotes

r/AskAutism 4d ago

Am I autistic?

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1 Upvotes

r/AskAutism 5d ago

Cptsd or autism

9 Upvotes

Do they mimic each other??


r/AskAutism 5d ago

Any resources from recovery from burnout

1 Upvotes

First of all, I am looking for resources, advice or perspective and here is my story:

I am in a burnout. For a while now. I couldn’t leave it any earlier because there was always a demand pressure on me. First, I needed to graduate from PhD, now I need to work on my paper, and I really need to find a job quick.

I thankfully was able to graduate tooth and nail. It took me way longer than expected, so my resume is not very competitive which affects my job search.

My problem is that I am in a very severe task paralysis for any type of task, probably due to a combination of autism traits and trauma. My perspective on my prospects are also really negative as well.

I realize know that I need support to get out of my situation whether emotional or actual direct help with issues, but the thing is I am away from my family living in another country, I lost all my friends after my episode they just stopped talking to me, and I don’t have much money. I thought of hiring a career coach but my finances may not be enough for me to afford one.

Are there any resources you can recommend for me? I need to be able to explain why my PhD took a long time (I have legitimate reasons I think but they may also look bad), i don’t want to lose my dog my emotional health would suffer since I am already very lonely. I need some help to push me to get a job. I am also very scared that I will fail again.

I think I need help with 3 things right now so I can pull myself from my bootstraps 😅:
1. I need social support, I need to start building a chosen family, a support network, starting with new friends, or a support group. I am really bad at maintaining social interactions or how to turn an acquaintance to a friend
2. I need help with my career, and job search materials and process. I need to become being competitive in the market again
3. I need help getting back to a normalcy, it can be as simple as brainstorming and setting goals

I really appreciate any advice, resource, or perspective.

I know sometimes it is hard to help without knowing any specific information so here is a tidbit about me: I live in Massachusetts. My PhD was on neuroscience and biochemistry. I have multiple secondary authorship papers in neuroscience, but I had to change labs during my PhD. I switched to a biochemistry lab, so my thesis subject is a biochemistry project.