The autistic urge to take extra good care of your objects, because they bring you so much joy, comfort and familiarity, and even just the thought of them breaking or being damaged feels distressing.

When you speak and someone says they love your witty, deadpan and sarcastic sense of humour, but what they just experienced was actually an autistic person speaking candidly.

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As an Autistic ADHDer who often appears so calm, just because I’m able to do something and it appears to look effortless for me on the outside, that’s not to say I find it easy or can always do said thing. I often have to put so much additional thought, preparation, energy,.

If you ask an autistic person to provide only the most important/relevant details, without indicating what those details might be, they may provide different and/or more details than you anticipated; what our brains consider important/relevant can differ and be more expansive.

The autistic experience of thinking that you don’t really understand something because you don’t understand *all* the details, even though you understand the key aspects and many people in your position would feel that they have a good - maybe even a great - understanding of it.

The autistic urge to plan things extra extensively yet still fear you could be underprepared.

Part of my autistic experience is that sometimes my friendliness is perceived as ‘polite but distant’. I can feel like I’m being bubbly and convivial, yet sometimes not be perceived as such by other people.

Nowadays, I am extra gentle with myself following something big. I accept my need for greater recovery time and factor it in when making plans; I recognise that it’s valid and healthy for me to take time to recover and there’s no shame in doing so.

I used to force myself to bounce right back and power through or, where I felt this was not feasible, avoid doing fun things. But, neither approach was good for my wellbeing and the latter caused me to miss out on things.

As an Autistic ADHDer, I often need more time to recover from big things, even if they’re fun. Attending a concert or having a day out can bring me so much joy, but doing so can also leave me feeling exhausted, overstimulated and overwhelmed.

Part of my autistic experience is feeling quite nervous ahead of fun things - like concerts and vacations - and my nervousness can really overshadow my excitement. I typically have a great time at said events, but my brain and body seem not to be fully reassured by this.

As an autistic person, an aspect of communication I can find challenging to navigate is being hyperaware that, sometimes, other people can attach intentions and emotions to what I say that do not reflect how I feel or the place I’m speaking from.

Many Autists and ADHDers put subtitles on for every show/movie we watch - even if we have a strong sense of hearing; many of us experience auditory processing challenges and delays, and as a result would find it far more challenging to follow what’s happening on our screens.

But, this doesn’t mean that I can’t be fun and lighthearted, because I can be.

As an Autistic person, I often take things more seriously than other people do. This is because I experience many things - such as emotions, thoughts, sensory experiences, and more - on a deeper level; things often feel more intense for me.

Some activities that autistic people in particular often enjoy:. - reading dictionaries and thesauruses .- researching one specific thing for hours.- playing one song on repeat for hours.- sharing facts (especially unique ones).

A note to my autistic self: making a small and inconsequential typo or using a word that’s appropriate and a great fit for what I wish to say when another word could’ve been an even better choice is *not the end of the world*.

The autistic experience of giving so much of your time and energy to someone, because you sometimes feel like you need to give a lot extra to be liked and appreciated, followed by the realisation that your efforts have been taken for granted and you’ve been taken advantage of,.

The autistic urge to casually admire but not use new things (unless you have to) for a while after you get them, because it can take some time for you to become accustomed to their presence in your vicinity and feel comfortable interacting with them.

The autistic urge to streamline everyday tasks, because efficiency is so important to you (because you recognise you need to be even more careful and selective about how you use your time and energy).