The world: Autistic people can't take a joke
Autistic person: *Exists*
Nonautistic person: *Makes a sarcastic, unfunny joke about autistic person*
Autistic person: 😒
Nonautistic person: Oh come on, it was just a joke. You have no sense of humor!
Autistic person: *Exists*
Nonautistic person: *Makes a sarcastic, unfunny joke about autistic person*
Autistic person: 😒
Nonautistic person: Oh come on, it was just a joke. You have no sense of humor!
July 13, 2026 at 12:39 AM
The world: Autistic people can't take a joke
Autistic person: *Exists*
Nonautistic person: *Makes a sarcastic, unfunny joke about autistic person*
Autistic person: 😒
Nonautistic person: Oh come on, it was just a joke. You have no sense of humor!
Autistic person: *Exists*
Nonautistic person: *Makes a sarcastic, unfunny joke about autistic person*
Autistic person: 😒
Nonautistic person: Oh come on, it was just a joke. You have no sense of humor!
Nonautistic person to autistic person: *Vaguely implies autistic person should do something related to social expectations*
Autistic person: *Has no idea something is even being implied. Doesn't change behavior*
NAP: *Gets annoyed* Can you not take a hint?
AP: Actually, no. 😅
Autistic person: *Has no idea something is even being implied. Doesn't change behavior*
NAP: *Gets annoyed* Can you not take a hint?
AP: Actually, no. 😅
April 20, 2025 at 1:08 AM
Nonautistic person to autistic person: *Vaguely implies autistic person should do something related to social expectations*
Autistic person: *Has no idea something is even being implied. Doesn't change behavior*
NAP: *Gets annoyed* Can you not take a hint?
AP: Actually, no. 😅
Autistic person: *Has no idea something is even being implied. Doesn't change behavior*
NAP: *Gets annoyed* Can you not take a hint?
AP: Actually, no. 😅
Did you know that autistic brains generate ~42% more information at rest than nonautistic brains, according to research? (link below)
This explains SO. MUCH. of the autistic experience...
Our brains are constantly in motion. (1)
This explains SO. MUCH. of the autistic experience...
Our brains are constantly in motion. (1)
May 28, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Did you know that autistic brains generate ~42% more information at rest than nonautistic brains, according to research? (link below)
This explains SO. MUCH. of the autistic experience...
Our brains are constantly in motion. (1)
This explains SO. MUCH. of the autistic experience...
Our brains are constantly in motion. (1)
According to the first study...
Only ~63% of autistic people identify as heterosexual as compared to ~83% of nonautistic people. That’s ~25% less than nonautistic people. That also represents more than 1/3rd of autistic people who identify as something other than heterosexual. (3)
Only ~63% of autistic people identify as heterosexual as compared to ~83% of nonautistic people. That’s ~25% less than nonautistic people. That also represents more than 1/3rd of autistic people who identify as something other than heterosexual. (3)
June 18, 2025 at 1:06 PM
According to the first study...
Only ~63% of autistic people identify as heterosexual as compared to ~83% of nonautistic people. That’s ~25% less than nonautistic people. That also represents more than 1/3rd of autistic people who identify as something other than heterosexual. (3)
Only ~63% of autistic people identify as heterosexual as compared to ~83% of nonautistic people. That’s ~25% less than nonautistic people. That also represents more than 1/3rd of autistic people who identify as something other than heterosexual. (3)
Autism Education Month isn't just for nonautistic people to understand us better... it's also for undiagnosed autistic people to self-discover and for autistic people to understand their own autism better...
April 11, 2026 at 3:23 AM
Autism Education Month isn't just for nonautistic people to understand us better... it's also for undiagnosed autistic people to self-discover and for autistic people to understand their own autism better...
I think the "double empathy problem" (where there's a mutual misunderstanding between autistic and nonautistic people when it comes to understanding each other's experiences) misses a whole subset of autistic people...
June 16, 2025 at 3:16 AM
I think the "double empathy problem" (where there's a mutual misunderstanding between autistic and nonautistic people when it comes to understanding each other's experiences) misses a whole subset of autistic people...
One study published in 2021 looked at empathy in autistic and nonautistic children and not only did they NOT find that the autistic children had less empathy than their nonautistic peers... they found more SIMILARITIES than differences between the two groups. (7)
May 10, 2025 at 6:10 PM
One study published in 2021 looked at empathy in autistic and nonautistic children and not only did they NOT find that the autistic children had less empathy than their nonautistic peers... they found more SIMILARITIES than differences between the two groups. (7)
It's Autistic Pride Day (happy pride btw! 😊🏳️🌈) so I want to take a minute to talk about sexual orientation and gender identity in relation to autism… because, according to research, autistic people are more likely to identify as LGBTQ+ than nonautistic people... (1)
June 18, 2025 at 1:06 PM
It's Autistic Pride Day (happy pride btw! 😊🏳️🌈) so I want to take a minute to talk about sexual orientation and gender identity in relation to autism… because, according to research, autistic people are more likely to identify as LGBTQ+ than nonautistic people... (1)
So our dysregulation shows up more quickly and more frequently than it does for nonautistic people.
October 11, 2025 at 1:40 AM
So our dysregulation shows up more quickly and more frequently than it does for nonautistic people.
Autistic people ARE adaptable...
But we do struggle MORE with adaptability than nonautistic people because adapting for us USUALLY means sacrificing things our autistic brains need.
We CAN make the choice to sacrifice... and many of us do every single day...
But we do struggle MORE with adaptability than nonautistic people because adapting for us USUALLY means sacrificing things our autistic brains need.
We CAN make the choice to sacrifice... and many of us do every single day...
June 11, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Autistic people ARE adaptable...
But we do struggle MORE with adaptability than nonautistic people because adapting for us USUALLY means sacrificing things our autistic brains need.
We CAN make the choice to sacrifice... and many of us do every single day...
But we do struggle MORE with adaptability than nonautistic people because adapting for us USUALLY means sacrificing things our autistic brains need.
We CAN make the choice to sacrifice... and many of us do every single day...
So the autistic person is actually seeing the situation completely clearly and can understand both sides... but all the nonautistic person sees is the autistic person being in the wrong.
June 16, 2025 at 3:16 AM
So the autistic person is actually seeing the situation completely clearly and can understand both sides... but all the nonautistic person sees is the autistic person being in the wrong.
Rigid thinking is not a universal autistic trait. In fact, some autistic people are more cognitively flexible than most nonautistic people.
So why is cognitive rigidity mentioned in the autism section of the DSM?
Here's my take...
So why is cognitive rigidity mentioned in the autism section of the DSM?
Here's my take...
October 8, 2025 at 2:58 AM
Rigid thinking is not a universal autistic trait. In fact, some autistic people are more cognitively flexible than most nonautistic people.
So why is cognitive rigidity mentioned in the autism section of the DSM?
Here's my take...
So why is cognitive rigidity mentioned in the autism section of the DSM?
Here's my take...
"I was told by clinicians that I’m ‘too empathetic’ to be autistic. That invalidating, alienating experience shaped my research: I want to better understand why nonautistic people assume there’s an empathy deficit.” -Sarah Foster
news.utdallas.edu/health-medic... #autism #neurodiversity
news.utdallas.edu/health-medic... #autism #neurodiversity
May 29, 2025 at 5:21 AM
"I was told by clinicians that I’m ‘too empathetic’ to be autistic. That invalidating, alienating experience shaped my research: I want to better understand why nonautistic people assume there’s an empathy deficit.” -Sarah Foster
news.utdallas.edu/health-medic... #autism #neurodiversity
news.utdallas.edu/health-medic... #autism #neurodiversity
So apparently self inflicted oral lesions (cheek/lip biting, etc) are highly prevalent in autistic people. One study found nearly 70% of the autistic participants had them compared to only 17% of the nonautistic participants. 🤯
May 6, 2025 at 12:04 PM
So apparently self inflicted oral lesions (cheek/lip biting, etc) are highly prevalent in autistic people. One study found nearly 70% of the autistic participants had them compared to only 17% of the nonautistic participants. 🤯
And no... it's not the brain overreacting.
If nonautistic brains worked the same way, they'd have the exact same responses.
If nonautistic brains worked the same way, they'd have the exact same responses.
December 5, 2025 at 2:10 PM
And no... it's not the brain overreacting.
If nonautistic brains worked the same way, they'd have the exact same responses.
If nonautistic brains worked the same way, they'd have the exact same responses.
I love how my autistic brain processes more information at rest than nonautistic people. it's like it truly never stops 🥺
January 15, 2025 at 1:33 AM
I love how my autistic brain processes more information at rest than nonautistic people. it's like it truly never stops 🥺
Online, noting a common thing:
An autistic person asks an autism group to help him decode his nonautistic wife's emotional needs. He's offered some handy checklists to think about.
Cue various nonautistic wives/partners saying, "If he doesn't just know how to treat his wife, she should divorce him!"
An autistic person asks an autism group to help him decode his nonautistic wife's emotional needs. He's offered some handy checklists to think about.
Cue various nonautistic wives/partners saying, "If he doesn't just know how to treat his wife, she should divorce him!"
April 4, 2026 at 9:35 AM
Online, noting a common thing:
An autistic person asks an autism group to help him decode his nonautistic wife's emotional needs. He's offered some handy checklists to think about.
Cue various nonautistic wives/partners saying, "If he doesn't just know how to treat his wife, she should divorce him!"
An autistic person asks an autism group to help him decode his nonautistic wife's emotional needs. He's offered some handy checklists to think about.
Cue various nonautistic wives/partners saying, "If he doesn't just know how to treat his wife, she should divorce him!"
One of the main reasons people don't understand the autistic experience imo is that there's a type of anxiety only autistic people experience... and nonautistic people simply can't fathom that getting a bad haircut can cause the same level of anxiety as losing your job.
August 13, 2025 at 12:27 AM
One of the main reasons people don't understand the autistic experience imo is that there's a type of anxiety only autistic people experience... and nonautistic people simply can't fathom that getting a bad haircut can cause the same level of anxiety as losing your job.
And no... it's not an overreaction. If nonautistic people experienced these things in the same ways as us, they'd have the exact same reactions.
May 23, 2025 at 11:00 PM
And no... it's not an overreaction. If nonautistic people experienced these things in the same ways as us, they'd have the exact same reactions.
3. Our brains are always on... we literally never get a break (research has found that our brains generate ~42% more information at rest than nonautistic brains... I talked more about this in my last post)
May 29, 2025 at 1:26 AM
3. Our brains are always on... we literally never get a break (research has found that our brains generate ~42% more information at rest than nonautistic brains... I talked more about this in my last post)
One study from 2021 looked at empathy in autistic and nonautistic children.
Not only did they NOT find that the autistic children had less empathy than their nonautistic peers... they found more SIMILARITIES than differences between the two groups.
Not only did they NOT find that the autistic children had less empathy than their nonautistic peers... they found more SIMILARITIES than differences between the two groups.
November 4, 2025 at 2:00 AM
One study from 2021 looked at empathy in autistic and nonautistic children.
Not only did they NOT find that the autistic children had less empathy than their nonautistic peers... they found more SIMILARITIES than differences between the two groups.
Not only did they NOT find that the autistic children had less empathy than their nonautistic peers... they found more SIMILARITIES than differences between the two groups.
Pairs of autistics "are as adept as pairs of nonautistic participants at information exchange in the context of a collaborative task" journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/... "autistic and nonautistic dyads demonstrated equal efficiency in communicating... and in managing the flow of their interactions"
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November 23, 2024 at 10:14 AM
Pairs of autistics "are as adept as pairs of nonautistic participants at information exchange in the context of a collaborative task" journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/... "autistic and nonautistic dyads demonstrated equal efficiency in communicating... and in managing the flow of their interactions"
Everyone masks, gets anxiety, and burns out, but there's a very specific autistic experience of masking for survival, getting extreme anxiety from the masking but it also never quite being enough, and that leading to extreme burnout... that nonautistic people will never fully understand.
December 15, 2025 at 2:01 AM
Everyone masks, gets anxiety, and burns out, but there's a very specific autistic experience of masking for survival, getting extreme anxiety from the masking but it also never quite being enough, and that leading to extreme burnout... that nonautistic people will never fully understand.
5. In a study conducted in 2014, fMRI scans found that autistic brains generated ~42% more information at rest compared to nonautistic brains. This explains why so many of us feel like our brains are constantly on....
May 17, 2025 at 3:27 AM
5. In a study conducted in 2014, fMRI scans found that autistic brains generated ~42% more information at rest compared to nonautistic brains. This explains why so many of us feel like our brains are constantly on....