Autism Feels ... Quotes

“am candid and forthright: I can only speak the truth as I see it. It doesn’t occur to me that your default preference is to be lied to and shielded from the truth. Who wants that? My openness and directness have never matched society’s rules and expectations, and so I have spent most of my life frustrating, offending or unknowingly pushing people away.”
― Orion Kelly, Autism Feels ...: An Earthling's Guide

“Why we must try and regulate our environment. Why it’s critical for us to self soothe through stimming. Why we can become obsessed with a subject or interest. Why it’s helpful and downright obvious to point out errors. Why solving the problems of others is our first response. These are not excuses for behaviour; they are reasons.”
― Orion Kelly, Autism Feels ...: An Earthling's Guide

“Even if I had had a diagnosis growing up, this would still have been the case because this is still the perspective people often take today when they say, “Being Autistic is no excuse for being rude, raw or too honest.”
― Orion Kelly, Autism Feels ...: An Earthling's Guide

“An Autistic meltdown is not: A tantrum. A tantrum is an act of manipulation. It is a physical and emotional “show” to put on to try and get someone to agree to your demands or desires by making them feel uneasy, confronted, confused, embarrassed or threatened by acting overdramatic. A tantrum is controllable; therefore it is not an Autistic meltdown. Acting selfishly. This is not a meltdown either. You can’t watch someone having an Autistic meltdown and think to yourself, Stop being so selfish! They can’t “stop” being anything. Acting out or attention-seeking behaviour. Again, not a meltdown but can be seen in both adults and children. Autistic children and adults can be susceptible to Autistic meltdowns for their entire life. So the whole only-Autistic-kids-can-have-meltdowns thing is not true. You can’t parent or punish Autistic meltdowns out of an Autistic person.”
― Orion Kelly, Autism Feels ...: An Earthling's Guide

“People would say, “No, no, don’t be offended by Orion, he’s Autistic. He’s very upfront. He’s very honest. His words sound really frank and honest, maybe a bit harsh, but he does it for the right reasons. His brain thinks in open and direct ways of communicating.”
― Orion Kelly, Autism Feels ...: An Earthling's Guide

“But if I were to talk like that to your face, giving my side of the conversation free rein which may mean me talking happily until I’m blue in the face, and my opinion may make you happy or angry but either way, I’m not thinking about the consequences. I’m not masking.”
― Orion Kelly, Autism Feels ...: An Earthling's Guide

“Q: Why do Autistic people mask? What’s the point? Why bother? Why spend our entire lives acting like someone we’re not? A: To fit into a neurotypical world, so we feel accepted, wanted and appreciated.”
― Orion Kelly, Autism Feels ...: An Earthling's Guide

“Masking is a lifetime of living a lie for the comfort of others, while our true selves rot away in eternal exile.”
― Orion Kelly, Autism Feels ...: An Earthling's Guide

“At its core masking is a compulsion to try and imitate neurotypical behaviour to avoid unwanted attention or engagement, rejection and judgement (and so avoid the heightened feelings that go along with all of that).”
― Orion Kelly, Autism Feels ...: An Earthling's Guide

“But what if you were born unable to be accepted into the herd? What if your best self was an outcast, let alone your true self? Autistic people have come to realise that the only realistic and sometimes effective way to receive the approval and acceptance of others is to suppress our true Autistic selves—to hide any manifestation of our Autistic brain, to mask any sign of our differences.”
― Orion Kelly, Autism Feels ...: An Earthling's Guide