The autistic experience of often being perceived as joking when you’re being serious and being serious when you’re joking.

As an autistic person, an aspect of communication I can find challenging to navigate is being hyperaware that, sometimes, other people can attach intentions and emotions to what I say that do not reflect how I feel or the place I’m speaking from.

… the thought of replacing them.

Autistic people often keep and use objects for longer than is typical. While many people regularly upgrade, we frequently hang on to things for years (even if they break) because we can get a lot of comfort from familiarity, feel so attached to our things, and feel upset at …

Some activities that autistic people in particular often enjoy: - reading dictionaries and thesauruses - researching one specific thing for hours - playing one song on repeat for hours - sharing facts (especially unique ones)

Obviously explanations shouldn’t be given in place of apologies, but I like them as extras.

I don’t get upset or annoyed when people explain why they did something - I’m glad to know their intentions. I know intentions aren’t everything, but they matter to me - they’re informative.

As an autistic person, I LOVE explanations; I always like to know the “why”. I see explanations as reasons, not excuses. They help me see where people are coming from.

The autistic joy that may come from organising your playlists, books, folders and/or other collections, because putting things in an order that makes sense to your brain can bring a sense of calm, relief, comfort and/or achievement.

But, this doesn’t mean that I can’t be fun and lighthearted, because I can be.

As an Autistic person, I often take things more seriously than other people do. This is because I experience many things - such as emotions, thoughts, sensory experiences, and more - on a deeper level; things often feel more intense for me.

When you speak and someone says they love your witty, deadpan and sarcastic sense of humour, but what they just experienced was actually an autistic person speaking candidly.

Part of my autistic experience is that sometimes my friendliness is perceived as ‘polite but distant’. I can feel like I’m being bubbly and convivial, yet sometimes not be perceived as such by other people.

Someone: *treats me badly* Autistic me: No worries! It’s all good! Autistic me to myself in the future: Woah, that was not ok. I can’t believe I let them get away with that. My delayed processing! Is it too late, inconsistent and/or odd to take back my “no worries”?

One of my favourite things about being autistic is having an extra strong connection with music; I can feel music so deeply! All the intricacies of a great song can come together to bring me such joy. Music can transform my mood, help me process my emotions, empower me, and more.

b) maintaining friendships can be difficult when you encounter challenges such as executive dysfunction, overstimulation, sensory overload and burnout.