Answering questions or just expressing an opinion shouldn't be so hard: yes, no, can I? easy, right? Well, not always. Try changing something you've spent more than 30 years doing in a specific way because after so many years you know all the steps; they're just implanted in your brain, and it's like clicking a shortcut: I need it, I use it.
One of the most difficult things I've ever had to do after my diagnosis was to start rethinking how I do things. I need to start thinking about what other people want since I don´t have the keys to my supposed kingdom.
Before knowing about autism at all, I didn´t care about thinking about what other people wanted; it was all about what I wanted or what wasn't boring to me, and trust me, normally, people are boring. My therapist told me that there is a thing called mind theory that people like myself never really develop; in short, the ability to put other people's shoes so is not all about me anymore.
And trust me, it's harder than it sounds because now I´m an adult, I have more knowledge of the world, which isn't full of people that know what he wants or even know how to ask for, people tend to express an idea and hope to get what they maybe want, their brains are wired to follow simple paths, and maybe is not a bad analogy, as brains work using electrical pulses to go where he needs it and electricity always follow the simplest and shortest path,
I don´t feel that is my way of thinking about ideas or solving problems, where people see only one option. I see millions, millions of decision trees creating new ones with every new decision or option selected, this is the part that tires me because now I have to ask so many questions to try to understand what people want and because they are used to don´t asking for more questions to clarify what they want, it´s normal they get mad about, they just want to ask something and get an answer, simple as that.
All in all, nowadays, diversity is only about respect for different genders and skin colors, but there are so many bad assumptions made by people that even the need to add a label is wrong.
The other day, some random people asked me how to call people with disabilities, and my answer was: the main need to call people differently because they do things differently or they need different things is the beginning of all issues; don´t do that, get used to people that have different needs than you, that's all, don´t try to put a label where it doesn't belong.
Thanks for reading.
#Autism #AutismAwareness #AutismAcceptance #Diversity
This is my ESA dog, Cappy; he's my life companion, and I believe he was asking why I took so much time writing this. If you want you can follow him on Instagram: @cappy.esa.dog
---
“Tell the mad chameleon he’s not welcome anymore”