Monday 21 November 2016

Things I wish I knew... growing up as a person on the autism spectrum

Things I wish I knew... growing up as a person of the autism spectrum

This list comes from a talk I gave in the local area last month. I was given the topic of "things I wish I knew" by the organisers and this was the list of 20 things I came up with and spoke to. 

1. You’re brain is wired differently from other people
2. Sometimes before telling me things I wish that people would listen and try to understand...
3. People tend to value what they’re good at not what you’re good at
4. Team sports aren’t the only kind of sport
5. Nobody’s a stereotype
6. Not everybody hurts you on purpose
7. Not all questions have answers
8. It’s okay to ask for help but not everyone will necessarily be helpful
9. People are much more likely to point out what you’ve done wrong than what you’ve done right
10. When it comes to self-improvement you can only do one thing well at a time
11. You can’t fix yourself and your value isn’t conditional on you always trying to
12. You don’t have to do things at the same speed or in the same way as other people for them to be worthwhile
13. What you can do and what you can cope with changes constantly
14. How to tell when you’re doing too much and how to work out your emotions
15. Bad feelings don’t make you a bad person 
16. You can’t find or express your own opinion when you’re feeling overwhelmed
17. Working out who you are and what matters to you is one of the most important things you will ever do
18. You can do most things you set your mind to, but not all at once or without taking care of yourself
19. No one is truly independent
20. Other autistic people can be a really accepting and helpful community

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