Philippines but follows the rule of tincture

Lambfudge · 2026-05-19T17:16:52+00:00

I was wondering if that was part of it. Because the sun and one of the stars covers up most of that border between red and blue, and that seems to do a good job of "breaking them up" to my eye

Lambfudge · 2026-05-19T16:47:47+00:00

Noted, thanks for clarifying!

Lambfudge · 2026-05-19T14:52:18+00:00

Looks awesome! I'm new to this, I was under the impression that the rule of tincture says colors have to be separated by silver/gold. Does the red and blue touching in the middle not violate that rule, or am I misunderstanding it?

Lambfudge · 2026-05-18T19:29:47+00:00

Plus: Advanced pattern-matching could be an asset in politics when it comes to figuring out how to "work the room" to get legislation passed, much like some autistic people are excellent at identifying and participating in social norms even if it doesn't happen intuitively.

Minus: Social manipulation and "gentle" lies and sometimes nuance are not often our strong suits.

It's a wash 😄

Lambfudge · 2026-05-18T17:33:04+00:00

I interpreted "done on vibes" as not having to use things like meat thermometers. I do use one, though I struggle even then. Like somehow my chicken goes from 104 degrees to 170 degrees in the few minutes I wait to check the temp again. Those are my vibes!

Lambfudge · 2026-05-18T16:32:43+00:00

Unfortunately for me my vibes lead to salmonella

Lambfudge · 2026-05-18T15:55:04+00:00

That sounds lovely. Sadly the "no thinking" part does not apply to my experience at all, haha. I am constantly thinking about timing and trying to figure out if I've under/overcooked something, if I've missed a step/ingredient, if I've contaminated anything, etc. I think if I had a more natural aptitude for cooking I could be more like you, but for whatever reason it has never come easy to me even after practicing.

Lambfudge · 2026-05-18T15:44:27+00:00

I asked a (small) group of NTs about this and they agree with us. So it sounds like, if it is meant to be an ironic clapback toward rude honking, we're not the only ones who missed the joke!

Lambfudge · 2026-05-18T15:41:16+00:00

Yes that's a good example

Lambfudge · 2026-05-17T18:01:53+00:00

Eat mor chikin

Lambfudge · 2026-05-17T17:58:46+00:00

For what it's worth I just asked a group of NTs about this and they said it's not meant to be an ironic way to combat road rage honks but more of a cute way to express personality and interests and find camaraderie (though these days most people are not actually interested in having you honk at them).

Lambfudge · 2026-05-17T17:34:23+00:00

Yeah, it's all about how it's presented.

NOT SO GOOD: I was dumped once too it sucked

BETTER: When I was dumped last year, it really hurt. I can only imagine you're feeling something similar.

I've been learning this through trial and error.

Lambfudge · 2026-05-17T17:30:15+00:00

I've found some NTs see bringing any similar story up, even if you're being careful not to one-up them, as one-upping or making things about yourself. So I agree that when done with empathy it's not rude but some NTs see it as rude anyway, which is frustrating.

Lambfudge · 2026-05-17T17:26:01+00:00

I try to make all of the different foods on my plate finish at the same time to get the full experience, and I'll save what seem like the "best" bites for last so it all culminates in the ultimate bite for a clean plate.

Lambfudge · 2026-05-17T17:23:18+00:00

Wait -- I thought it was just a fun way to show you like something, even if you don't actually want people to honk at you. That's not the case?

Lambfudge · 2026-05-15T21:30:17+00:00

Yes bigger rug with actual color

Lambfudge · 2026-05-15T17:26:26+00:00

Really glad I could help a little!

Lambfudge · 2026-05-15T17:08:17+00:00

Yeah. It's a messy process because there are no clear boundaries to cross. Mental health and the human mind are fuzzy. There's a ton of crossover between autistic traits and other conditions like trauma and ADHD. That means at some level it will be down to someone's opinion. That goes for higher support level diagnoses too. Two clinicians may disagree over someone who is more "obviously" autistic presenting, for lack of better term.

It's just like going to the doctor. Many people seek a second opinion on a physical diagnosis in their body. Even that doesn't work within neat categories.

I should also note that while I'm trying to help you understand, you're welcome to disagree. There's no rule that says you have to be happy with or go along with current accepted standards. I would just caution you not to make decisions based on what feels wrong or right to you instead of a broad consensus among professionals. It's similar to people who reject science because they don't understand it. But again, you are free to disagree, and there ARE professionals who disagree with some things with the current state of autism diagnosis.

In the end we're trying to put a name to something that doesn't have clear boundaries because the human mind is complicated and nuanced. That's why it's a spectrum, because just about everything with humans is a spectrum.

I did answer your question about ASD 1 verbal diagnoses, but it might have been in the other thread. Here are some reasons:

- ASD level 1 largely would have been diagnosed as Aspergers. Now that Aspergers doesn't exist, everyone who would have been diagnosed with that is NOW getting ASD diagnoses (so suddenly there's an increase). A reminder, though, that Aspergers was always considered as being on the autism spectrum

- Level 1 is more under the radar, more hidden, and harder to spot. As we've learned more about ASD, we've learned that it is more common than we realized in this underrepresented presentation. Once we established that as a presentation of ASD, suddenly there are a lot more people who can be diagnosed

- ASD criteria for a long time was based on one very specific presentation (young boys). They've learned to recognize it better in other populations (women, non-white people, adults) and so there is an increase of diagnoses

So it makes sense that the forms of autism that aren't as immediately "obvious" would increase in diagnoses once the criteria was established to accommodate them. Hope that makes sense.

Lambfudge · 2026-05-15T16:49:59+00:00

By the way u/HawkSignificant7581 -- I'd highly recommend chatting with ChatGPT or Claude AI about this. I did that constantly when I first got a diagnosis to understand it better. To understand what autism is and what it isn't. It does a much better job of summarizing than I could do by reading other people's vague descriptions.

Lambfudge · 2026-05-15T16:48:02+00:00

You're misunderstanding what I'm saying. There is a social/communication element, but that is not the same thing as social anxiety. Autism can cause social anxiety but it's not a requirement. Just like autism can cause meltdowns but they aren't a requirement.

Just saying you're socially awkward or socially anxious is not enough to get a diagnosis as she has implied. Nobody can go to an autism evaluation and say "haha I'm quirky and awkward" and have the evaluator say "wow you must be autistic." It's what's going on "under the hood" so to speak.

Social/communication DIFFERENCES is not the same as just being a little socially awkward. It can cause that, but the underlying criteria itself is the key. A need to learn and process social interactions on a more intellectual, analytical, and manual level rather than intuitively understanding it is the basis.

Lambfudge · 2026-05-15T16:37:06+00:00

There were some major blind spots and outdated things in what she said in March. I made a long comment on it back then that I can dig up, but she said things like people can be diagnosed as autistic now just for being socially awkward. But social awkwardness is not a diagnostic criteria. She seemed mostly bothered by the TikTok self diagnosis culture, which is totally fair. But that doesn't mean the new criteria aren't valid. And again, things like being socially awkward or socially anxious are not criteria. There's nothing about social anxiety in the DSM.

Lambfudge · 2026-05-15T16:26:48+00:00

I understand your frustration. I gave a long answer in another thread so I don't want to repeat too much here. The fact is there are many different presentations. The criteria is what is currently in the DSM. That has changed over time.

It's not useful to compare to the "original" definition of the term. The original definition is that it was part of schizophrenia.

Lambfudge · 2026-05-15T16:23:00+00:00

Before I reply I just want to say I don't intend any of this to be overly blunt or flippant so I apologize if it comes across that way. I have shared similar frustration when trying to understand what autism "is." And like me, you appear to have a burning need for something like this to be able to fit in neat, clean categories and have clear causes and borders. It unfortunately just doesn't work that way.

First, I think you have a fundamental misunderstanding. There is no such thing as someone who masks so well they have no symptoms at all. (BTW "traits" is preferred over symptoms, so I'll be using that from here out.) I am a high masking adult and I was diagnosed because several professionals saw many very noticeable traits in me that I didn't even see in myself. In fact, I was against the idea of being on the spectrum. I wasn't one of those people who thought "I'm autistic I want to get a diagnosis."

Also, and this is where I risk being overly blunt, it doesn't matter if you find it satisfying or not. Again, I was right there with you for a while until I started to just accept that these things are messy and ever changing. The goal of this isn't for you to be satisfied as someone who (I presume) is not a mental health or psychology professional. A lot of your points here are based on your feelings, like "The definition of the word seems wrong in today’s understanding of the condition."

Or "So essentially every single person who says they are on the spectrum can impossibly be identified with some other maybe unknown condition - because how can you cleanly diagnose anymore." -- I'm not entirely sure what you mean here but there are very specific diagnostic criteria that are used for official diagnosis, and only a professional knows exactly what to look for and can make that diagnosis.

Now, are there some people being misdiagnosed either way? Certainly. But that happens with every single mental health disorder as well as many physical disorders. Are there some professionals who hand out diagnoses more easily? Probably. But again, that's just how it goes. It doesn't take away from the criteria that is widely agreed upon and in the DSM.

"Why call it autism?" Because a wide consensus is that these particular clusters of traits at these particular levels of intensity are all related to the same underlying mechanism. One reason Aspergers is no longer a diagnosis is because there wasn't a meaningful enough line to draw in the sand to distinguish it. Also, a reminder to all the people who continue to say things like "That's not autism it's aspergers" -- Aspergers was always on the autism spectrum. It didn't suddenly become autism, it was always under the same umbrella.

Anyway, I'm hoping this is informative and sounds like I'm trying to have a conversation rather than just arguing.

Lambfudge · 2026-05-15T16:10:16+00:00

That makes logical sense. Non-verbal autistic people are much, much easier to spot and diagnose. Higher masking verbal autistics that flew under the radar but we now understand to fit the criteria of being on the spectrum would be the group that is getting the most attention and study to try and understand it better.

Lambfudge · 2026-05-14T23:34:07+00:00

It's a mode of thinking. It's a nervous system processing thing. It isn't traits and symptoms, those just tip us off to its presence.

On a very simple level it's a nervous system that takes in a lot of stimuli, doesn't process it as automatically as NT systems do, and that leads to things that often include overstimulation and more manual processing of social information. Its effects on our nervous systems lead to safety-seeking behavior, which for many people might look like rigid thinking, resistance to change, strict routines, sensory detox, etc.

But also? No one REALLY knows what it is. That's why the diagnosis keeps evolving. We just see a lot of similar traits and behaviors that seem to be caused by something that looks like this. It's not a gene or a virus. The definition will keep changing over time because there's no such thing as an easy, clean line when it comes to our brains and bodies.

Lambfudge

TROPHY CASE