But You Don’t Look Autistic at All (Bianca Toeps’ Books)

by Bianca Toeps

the world is extremely intense for autistics.

But why the obsessions? And why these specific subjects? Experts think predictability is a factor. Most autistic people’s hobbies can be

categorised or are logical or predictable.

Due to their hypersensitivity to smells and flavours, a lot of autistic people struggle with eating.

But autistics aren’t crybabies. They are people trapped in a world at volume 10.

Autistics will never ‘learn to cope with it’. The only thing they will learn is to ignore their own body’s signals. And that can be incredibly harmful.

Do you ever think autistics are lazy and just need a kick up the arse? Chances are the person you’re complaining about has trouble with their executive functions.

This is also referred to as the autistic burn-out: someone who was previously able to speak in coherent sentences, suddenly can’t utter a single word or bursts into tears at the slightest change. It’s the result of years of asking too much, of hiding and of “acting normal”. The person in question shuts down and seems to become more autistic. But that’s not the case: The person was always this autistic, they just ran out of energy to hide it.

Usually the person who seems to be functioning just fine, the one who appears to be doing well in society, is fighting to just keep their head above water.

Autistics who get better at learning how to “act normal” only end up spending more and more energy doing so.

Structure is another factor. You need to eat at least three times a day, but you can’t eat the same thing every day. All that planning, decision making, grocery shopping and preparing causes many autistics a lot of stress.

It actually makes sense that autistics seek solace in food. The brain needs sugar to function.

Many “high-functioning” autistics are depressed or suicidal, or suffer from physical health issues caused by the stress they experience on a daily basis.

Keep in mind that a lot of people just know very little about autism, but that doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with who you are.