My disability is most notable when people are in range of seeing and/or hearing me in real life.

They see me, and most see something wrong.
They hear me, and many want me to shut up, 'calm down' speak quieter, 'dont interrupt' no delay in my responses, and hear speech clearly.

I wish visible words were generally accepted as a primary form of communication for some people.

I struggle to get along with most people, because they talk too fast, have invisible languages, and they hate repeating.

@GreenRoc

What state are you in?

@Energetic_Nova California

@GreenRoc

Oregon is the fastest talking state. >.>

@GreenRoc

Its why I think everyone is known for being “quirky” in Oregon…. And also why its 51/51 in mental health… 😬

@Energetic_Nova If only we had text-based communications recognized as a necessary accommodation for some people. I dont know how to use the AAC program, I could use handwritten notes. I got that once, and I felt so happy, he would say the sentence/question and write it down, slide the notepad to me and I speak the answer. That was so helpful.

If only society would get out of their bigotry and kindly help disabled people more than they are. Meds and psyche units are not always the best options.

@GreenRoc

I think the issue is the systematic help is poorly constructed… I’m in Washington state and its near last place in mental health.

When I went to California… those people were so much more friendly in a stereotypical way. It was weird for me.

@Energetic_Nova I fear going outside, people call the cops, thinking I need to be taken away. I've had people say to me, "you should go to a mental ward"

I been in them, involuntarily. They dont help, they abuse me, but claim to be helping. They dont help to improve my life, and they reward me with early release if I attend groups, but groups feel like I'm participating in kindergarten, with puzzles and coloring pages.

They drug me, expect me to not be anxious. I fear people I dont know.

@GreenRoc

Washington and Oregon have too few beds to waste them on anyone not criminal. We need supportive housing. Tell them that.

@Energetic_Nova yeah. I need my own home, to choose my own time to sleep, choose my own food, choose my own entertainment, and not be bogged down by people I dont get along with. 'they' think I need to go into a group home.

I never want to live in a group home. The rules would cause me significant health damage, physical damage.. like what I get in psyche units.

@Energetic_Nova (ran out of character space)

I currently have my own home with a few people I get along with, also disabled... I still am waiting to get the right kind of help. Been over a year since Regional Center was contacted by a social worker and ten years before that I was made aware of Regional Center but the refusal for text-based communcation (phone only) kept me from getting the help I need. Help I dont need is a common assumption, bathing, meal making, dressing. Ugh.

@GreenRoc

Well, I’m actually having problems with a lot of the most basic living things but I also have a high IQ so I seem like I don’t need it but I’m just now getting into contact with DDA. And I would agree that it is definitely more focused on stuff I don’t need than it is stuff I do which is mental stimulation. The intellectual sort of mental stimulation and they seemed a little confused by my ask of something like figure skating or karate

@GreenRoc apparently this last year my state eliminated IQ requirements to get access to DDA. So I’m actually just learning about something that I’m just now qualified for so I was worried that I was looking at something that I had always been qualified for and I could’ve had it the whole time.

@GreenRoc

But I know what you mean about a need for domestic services. I think the majority of us seem to need somebody to wash the dishes and help us at least initially organize our living space. Because most of us can keep organization but I think a lot of of us struggle to make the organization in the first place

@Energetic_Nova Oh my house is super organized. I love to sort and move furniture.

Organizing schedules and appointments is one of my areas of struggle. That too is a socially-developed thing.

@GreenRoc My partner is OCD+ADHD+PTSD… and its hard

@Energetic_Nova EEEK! I must fold those clothes and put them in shelves or drawers.

My roommates are all quite tidy. but we have toys and decor on every wall. Visually stimulating without mess.

@GreenRoc everyone in my household is ADHD. Every single person who lives here. And so nobody can really help me. It’s really draining on them.

I feel like I need help on this and I feel like a different kind of autistic could do it.

@Energetic_Nova My roommates are both autistic. one has ADHD in losing track of stuff within seconds. I find their missing items, and they help with some water tasks. Keeps things tidy too. We all can fix our own meals. Both help with emotional support for me when I get upset at some random joe blow bullying me. I maybe I have a little OCD, but I can let go of things, I think my parents abused the OCD out of me :(
I chose them to be here.
I hate being placed with a roommate who pisses me off.
@GreenRoc my partner has the kind of OCD where it’s intrusive thoughts. And the kind of OCD that makes her want to keep things around that are garbage. She needs somebody trained who actually understands and can work with both of us. I have a really hard time negotiating with her.

@GreenRoc

I’m the kind of autistic person who will throw even stuff away that they need so, in a way I do need somebody like her to say no we need that. But I at the same time… I think I’ve let her win a little too much. Since we don’t have any room to put all of our clothes into the drawers.

@GreenRoc

Believe it or not I’ve gotten her to throw away two bags of clothes…. Yeah this is after I’ve gotten her to do some spring cleaning.

@Energetic_Nova Oh do be careful. Throwing away even garbage from a hoarder's stuff, especially without their permission, can cause them to hoard even more.

You might need a professional organizer that specializes in hoarding.

I watch a lot of A&E Hoarders.

@GreenRoc yeah I make her do it. So she doesnt get distressed. I have gotten her to agree to the idea that if it has a hole in it and its fast fashion, it should be tossed. If the image is completely faded, throw it out. Stuff like that…
@GreenRoc yea, if I do it she starts getting very anxious. 😥 and she does think a professional would be helpful since then its not someone she loves.
@Energetic_Nova I have enjoyed chatting with you, but now I have to set up my apartment to make room for a meeting with care services... wish me luck, I hope it goes well and doesnt feel degrading.
@Energetic_Nova She sounds like she is a hoarder. That can be unsafe when it gets excessive.

@GreenRoc

I think the good thing about only needing domestic sorts of services means that they don’t need to use medical professionals to get you the help that you need. You should be logically easier to help actually.

Also like I’m asking for companion services and integration into the community. And though my state offers it it’s like I don’t know kind of weird? I’m being left uncertain about if they’re going to on that.

@Energetic_Nova Just last year the only option I had for services was medical professionals. Nobody who helped me making the phone calls, knew of any service that would be housecleaning. I had to employ friends, and not pay them with cash to keep my SSDI rolling in. I gave them my cans to recycle, and this friend loves to clean. but she is getting old and moving out of state so I am running out of time to get Regional Center to assist.
Regional wont help roomates, and he needs his laundry done.

@Energetic_Nova My IQ is too high to measure, but I cant handle communicatons with other people, as social skills are in a different area of the brain from what I am really good at doing.

what is annoying is too many people associating high intelligence with social skills, so I am often teated like I'm stupid and childish.

My aunt once said to me, "you are intelligent, you can learn to do phone calls"
Uh, the two do not match. And I learned I needed to NOT do phone calls, and so I need help.

@Energetic_Nova I keep getting help services that start with telling me they can help me learn, and do I need hygene, ugh no... There is nothing for me to learn when it is society and pieces of modern living I need the most help with, like phone calls and paperwork, which are relativey new things in the existence of humanity overall.

I tend to believe, there are not more autistics in relation to total human population, there is more sensory bombardment. There is only so much we can cope with

@GreenRoc

And I would really like to learn something even though society is in pieces and it does feel like it’s a little bit more… well, from what I see my state definitely notices the hygiene and house cleaning part but it struggles more with the education part.

@Energetic_Nova I need society to be educated, there is nothing more left to learn about society, as I have reached my limits of social skills decades ago, which has degraded over time since I was 30. I felt so much better when I gave up trying to perform their ways, which left me with nerve damage for holding still too much.
@GreenRoc I think what I’m looking for is more just outings to the library where I’m safe. But I really struggle with setting up my C-van and doing my routines… and often somebody showing up … helps. Also a person who came to visit me actually knew what body doubling was so I’m a little bit relieved.

@GreenRoc

So far, I’m not running into anybody who seems like they don’t understand what autism actually is and what the symptoms actually caused. Which is honestly so so refreshing. Because the whole rest of the system I’ve been interacting with has been extremely uninformed. It’s so nice that DDA of all things actually gets what I’m talking about

@GreenRoc I have also called DDA and definitely found some people who were working there who had a vocal effect that informed they were developmentally disabled as well. So that’s nice.
@GreenRoc so far everyone I worked with has a close family member who is autistic.
@Energetic_Nova Autistic people and ADHD people seem to be the people I get along best with.
@Energetic_Nova Lucky... Most of the people I run into, think bad stuff about autism, and some use ABA on me which is like the opposite of what I need. One ER nurse was like "Oh I know autism, I have a son with autism, so I understand" Then she soon demanded I dont move my hands towards her... I was trying to give her a thumbs up to agree or disagree with her, as she was refusing to read my hand written notes and she demanded I answer her questions, and did abuse me mentally... more more TRAUMA