(In response to the title question, posted as a topic on Wrong Planet.)

AS is not an excuse for bad behavior, but when someone has AS, the definition of "bad behavior" changes. It must take into account the amount of control a person has over his actions.

Think of the difference between these scenarios ( Read more... )

On my way to school, I walk across a road built over a small ravine which is usually dry but, during heavy rain, will fill with a brook that has recently been merrily babbling (as brooks do) and full to the brim ( Read more... )

Today I was walking home from class when something really, really annoying happened to me.

I had been in pretty high spirits. The class had contained some interesting material that forced me to think in new ways. Consequently, I had a lot of energy to work off, and had been flapping my hands and walking so fast I was at times actually running. I was ( Read more... )

As I've said before, handling and preventing meltdowns is an important autistic life skill; and learning to predict them is a prerequisite to learning to prevent them. As we all probably already know, it's impossible to stop a meltdown once it happens--thus the focus on prevention.

( Read more... )

Unlike temper tantrums, meltdowns are not maniuplative tactics. They may start out as tantrums, but not usually. Usually they are a result of having too much to handle and not enough cognitive space to do it in. Being denied something you want can be a trigger if your stress level is bad enough; but the trigger is equally likely to be something ( Read more... )

So this morning I went to a career fair... first time in my life... I've been trying to find an internship for the summer.

Doesn't help that finals start tomorrow, and I've been trying all week to force myself to study. Mixed success.

Doesn't help that I couldn't find my shirt, my new dress shoes made my feet hurt, and I couldn't figure out how to ( Read more... )

I've blogged about this before, but let me re-cap ( Read more... )

I'm finally back at a "real" college. I should be happy. Am, in fact, happy. But I'm going to complain anyway, because I feel like it. Anyway, I usually feel better after I complain about something. It defines the problem so it just becomes one encapsulated thing rather than a blot on my entire day ( Read more... )

If you're autistic, the words "sensory overload" probably sound pretty ominous to you. If you're not autistic, it probably brings up images of a tantruming autistic child. Either way, overload is Really Freaking Annoying.

Sensory overload happens when you're exposed to sensations you can't handle, or can't handle for a long time: Bright or ( Read more... )