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Autistic women assemble! #4

408 replies

RainbowZebraWarrior · 18/07/2024 20:35

This is a thread for autistic women to connect, chat, vent, laugh, share and seek advice and solidarity (small talk and word mincing not required). 😊

Any autistic women newly finding the thread are very welcome to join us (even if awaiting diagnosis) but we'd be grateful if others could leave us alone please…

Previous threads:

Thread 3:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4979068-autistic-women-assemble-3?reply=136877684

Thread 2:

www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4865805-autistic-women-assemble-2

Thread 1:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4777843-autistic-women-assemble

Page 40 | Autistic women assemble! #3 | Mumsnet

This is a thread for autistic women to connect, chat, vent, laugh, share and seek advice and solidarity (small talk and word mincing not required). 😊...

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4979068-autistic-women-assemble-3?reply=136877684

OP posts:
Thread gallery
12
TheShellBeach · 17/11/2024 13:59

I have no experience of that @ToThineOwnSelf and I wonder if you can contact them and ask?
It seems unfair.

ToThineOwnSelf · 18/11/2024 20:29

TheShellBeach · 17/11/2024 13:59

I have no experience of that @ToThineOwnSelf and I wonder if you can contact them and ask?
It seems unfair.

Very unfair! My work coach at the job centre also said I should ask them about it.

NightSong · 20/11/2024 00:09

Hi, I’ve not posted on here before but I’ve got a question. At work a relatively minor change has been made to part of the computer program we use. Essentially the background colour has changed from a dull colour to a bright colour. I was not at work when the change happened but my colleagues reacted positively to the change. I saw it today and hated it. For me it’s too bright, it’s horrible, it hurts my eyes. Do you think I could ask for it to be changed back? I don’t want people to be pissed with me. And I don’t want to cause a fuss. I’m worried if I raise it as an issue I’ll look silly as people won’t understand. But I find it genuinely distressing to look at the colour

TheShellBeach · 20/11/2024 00:22

Hi @NightSong do they know you're autistic?

I think you can ask them to change it back, as a reasonable adjustment for you.

Nepmarthiturn · 20/11/2024 12:17

@NightSong they may be able to put a screen filter on your screen to change the colour just on your device, or to adjust the brightness of your display settings. It's definitely worth asking your IT dept or facilities about this.

Nepmarthiturn · 20/11/2024 12:19

You can get coloured overlays like this:

www.posturite.co.uk/business/21-5-coloured-monitor-overlay

Nepmarthiturn · 20/11/2024 12:21

Very unfair! My work coach at the job centre also said I should ask them about

It is, and you should follow it up IMO!

TheShellBeach · 20/11/2024 12:21

@NightSong I've managed to change all kinds of colours and levels of brightness on various devices. I think your IT department can advise you.

It's a fair, reasonable thing to ask for. I can't bear some shades, either.

ffsgloria · 20/11/2024 12:24

@Catgotyourbrain It was gently suggested to me by a therapist when having EMDR. I had previously been diagnosed with OCD and GAD (different therapist) I had no idea, and was in denial for a number of years, but eventually after much research, sought assessment. Turns out my OCD was actually my autism.

inkymoose · 20/11/2024 13:39

@Catgotyourbrain and subsequent posters - I've been thinking about the question of whether any professional raises the possibility of autism, and if not why not -the response from @LongWetSummer was interesting, although I wonder about professional people even thinking about autism in adults, especially in women, when you are seeing them for some other purpose.

Like @Nepmarthiturn , I had a brother who was clearly autistic, but it never occurred to anybody that that might be the case, until I started to think about it when my brother was in his 40s. Fast forward a couple of decades, I was diagnosed in my 60s, and around the time of diagnosis it became clear that many people in the family are on the spectrum.

There's really no reason for me to dwell angrily on what wasn't done in the past. For me it's more about trying to understand, and recognising that people (including me! ) need support and a listening ear now. My confidence in doctors, particularly the ones who practice psychiatry, is pretty minimal, but a good therapist on the other hand, can be a lifesaver. The problem with good therapy is that you very often have to pay for it, which means the people who need it can't get it.

NightSong · 20/11/2024 16:41

Thanks @TheShellBeach and @Nepmarthiturn

My managers do know I’m autistic as do my immediate team but I’m not sure about the wider team. They might suspect as it was apparently not a surprise to my colleagues.

I’ll ask them to change it. I never know what constitutes a reasonable adjustment. There are other things I’ve asked for that are apparently not reasonable such as not changing my schedule at short notice - so it makes me feel anxious to ask.

TheShellBeach · 20/11/2024 16:44

There are other things I’ve asked for that are apparently not reasonable such as not changing my schedule at short notice - so it makes me feel anxious to ask

@NightSong wow. I can see why you'd hesitate to ask anything, if they think you're unreasonable not to want your schedule changed at short notice.

It sounds like they really don't understand autism and how it affects people.

NightSong · 20/11/2024 21:08

wow. I can see why you'd hesitate to ask anything, if they think you're unreasonable not to want your schedule changed at short notice.

Yeah, they said if I don’t look ahead at my schedule I won’t know whether or not it changed 😂

They try to be understanding and accommodating but I don’t think they actually do understand and I’m not the best at advocating for myself. Like they bought me expensive noise cancelling headphones which I didn’t ask for and don’t need.

Nepmarthiturn · 29/11/2024 13:29

Any luck sorting this out with work @NightSong ?

Nepmarthiturn · 29/11/2024 13:30

ffsgloria · 20/11/2024 12:24

@Catgotyourbrain It was gently suggested to me by a therapist when having EMDR. I had previously been diagnosed with OCD and GAD (different therapist) I had no idea, and was in denial for a number of years, but eventually after much research, sought assessment. Turns out my OCD was actually my autism.

EMDR is brilliant in my opinion. A painful process but it genuinely works, brain scans prove it. I really wish I'd been able to access it when much younger.

Nepmarthiturn · 29/11/2024 13:32

How's everyone doing?

We are struggling to manage with school and work and health. Just gritting our teeth and trying to get through until Christmas!

Getting the decs up this weekend which I am hoping will life all our spirits.

JewelleryCat · 29/11/2024 14:09

Nepmarthiturn · 29/11/2024 13:32

How's everyone doing?

We are struggling to manage with school and work and health. Just gritting our teeth and trying to get through until Christmas!

Getting the decs up this weekend which I am hoping will life all our spirits.

I can’t wait to start my advent calendar, it’s a popcorn one this year. I had the same last year and thought it so delicious I’d get the same again this year

CanIGetAHighFive · 01/12/2024 15:14

I'm exhausted and it's only December 1st. It's been a busy week and I am looking forward to tomorrow when it's just me and the dog. I must remember to book a drs appointment and pick up my meds next week, I keep forgetting. I keep forgetting to remind myself and put in on my Google calendar too.

QuickFetchTheCoffee · 01/12/2024 20:08

Nepmarthiturn · 29/11/2024 13:32

How's everyone doing?

We are struggling to manage with school and work and health. Just gritting our teeth and trying to get through until Christmas!

Getting the decs up this weekend which I am hoping will life all our spirits.

Not okay but okay.
DD struggling with college still/again
Christmas (love/hate)
Organising Christmas dinner at pub for 20+ people, some of who needed multiple reminders to make their food preorder and still managed not to order before it closed
I feel on the edge of tears a lot recently - but hey I organised the shit out of that meal even though it meant going in to said pub and asking for the last preorders to be put in 😂
Can I please not talk to anyone for next two days?

InMySpareTime · 01/12/2024 20:22

Nepmarthiturn · 29/11/2024 13:32

How's everyone doing?

We are struggling to manage with school and work and health. Just gritting our teeth and trying to get through until Christmas!

Getting the decs up this weekend which I am hoping will life all our spirits.

Not too bad here, just trying to keep my head down and plough through until Christmas.
The calendar has at least one thing a day until the 18th, and lots of those things involve people.
I have ME/CFS and there's a limit to how long I'll get away without rest days before I crash and burn.
I'm just about managing with naps and resting whenever I'm not actively required elsewhere.
Roll on January, people don't expect anyone to do stuff in January.

ffsgloria · 02/12/2024 11:44

Pretty tired and not looking forward to the craziest month of the year! Trying to ignore my perfectionist tendencies and give myself a bit of a break; making sure I factor in some quiet & rest days in between the busy ones.

TheShellBeach · 02/12/2024 15:44

Have hoicked the tree out of the cupboard, and will stuff the baubles on later.

inkymoose · 02/12/2024 22:49

TheShellBeach · 02/12/2024 15:44

Have hoicked the tree out of the cupboard, and will stuff the baubles on later.

Lovely word, hoicked.

In previous years, I have always preferred to have a real Christmas tree, but about three years ago I decided to buy a plastic one. I absolutely hate it. I should really give it to charity or something, and fix up some kind of branch rescued from the woods upon which to hang my baubles, but for some reason I find this really difficult.

What I used to do was to buy a small, real, Christmas tree with roots and plant it in its bucket in the garden. The consequence for this was that it kept getting more and more ratty, less less like a tree and more like a skeleton. I know that real Christmas trees are actually forest trees and will grow 30 m tall if you let them, but I just like having a living plant in the house.

So, another stressor around the buildup /lead up to Christmas ....

Staticgirl · 04/12/2024 16:01

I am waiting for a laptop to be delivered that I bought in the weekend. It is a Schrodinger's laptop. The manufacturer website says it will be delivered today but then yesterday they said it would be delivered yesterday. There is nothing from any carrier so i don't even think it's been handed to them.

I am beginning to think they lied about the delivery date in order to get my money (it is a giant reputable firm not a fly by night).

I am going home to see my relatives on the 19th so if it's still in the wind by then I have visions of it being left on the doorstep and being nicked. I would hope that something that cost so much would need to be signed for...

I am not handling the uncertainty very well and the anxiety is making me feel sick. I am having nightmares. It's only 2 days late at this point.

I also finally sent off my diagnosis letter via email to my doc, 2 months after I got it. No reply to say they've received it. I am not wanting any work done but it would be nice to have an acknowledgement.

Also it's rent renewal time around the same time as xmas. I have been dreading it all year.

I am finding things a bit difficult right this second. It's nice to have somewhere to offload. Thank you

TheShellBeach · 05/12/2024 14:46

I've had a bad couple of days.

DD had her PIP refused, so I've got to get going on the MR. And probably a tribunal.

To make matters worse, I went to the afternoon tea club, and the annoying man started playing tinny music on his phone AGAIN, despite me asking him not to last week.

It isn't just me who can't bear it, either. But nobody will stand up to him.

So I'm afraid I became completely overwhelmed, and left in full meltdown mode, distressed. Not going to return. I can't cope with it.

We've got a Christmas lunch tomorrow at a lovely restaurant, and I don't even want to go to that, either.

Just had enough.