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Hello, I'm not Sia.

Sia

Hello everybody.

My name isn’t Sia. The singer Sia once helped me feel empowered, and it's kind of ironic and funny now that she's considered a controversial name in the autistic community. Anyway…

I’m not new to the online community. I'm a long-time lurker who was diagnosed as autistic in January this year. I also have ADHD. My ADHD and autism were diagnosed in 2024 and 2026 respectively - to the surprise of absolutely nobody who knows me. At the time of writing, I'm 34.

With that said, I'm trying to reach out into supportive spaces where I can. It turns out that knowing a lot about autism and identifying as autistic (and ADHD!) still doesn't fortify you against the "But you were fine yesterday / last week / last month / last year / in your last job / when you were at school" brigade.

Here are a few things about me:

I have a brother with profound autism.

I currently work in the social care sector.

I love all kinds of music, especially metal, electronic music, 80s pop, and some genres I can't even begin to explain.

I love a good cover song.

I love oversized clothes.

I enjoy video games. I'm currently playing through Baldur’s Gate III and Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, depending on the mood.

I love writing. It's incredibly therapeutic.

I play piano by ear.

I love learning. I recently completed a Level 3 mental health course just for the joy of it.

I’m either incredibly loud or incredibly quiet and "invisible". There's no middle ground.

I'm usually rubbish at remembering to check my messages, forums, and the like (thanks, ADHD), but I'm looking forward to hearing everyone's stories and maybe sharing some of my own. Or, maybe just have some lighthearted conversations about cover songs.

Parents

  • Hi, welcome to the community as an active user, not only lurking. Honestly I also lurk quite much but dont write so much. I also like music, but I listen only one genre and I love space, although right now I'm on meds that make me feel irritated, by everything,  including my beloved space. Only yesterday I was able to watch on YouTube about Jupiter and it's closest, volcanic moon Io. I used to do everyday, but now a screen flashing pictures and voice talking makes me feel irritated to the point that it shakes me from inside. So my intrest is periodically not so special. Sorry for big overshare. I'm usually invisible,  but I also relate to being sometimes too much.

Reply

  • Hi, welcome to the community as an active user, not only lurking. Honestly I also lurk quite much but dont write so much. I also like music, but I listen only one genre and I love space, although right now I'm on meds that make me feel irritated, by everything,  including my beloved space. Only yesterday I was able to watch on YouTube about Jupiter and it's closest, volcanic moon Io. I used to do everyday, but now a screen flashing pictures and voice talking makes me feel irritated to the point that it shakes me from inside. So my intrest is periodically not so special. Sorry for big overshare. I'm usually invisible,  but I also relate to being sometimes too much.

Children
  • in reply to Alien0n3arth

    Your 'over sharing' is appreciated. I'm not in a phase of life like that right now, but it's very relatable. I hope the effects of your medication can eventually stabilise, or you can find ones that work better for your quality of life. It's exhausting to not be able to engage with anything you enjoy.