amanda

“Not everyone is prepared for exchanges as intense and earnest as the ones I prefer. Not everyone sees hyperfocus to the exclusion of nearly all else as a strength. Not everyone considers encyclopedic memory an advantage, and not everyone regards passion for forms of writing that aren’t guaranteed to earn a fortune as admirable.”
― Autistic Self Advocacy Network, Knowing Why: Adult-Diagnosed Autistic People on Life and Autism

“What are your interests, and why do you take pride in them? Why do they bring you pleasure, or a sense of security, or whatever benefit it is that they happen to bring you? How do these pursuits help you to feel more secure in who you are, and how do you feel about yourself when you have the chance to share them with others?”
― Autistic Self Advocacy Network, Knowing Why: Adult-Diagnosed Autistic People on Life and Autism

“My interest in learning the names of things in the world has been with me for as long as I can remember.”
― Autistic Self Advocacy Network, Knowing Why: Adult-Diagnosed Autistic People on Life and Autism

“You spend a lot of time wondering what’s wrong without ever knowing why—and, for someone who values specificity? It produces the worst anxiety you can imagine.”
― Autistic Self Advocacy Network, Knowing Why: Adult-Diagnosed Autistic People on Life and Autism