this post was submitted on 14 Mar 2026
367 points (91.6% liked)

Autism

9684 readers
426 users here now

A community for respectful discussion and memes related to autism acceptance. All neurotypes are welcome.

Community:

Values

  • Acceptance
  • Openness
  • Understanding
  • Equality
  • Reciprocity
  • Mutuality
  • Love

Rules

  1. No abusive, derogatory, or offensive post/comments e.g: racism, sexism, religious hatred, homophobia, gatekeeping, trolling.
  2. Posts do not need be related to autism, off-topic discussions are allowed. This is a safe space where people with autism can feel comfortable discussing whatever they feel like discussing, as long as it does not violate the standing rules.
  3. Your posts must include a text body. It doesn't have to be long, it just needs to be descriptive.
  4. Do not request donations.
  5. Be respectful in discussions.
  6. Do not post misinformation.
  7. Mark NSFW content accordingly.
  8. Do not promote Autism Speaks.
  9. General Lemmy World rules.
  10. No bots. Humans only.

Encouraged

  1. Open acceptance of all autism levels as a respectable neurotype.
  2. Funny memes.
  3. Respectful venting.
  4. Describe posts of pictures/memes using text in the body for our visually impaired users.
  5. Welcoming and accepting attitudes.
  6. Questions regarding autism.
  7. Questions on confusing situations.
  8. Seeking and sharing support.
  9. Engagement in our community's values.
  10. Expressing a difference of opinion without directly insulting another user.
  11. Please report questionable posts and let the mods deal with it.

.

Helpful Resources

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 
top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] T156@lemmy.world 12 points 1 day ago

Because the form of autism most people are familiar with is the high support needs versions, where someone will never mentally mature past being a child, and will need lifelong care.

ADHD doesn't have that counterpart, so it and lower support needs autism were simply seen as personality failures and eccentricities that could be corrected, or left in place without harm.

"If only you would concentrate harder and were more careful"-type business. A lot of people still have that association with autism and ADHD.

[–] trackball_fetish@lemmy.wtf 16 points 1 day ago

Some of the comments in this thread prove this correct - I'm so fuckin tired of people's "opinion" regarding ADHD, like I'm sorry you can't understand that brains can function in different ways. Growing up I received no help and had to adapt in various ways because of this bullshit viewpoint. Like ffs they gave me a separate desk away from the other students facing the wall and dumbfucks have the nerve to say that it doesn't exist

Because humans oversimplify things in order to manage large amounts of information.

[–] WorldsDumbestMan@lemmy.today 7 points 1 day ago (2 children)

My brother got an ASD diagnosis, and it's impossible for me to get the other diagnosis. I just accepted that being where I am in my condition, means life is just not viable for me. I don't even do well in this community.

I'm just going to follow neurotypical advice until I'm dead. I have been able to get nothing done lately, and I don't feel like living anymore.

[–] starelfsc2@sh.itjust.works 2 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

I asked my doctor about seeing a psychiatrist because I'm 500% sure I have adhd and he took it as I want to see them about depression and recommended an antidepressant...

[–] WorldsDumbestMan@lemmy.today 1 points 9 hours ago

I actually was on Zoloft, and I got Bipodis later too. It's so fucked when I see what they gave me.

They are so bad.

This is why I need tons of money and tests, before I even see a psych.

[–] NotANick@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] WorldsDumbestMan@lemmy.today 1 points 9 hours ago

Thank you, means a lot in these times. 💚

[–] SnarkoPolo@lemmy.world 46 points 2 days ago (16 children)

ADHD can be medicated. It generates billions in profit. That, is the difference.

[–] technocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.com 11 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

This is basically all of psychiatry in a nutshell.

  • Subjectively group symptoms
  • Search for any drug that treats any symptom.
  • $$$$$!!!!
  • Bonus: Deny, obscure, and oppose solutions to the actual social roots of the problem.
load more comments (15 replies)
[–] SarahValentine@lemmy.blahaj.zone 103 points 2 days ago (16 children)

This is the internet. You can say fuck. Fuck fuckety fuck fuck.

[–] fartographer@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

GAH!!! MY FUCKING EYES!!!

[–] BarbudoGrande@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

Fuck. Shit. Horse piss. Son of a two-balled bitch. Mother fucker!

[–] dandelion@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 day ago

I think she's getting the meme from other social media sites where censorship is in place; I don't think she's adding the censorship herself

[–] MelodiousFunk@slrpnk.net 28 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Fuckity fuck fuck
Fuckity fuck fuck
Look at that fuckstick go

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (12 replies)
[–] Bgugi@lemmy.world 59 points 2 days ago (2 children)

It has been

0

Days since the Internet forgot that profound autism exists.

[–] searabbit@piefed.social 73 points 2 days ago (2 children)

It's weird because terminally online people forget that profound autism exists but most irl people I talk to have no concept of autism besides profound autism.

Otoh, I think most people irl and online think of ADHD as quirky distracted ball of energy meanwhile severe ADHD is not actually seen as a disability but a personal failing or mistaken for the classic depression+anxiety combo.

[–] dandelion@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 1 day ago

this is why I still like "autism" as a term referring to severe / profound autism, and using a term still like Aspergers for those with high-functioning / mild autism (and maybe even including "broad autism phenotype")

[–] Bgugi@lemmy.world 16 points 2 days ago (5 children)

Absolutely! I think this disconnect is such a big part on why conversations about diagnosis rates, prevention, and treatment break down.

I honestly believe the dsm5 should have kept Asperger's as a separate diagnosis than pooling all ASD together.

[–] Ashenlux@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 1 day ago

Sure, but maybe pick a new name for it? Asperger has a lot of baggage that I personally wouldn't want to be associated with. Like, maybe we shouldn't be mentioning a eugenicist when talking about conditions that often get people feeling eugenics-y.

load more comments (4 replies)
[–] Jomega@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

They don't deserve to be eradicated either.

[–] BeigeAgenda@lemmy.ca 41 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Because the fascists needed a few scapegoats and they chose immigrants, trans, and autism.

I think ADHD was skipped because it's harder to say, and don't fit into their fiery speeches.

[–] auraithx@lemmy.dbzer0.com 26 points 2 days ago (2 children)

I mean RFK literally said he wanted to put people with ADHD into concentration camps

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Tiresia@slrpnk.net 11 points 2 days ago

Autism got rolled in because the child abuser, disbarred doctor, scam artist, and fraudulent researcher Andrew Wakefield claimed vaccines caused autism and just about the entire Anglophone mainstream media spent years framing it as a dramatic story of a defiant doctor speaking out against the tyrannical scientific community. Often accompanied by videos of ~~autistic children being overstimulated by the presence of a camera crew and being made to melt down for the camera~~ the tragic horror of having to raise an autistic child.

This massively boosted antivax conspiracist subculture to the point of it being a significant electoral demographic. Billionaires then paid grifters to align them with greater alt-right conspiracism culture so they would vote far-right. Autism naturally slots into the untermensch role, with vaccination being analogized to blood libel.

So ADHD wasn't skipped, fascists just didn't have an ADHD-hating subculture to court.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Retail4068@lemmy.world 29 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Holy fuck this is fucked lol.

Y'all forgot real fucking 10 of 10 on the spectrum with adult violent outbursts and literally chaining down folks autism exists?

This whole, your grandfather has trains and was autistic hurr hurr is terrible and just making people more ignorant to challenges people face.

[–] Reginald_T_Biter@lemmy.world 20 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Yeah autism isn't all "lol I totes have autism because I like stuff" it can be a LOT more debilitating.

[–] IvyisAngy@lemmy.world 9 points 2 days ago

It's a spectrum from "Weird and Awkward all the time but outwardly living a pretty normal life to SCREAMING AT EVERYTHING AND BRING UNABLE TO COMPREHEND ANYTHING AROUND YOU.

When people think of autism now they don't think of the "non-functioning" side, they think of the high functioning side. Yes, high-functioning Autism sucks still, but it could be much, much worse.

ADHD rarely makes anyone "non-functional" it does make people barely-functional. Thus, no one cares. As you're doing "okay" usually.

[–] sad_detective_man@sopuli.xyz 14 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

One can finally be made to work somewhat easily within capitalism.

load more comments
view more: next ›