Hi!
I want to have an autistic character. She is eighteen years old, in high school, and high functioning (I was told that’s offensive but idk what other term to use…). Any and all help would be appreciated!
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No such thing this is a 90s term but theres no lows and highs
No term needed just say shes autistic. I’m autistic Im also a doctor as of this June. Have a very active dating and personal life. I wasn’t diagnosed until I was 25 so whereas I felt a little different about things all the reasons I didn’t relate to people who are autistic was that I never met anyone just saw bad tropes on TV when most times its like… my brain works differently. I’m more blunt. I dont understand why people feel certain things but try to. Nothing has changed since my diagnosis its been almost 2 years and mostly I just get “You don’t look Autistic” by men who want to smash.
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Snort.
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Right? 
Thank you so much! Would you know how I describe her being autistic? Or would I just say it and leave it at that?
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That’s such “high praise”.
…
What I do know of my autistic cousin is that he’s missing a copy of his 11th? chromosome, but then he was delayed motorskills and still is extremely picky about foods. He’s 7 now? His comprehension is decent, at this point.
For most the more commonly known chromosomal additions and deletions, there’s specific names to the conditions. There’s a couple of more common deletions known to be under Autism, but not everyone has a deletion.
I don’t think we’re anywhere close to being able to categorize all that is going on, personally.
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There’s not really a way to describe it. I personally dont react to things how some people also diagnosed do. Easiest examples, I have a stress ball I carry around. They thought I was using it for anxiety but I dont get anxious like that I just like need it sometimes. Turns out I needed stimulation. I need constant stimulation my mind moves so fast and I don’t ever know if its my other disorders or that I’m autistic but its constantly running like in this moment I’m going back each sentence to add breaks though its one rapid line, but I know an NT will need that. Theres also sensitivity to touch. You ask me I never had that. I’m hypersexual and enjoy being touched on my terms. Then you dive into the fact that I have always freaked out if anything is behind my ear. I can’t wear glasses cause it drives me mad. I hate hugs and when someone hugs me I hold my breath. Its something I always did.
All this is to say theres no way to describe it. Mainly for me someone raised in the spectrum of NT I learned to just follow what everyone else does. IT doesn’t make sense but I do it cause it’s “Normal” I found ways to be normal because im very perceptive, many autistic people are its why we tend to go into scientific and artistic fields. The issue is the how someone asking show your work or how did you come up with this will always make me anxious cause idk. I just “know this is correct” there was also I time I was very trusting of people. I really so badly wanted to be everyones friends and it worked badly for me now its like… what can you do to serve me and I find people want to be around you more. Being Autistic is like being a psychologist no one pays
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For me I’m learning this is a whole other side of science that isn’t taught. Even to me someone raised by a doctor going into the field when I told my mother she legit had me go in to her hospital to see her specialist cause she didn’t believe it cause some people view this as an world ender because most studies are on children anyway now im like… yeah, that. anyway so about this cookie.
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Oh, okay! Sorry for all of the questions, btw. Would hand flapping also be a sign of stimulation too? Usually that is what they show in movies/tv shows. Also, with the glasses, do you replace them with contacts or is that too much?
i’m so sorry for all of the questions, i really just want to get this right
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Can’t confirm or deny I’ve never done this and have a hate of Leonardo DiCaprio for making this popular but there might be someone who does it. So far the people I’ve seen do this are children and adults who are pretending to be this. You have to bare in mind I wasn’t raised like a child who is ND I was expected to be like other kids so I can be bias.
Yeah they’re trash for that lol It’s a big reason I never wanted to be this way I thought thats what it is in every case and I found it embarassing but its just how other people see us.
I can’t personally touch my eye so I just wont wear them or only wear them to read something I can’t zoom in on then take them off. I went about 5 years not using them but I have an astigmatism and need them for some things.
I have no problem with questions I stepped into your chat I can say my experience is very different I’m shaped by my surroundings the answer from someone raised this way will always be different from what I see from my friends.
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Hand flapping in babies is often a part of communication, since all babies are nonverbal for quite some time. Generally, with my son, it’s excitement and “no”, since he’s only got a vague grasp on a handful of words. (Turns 1 today.) That is why they teach some forms of sign language to to babies.
I’m willing to bet that hand flapping has more to do with ability to communicate, because of this.
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So, could the hand flapping just be when she’s a kid and she grows out of that (or does it occasionally)?
happy birthday to your son, i bet he’s super cute!!
Once again, thank you so much! The character (who is autistic) has a brother. He tends to be very protective(?) of his sister, but doesn’t know that she has autism. I’m not sure if this is bad, but could he not know since their parents somehow hid it from him?
I’m most likely doing too much…but then again, I always include a million different subplots…
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If you bring it up, that would be best, but since it’s usually gone in kids long before they can remember being like that, probably anyone else who did have a prolonged season of that wouldn’t remember doing it, at later ages.
So, it wouldn’t be important to the character–it might be to the parents who document every thing their baby did. So it would be one of those things where mom breaks out the baby pictures and starts talking about flapping, possibly embarrassing the girl.
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I’ll just make her mom embarrass her then about her hand flapping since it would be gone by then.
thank you so much again!
not sure how he wouldn’t know if they were raised knowing. You might have to do something about that plot hole.
Hand flapping is a form of stimming. We do it to help with sensory processing: we might do it to calm down in a noisy room, or when we’re excited.
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You catch yourself still doing that?
Hand flapping isn’t the only stim- basically any repetitive body movement can be a stim. Personally I like to tap my foot.
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Less noticeable. Not like this myself, but I’d I get twitchy enough myself, I will tap my foot.