Aut of Spoons is a lady after my own heart. Here she explains EXACTLY what it’s like trying to pass and function as a “high functioning” autistic person. We can “pass” for normal just long enough to convince every institution designed to help people like us that we don’t actually need help. There is no temporary respite for people with variable functioning levels in America. Please enjoy!
I’m hitting the edge of some burnout right now, which is not really news in and of itself (there’s a lot of shit going down in my life), but what’s different this time around is that I’m very actively involved in an advocacy program and I’m seeing a. the types of services and programs that people who are less functional than I am receive and b. how hard it is to access services. Mixed in is the realization that most people don’t think of me as disabled. When I act disabled they get confused, frustrated, and angry. If you’re disabled, you’re generally expected to be exactly the same amount of disabled all the time. But that’s not how it works.
I can generally pass for neurotypical. I can be independent. Until I can’t.
There are two ways that this comes back to bite me in the ass: one is in…
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