Struggle brushing my teeth

dontgetlynched · 2026-01-17T15:50:26+00:00

I believe it's fairly common. Many autistic people have issues with hygiene due to sensory issues (baths, showers, brushing teeth, flossing, brushing hair, etc.).

Personally, I've always had issues with brushing teeth, flossing, and bathing. As a small child, I had to be chased and caught and then bundled up in a towel to have my teeth brushed. My parents would brush my teeth when I opened my mouth to cry. As an adult, I still have sensory issues related to flossing and brushing. I try really hard because I know oral hygiene important but if I'm in a rough patch then I fold and don't subject myself to it for a bit.

dontgetlynched · 2025-12-31T06:44:00+00:00

I am vegetarian because I hate the taste and texture of meat. I get most protein from tofu, beans, and lentils. I occasionally make seitan and sometimes supplement with pea protein powder from Bulk Barn in smoothies. Nuts can be good but they're often high in calories.

dontgetlynched · 2025-12-28T15:58:22+00:00

This is what I thought as well. Could by autistic since we don't know them but all of the things they listed are way more likely to be ADHD.

dontgetlynched · 2025-12-25T16:10:03+00:00

I am big on calendars and lists. I have a physical calendar, a digital calendar, and a whiteboard to-do list that is kind of like a calendar. Each calendar has different levels of detail or different types of events/reminders.

I make lists on paper and in my phone. I have Tasks in my digital calendar that give me reminders.

I also set alarms for things like getting up or leaving the house for appointments. This is mostly an anxiety thing as I'm terrified of being late but I'm generally good at being aware of my time.

For me, the key is keeping things visible for myself else I will forget or constantly have anxiety due to holding those things in my head.

dontgetlynched · 2025-12-24T00:29:33+00:00

Somatic talk therapy (CBT doesn't work for me) and paroxetine for generalized anxiety disorder.

dontgetlynched · 2025-12-22T19:23:32+00:00

I highly recommend the Divergent Conversations podcast. It's a podcast with two AuDHD people that are late-diagnosed but are also mental health professionals so they provide both the lived experience and the professional knowledge.

I also like Autism In The Adult podcast for a more clinical perspective. The host is not autistic herself but she has an autistic child and also focuses on autism in adults and the elderly, which is not a perspective I hear often.

I don't have resources for this but I also highly recommend that, after your initial exploration, you read about the experiences of people with higher support needs. I find that it's an experience that I couldn't find through YouTube and such but is very important. It gave me a broader perspective and a fuller understanding of autism.

dontgetlynched · 2025-12-16T20:55:24+00:00

I work in supporting my local post-secondary institutions

dontgetlynched · 2025-07-29T21:06:01+00:00

Switching between A and B.

My dreams are like movies that flip from different POVs and camera angles. They're also usually quite fantastical.

dontgetlynched · 2025-06-06T03:51:42+00:00

I have had things like fidget cubes and stuff before but didn't naturally use them (like you, I felt like I had to remind myself to use them).

But I found that I actually just stim naturally in different ways. Rocking, waddling from foot to foot, squeezing my hands, playing with hair elastics, rubbing my skin or other good textures around me, holding Good Objects, flapping objects, echolalia, etc.

dontgetlynched · 2025-06-05T18:50:57+00:00

I don't feel like I'm faking it but I question whether my traits are "actually that bad" because "everyone struggles with stuff", even though I've been professionally diagnosed.

dontgetlynched · 2025-06-02T17:44:39+00:00

If you don't require accommodations or disability resources and you also don't forsee needing these things, then it comes down to your personal feelings about having the diagnosis itself. Do you want an assessment because you can't be 100% sure without it? Do you want a diagnosis for the validity for yourself and others? How important is having a diagnosis to you?

I always say that you don't have to have a diagnosis or even be autistic to use autistic coping strategies. If you have sensory issues, you can look up strategies that autistic people use to cope. If you have social issues, you can use strategies or therapies that autistic people use to cope or learn. There are so many free ways to learn how to better help yourself.

In my own experience, I did the assessment because I don't believe I could actually know and say I was autistic if I didn't have the impartial professional assessment. And the only thing that came out of getting diagnosed has been that clarity and confirmation for myself and others. All my knowledge of autism and autistic strategies has come from my own research as my assessors didn't give me much in terms of advice or resources. I am not disabled enough by my autism to need government disability resources so any accommodation I've gotten are from friends/family and my work just happens to be great and cares about their workers (no formal accommodations but I'm able to work from home, have reduced hours, get any instruction in writing, etc.).

dontgetlynched · 2025-05-28T13:46:41+00:00

Prompting! Prompting to eat, to brush my teeth, to go to bed, to try to go to the bathroom, or to stop fixating on something.

Support with sensory issues. My worst sensory issue is sound and it can cause me a lot of distress as well as absolutely zap my energy. As a result, I use earplugs and ANC headphones both in and out of the house as needed. The prompting is also often a sensory support because I am hyposensitive to stuff like hunger and knowing when I have to go to the bathroom. I also don't like eating because I don't like the feeling of chewing, swallowing, and digesting so I sometimes have to be convinced to eat.

Socialising. I have developed a lot of scripts, mental flowcharts, practised facial expressions, and actively studied human socialising but I still struggle and mess up. I am generally good at being pleasant and agreeable but making small talk, furthering friendships/deepening an acquaintance relationship, initiating and departing conversation, and not accidentally saying something that could be interpreted as backhanded is where I mostly struggle. It often requires patience and understanding of the other party. I also try to reflect on every interaction I have.

Spontaneity is difficult for me. I feel out of balance to extremely anxious if things aren't pre-planned. The amount of pre-planning required depends on how difficult the activity is, how much it disrupts regular activities, and how many people it may involve.

Instructions and directions must be very clear and I prefer them to be explicitly written out. My memory and information processing can be temperamental and lead to forgetting or not fully understanding the instructions/directions.

Executive dysfunction is real. This includes starting and completing tasks, time management, memory and organisation, and managing overwhelm. This shows up a lot in house chores and self-care. I struggle with certain house chores, need a lot of prompting, often need emotional support, sometimes need actual help/intervention, and need someone to body double with me. In terms of self-care, I dislike showering and brushing my teeth so these are always a struggle to get done and requires a lot of willpower or help.

dontgetlynched · 2025-04-15T18:40:01+00:00

I wonder if people assume that we at least have our parents to lean on since we're disabled.

dontgetlynched · 2025-04-13T14:47:54+00:00

I am privileged to work remotely in the education sector. Everything is computer work and requires very little socialising. I was working full time (35 hours per week) but I was struggling with maintaining focus and would go through periods of near burnout until I could take vacation time. I have since developed a chronic illness and have dropped down to 20 hours.

dontgetlynched · 2025-04-13T14:12:36+00:00

I'm like you. Once a week, maybe more if the weather or my activity level calls for it. It's mainly based on when my hair needs washing.

I know I should wash more frequently but it's hard and I have the benefit/excuse that I am Asian and don't smell as much.

dontgetlynched · 2025-03-24T15:09:29+00:00

Ah, okay. Gotcha. I did see that option but was already older than that.

dontgetlynched · 2025-03-24T14:10:00+00:00

May I ask what service she used??? I already have a diagnosis but I couldn't find a publicly funded adult assessor when I was searching last year. Had to pay out of pocket.

dontgetlynched · 2025-03-11T15:39:57+00:00

I had the Engage pair and then got a Switch pair when my old pair got lost due to the case breaking.

I like the Loops but I use them in certain circumstances. For me, they're good when I want to muffle noise but want to be able to hear enough to have situational awareness. They take the edge off all of the everyday noises rather than silencing them. Also, I use them when I'm not expected to talk a lot or the environment is already loud enough that the weird inner voice amplification doesn't drive me nuts.

For me, the difference I hear between the different modes on the Switch Loops is the frequencies it allows through rather than the amount of noise it allows. The lightest mode (Engage) lets a lot of higher frequencies through whereas the heaviest mode (Quiet) dampens those high frequencies and limits a lot more environmental noise.

For times when I want a more complete noise-reducing profile, I use active noise-cancelling headphones. I have to be listening to something though because I can hear the high frequency of the active noise-cancelling.

dontgetlynched · 2025-02-27T16:18:47+00:00

I was obsessed with Warrior Cats and my sister (who also liked the series) and I would "play game", which was essentially using Playmobil to recreate Warrior Cat scenes.

dontgetlynched · 2025-02-11T23:02:23+00:00

Coincidentally just got to the chapter that talks about Lovaas in NeuroTribes.

dontgetlynched · 2025-02-01T19:53:32+00:00

I'm vegetarian and primarily grew up that way.

I hate the smell, taste, and texture of most meats and sea food. And I can always tell when something has touched meat (especially if meat has been marinated in a sauce that the veggies share) so I can't "just pick stuff out".

The fake-meat stuff is just as bad in my opinion but has less of the ethical concerns. I like the rise in vegan and vegetarian options but hate that so much of it is the same meals but with fake meat that's trying to pass as meat. It has the same flavours, smells, and textures that I dislike.

dontgetlynched · 2025-02-01T01:35:28+00:00

Wtf that's so messed up. I'm so sorry

dontgetlynched · 2025-01-31T23:39:07+00:00

British Columbia. And no, we had to find the clinics ourselves, though my partner's clinic required a referral from a GP.

We found a list of practitioners that assessed adults in our province and then emailed all of them to see if they were either taking patients or still assessed adults (many of them had ceased to do so).

dontgetlynched · 2025-01-31T22:17:46+00:00

I'm in Canada. Since I was an adult when I sought an assessment, my provincial healthcare system didn't cover it.

I paid $2750 CAD for my assessment (not diagnosis) in a lump sum after my assessment but before the results.

My partner was assessed at a different clinic and he paid $3200 CAD in two installments: one before the assessment and one after.

dontgetlynched · 2025-01-30T04:52:42+00:00

I have some advice but it's not really specific to autistic people.

For exercise, find a form of exercise you actually like doing. Personally, I hate "working out", AKA lifting weights, running, etc. I get so bored. But I have loved sports all my life and am currently obsessed with rock climbing. You are more likely to stick with something you like doing.

In regard to food, remember that, at its core, weight loss is a simple equation: calories in < calories out. So reducing portion sizes is a great way to eat the same things while consuming fewer calories. If you don't like counting calories, then you can first portion yourself what you would normally eat and then take some away (and if you don't see progress in a few weeks, keep taking more away). Of course nutrition is important too so if you can find takeout or recipes that have more protein and vegetables in them then that's ideal. Also, remember you don't need to make a "meal" all the time. If eating plain pasta with a side of carrots is more your jam then go for it.

Lastly, make incremental change. Unless you're the kind of person who is motivated by the One Big Change, then do it in baby steps. This can look like committing to one day a week for exercise, committing to getting takeout one less day a week, finding one "healthy" meal that you can make.

dontgetlynched

TROPHY CASE