I want one of my side characters is autistic, but I don't personally know anyone with it. Can someone please help with basic habits/characteristics/reaction to different circumstances? I want to make him a lovable, relatable character but I'm terrified of offending someone.
I can help.
heres some info.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurological difference that affects how a person processes the world around them. People on the autism spectrum may have similar characteristics such as difficulty in social situations and communicating with others, maintaining eye contact or understanding social cues. Depending on where an individual falls on the spectrum, some with ASD can experience developmental delays. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 68 children have been identified with an autism spectrum disorder. It’s important to note: autism is not a disease.
People with autism can often be diagnosed around 2 years of age. Some identify as “autistic,” while others prefer to be called “a person with autism.” There is no known cause or “cure” for autism. A variety of therapies are available to help people on the spectrum master life skills and handle a world that can be overwhelming. According to the CDC, types of therapies include: behavior and communication approaches, dietary approaches and medication.
Many individuals on the spectrum experience sensory overload. This can happen when they pick up on too many senses around them, such as bright lights or loud noises. It can sometimes results in a meltdown, which is not the same as a temper tantrum. If your child has been diagnosed with ASD under the age of three, he or she may be eligible for Early Intervention Services.
“Why are you freaking out?”
“Calm down.”
“That child having a tantrum just needs some discipline.”
“What a brat!”
“What a weirdo.
People on the autism spectrum, and their loved ones, unfortunately hear phrases like these every day. Why? Because they often experience sensory overload when too much sensory stimulus is occurring at once. It can be triggered by a crowded room, a TV turned up too loud, strong aromas, fluorescent lighting — or a hundred other things. It’s also associated with diagnoses like sensory processing disorder (SPD), chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, post-traumatic stress disorder and more, although anyone can experience it. Often, a meltdown is the only way to relieve the building tension of sensory overload.
heres what some people say.
“I feel trapped. I have a weird tension in my head or my arms I want to get out. Everything around me suddenly feels extremely real like I’ve just come out of the water, I feel all sorts of emotions all at once and I want to run away from them all. I lose sight of what is socially appropriate and start to say things I either don’t mean or something I’ve wanted to say deep down. Whenever that happens I end up hurting someone or confusing everyone. People think because I ‘only’ have Asperger’s I shouldn’t be able to have meltdowns, but I am. I know they’re not as “destructive” or as “obvious” compared to a meltdown my brother would have, but I’m still capable of having them. People tell me to ‘calm down,’ which only makes me feel more frustrated because I already know that.
Once the meltdown is ‘over,’ I can’t explain to others why it happened because it isn’t until later at night (or later than that) when I realize it was a meltdown. By the time I come to the conclusion, it’s too late. Others would have forgotten what happened or wouldn’t care. Either way I end up looking like some sort of ‘attention seeker.’” — Chi C.
“For me personally, it’s like a huge, overwhelming tidal wave of emotion and sensory awareness, building up and up, before crashing down horribly. I’ll often break down crying or in anger or both — leaving people around me offended and/or confused. It leaves me completely washed/burnt out from head to toe, inside and out, unable to talk or sometimes even move. It can be a total shut down where I can’t speak to verbalize what I’m thinking, which can be several things at once. I need time and quiet space to come around, away from people, where I can engage in a favorite repetitive activity such as artwork/fiber arts which I find very calming and which helps me move past how I’m feeling to think clearly and function normally again.” — Kath S.
“It feels like I can’t handle things anymore, and I can’t stop my reaction to it all. As if I’m no longer in control of myself. So I end up either crying and hyperventilating or both. I think about each problem I have, try to come up with a solution to it, can’t, and let out the emotions. I repeat this process until the emotions are out. Sometimes, I need something to help stop the process (stimming, a weighted blanket, etc.) or it will just continue to escalate. It’s not fun, and I don’t like when it affects others around me, but it’s also necessary sometimes to sort of ‘reset’ my system.”
Ongoing social problems that include difficulty communicating and interacting with others
Repetitive behaviors as well as limited interests or activities
Symptoms that typically are recognized in the first two years of life
Symptoms that hurt the individual’s ability to function socially, at school or work, or other areas of life
Some people are mildly impaired by their symptoms, while others are severely disabled. Treatments and services can improve a person’s symptoms and ability to function. Families with concerns should talk to their pediatrician about what they’ve observed and the possibility of ASD screening. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) around 1 in 68 children has been identified with some form of ASD.
In the past, Asperger’s syndrome and Autistic Disorder were separate disorders. They were listed as subcategories within the diagnosis of “Pervasive Developmental Disorders.” However, this separation has changed. The latest edition of the manual from the American Psychiatric Association, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), does not highlight subcategories of a larger disorder. The manual includes the range of characteristics and severity within one category. People whose symptoms were previously diagnosed as Asperger’s syndrome or Autistic Disorder are now included as part of the category called Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
Hi there,
As a sister of somebody with autism I figured I could try to help you out a bit.
Please do note that autism works differently for males and females, I don't know the specifics, but this is what I've noticed about my brother (he's 14 now)
I think that's about it…
Do note that my brother is very autistic and everybody is different (there are people who get angry when getting too much puzzle pieces). So if your character probably won't have all of these characteristics, if any.
BONUS: I am the only one without autism in my household (like how) and I had a lot of fights with my parents (which I oddly enough don't remember) because they were treating me like my brothers (so announcing everything and stuff). I just wanted/needed them to sit down next to me and ask what I was doing. I also talked a lot (still do, but less) this might've been because I was feeling left out and needed to draw attention to myself. Nowadays I tend not to do anything that people tell me to do. I like reading, but now I have to read 10 books for Dutch and I hate it, ever since my parents quit talking about my grades at school I've been getting OK grades again.
Good luck with writing!
Marylyn
PS: I didn't think this comment would be this long….
another thing: my mom drew situations for my brother so it'd be easier to understand (#this morning: why do babies make weird sounds etc.)
I have high-functioning ASD ^-^ here are a few of my tendencies:
When stressed, i tend to rub my neck/rub my fingers against my clothes/lick my lips.
I have an extreme sensitivity to touch to the point that i'm constantly flicking my hair out of my face and itching random parts of my body, and i'll only wear certain fibers (ex. no spandex :P)
i tend to stray off-topic or say something completely random, and i tend to go off on my own for several hours and act like i'm having the time of my life even though i'm just pacing in the driveway.
need more?
Hello, high functioning autistic here! Didn't really know until about a year or two ago but here's a few things to help.
First off, you may hear that it's politically correct to use "person-first" language like "person with autism". That's wrong. Most of the autistic community prefers to be called autistic people, because saying "with autism" or "having autism" subtly implies that it's something to be cured, like having a cold or the flu. Autistic people do NOT need to be cured, and having your character's family see them as something to be cured and that being acceptable is bad rep, that shouldn't be presented as proper behaviour.
For me I have difficulty with people because I don't really understand a lot of social cues, and sometimes jokes and subtle hints go completely over my head. I also have really convoluted thought processes, especially for nicknames. There was a kid who hated me because I would call him spaghetti, but it was because he vaguely looked like a character from a cartoon that had an incident with a bowl of pasta once. Sometimes I can't tell when people are being sarcastic and take them seriously, and sometimes I know they're not serious and jokingly pretend to continue seriously and they think I've misunderstood them.
I also might have inattentive ADD so focusing on things I don't particularly enjoy is really difficult for me as well, but I can do things that a lot of other people find tiring for extended periods of time without being bothered. (e.g. competitive shiny breeding in Pokemon, which is basically running in circles for hours on end, for days/weeks/months at a time, just to hatch a Pokemon of a different color that also has really good stats. it's actually kind of fun to me.)
Home life isn't that great so I kind of have issues with showing my emotions. The whole "autistic people can't feel empathy" is actually not true for everyone. I always find myself putting myself in someone else's shoes or trying to understand why they would or would not do something, and I end up annoying people by asking a lot of questions. But my own emotions are usually muted, for example I'll get a gift and I'll look happy for a few moments and then it seems like I don't care, but I feel everything inwardly for the most part, unless it's with my significant others or really close friends.
I can only remember two or three full sensory meltdowns that I've had when I was getting yelled at and I started screaming and shouting and got even more agitated when someone touched me. Sometimes I have minor "meltdowns" like when too many people are talking to me and I lash out. I have difficulties with processing multiple stimuli so for example when my father asks me a question and then keeps talking, I can't think. And I don't know why, but when my boyfriend pats my head my brain kind of shuts down. He does that to keep me from talking shit…
Anyways, here's a link to the official guide for autism on How to Disable Your Text: https://how-to-disable-your-text.tumblr.com/post/148409358376/htdyt-guide-writing-autistic-characters
This was written by people with autism and it's a really good guide.