BunnyLurksInShadow

My cousin worked on the movie, one of his jobs was looking after Ben and Jessie the Border Collies, they came home with him every night. After filming wrapped, my cousin was given Ben to keep, he lived to the age of 14 when he died in his sleep. Cute fact about Ben, he actually did have a blaze so they would dye his face black to cover it up. Also, if you've ever wondered how they got the sheep to walk in two neat lines at the end, the answer is they tied them together with fishing line.

just send back the report with "yep, patient definitely has an Upper GI".

As an autistic adult I am facepalming over here. First of all, it's a spectrum because not all of us experience autism the same way and not because one end is "low functioning" and the other end is "high functioning". Functioning labels suck because HF means you miss out on support and LF means that you miss out on opportunities because people underestimate you.

Autism disables everyone who is autistic in some way. I'm "high functioning", I work part time, I have a kid, I own a house. I also didn't go to the doctor for two months despite needing to go because I couldn't make the phone call to make an appointment. It takes me two days to recover from my part time job because the stress and energy it takes to mask my autism is immense. I spend most of my time at home because I can't stand going out and dealing with the sensory overload. I've literally thrown my (autistic) kid out of my lap because I couldn't deal with her stimming any longer.

I experience all the same sensory difficulties as your son but the difference is I've learned how to put coping mechanisms in place. I second guess every single conversation I have because I'm sure I've messed it up.

I've never met you or your son, I'm not judging how you parent or your relationship. I'm just letting you know that even those of us who are "high functioning" are experiencing similar struggles. We're just better at hiding our struggles but we still suffer and then suffer the extra burden of the exhaustion that comes from masking.

All that being said I still wouldn't cure myself. Autism is what makes me... me. Being autistic means that I am passionate, focused, observant, curious. I struggled with depression my whole life, getting diagnosed as autistic as an adult has improved my depressive symptoms because I'm better able to accept and love myself for who I am. I'm not broken, I'm different and different is okay.

Definitely true, my cousin showed me photos of the sheep tied together.

Also societal expectations. A little boy obsessed with vacuum cleaners or elevators is weird but a little girl obsessed with princesses or ponies is normal and accepted, even encouraged. A teenage girl obsessed with a band or actor is "normal". Girls learn to choose socially acceptable special interests and so we hide it better. I was diagnosed at age 33, I've spent my whole life studying and copying other people in an effort to fit in.