ActuallyAutistic Wiki - User contributions [en]

Obsessive-compulsive disorder

2022-08-27T15:50:14Z

Lucy: Added information about OCD (What is OCD?, What are obsessions?, What are compulsions?)

'''OCD''' ('''O'''bsessive-'''c'''ompulsive '''d'''isorder) is an anxiety disorder characterised by obsessive thoughts and physical and/or mental compulsions.

= What are obsessions? =
An obsession is a persistent thought, image or urge that triggers
distress. These obsessions are frequent, unwanted and difficult to
control or get rid of.

Common obsessions include:
* Fear of contamination from dirt, germs, viruses, bodily fluids, faeces, chemicals, dangerous materials
* Fear of being harmed (e.g. doors not being locked)
* Excessive concern with order or symmetry
* Obsessions with body or physical symptoms
* Blasphemous thoughts (e.g. offending God)
* Upsetting sexual thoughts
* Thoughts of violence or aggression

It should also be noted that studies have shown that all people
experience intrusive thoughts from time to time. However, a person with OCD worries that an intrusive thought is a
sign of danger.

= What are compulsions? =
Compulsions are repetitive behaviours or mental acts that a person
feels driven to perform in response to an obsession. Most people
with OCD have more than one compulsion.

Often people think something awful will happen if they do not act on
their compulsions.

Common compulsions include:
* Checking (e.g. taps, gas, locked doors)
* Cleaning/washing
* Repeating acts
* Ordering or striving for symmetry/ exactness
* Counting

Often people think something awful will happen if they do not act on
their compulsions.

These types of compulsions may be quite noticeable to an observer.
However, there are lots of compulsions which can be carried out in a
person’s head. These are known as mental compulsions (e.g. saying
a fixed repetitive prayer, or a certain pattern of words).

Main Page

2022-08-26T01:11:14Z

Lucy: Added OCD under "Comorbidities"

Welcome to the '''ActuallyAutistic Wiki'''! This is a community-driven guide to all aspects of autism, allism, and helping build bridges between neurotypes. It emerged recently from the #ActuallyAutistic community on Twitter.

* '''Everyone is welcome to contribute to this wiki!'''
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* None of the content here is sacred. Please just make changes! Some of the articles are just starter content or from a particular person's perspective. Earlier versions can always be restored if necessary. '''These are all collaborative documents'''.
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* Here are some of our [[Help:Style guidelines|style guidelines]] if you're unsure about formatting etc. But '''don't worry or overthink too much about "getting things right"''', these are not "hard rules" – and everything can be edited, formatted & moved later without issue anyway! :)
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* Do you have some '''feedback, questions or suggestions''' about this wiki project? Feel free to add them [[Talk:Meta|here]]!

== Meta ==

* [[Community guidelines]]
* [[Help:Style guidelines|Style guidelines]]
* [[Talk:Meta|Feedback, questions and suggestions]]
* [[Please help these pages]] – [[Add stuff here please]], [[Review please]]

== ActuallyAutistic terminology ==
* [[Augmentative and alternative communication|AAC]]
* [[Allism]]
* [[Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)]]
* [[Autism]]
* [[Overlapping neurotypes|AuDHD]]
* [[Autistic burnout]]
* [[Autistic joy]]
* [[Echolalia]]
* [[Executive dysfunction]]
* [[Grok]]
* [[Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)]]
* [[Hyperfixation]]
* [[Hyperfocus]]
* [[Identity-first language]]
* [[Inertia]]
* [[Infodumping]]
* [[Justice sensitivity]]
* [[ADHD|Kinetism (ADHD)]]
* [[Late diagnosis]]
* [[Masking]]
* [[Meltdown]]
* [[Monotropism]]
* [[Neurodivergence]]
* [[Neurodiversity]]
* [[Neurokin]]
* [[Neuropeer]]
* [[Neurotypical]]
* [[Parallel play]]
* [[PBS]]
* [[Person-first language]]
* [[Rejection sensitive dysphoria]]
* [[Ritual]]
* [[Routine]]
* [[Safe foods]]
* [[Savant]]
* [[Shutdown]]
* [[Special interest]]
* [[Spoon theory]]
* [[Stimming]]
* [[Miscellaneous terms]] - for similar/confusing terms and definitions that probably better in one place rather than multiple short articles

== List of Autistic traits (incomplete) ==

{{Comment|I propose to de-clutter this section. For example, make a page for the Core Autistic Traits, and migrating the links in that section to that page. But doing the same for each section. --[[User:Fire Eider|Fire Eider]] ([[User talk:Fire Eider|talk]]) 14:49, 25 August 2022 (UTC)

I actually like being able to see all these links in one spot. It lets you scan and get a sense of things. But because the list is pretty long, we could potentially move this entire section to an `Autistic traits` page. On the other hand — it might not actually just be bad to have a fairly long "Main" page that serves as an index into content generally --[[User:AutExplorer|AutExplorer]] ([[User talk:AutExplorer|talk]])

I also like this, for the moment. It reduces the barrier to entry because people see all the stuff that's currently available for editing in one central place and can then just click on something immediately when they think "Oh, I want to add my thoughts to that!" --[[User:Fochti|Fochti]] ([[User talk:Fochti|talk]]) 18:25, 25 August 2022 (UTC)

Good points. I retract what I said earlier --[[User:Fire Eider|Fire Eider]] ([[User talk:Fire Eider|talk]]) 19:38, 25 August 2022 (UTC)}}

Not every autistic person necessarily has many of the traits listed below, but these traits do tend to show up more often in autistic people than in non-autistic people.

=== Core autistic traits ===

* [[Autistic empathy]]
* [[Sensory sensitivity|Hyper-senses & hypo-senses]]
* [[Preference for certainty]]
* [[Routine]] / [[Ritual]]
* [[Special interest|Special interests]]
* [[Stimming]]

=== Autistic nonverbal communication ===

* [[Eye contact|Eye contact avoidance]]
* [[Flat affect]]
* [[Flat facing]]
* [[Being an "old soul"]]

=== Autistic verbal communication ===

* [[Accent mimicry]]
* [[Bluntness]]
* [[Selective mutism|Conditional Mutism]]
* [[Difficulty lying]]
* [[Monotone voice]]
* [[Reframing]]
* [[Verbal footnoting]]
* [[Nonspeaking]]
* [[Phone calls|Phone call avoidance]]
* [[Wordplay]]
* [[name? unconsciously getting word order wrong]]
* [[Auditory processing disorder|Auditory processing difficulties]]
* [[Infodumping|Preference for infodumping]]

=== Gender and sexuality ===

* [[Gender]]
* [[Autigender]]
* [[Demisexuality]]
* [[Autism and LGBTQ+]]
* [[Peritiosexual]]
* [[Neuroqueer]]
* [[Xenogender]]

=== Imperatives and neurological ===

* [[Resistance to bias]]
* [[Dissociation]]
* [[Irrational fears, neurological]]
* [[Divergent stress triggers]]
* [[Divergent touch needs]]
* [[Ethical fearlessness]]
* [[Experiential recreation]]
* [[Gullibility]]
* [[Inability to intuit the "point of diminishing returns"]]
* [[Intense world theory]]
* [[Median (plurality)]]
* [[Nonlinear contradiction response]]
* [[Pattern recognition]]
* [[Preference for certainty]]
* [[Prosopagnosia]]
* [[Plurality]]
* [[Susceptibility to trauma]]
* [[Sympathetic animism]]
* [[name? Willful Sensorium Override]]

=== Familial ===

* [[Autistic relatives]]
* [[Multigenerational disability]]

=== Memory ===

* [[Atypical autobigraphical and episodic memory]]
* [[Emotion memory imprinting]]
* [[Childhood amnesia]]

=== Pychological ===

* [[Imposter syndrome|Autistic imposter syndrome ]]
* [[Cat empathy]]
* [[Rumination]]
* [[Overthinking]]
* [[Preference for animation]]
* [[Preference for autistically coded characters]]
* [[Gravitate to other neurodivergents]]
* [[Social contracts]]

=== Physical ===

* [[Arthritis]]
* [[Autistic baby face]]
* [[Hypermobility]]
* [[Toe walking]]

=== Senses ===

* [[Aural sensitivity to electronics]]
* [[Hyper-empathy]]
* [[Hypo-empathy]]
* [[Temperature sensitivity]]

=== Traumagenic Autistic traits ===

* [[Over-apologizing]]
* [[High mortality rate]]
* [[Irrational fears, logical]] (Contradiction...?)
* [[Social anxiety]]
* [[Pathological demand avoidance]]

=== Additional Autistic traits ===

* [[Comorbid interference traits]]
* [[Overlapping Autistic traits]]

== Social Media ==

* [[Instagram]]
* [[TikTok]]
* [[Twitter]]
* [[YouTube]]

== Outmoded terminology ==

While many autists have moved away from these terms, some continue to use them to describe their experience. Please remember that people may have complex reasons for the words they choose, and that differences in vocabulary are okay. In short, while it's important to understand how these outdated terms play to most autists, it's also not helpful to police other people's word choices.

* [[Asperger syndrome]]
* [[Functioning labels|High- and low-functioning]]
* [[On the spectrum]]

== Sociology ==

* [[Ableism]]
* [[Gender]]
* [[Gossip]]
* [[Group dynamics]]
* [[Peer group]]
* [[Phatic expression]]
* [[Saving face]]
* [[Social power]]
* [[Social status]]

== Psychology ==

* [[Alexithymia]]
* [[Anxiety]]
* [[Defence mechanism|Defence mechanisms]]
* [[Empathy]]
* [[Imposter syndrome]]
* [[Theory of mind]]

== Neurology ==

* [[Overlapping neurotypes]]

== Allistic communication & miscommunication ==

* [[Body language]]
* [[Common sense]]
* [[Double empathy problem]]
* [[Eye contact]]
* [[Facial expression|Facial expressions]]
* [[Getting coffee]]
* [[Literal interpretation]]
* [[Multi-channel communication]]
* [[Responding to "How are you?"]]
* [[Social cue|Social cues]]
* [[Tone of voice]]

== Dating and relationships ==

* [[Autistic love languages]]
* [[Online dating]]
* [[Neurodivergent relationship|Neurodivergent relationships]]
* [[Neurodivergent sexuality]]

== Autistic culture ==

* [[Articles]]
* [[Autistic artists]]
* [[Autistic celebrities]]
* [[Autistic representation in fiction]]
* [[Books by Autistic authors]]
* [[Jokes about Autism]]
* [[Podcasts by Autistic creators]]
* [[Symbols of Autism]]

== Comorbidities ==
* [[BPD]]
* [[CPTSD]]
* [[Dyscalculia]]
* [[Dyslexia]]
* [[EDS / Hypermobility]]
* [[Hyperlexia]]
* [[ADHD|Kinetism (ADHD)]]
* [[Obsessive-compulsive disorder|OCD]]
* [[Plurality]]

== Accommodations ==

* [[Augmentative and alternative communication|AAC]]
* [[Autism passport]]
* [[Clear instructions]]
* [[Hidden disabilities sunflower]]
* [[Noise-cancelling headphones]]
* [[Support networks and organisations]]

== Culture-specific differences ==

* [[Ask and guess cultures]]
* [[High and low context cultures]]
* [[Peach and coconut cultures]]

== Diagnostic journey ==

* [[Formal diagnosis]]
* [[Overlapping neurotypes|Multiple diagnoses]]
* [[Questioning]]
* [[Research]]
* [[Screening tools]]
* [[Self-diagnosis]]

== Problems with autism research ==

* [[Autism Speaks]]
* [[Autism stereotypes]]
* [[Bias]]
* [[Deficit model]]
* [[Functioning labels]]
* [[Ethics of autism research]]
* [[History of autism]]
* [[Stigma]]

== How to help ==

{{Comment|I have no idea what the purpose of this section and the page below is supposed to be..?}}

* [[Capacity]]

== Mental health ==

* [[Applied_Behavior_Analysis|Applied behavior analysis]]
* [[Depression]]
* [[Difficulties with mental health services]]

== Information processing differences ==

* [[Aphasia]]
* [[Auditory processing disorder]]
* [[Dyslexia]]
* [[Dyspraxia]]
* [[Dyscalculia]]
* [[Dysgraphia]]
* [[Hyperlexia]]
* [[Misophonia]]
* [[Prosopagnosia]]
* [[Synesthesia]]

== Office & work dynamics ==

* [[Corporate buzzwords]]
* [[HR interviews]]
* [[Job interviews]] - ended up writing like a short essay in this one which boils down to the importance of respecting diversity of thought on this wiki. Maybe it would be better suited to copy into another page, but not sure which?
* [[Meetings]]
* [[Networking]]
* [[Team building / work socials]]
* [[Water cooler]]

== Articles and threads ==

* [["Am I Autistic?" Guide]]
* [[Autism without trauma]]
* [[Non-derogatory DSM-5 diagnosis criteria for Autism]]
* [[Signs you might be autistic]]

== Senses ==

Many autistics have differences in their senses, such as maybe hypersensitive to sound but hyposensitive to smell. These articles should try to document examples of both types as well as potential ways to compensate.

* [[Auditory perception|Hearing]]
* [[Gastro-intestinal problems]]
* [[Interoception]]
* [[Proprioception]]
* [[Sensory overload]]
* [[Sensory sensitivity]]
* [[Synthesthesia|Synesthesia]]
* [[Olfactory perception|Smell]]
* [[Gustatory perception|Taste]]
* [[Tactile perception|Texture]]
* [[Vestibulary perception]]
* [[Visual perception|Vision]]

== Yet-to-be-sorted categories ==

You can put stuff that doesn't fit anywhere else (yet) here.

* [[Violence against Autistic people]]

== Misc ==

* [[special:AllPages|View all pages]]
* [[Special:Categories|View all categories]]

Non-derogatory DSM-5 diagnosis criteria for Autism

2022-08-26T00:33:06Z

Lucy: Fixed several typos, grammar mistakes and added oxford commas, rewritten some sentences to make them shorter or/and add clarity

[https://twitter.com/autismsupsoc/status/1530273173236760576 Here is the link to this @Twitter thread🧵 ]

You might be Autistic if you meet the '''''DSM-5''''' criteria for Autism, presented here in a non-deficient manner.

==Category A: Intuitive Autistic Empathy==
You have Intuitive Autistic Empathy instead of Intuitive Allistic Empathy

You intuitively communicate and interact using Autistic Empathy rather than Allistic Empathy, but you may have learned to mask, mimic, or emulate Allistic Empathy.

Three Requirements:
*1. You do not naturally reciprocate social-emotional Allistic norms.
Example: you Infodump.
*2. You do not demonstrate natural proficiency or acceptance of non-verbal Allistic communication.
Example: people ask why you always look mad because you are not smiling all the time.
*3. You do not demonstrate that relationships dependent solely upon Allistic empathy are fulfilling.
Example: You don't want to hang out with people you don't like "just to socialize."

==Category B: The Four Identifying Autistic Traits==

Beyond Autistic Empathy, there are four primary Autistic Traits.

Note again that masking, '''''ABA''''', emulation, etc. may have eliminated outward manifestations of some or all of these traits, so when assessing, consider your entire life experiences (see Category C).

At some point in your life you must have demonstrated 2 out of 4 of the following:

===1. Stimming or Self-Stimulatory Behavior===

Does it feel "good" to repeat physical actions, vocal actions, or otherwise? Do you have a natural impulse to move your body or state things systematically that Allistics do not demonstrate?

* Note that it is widespread to suppress this behavior to fit into Allistic norms, and one may need to practice stimming to re-access their ability to stim.

* Note that Stimming might only manifest during extreme stress, such as rocking your hips or intense pacing.

* Note that overwhelming muscle pain over your entire body may signify years of suppressed stimming.

Vocal stimming takes many forms:
* Making animal noises (meowing, etc...)
* Random sounds
* Repeating what was stated by another
* Repeating phrases Even more random sounds

Stimming is rooted in an Autistic person's need to relieve Autistic stress.

The desire to stim rises with Autistic stress and Autistic stress is relieved by stimming.

===2. Demonstrating a Strong Preference for Predictable Outcomes===
* Strong desire for expectations to be set and met.
* Able to excel in a static environment that Allistic people could not handle.
* Resistance to illogical changes.

===3. Special Interests===
* Deriving joy and/or personal fulfilment from exceptional exploration of a topic of interest.
* Note that this may take many unexpected forms. For example, one might develop an interest in learning a broad spectrum of interests i.e. "collecting hobbies".

===4. Hyper and/or Hypo Senses===
An Autistic person may have any of their senses in whole or in part be more or less sensitive than the Allistic standard.
Note that as this is related to perception, it may go unnoticed until a thorough assessment is made.

Note that the Hyper/Hypo Sensory aspect of Autism proves that Autism is a Neurological condition. Many people misunderstand Autism to be Behavioral or Psychological, but it is based on different brain wiring.

This Hyper/Hypo Sensitivity to the environment can take on a vast spectrum of phenomena and can be extremely broad or specific.

==Category C: Confirm You Where Born Autistic==

This is a nuanced category and is a bit of a "cover your ass" scenario with two major points:

* People are born Autistic '''''BUT''''' Autistic traits might not show up until late in life '''''AND''''' can be masked.
* Acquired Neurodivergencies can mimic Autistic traits, which would not be Autism.

===People are born Autistic===

You cannot acquire Autism, it is present in early development but may go unnoticed until late in life due to:

* Masking
or
* Lack of Autistic Stress

====Masking====
Masking is when an Autistic person consciously or unconsciously suppresses Autistic traits.

====Lack of Autistic Stress====
The intensity of Autistic traits is linked to Autistic stress.

Suppose an Autistic person is in a conducive and accommodating environment compatible with their Autistic needs. In that case, their problematic traits may not rise to detectable levels until Autistic stress exceeds the limited capacity of the person to manage them without accommodations and support.

To be extremely clear, people can become aware that they are Autistic at any stage of life. People in their 70s learn that they are Autistic without seriously suspecting it earlier in life.

===Acquired Neurotypes Can Mimic Autistic Traits===

The most relevant aspect of '''''Category C''''' is that Autism-like traits may be acquired through '''''ptsd,''''' '''''tbi,''''' and other acquired Neurotypes.

For an official DX, the diagnostician must try to eliminate the possibility that presented Autistic traits were not acquired from a non-Autistic origin.

==Category D: Medical Diagnosis Qualifier==

Category D is of no relevance to a Self Diagnosis.

Even if a person is Autistic, due to the limits upon which society is willing to accommodate the disabled, a society-based functional limitation is mandated on those who may be medically diagnosed as Autistic.

At the time of assessment, an Autistic person, even if meeting all qualifications of Category '''''a,''''' '''''b,''''' and '''''c,''''' must convince a licensed practitioner that at the time of the assessment, the net effect of their Autistic traits and their current level of ability requires support.

If an Autistic person manages to convince a practitioner that they need accommodations during any assessment, then that Autistic person is protected for life at that level of assessed need, independent of changing circumstances.

This means that an Autistic person receiving all necessary accommodations going into assessment may fail Category '''''d''''' and not be eligible for a diagnosis of Autism.

'''''Category D''''' is, by definition a social construct applied to limit the number of people who can be diagnosed as Autistic and as long as '''''Category D''''' remains part of the '''''DSM,''''' the diagnosis of Autism will not 100% match the number of people assessed to '''''BE''''' Autistic.

'''''Many older individuals are identified by their diagnosticians as Autistic but are not given a DX on the basis that the diagnostician decides that they "don't need it."'''''

'''''Category D''''' is inherently flawed in that an Autistic person's support needs are linked to their environment and other dynamic factors that can change at any time.

==Category E: No "Better" Explanation==

'''''Category E''''' is extremely similar to '''''Category C.'''''

The nuanced difference is that '''''Category C''''' is about acquired Neurotypes but '''''Category E''''' applies to other Neurotypes that arise in early development.

'''''Category E''''' boils down to "making sure another neurotype does not make more sense for explaining the displayed behaviours.

==Summary==

To summarise and simplify, If you have:

* Intuitive Autistic Empathy instead of Intuitive Allistic Empathy.

And 2 or more of the following:

* Stimming
* Desire for Predictable Outcomes
* Special Interests
* Hyper/Hypo Senses

And

* There is not a reasonable explanation for it other than Autism.

Then you are VERY LIKELY Autistic.

==Video Explanation==

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yva4RZW_s0 Yo Samdy Sam has an excellent video that goes over this as well]

== Special Note on Stimming ==

[https://t.co/D0scCl0XmX For those who read this and were gobsmacked with the revelation that their muscle pain could be due to suppressed stimming, here is a guide on deprogramming stim suppression.]

If you are suppressing stimming, it should become obvious pretty quickly.

[https://twitter.com/autismsupsoc/status/1530273173236760576 Here is the link to this @Twitter thread🧵 ]

[[Category:Am I autistic?]]

Non-derogatory DSM-5 diagnosis criteria for Autism

2022-08-25T02:22:57Z

Lucy: Fixed several Typos

[https://twitter.com/autismsupsoc/status/1530273173236760576 Here it the link to this @Twitter thread🧵 ]

You might be Autistic if you meet the '''''DSM-5''''' criteria for Autism, presented here in a non-deficient manner.

==Category A: Intuitive Autistic Empathy==
You have Intuitive Autistic Empathy instead of Intuitive Allistic Empathy

You intuitively communicate and interact using Autistic Empathy rather than Allistic Empathy, but you may have learned to mask, mimic, or emulate Allistic Empathy.

Three Requirements:
*1. You do not naturally reciprocate social-emotional Allistic norms.
Example: you Infodump.
*2. You do not demonstrate natural proficiency or acceptance of non-verbal Allistic communication.
Example: people ask why you always look mad because you are not smiling all the time.
*3. You do not demonstrate that relationships dependent solely upon Allistic empathy are fulfilling.
Example: You don't want to hang out with people you don't like "just to socialize."

==Category B: The Four Identifying Autistic Traits==

Beyond Autistic Empathy there are four primary Autistic Trait.

Note again that masking, '''''ABA''''', emulation, etc may have eliminated outward manifestations of some or all of these traits so when assessing consider your entire life experiences (see Category C).

At some point in your life you must have demonstrated 2 out of 4 of the following:

===1. Stimming or Self-Stimulatory Behavior===

Basically, does it feel "good" to repeat actions, physical, vocal, or otherwise? Do you have a natural impulse to move your body or state things in a systematic fashion that Allistics do not demonstrate?

* Note that it is very common to suppress this behavior to fit into Allistic norms and one may need to practice with stimming to re-access their ability to stim.

* Note that Stimming might only manifest during moments of extreme stress such as rocking your hips or intense pacing.

* Note that feeling overwhelming muscle pain over your entire body may be a sign of years of suppressed stimming.

Vocal stimming takes many forms:
* Making animal noises (meowing, etc...)
* Random sounds
* Repeating what was stated by another
* Repeating phrases Even more random sounds.

Stimming is rooted in an Autistic person's need to relieve Autistic stress.

The desire to stim rises with Autistic stress and Autistic stress is relieved by stimming.

===2. Demonstrating a Strong Preference for Predictable Outcomes===
* Strong desire for expectations to be set and met
* Able to excel in static environment that Allistic people could not handle.
* Resistance to illogical changes

===3. Special Interests===
* Deriving joy and or personal fulfilment from exceptional exploration of a topic of interest.
* Note that this may take many unexpected forms. Example, one might develop an interest in learning a broad spectrum of interests i.e. "collecting hobbies"

===4. Hyper and/or Hypo Senses===
An Autistic person may have any of their senses in whole or in part be more or less sensitive than the Allistic standard.
Note that as this is related to perception it may go unnoticed until a thorough assessment is made.

Note that the Hyper/Hypo Sensory aspect of Autism is the definitive proof that Autism is a Neurological condition. Many people misunderstand Autism to be Behavioral or Psychological but it is based on a different wiring of the brain.

This Hyper/Hypo Sensitivity to the environment can take on a vast spectrum of phenomena and can be extremely broad or specific.

==Category C: Confirm You Where Born Autistic==

This is a nuanced category and is a bit of a "cover your ass" scenario with two major points:

* People are born Autistic '''''BUT''''' Autistic traits might not show up until late in life '''''AND''''' can be masked
* Acquired Neurodivergencies can mimimic Autistic traits, and that would not be Autism.

===People are born Autistic===

You cannot acquire Autism. The Autism is present in early development but may go unnoticed until late in like due to:

* Masking
or
* Lack of Autistic Stress

====Masking====
Masking is when an Autistic person consciously or unconsciously suppresses Autistic traits.

====Lack of Autistic Stress====
The intensity of Autistic traits is linked to Autistic stress.

If an Autistic person is in a conducive and accommodating environment that is compatible with their Autistic needs, then their problematic traits may not rise to observable levels until Autistic stress exceeds the limited capacity of the person to manage them without accommodations and support.

To be extremely clear, people can become aware that they are Autistic at any stage of life. People in their 70's learn that they are Autistic without seriously suspecting it earlier in life.

===Acquired Neurotypes Can Mimic Autistic Traits===

The most relevant aspect of '''''Category C''''' is that Autism-like traits may be acquired through '''''ptsd,''''' '''''tbi,''''' and other acquired Neurotypes.

For an official DX it is important for the diagnostician to make an effort to eliminate the possibility that presented Autistic traits where not acquired from a non-Autistic origin.

==Category D: Medical Diagnosis Qualifier==

Category D is of no relevance to a Self Diagnosis.

Even if a person is Autistic, due to the limits upon which society is willing to accommodate the disabled, a society based functional limited is mandated on those who may be medically diagnosed as Autistic.

At the time of assessment an Autistic person, even if meeting all qualifications of Category '''''a,''''' '''''b,''''' and '''''c,''''' must convince a licensed practitioner that, at the time of the assessment, the net effect of their Autistic traits and their current level of ability requires support.

If an Autistic person manages to convince a practitioner that they need accommodations during any assessment, then that Autistic person is protected for life, at that level of assessed need, independent of changing circumstances.

What this means is that an Autistic person who is receiving all necessary accommodations going into assessment may fail Category '''''d''''' and not be eligible for a diagnosis of Autism.

'''''Category D''''' is, by definition a social construct applied to limit the number of people who can be diagnosed as Autistic and as long as '''''Category D''''' remains part of the '''''DSM,''''' the diagnosis of Autism will not 100% match the number of people assessed to '''''BE''''' Autistic.

'''''Many older individuals are identified by their diagnosticians as Autistic but are not given a DX, on the basis that the diagnostician decides that they "don't need it."'''''

'''''Category D''''' is inherently flawed in that an Autistic person's support needs are linked to their environment and other dynamic factors that can change at any time.

==Category E: No "Better" Explanation==

'''''Category E''''' is extremely similar to '''''Category C.'''''

The nuanced difference is that '''''Category C''''' is about acquired Neurotypes but '''''Category E''''' applies to other Neurotypes that arise in early development.

'''''Category E''''' boils down to "make sure another neurotype does not make more sense for explaining the displayed behaviours.

==Summary==

To summarise and simplify, If you have:

* Intuitive Autistic Empathy instead of Intuitive Allistic Empathy

And 2 or more of the following:

* Stimming
* Desire for Predictable Outcomes
* Special Interests
* Hyper/Hypo Senses

And

* There is not a reasonable explanation for it other than Autism

Then you are VERY LIKELY Autistic.

==Video Explanation==

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yva4RZW_s0 Yo Samdy Sam has an excellent video that goes over this as well]

== Special Note on Stimming ==

[https://t.co/D0scCl0XmX For those who read this and were gobsmacked with the revelation that their muscle pain could be due to suppressed stimming, here is a guide on deprogramming stim suppression.]

If you are suppressing stimming, it should become obvious pretty quickly.

[https://twitter.com/autismsupsoc/status/1530273173236760576 Here it the link to this @Twitter thread🧵 ]

Non-derogatory DSM-5 diagnosis criteria for Autism

2022-08-25T01:47:06Z

Lucy: Fixed several typos

[https://twitter.com/autismsupsoc/status/1530273173236760576 Here it the link to this @Twitter thread🧵 ]

You might be Autistic if you meet the '''''DSM-5''''' criteria for Autism, presented here in a non-deficient manner.

==Category A: Intuitive Autistic Empathy==
You have Intuitive Autistic Empathy instead of Intuitive Allistic Empathy

You intuitively communicate and interact using Autistic Empathy rather than Allistic Empathy, but you may have learned to mask, mimic, or emulate Allistic Empathy.

Three Requirements:
*1. You do not naturally reciprocate social-emotional Allistic norms.
Example: you Infodump.
*2. You do not demonstrate natural proficiency or acceptance of non-verbal Allistic communication.
Example: people ask why you always look mad because you are not smiling all the time.
*3. You do not demonstrate that relationships dependent solely upon Allistic empathy are fulfilling.
Example: You don't want to hang out with people you don't like "just to socialize."

==Category B: The Four Identifying Autistic Traits==

Beyond Autistic Empathy there are four primary Autistic Trait.

Note again that masking, '''''ABA,''''', emulation, etc may have eliminated outward manifestations of some or all of these traits so when assessing consider your entire life experiences (see Category C.

At some point in your life you must have demonstrated 2 out of 4 of the following:

===1. Stimming or Self-Stimulatory Behavior===

Basically, does it feel "good" to repeat actions, physical, vocal, or otherwise? Do you have a natural impulse to move your body or state things in a systematic fassion that Allistics do not demonstrate?

* Note that it is very common to suppress this behavior to fit into Allistic norms and one may need to practice with stimming to re-access their ability to stim.

* Note that Stimming might only manifest during moments of extreme stress such as rocking your hips or intense pacing.

* Note that feeling overwhelming muscle pain over your entire body may be a sign of years of suppressed stimming.

Vocal stimming takes many forms:
* Making animal noises (meowing, etc...)
* Random sounds
* Repeating what was stated by another
* Repeating phrases Even more random sounds.

Stimming is rooted in an Autistic person's need to relieve Autistic stress.

The desire to stim rises with Autistic stress and Autistic stress is relieved by stimming.

===2. Demonstrating a Strong Preference for Predictable Outcomes===
* Strong desire for expectations to be set and met
* Able to excel in static environment that Allistic people could not handle.
* Resistance to illogical changes

===3. Special Interests===
* Deriving joy and or personal fulfilment from exceptional exploration of a topic of interest.
* Note that this may take many unexpected forms. Example, one might develop an interest in learning a broad spectrum of interests i.e. "collecting hobbies"

===4. Hyper and/or Hypo Senses===
An Autistic person may have any of their senses in whole or in part be more or less sensitive than the Allistic standard.
Note that as this is related to perception it may go unnoticed until a thorough assessment is made.

Note that the Hyper/Hypo Sensory aspect of Autism is the definitive proof that Autism is a Neurological condition. Many people misunderstand Autism to be Behavioral or Psychological but it is based on a different wiring of the brain.

This Hyper/Hypo Sensitivity to the environment can take on a vast spectrum of phenomena and can be extremely broad or specific.

==Category C: Confirm You Where Born Autistic==

This is a nuanced category and is a bit of a "cover your ass" scenario with two major points:

* People are born Autistic '''''BUT''''' Autistic traits might not show up until late in life '''''AND''''' can be masked
* Acquired Neurodivergencies can mimimic Autistic traits, and that would not be Autism.

===People are born Autistic===

You cannot acquire Autism. The Autism is present in early development but may go unnoticed until late in like due to:

* Masking
or
* Lack of Autistic Stress

====Masking====
Masking is when an Autistic person consciously or unconsciously suppresses Autistic traits.

====Lack of Autistic Stress====
The intensity of Autistic traits is linked to Autistic stress.

If an Autistic person is in a conducive and accommodating environment that is compatible with their Autistic needs, then their problematic traits may not raise to observable levels until Autistic stress exceeds the limited capacity of the person to manage them without accommodations and supports.

To be extremely clear, people can become aware that they are Autistic at any stage of life. People in their 70's learn that they are Autistic without seriously suspecting it earlier in life.

===Acquired Neurotypes Can Mimic Autistic Traits===

The most relevant aspect of '''''Category C''''' is that Autism-like traits may be acquired though '''''ptsd,''''' '''''tbi,''''' and other acquired Neurotypes.

For an official DX it is important for the diagnostician to make an effort to eliminate the possibility that presented Autistic traits where not acquired from a non-Autistic origin.

==Category D: Medical Diagnosis Qualifier==

Category D is of no relevance to a Self Diagnosis.

Even if a person is Autistic, due to the limits upon which society is willing to accommodate the disabled, a society based functional limited is mandated on those who may be medically diagnosed as Autistic.

At the time of assessment an Autistic person, even if meeting all qualifications of Category '''''a,''''' '''''b,''''' and '''''c,''''' must convince a licensed practitioner that, at the time of the assessment, the net effect of their Autistic traits and their current level of ability requires support.

If an Autistic person manages to convince a practi that they need accommodations during any assessment, then that Autistic person is protected for life, at that level of assessed need, independent of changing circumstances.

What this means is that an Autistic person who is receiving all necessary accommodations going into assessment may fail Category '''''d''''' and not be eligible for a diagnosis of Autism.

'''''Category D''''' is, by definition a social construct applied to limit the number of people who can be diagnosed as Autistic and as long as '''''Category D''''' remains part of the '''''DSM,''''' the diagnosis of Autism will not 100% match the number of people assessed to '''''BE''''' Autistic.

'''''Many older individuals are identified by their diagnosticians as Autistic but are not given a DX, on the basis that the diagnostician decides that they "don't need it."'''''

'''''Category D''''' is inherently flawed in that an Autistic person's support needs are linked to their environment and other dynamic factors that can change at any time.

==Category E: No "Better" Explanation==

'''''Category E''''' is extremely similar to '''''Category C.'''''

The nuanced difference is that '''''Category C''''' is about acquired Neurotypes but '''''Category E''''' applies to other Neurotypes that arise in early development.

'''''Category E''''' boils down to "make sure another neurotype does not make more sense for explaining the displayed behaviours.

==Summary==

To summarise and simplify, If you have:

* Intuitive Autistic Empathy instead of Intuitive Allistic Empathy

And 2 or more of the following:

* Stimming
* Desire for Predictable Outcomes
* Special Interests
* Hyper/Hypo Senses

And

* There is not a reasonable explanation for it other than Autism

Then you are VERY LIKELY Autistic.

==Video Explanation==

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yva4RZW_s0 Yo Samdy Sam has an excellent video that goes over this as well]

== Special Note on Stimming ==

[https://t.co/D0scCl0XmX For those who read this and were gobsmacked with the revelation that their muscle pain could be due to suppressed stimming, here is a guide on deprogramming stim suppression.]

If you are suppressing stimming, it should become obvious pretty quickly.

[https://twitter.com/autismsupsoc/status/1530273173236760576 Here it the link to this @Twitter thread🧵 ]

User:Lucy

2022-08-24T00:49:33Z

Lucy: Created page with "My Twitter: https://twitter.com/its_a_me_lucy"

My Twitter: https://twitter.com/its_a_me_lucy

Asperger syndrome

2022-08-24T00:44:34Z

Lucy: Replaced link that lead to a "Page not found" page, with a working link

'''Asperger syndrome''', also known as '''Asperger's''', is a term to describe [[Autism|autistic]] people who are good at [[Masking|masking]] and, according to the criteria outlined in diagnostic manuals, [[Functioning labels|high-functioning]]. Asperger's was removed from the [[DSM-V]] in 2013, and from the [[ICD-11]] on 1 Jan 2022.

As part of the shift from the [[Deficit model|pathology paradigm]] to the [[Neurodiversity|neurodiversity paradigm]], the term Asperger's has largely fallen out of favour among members of the [[Autistic community|autistic community]].

== History of the term ==

{insert stuff here; maybe link to [[History of autism]] somewhere?}

== Reasons for moving away from the term ==

=== Autism as a spectrum ===

Now that we're openly speaking for ourselves, even [[Allism|allistic]] "experts" have to finally accept that autism is best understood as a [[The autism spectrum|spectrum]], with any combination of [[Autistic and allistic traits|traits]] possible. Instead of giving different hazily defined clusters of traits their own names, it makes more sense to briefly describe each individual person's own unique combination of strengths and requirements.

=== Reclaiming the word "autistic" ===

Unlike society at large, autistic people generally accept that autism isn't a [[Stigma|dirty word]], and that being autistic is nothing to be ashamed of. We don't need a euphemism to effectively claim "but we're one of the good ones", because no combination of traits makes you bad.

=== Hans Asperger's ties to the Nazi regime ===

Asperger was a literal Nazi, whose job was to determine who was enough of a burden to allistic people — or even Jewish enough — to warrant being sent to a concentration camp and killed.<ref name="wb-the-aftermath-of-the-hans-asperger-expose" /> He was monstrous.

== Controversy within the community ==

{some folks who are autustic still prefer the term Asperger's or to call themselves Aspies. While some people are okay with others calling themselves whatever they want, some think it throws the community "under the bus"}

== References ==

<ref name="wb-the-aftermath-of-the-hans-asperger-expose">[https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/aftermath-hans-asperger-expose The aftermath of the Hans Asperger exposé]</ref>

[[Category:Autistic paradigms and terminology]]