Adults On The Autism Spectrum

Posted by Mamacita, Alumna Mentor @mamacita, Apr 29, 2018

Maybe you were really shy as a child. Perhaps you took home a huge stack of books from the school library, read them, and returned them the next day. Or did your best friend find you crying in your closet, unable to answer the question "Why?" At any rate, your life could be traced to the Self-Help section of the local bookstore. Unfortunately, most of the books were not much help. ADHD seemed to fit, at times. Your shrink said you might be Bi-Polar, although she wasn't really certain. All you knew was that you rarely fit in, anywhere. One day at work, it hit you square in the face: I don't speak these people's language! Really, it was like you were all playing this game, and everyone knew the rules but you. You couldn't tell a joke, and you never "got" any joke your co-worker tried to tell you. People started getting annoyed with you, because you had a memory like a steel trap. They didn't appreciate it when you called them on the carpet. Who knew? This was my life, and worse. I finally aced several tests that pointed me to the answer to my questions. The Autism Spectrum. Guess what? Little kids with Autism grow up to be Adults with Autism. Diagnosed late in life? This is the place for you!

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Autism (ASD) Support Group.

@hopeful33250

@sirgalahad Your education has contributed to you being a very well-rounded individual!

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thank you dear dear Teresa ,biomedical science and teaching training and theology because I wanted to do these courses and silly me wanting to ne a reverend or a church minister . the others degrees was to need to learn skills and it went from their to research my family history tracked dads family back to 706ad France Normandy and the Huguenots ,then to Ireland then to Liverpool England and the family split between being corn millers and congregational and Methodist church ministers .mums family go back to Sir Frances drake via grandpa and to the British high commissioner ruling India .also the Crimea war and invading Afghanistan way back in 1863.to help my mother know her place in the world and whom was her father

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In reply to @ainsleigh "WOW!" + (show)
@ainsleigh

thank you but it came about after finding my niche in pathology night lab as an autistic and continuing to work in a small team in oncology pathology and being allowed to function and dysfunction as an autistic even in the work place and given some latitude. Which is rare in the workplace even in the 21st century lots of manipulation and being conned and belittled and supposedly managed

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@hopeful33250

@sirgalahad Your education has contributed to you being a very well-rounded individual!

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surprisedin my compassion and kindness and patience considering the bullying abuse harrasement and and watching my father beat up my mum and sisters and break my leg and then he left and blamed mum and us for leaving .as an autie not sure about the well rounded physically yes I am quite overweight so that can be well rounded but mentally and autistic no

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The fight or flight response in many of our Autistic Community members, is so strong, it nearly outweighs other body systems. I was constantly criticized and felt I could do nothing to please my Mother. Nothing I ever did was ever good enough for her. It took my growing up, going to University, and being successful in my career to understand the problem was not me.

But the damage had already been done. It has only been in recent months that I feel I am on the right track. Because my senses are so hypervigilent, off the charts, out there, my medical team believes I should be on this medication for moods/anxiety. Since the medicine for ADHD did not work out so well, I agreed to go on Buspar. It turned out really well.

When you hear EVERY little thing as if it were right there in front of you, well, that's anxiety. I feel so much better now.

Of course, this does not mean that I have stopped my routines that give me peace of mind. Oh, no, never.

Adios. Amigos. Talk to you again soon.

Mamacita Jane

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@mamacita

The fight or flight response in many of our Autistic Community members, is so strong, it nearly outweighs other body systems. I was constantly criticized and felt I could do nothing to please my Mother. Nothing I ever did was ever good enough for her. It took my growing up, going to University, and being successful in my career to understand the problem was not me.

But the damage had already been done. It has only been in recent months that I feel I am on the right track. Because my senses are so hypervigilent, off the charts, out there, my medical team believes I should be on this medication for moods/anxiety. Since the medicine for ADHD did not work out so well, I agreed to go on Buspar. It turned out really well.

When you hear EVERY little thing as if it were right there in front of you, well, that's anxiety. I feel so much better now.

Of course, this does not mean that I have stopped my routines that give me peace of mind. Oh, no, never.

Adios. Amigos. Talk to you again soon.

Mamacita Jane

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lubs u miss Jane and I cogitate on your experience and thunk about stuff

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@sirgalahad

lubs u miss Jane and I cogitate on your experience and thunk about stuff

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@sirgalahad, your list of degrees is so long, it makes my pitiful double majors in psychology and sociology look like Vacation Bible School! Wow! Not that I don't have further training, I do, but not like that! Wow!

Talk about a lifelong learner. I am impressed, sir.
Lubs you big.

Mamacita Jane

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@mamacita

The fight or flight response in many of our Autistic Community members, is so strong, it nearly outweighs other body systems. I was constantly criticized and felt I could do nothing to please my Mother. Nothing I ever did was ever good enough for her. It took my growing up, going to University, and being successful in my career to understand the problem was not me.

But the damage had already been done. It has only been in recent months that I feel I am on the right track. Because my senses are so hypervigilent, off the charts, out there, my medical team believes I should be on this medication for moods/anxiety. Since the medicine for ADHD did not work out so well, I agreed to go on Buspar. It turned out really well.

When you hear EVERY little thing as if it were right there in front of you, well, that's anxiety. I feel so much better now.

Of course, this does not mean that I have stopped my routines that give me peace of mind. Oh, no, never.

Adios. Amigos. Talk to you again soon.

Mamacita Jane

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@mamacita Your success with Buspar shows that each person has to find the correct "key" to unlock their positive journey to better health. Thank you for sharing that, And so glad to hear it is working for you!
Ginger

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@sirgalahad

surprisedin my compassion and kindness and patience considering the bullying abuse harrasement and and watching my father beat up my mum and sisters and break my leg and then he left and blamed mum and us for leaving .as an autie not sure about the well rounded physically yes I am quite overweight so that can be well rounded but mentally and autistic no

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@sirgalahad Your compassion has been undoubtedly hard-won as you did not have an example of it in your life. That makes it even more remarkable! You have adjusted to the world very well, finding a job that can meet your needs to be in a small team where you can work without a lot of distractions. You have done well!

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@hopeful33250

@sirgalahad Your compassion has been undoubtedly hard-won as you did not have an example of it in your life. That makes it even more remarkable! You have adjusted to the world very well, finding a job that can meet your needs to be in a small team where you can work without a lot of distractions. You have done well!

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Teresa not without a lot angst meltdowns screaming and frustrations and easier when I finallylearnt that I was autistic made a heap of difference to me but not to my work colleagues more drama than a barrel of monkeys

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August 1, 2019. Today I will be ordering my copy of The Autism Discussion Page On Stress, Anxiety, Shutdowns and Meltdowns. Proactive Strategies for Minimizing Sensory, Social and Emotional Overload. And how are you this morning?

Many of us are on vacation, getting ready for back to school, and tidying up the last bits of summer before we begin another season with its own special challenges.

My own household received some disconcerting news yesterday. My husband of 45 years needs a hip replacement. But he cannot presently have one, due to half his heart bring enlarged, Humera treatment for Chrohns disease (Which may have caused his enlarged heart to begin with), Diabetes, and the need to lose a substantial amount of weight.

Where to begin? First, we start with the ortho doctor. An appointment is waiting in the wings for him. Second, we connect with his GI doctor to determine if indeed Humera is the correct choice for him. We want to prevent further damage to his heart if at all possible. Third, we set about getting the excess weight off, even though nothing has seemed to work before.

Daunting prospects. But we will do anything we can to hold together these ripped up remnants of the tents we live in here on earth.

We have so much to be thankful for, in spite of this recent news. We will do the best we can. One of our Nashville church elders, a distinguished gentleman of eighty-something years ,relayed this account of the Night of the Tornados some years ago.

"Houses were destroyed left and right, everything was pitch black, and the winds howled around me. Entire homes were being lifted into the air and tossed around as easily as if they had been children's toys. I prayed to God....'Lord, you know where I am. I ask for your protection for me and my family. ' Though the damage was great all around him, not one stick of wood was harmed, not one brick even had a single scratch on it. Elder Ross's prayers were answered that night.

Our lives are like a tapestry. Beautifully designed and pleasing to the eye on one side. When turned over, you can see all the knots, twists, and tangled up strings. Corrie ten Boom (Survivor of the holocaust, author of the Hiding Place) gave this as an example of the lives we live here on earth. Pain and suffering co- exist with joy and happiness. Often we cannot see which way to go. Darkness surrounds, and we feel alone, abandoned.

We don't have to feel that way forever. Faith may express itself in strict forms of worship, a broad spiritual philosophy, or anywhere in between. Each one of us is different. But, as it has been said so many times, we have more in common than that which separates us.

I really believe that the moderators and volunteer mentors who " man the stations" here at Mayo Clinic Connect do indeed understand this principle. That we are all here to help each other and to be that Village.

It feels comforting to be part of a tribe. Varied, different, colorful....beautiful.

Love and light to you all, me lovelies.

Mamacita Jane

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