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All the Autism Top Tips

MelonCauliflower

Hi,

I thought it would be good to make a thread of all the little things people have discovered that make their lives a bit better. Post the information that changed your life when you first discovered it. Everything will be relevant because autism is a spectrum. Don't worry about cliché advice (like take a break if you are having burnout) because I can guarantee there is someone who won't have heard it yet and they need to.

Use Ctrl + F to search for key words if you are looking for specific tips and hopefully it will be here.

My very small offering is that I found you can buy like 30 faux fur pom poms for £10 on Amazon. These make a perfect stim toy for me and having so many means I don't have to worry about them getting dirty or loosing one at work. They are just the right size for my hand and look kinda fun on my desk. I can leave one in every bag or coat pocket so I always have one with me. (You can see that tips don't need to be ground-breaking Sweat smile) I will keep posting as I find/learn more stuff.

I hope you guys can help me out, I would love to hear your advice and hacks. 

Watermelon

  • in reply to Oakling

    Thanks Coffee Guy,

    I agree about the disclosing. I told my boss at interview that I was autistic, mostly because I wasn't interested in working somewhere if it was a problem, and he asked me what that meant for me and I said "part of it is that I am fussy about foods and I don't like being hot or scratchy clothes." And I left it at that. He was cool with it, hired me, and I've explained more as we've gone along and it's been relevant. I'm glad I didn't over share and say "phonecalls make me anxious because I don't know how to socialise" because it turns out I'm actually really good on the phone. My formulaic responses and hyper politeness are actually assets and, even though it is draining, I find it manageable in a way that I didn't expect. 

    I still struggle with the guilt of taking time for myself but it is definitely worth it and I am working on allowing myself to have that time without judgement.

  • Disclosing your diagnosis. Don’t feel like you have to explain everything all in one go if you decide to tell someone about your diagnosis. I’m learning that it is okay just to tell someone that you are autistic and then to just leave it up to the other party to ask questions if they want to know more, rather than listing all the way that autism impacts your life. I learned this after a series of over sharing based conversations that I regretted afterwards. If someone doesn’t have anything to say about your disclosure, it’s okay to just leave it there and not fill the gap with lots of information.

    The other thing for me is taking time for myself. I enjoy losing myself in my imagination, so I make time each day/every other day to do this. It’s not planned in, but rather than feel embarrassed about needing the time (like I used to pre-diagnosis), I now accept it and enjoy it when needed.

  • in reply to Golf23

    Thanks Golf23,

    I wish employers had more knowledge about how simple it can be to be supportive as an employer! 

  • Employers should, probably need prompting, consider a workplace needs assessment for an individual with autism.

    This will allow the Employer to know what needs to be put in place to help you out and allow you to have an environment where you are more comfortable, confident and at ease, or maybe they pair you with someone to help you with some aspects of the role you do. 

    Don't make the mistake of pushing yourself because you want to show them that you are capable, you are, you may just need some more periods of rest to prevent burnouts, or help to meet the deadlines that they all seem to love to make short