I think I derailed the "why non-verbal?" thread enough (it's a habit of mine to go off on tangents on internet forums, apologies).
To avoid steering the topic in somebody else's thread on to myself I thought I'd continue the off-topic discussion in my own thread.
This diagram thing is pretty interesting.
The majority of my problems seem to outweigh ASD by a mile.
Craves novelty and new experiences - I've always loved surprises, and often my mum would arrange surprise sleepovers for me with a cousin, and I was so excited when I found out. I wasn't the sort of child to follow or plan a routine and preferred spontaneity. As an adult I do sometimes have problems coming out of my comfort zone but this is part of anxiety, and I still have difficulty following a routine.
Difficulty regulating attention and focus - I have always had difficulty with attention and focus, even as a child. When I got fascinated by something I still had difficulty buckling down and learning more. When I was 12 I developed an obsession with Spanish and really wanted to learn the language, but I had difficulties with it which made the passion die off. That's just one example.
Difficulty reading social cues due to focus and attention issues - This has always been my problem when it comes to making friends, although it's gotten better as an adult. As a child it wasn't that I was unaware of social cues, far from it, but I often expressed impulsive behaviours that were annoying to my peers, due to inattention to "read the room".
Hyperactivity and impulsivity - I was a hyperactive child and impulsivity has always been my main symptom and difficulty controlling.
Inhibition difficulties - I don't think I had this as a child, as I'd sometimes be shy depending on what environment I was in, but as an adult I have online inhibition difficulties, like becoming addicted to online posting and finding it difficult to resist the temptation to post and not care about the consequences at the time (but then care too much after the damage is done).
The autism traits are very hit-or-miss for me.
Craves familiarity and routine - Usually I get mistaken for this when actually it's not. Like at my previous job at a care home I hated certain wings because those made me more anxious (more difficult residents, less staff and more work, etc). But my boss thought I just didn't like being on the wings I didn't like because I didn't like change, but it wasn't that at all. I often crave change, like at work. I get bored doing the same repetitive thing every day.
Self-soothes through repetitive behaviours and routines - I've ever been one to flap my hands or rock, despite my high anxiety levels. My way of dealing with anxiety is to talk to people about it, to get it off my chest, seek reassurance, and discuss solutions. Stoic, blunt answers like "yeah, your worst fear's gonna happen, nothing you can do about it" can ignite my anxiety further even if it is the truth. I rather things be sugarcoated, as this can soothe my anxiety and even make me forget what I was worrying about.
I do shake my leg sometimes when sitting but that's due to restlessness.
Difficulty reading social cues intuitively - As I already mentioned, I know I don't lack this intuition. Non-verbal cues make social life easier for me in a way.
Strict adherence to routines - No, I can't stand routine, which is why I wish I was rich enough to not have to work. I sometimes wish I could do shift work so that my routine can change more and I wouldn't become so bored or depressed, but many shift work involves very long shifts which might cause emotional burnout.
TL;DR: So most of my supposedly ASD symptoms are caused by ADHD reasons. Is that where the difference is?
For example:-
An ASD child doesn't want his toys moved by other people because it makes him very anxious due to preference to sameness and predictability.
An ADHD child doesn't want her toys moved by other people because if they make a mess or put things in places where the ADHD child may make a mess looking for them, then her mum will tell her to tidy her room again and she doesn't want to do that again. But once the toys are out of place again the ADHD child doesn't get too bothered if her toys are moved.
The latter describes me as a child. As an adult I care even less when my things are touched or moved. I have loads of (unfinished) projects and books everywhere, but I find it so hard to organise them and I don't notice if they are touched or moved.
I bought a little chest of plastic drawers to store all my art and writing books in and keep them organised. I even stuck stickers on the drawers and wrote what was in each drawer on them. But now somehow what is written on the stickers have no relevance to what is in the drawers lol.
To avoid steering the topic in somebody else's thread on to myself I thought I'd continue the off-topic discussion in my own thread.
This diagram thing is pretty interesting.
The majority of my problems seem to outweigh ASD by a mile.
Craves novelty and new experiences - I've always loved surprises, and often my mum would arrange surprise sleepovers for me with a cousin, and I was so excited when I found out. I wasn't the sort of child to follow or plan a routine and preferred spontaneity. As an adult I do sometimes have problems coming out of my comfort zone but this is part of anxiety, and I still have difficulty following a routine.
Difficulty regulating attention and focus - I have always had difficulty with attention and focus, even as a child. When I got fascinated by something I still had difficulty buckling down and learning more. When I was 12 I developed an obsession with Spanish and really wanted to learn the language, but I had difficulties with it which made the passion die off. That's just one example.
Difficulty reading social cues due to focus and attention issues - This has always been my problem when it comes to making friends, although it's gotten better as an adult. As a child it wasn't that I was unaware of social cues, far from it, but I often expressed impulsive behaviours that were annoying to my peers, due to inattention to "read the room".
Hyperactivity and impulsivity - I was a hyperactive child and impulsivity has always been my main symptom and difficulty controlling.
Inhibition difficulties - I don't think I had this as a child, as I'd sometimes be shy depending on what environment I was in, but as an adult I have online inhibition difficulties, like becoming addicted to online posting and finding it difficult to resist the temptation to post and not care about the consequences at the time (but then care too much after the damage is done).
The autism traits are very hit-or-miss for me.
Craves familiarity and routine - Usually I get mistaken for this when actually it's not. Like at my previous job at a care home I hated certain wings because those made me more anxious (more difficult residents, less staff and more work, etc). But my boss thought I just didn't like being on the wings I didn't like because I didn't like change, but it wasn't that at all. I often crave change, like at work. I get bored doing the same repetitive thing every day.
Self-soothes through repetitive behaviours and routines - I've ever been one to flap my hands or rock, despite my high anxiety levels. My way of dealing with anxiety is to talk to people about it, to get it off my chest, seek reassurance, and discuss solutions. Stoic, blunt answers like "yeah, your worst fear's gonna happen, nothing you can do about it" can ignite my anxiety further even if it is the truth. I rather things be sugarcoated, as this can soothe my anxiety and even make me forget what I was worrying about.
I do shake my leg sometimes when sitting but that's due to restlessness.
Difficulty reading social cues intuitively - As I already mentioned, I know I don't lack this intuition. Non-verbal cues make social life easier for me in a way.
Strict adherence to routines - No, I can't stand routine, which is why I wish I was rich enough to not have to work. I sometimes wish I could do shift work so that my routine can change more and I wouldn't become so bored or depressed, but many shift work involves very long shifts which might cause emotional burnout.
TL;DR: So most of my supposedly ASD symptoms are caused by ADHD reasons. Is that where the difference is?
For example:-
An ASD child doesn't want his toys moved by other people because it makes him very anxious due to preference to sameness and predictability.
An ADHD child doesn't want her toys moved by other people because if they make a mess or put things in places where the ADHD child may make a mess looking for them, then her mum will tell her to tidy her room again and she doesn't want to do that again. But once the toys are out of place again the ADHD child doesn't get too bothered if her toys are moved.
The latter describes me as a child. As an adult I care even less when my things are touched or moved. I have loads of (unfinished) projects and books everywhere, but I find it so hard to organise them and I don't notice if they are touched or moved.
I bought a little chest of plastic drawers to store all my art and writing books in and keep them organised. I even stuck stickers on the drawers and wrote what was in each drawer on them. But now somehow what is written on the stickers have no relevance to what is in the drawers lol.
