I've mentioned it elsewhere, but I saw Akira when I was four and my brother was three. Our dad picked it out because "animation is for children".
I can't remember much of it but it left me with a deep distate for body horror and nightmares for literal weeks.
They treat autism as a disease to be cured, which is a disgusting way to think about it. Their founder also claimed that it's "possible" that autism is caused by vaccines, which is scientifically disproven. There are also no autistic members of their board, which means no actual representation for the people they claim to want to help.
Motor oil is a smell that I really like. It's from growing up around mechanic shops, I think.
I hate the smell of sandalwood. It's just overwhelming and I can't get past the heaviness of it. My coworkers use a tobacco and sandalwood scented room spray and I want to gag every time.
Akira. My father rented it for my brother and me because "animated movie is for kids". I was 4, and my brother was 3.
Rabbits. Rabbits are fuckin' awesome. Did you know they don't have paw pads like cats and dogs? There's just fur there, which means they have less traction on slick surfaces. They can be taught to use a litterbox, too !
They also have such different personalities from cats and dogs. Netherland dwarf bunnies are twenty pounds of bunny in a 2 pound body. They're crazy energetic and need plenty of space even though they're tiny. The bigger a bunny gets the more chill they generally are, but the bigger the bun the more likely there will be issues with their back or other joints as they get older.
That's me. I will get "stuck" on something for hours and hours and suddenly it's 12 midnight and I should have been in bed 2 hours ago. I just... Can't pull myself away from it.
Cx - customer is one I run into daily.
The feeling of extreme frustration about people breaking rules. I didn't realize that an overly powerful sense of justice was a trait of autism until it was pointed out to me. It's given me a nose for fraudulent action at my job though.
Yup. My parents weren't willing to even think about testing me, so it was "stop that, just be normal".
I'm 37, and just got diagnosed at the beginning of this month, actually. I've never been quite "right" in social situations, and had "odd" interests and sensitivities. My dad is probably autistic but no one's ever officially diagnosed him and he'd call it bullshit even if a professional said it.
My mother was a special education teacher, and she saw my stimming and sensory issues and decreed them to be a problem because I'd never be "normal" (and I use the term loosely). "You're so smart! You can't have any issue with anxiety! Lights are that bright for everyone, and no one else complains! Figure it out!"
Almost exactly a year ago I came across a TikTok channel talking about masking and how it can be stressful. The points she made about how autism presents differently in women struck a chord with me so I started doing research. So many issues and experiences I'd had just matched everything I was finding about very high functioning autism, and I asked about it. My therapist had said I have "autistic traits", but trauma can also present in some of the same ways (and hoo boy is there trauma in my background). She suggested I meet with a neuropsych specialist in her office and get tested.
When I met with the doctor post-testing, she said that the tests confirmed my suspicions, but also that some of my mannerisms were textbook autism. Apparently looking away from someone while putting together a sentence isn't me being rude, after all!
I still don't know how I feel about the diagnosis. I'm working through a lot with my therapist under a different lens now seeing that a lot of things could have been explained if I had gotten diagnosed earlier. The big plus is that I am able to get accommodations at my job for things like light sensitivity and overstimulation now that I have an official diagnosis and letter.
One of my nicknames growing up was Lil Miss Potatoes. But now I'm a grown up, so I'm Lady Taters.
I was one of the people who did my homework exercises, and still do (mostly). It's worked well enough.