What is a Positive about your ASD

I would like to add that we can be good with all kinds of kids if we try, not just autistic. Of course it is a good thing there are some among us inclined and capable to work with younger autistic, instead leaving them to NTcare. I used to be a nanny when I was teenager, I was actually The Favourite Nanny always. Kids always seems to like me, and I think it is because I don't ignore them, I talk to them as if they were my peers, answer their questions, and so on.

During my 7 years lasting career in one of supermarkets there were many people coming shopping with kids since they were little, I would always say something to kids, to entertain them, or explain, actually I'd rather talk to kids than their parents. So, many of those kids got used to seeing me there and they would shout ''Hello'' to me from the entrance. Which is very nice and heart warming, and pays for all hard work involved in customer service. Don't ask me about their names though, I'm clueless in that regard

Oh wow that sounds so much fun ^^ bet you had a lot of fun over Christmas and when you watch stuff!

I'm the exact same as your son. When I watch things I mute sound and do the voices, it's a lot of fun and I can change what they say lol :p 

They sound like some really nice qualities, I mimic as well, I’ve always been able to do it. My son watched a lot of Alan Partridge over Christmas, I keep slipping in and out of character, it’s very cringey, my son is brilliant at mimicking as well. He can watch the film Hot Fuzz with the sound off, he knows all the characters lines and can mimic all their voices. Between the two of us, we nearly drove my wife mad over Christmas!

I thought you might say this,you seem to have an instinctive and deep understanding of your neurokin. 

Glitter said:

I was doing agency work before, and there was one boy who was non-verbal and the teacher said that she'd never seen him respond to anyone so positively so quickly.

That’s great, one of the many reasons why it is so important for us autistics to work with/support our younger neurokin because (we as a community) and you obviously just ‘get it ‘. Maybe he could sense that you were also autistic and immediately felt understood/safer with you.

Glitter said:

I think I have a better understanding of what's important to them and their frustrations, I can read their moods, and communicate more while talking less.

Thought so, I wonder if being so in tune with your autistic students helps you build trust more easily and build relationships? I have felt the same way, I volunteered at a children’s play scheme before where the majority of kids were autistic, I felt like an immediate magnetic connection and that I could understand their needs so intuitively, it was great.

Talking is incredibly overrated, we communicate as humans so much through our body language.

You are obviously a great interpreter of autistic body language and communication for your fellow colleagues.  

Ausomely Autistic said:

Do you feel like you have a particularly strong connection with the autistic kids you work with?

Yes, very much!  In fact a few other teachers have commented on it.  I was doing agency work before, and there was one boy who was non-verbal and the teacher said that she'd never seen him respond to anyone so positively so quickly.  Now I've got a permanent position and I've had similar comments from my colleagues.  I think I have a better understanding of what's important to them and their frustrations, I can read their moods, and communicate more while talking less.

You are very welcome.

Luftmentsch said:

I think we probably couldn't be conformist even if we wanted to, because we can't "read" other people well enough to work out what the consensus is

Yes I think I agree, but another reason I don't we would be a conformist is that in my opinion we don't value social hierarchy. We see everyone as equal and an individual.

Thank you.

I think we probably couldn't be conformist even if we wanted to, because we can't "read" other people well enough to work out what the consensus is.

Luftmentsch said:

I guess there’s part of me that is reluctant to ascribe positives to my autism as I still experience it primarily as a disability (which I know is not a popular opinion here).

That's ok. It is ok to experience being autistic as a disability, all experiences are valid. It's therefore understandable why you find it difficult to answer the original question, hopefully as you continue your autistic discovery you will be able to recognise your own autistic strengths more easily. 

Luftmentsch said:

Independent-minded;

Yes I definitely agree with this autistic strength, I have been called an individualist before. I think we are more likely to be independent minded because we question neuronormative social rules and therefore are unlikely to be swayed into changing our opinion/belief when in a group.

Do you feel like you have a particularly strong connection with the autistic kids you work with? It's great that you are supporting younger members of our community, it's so important for them to have positive autistic role models. I hope your job is rewarding for you. 

Glitter said:

My novel's kind of fantasy based, but I wanted to do something that would be accessible for more people and explain how it actually feels for me.

Writing is a great form of self expression, good luck with the creative process!

Reworking things like that can be a lot of fun.  It sounds like it would be an emotional and meaningful story.

It's taken me a long time to get there, and it helps that I work with autistic and disabled kids so I have a chance to use my powers for good. 

My novel's kind of fantasy based, but I wanted to do something that would be accessible for more people and explain how it actually feels for me.

You are very welcome. Yes definitely autistic passion can help you with developing new skills, it is a great motivator.

Glitter said:

thinking about autism all the time. 

I think about autistic experience all the time too, I love it!

Glitter said:

I've started writing my autistic novel- not sure if I'll ever get it properly published but I will get it out there somehow.

Very exciting, you write about being autistic so eloquently I am sure it will be brilliant!

 I hope your idea of publishing materialises, if not there are a lot of great autistic blogs online you could add to the collection.

I really struggle with this question, as I find it so hard to tell what is because I’m autistic and what would be the same if I was allistic. Or is that even a valid question? I don’t know. It’s also hard to separate nature and nurture. I guess there’s part of me that is reluctant to ascribe positives to my autism as I still experience it primarily as a disability (which I know is not a popular opinion here).

Anyway, in the hope that this will make me feel more positive about my autism, I feel it at least contributes towards my being:

Intelligent;

Independent-minded;

Empathetic;

Honest;

Diligent;

And perhaps also resilient.

(Several of these factors helped me stay religious in a culture (Orthodox Judaism) that isn’t always accommodating to difference, neurodiversity or mental illness, so I’m grateful for that at least.)

Good luck with the autistic novel! I wrote one (or a partly autistic one, anyway), but I couldn't get it published. Now I think the autistic part didn't work and I should ditch it and rework the non-autistic part (about an abusive marriage) into a whole novel.

I'm so glad to have read what you put. It's positive to hear you so positive about it all.

I think your novel is great idea! I'm thinking about doing the same, well actually mine are diaries but I might look at getting them published.

Keep being awesome!

And I am so grateful and happy to hear that response. Thank you! 

I'm utterly blown away by that comment. Thank you. 

But also evidence of how autistic passion can help develop skills.  I've been writing "obsessively" for several years now, and thinking about autism all the time. 

I've started writing my autistic novel- not sure if I'll ever get it properly published but I will get it out there somehow.  Maybe as a blog or something.

Great motto!

Wow that is simply the most beautiful description of autism I have ever heard. I feel so blessed and comforted to have read that 

Glitter said:

Autism is like the ground that I walk on and the language I speak and the air that I breathe.

Autism is my home.

this is now my new motto in life

I love your reply, I absolutely agree with this point:

Glitter said:

Autism is like the ground that I walk on and the language I speak and the air that I breathe.

Autism is my home.

It’s brilliant, you have written about being autistic in a way that is beautifully true and poetic.

Being autistic is our natural way of being and you have conveyed in a way that I currently cannot. You have perfectly described how we have our own unique culture.