Common Autistic Behaviors - as Observed by a Non-Autistic

When you find a food you can eat, you eat it until you are sick of it and might never eat it again. Staying up late is also a safe time of the day when there are no demands from society.

Yes, I realize now that I put off going to sleep because it is, to say the least, the MAJOR "interruption" in my day's trajectory, the consummate pattern-shift that somehow violates "what I'm into" at the moment and, moreover, presents the threat that I won't be able to get into it again, especially if it's a particularly engrossing activity of some sort. There is this weird, irrational instinct that "if I stop doing this now (like, say, a writing project) I'll never ever be able to recover it."

I hate losing a special interest because there is always so much more to learn(or experience) about a topic but when lose it I can't force myself to feel the drive like I used to. I still love all those things I just can't get myself to pick it back up, also it makes me feel guilty because supportive friends and family members would buy me things associated with my interests but I won't be able to truly appriciate them like I would've even a month ago.😭

Been looking for more nuerotypical perspectives on autistic traits that aren't just trying to be insulting. Really good video to see how we think differently.

Wow, you are such a supportive and understanding partner!

When a trusted and loved comfort food stops working for you, it can be stressful for the autistic person too. Being abandoned by ol' faithful leaves a void, not dissimilar to replaying a song over and over until it's exhausted of emotional fuel, or devouring a novel (or a series), reaching the end and feeling like you're left treading water.

I WISH I had someone THIS understanding in my life~ super late diagnosed woman at age 50, and this really gives me Hope that there really are other compassionate people still ❤🥂💃

As someone who is Autistic, when I have overload, while I can't have more inputs, like talking or questions, I DO like to be with someone calming (co-regulation) and deep pressure like a weighted blanket! Being alone or with someone when distressed or overloaded varies by person and by situation. Always ask them (in advance)!

"Two is company, Three is a crowd." Is the first colloquialism I understood instinctively. I saw that it was supposed to allude to romantics, but to me it was just a perfectly sensible rule for everything.

Congratulations on being such a supportive wife! My husband has been really supportive too, and it is such a relief to have people like you in our lives. You have NO idea how important this is.

Yes! The alone time thing particularly stood out for me. When I shut down and need alone time, being asked questions and trying to be spoken to makes it last longer and leads me to extreme frustration. Asking "what's wrong" in those instances does not help me

Watching this/ listening to you talk about your partner, his needs and how you support him in such a loving and curious and self-evident way made me emotional! Like at no point did it seem like you think of him as a burden while also acknowledging the ways in which things can be challenging. As someone who’s only just started coming into their autistic self and staring to learn and accept myself, that’s really wonderful and encouraging to see

I have autism it is like energy and thought accumulates instead of passing through. A train of thought goes so deep and complex. I read that autistics have more localized pockets of neurons in their brain which explains their very specific interests. Neurotypicals have more strands expanding across the brain, "bigger picture" perspective. Hypersensitivity and niche interests make autistic people experts in whatever they passionately pursue. Einstein had autism. My grandpa had autism and loved to build and invent stuff. The inner workings of clocks and machines fascinated him. He looked at anything and understood how it worked. He tried to build water generated energy devices.

I’ve just been diagnosed at the age of 51. I feel all these things your husband does and it’s such a relief after all these years to know, or to be able to explain, my over stimulation issues and the need to reset. I’ve always been called lazy over the resetting (by ex partners especially) and the more I would try to push through and not reset, the worse I would get and I’d just want to run away and go somewhere peaceful. I still wish I had a cabin by a lake to escape to! lol But finally just knowing these are actual things that happen to other people feels like fresh air I can breathe, rather than twisting myself tighter to mask and do what ‘everyone else does’ 😊

You have described most major characteristics of my life. I was diagnosed with AD/HD & Autistic Spectrum Disorders at the age of 39. I’m now 73 so after years of work on myself I’ve improved or figured out adaptations and adaptive behaviors. Thanks.

Excellent. I'm adhd and my new neighbor friend seems to have autism. Fortunately I had read a little bit about it before meeting him. He's very regimented by the clock though he's retired. And I had a very very rough time with any communucarion with him. But i persevered for literally (6) months and I feel we.finally got there to a comfort level. This is exactly what I needed to know in dealing with him. Actually its the best autism video that I've seen. i think at first I overwhelmed him with my adhd chattiness. And then i learned his personal regimented daily schedule. At first i dont think he really wanted to talk. But he seems to have figured out that we cant be friends if we dont even talk. I dealt with my not understanding on those days he seemed to back off. Much less of those days now. I thougjt he didnt like me but at most it would last 2 days. So yeah, long story. He's a good musician too. 😊

I was going to add for neurotypical watching this how critical crowd noise is. My wife actually tells me to put on noise cancelling headphones in airports when we travel. She can see me starting to elevate before I’m aware of it. I turn on foo fighters as loud as I can and it’s total therapy. Then she bought me noise cancelling AirPods so it’s even less obvious. It’s been a game changer for travel along with TSA precheck.

As an autistic person who is older and now living alone this video is helpful to see where I have adjusted my life to accommodate my own stuff. This "window" into the perspective is really great! Thanks, Debby!

As the father of an HFA child and quite possibly undiagnosed kid myself let me say this material is great! This is what society needs! More understanding of the autistic spectrum will only help people relate and grow stronger relationships. Autism can be a superpower if you understand how it affects' one's life. Thank god Elon shed light on this and openly discussed his spectrum experience.

What I've found with food for me is that I made it a special interest of mine. I went vegan for a while for health reasons and had to try new things. I enjoy new foods but I do need specific textures. I research recipes and cooking techniques and have books on food preparation. Also having a garden for fresh foods that I enjoy helps. Now I can get my reset time in by cooking alone and gardening. This all led me to expand my palate and focus on nutrition as an interest.