One thing that has always puzzled me is why do non-migraine sufferers refer to them as headaches? eg you say "I need to cancel because I have a migraine" and they say "I hope your headache gets better soon". It is really weird. Migraine is no harder to say than headache.
I developed parosmia (distorted sense of smell) after catching Covid. I know it's not just an autistic thing but I keep wondering if it is more common if you are autistic. Previously I had a very acute sense of smell.
Thank you so much for writing this. Having just been diagnosed I feel expresses so much of what I want to tell people about what it is like to be autistic and undiagnosed (especially the overwhelming empathy)
This is possibly the most important piece of journalism I’ll ever write. At the age of 50, I was diagnosed autistic. Please read my story and share it so others don’t have to wait so long to understand who they are ❤️
#autism #autistic #neurodivergent
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Going into McDonald's would be the last thing I'd want to do if I felt a migraine coming on. So many sensory triggers! Having said that the only time I ever really drink coke is when I am away from home and feel one threatening!
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Really enjoying The Lost Girls of Autism by @ginarippon.bsky.social I would highly recommend it especially if you are the sort of person that likes to understand the details of why things happen as well as what things happen.
amzn.eu/d/4wgiSOZ
Yes I find it incredibly useful for helping me to order ideas and categorise them when I am brain storming. Also for times when I need to write a quick reply to something but social anxiety would normally take over.
I have my autism assessment coming up (at long last). I am looking forward to moving out of the self identified zone either back to general population or diagnosed autistic! Either way it looks like I might see an improvement in my mental health!
Counter to many narratives (eg BBC Radio 4's The Autism Curve) of overdiagnosis of autism because of maybe having a different concept, we have new data: autistic people with and without a formal diagnosis have similar autistic traits & understanding of autism. Heavy needs without official diagnosis.
Infographic titled “Autistic, ADHD, and Neurotypical Conversation.” Left: Blue train on parallel tracks labeled “Autistic Conversation – structured, deep, focused; switching is effortful.” Center: Red and yellow bumper cars labeled “ADHD Conversation – quick, reactive, full of energy; topic changes are frequent and spontaneous.” Right: Green buses labeled “Neurotypical Conversation – hopping from bus to bus; fluid, intuitive, and guided by social cues rather than clear destinations.”
I have been thinking about different conversations/thinking styles. As an autistic person this is from the outside looking in on other neurotypes so I don't know how accurate it is of inner experiences?
Felt emotional watching this last night. "Inside our autistic minds" literally changed my life, it was the catalyst to seeking a diagnosis, the start of neurodiversity advocacy work in my workplace, and even a change in research focus! I am sure this new series will mean so much to many ADHDers
This is so interesting youtu.be/Z9qreXUzJ5Y?...
Since catching Covid in June last year I have mostly been able to keep going but I feel like I am operating on 50% battery a lot of the time. My sensory sensitivity and migraines dramatically increased & I still haven't regained my sense of smell.
I spent most of last weekend ranting about an article by Suzanne O’Sullivan.Primarily, I was annoyed that she'd interviewed numerous neurodivergent individuals then chose to ignore their opinions about the value of diagnosis.Seems I wasn't alone feeling like that:
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Whilst research into the use of noise cancelling headphones is necessary it is important not to dismiss sensory sensitivities as something that can be cured by increased exposure to sound. For many people the exact opposite is true.
Over the last couple of years noise cancelling headphones have become life-changing for me, by reducing anxiety allowing me to tolerate being in noisy environments for longer I have been able to return to doing more.
I became a lot more sensitive to noise after lockdown. It made returning to everyday things really hard and caused a lot of anxiety.
I have always had the problems hearing conversations when the background noise is too loud. I either physically leave noisy places or mentally check out. At primary school I was sent for hearing tests because I had trouble hearing in noisy classrooms.
This is interesting: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
I'm not 100% convinced by the interpretation. In the article person moves from quiet home to London and is overwhelmed by noise. Yet the problem is attributed to wearing headphones.
This is such a strange heckle! And a perfect illustration of when so many high masking men and women don't get diagnosed until much later in life if at all
www.instagram.com/reel/C_NFycD...
Boardgame afternoon/evenings are definitely the least stressful form of socialising!
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
It's the time of year that Spotify wrapped lets me know I have basically been listening to the same 3 albums on repeat all year. (And saying it is as many as 3 is being generous!)
One of the things I like about bluesky is I don't have a feeling of dread if I accidentally click on Discover Instead of Following.
Listening to open.spotify.com/track/1ghEFF... on sad slow train journey. It's funny how music has a way of finding you when you need it most.
Strangely I used to really like corduroy. I liked the feeling of flattening one row of the stripes with my finger and watching the difference in colour when it was smooth compared to the adjacent rows. The thought of scratchy woollen jumpers from charity shops still gives me nightmares though.
Here you go, a starter pack of Independent Record Shops to follow (pass it on, guessing they’d appreciate that) go.bsky.app/FFCkVXG
😔😥
I feel very happy seeing lots of people moving to bluesky. I've really missed the twitter blue bird days.
