Not just what are your autistic traits, but what are some of the silly things or compulsive things you do that you feel is unique/possibly related to your autism?
I always keep a 12’ measuring tape on me which is kind of a new thing in the past year. I fuckin love measuring things, and it makes me feel good to have JUST in case.
I cannot wear branded clothing. I simply cannot.
Yeah I’m not a free marketing sign for them (especially when it is more expensive than other things)
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My people.
Haha, I love you just like measuring things. I used that measurement app on my phone for a while and did quite enjoy that also.
I tend to acquire every small fiddleable object through the day so my pockets are usually filled with little bits and bobs. Pebbles, bottle caps, cable ties, ribbons, bulldog clips, maybe bits of Lego or whatever. Just anything I’ve fiddled around with during the day. I have to empty it all out periodically. Along with a hundred tightly rolled up receipts and scraps of paper.
Oh yeah, for whatever reason I find new/random objects to be more satisfying to fidget with than my actual fidgets. Lately fidgeting with paper clips has been my jam. What do you think your current faves are?
Yeah I think I have a paperclip in my pocket. I also end up using them more than my fidget toys. I guess my fav currently are these silicone reusable cable tidy things we have at work. I just spin it around, tie things up, stretch them and generally dick about with them.
I only eat with a spoon, I gave up using a knife and fork about 5 years ago. I also cannot eat any hot food with my hands.
People at work were very weirded out when they saw me using a spoon to eat a pizza.
That’s so wild! How do you eat pasta, or steak? Or do you have pretty specific eating habits that don’t include those foods? Lol
Anything is possible if you’re determined enough. The side of a spoon acts as a good cutting tool, plus as I tend to take longer to eat I get fuller faster rather than mindlessly eating. I don’t eat meat, so that helps.
Have you tried using sticks? Like the chinese?
Chopsticks you mean? I have used them when I was in Thailand and Japan yes.
I mutter to myself a lot. Thoughts, statements, questions, bits of arguments I’m having in my head. I really try not to do it around other poeple, as I think it makes me seem crazy. I’ve picked up a verbal tick from a friend of saying “okay” when moving from one task to another. Shits wierd.
I’m not even autistic but thats so relatable. I am often muttering random things over and over again especially when deep in thought.
I’m a mutterer too! I was having a hard time in a crowded store the other day and began muttering to myself but in some sort of eastern-european accent and, i gotta say, it vastly improved my time at the store. People that got too close certainly didnt linger, lol.
I usually climb stairs 2 by 2, so everywhere I go regularly I end up memorizing if a flight of stairs has an even or odd number of steps, so that I start by 1 or 2 and always end up even at the top.
Oh man this is kinda similar to a quirk I had as a kid. It’s kinda hard to explain, but in my old neighborhood we had sidewalks like these. So if you look at the first five rows of squares starring from the bottom of the picture, you’ll see that the color of the cement changes on the next row. Well the sidewalks I walked on, there would be like, 3 or 4 rows of blocks with a thicker kinda borderline between eachother. So when I would walk I would step one foot in front of the other in each block and count “one two three four, one two, one two three, one two three” etc, starting the count over every time I crossed the break or change in the cement.
I really enjoy doing mental maths, so now whenever me and my friends need to split a bill, they let me do it because they already know I want to.
I also have a measuring tape in my bag! And at my desk. And the couch. And the kitchen. Just because, lol.
I also have a thing for obsessively checking the temperature and humidity in my house, so I have sensors in every room and the balcony!
Heck yeah measuring sibling! Hahaha I love that they’re everywhere, easy access is important if you gotta measure RIGHT NOW!
I used to have two but I lost the large one somehow! It still upsets me to this day and it’s been months lol. I want to get a mini Keychain one just because.
Temperature/humidity checking sounds kinda fun since it probably fluctuates a ton. Is there any particular tend you’ve noticed or that it fluctuates like, minute to minute or anything?
The keychain one is the one I have in my bag! They’re the perfect size to take with you and I honestly used it a few times in stores when I can’t quite guess how big or small something will look in my smaller appartment. Not just furniture but various items.
The trend I see is just… All over the place. It changes from day to day a little bit, obviously when it’s raining the humidity is higher but even with warmer weather the humidity is high, sometimes. But then I can act accordingly because I can justify taking pain killers for my chronic pain, humidity is the Evil Force that makes it worse and I don’t wanna take pain killers whenever so then it tells me “it’s okay, weather’s just shit”.
Also an European thing to do because we don’t use AC is opening doors and windows whenever it cools down at night / mornings. I check the measurements every 15 minutes and whenever it’s cooler outside then inside, it’s go time! Lol
Dang taking the temperature to determine when to close/open the windows is a great idea. I don’t have AC in my house and much prefer fresh air so I open windows at night and try to find the perfect time when I should close everything up. I think between 11am-12pm is the sweet spot, but then I worry if I close up too early I’ll miss out on more sweet sweet cool air! Lol
Exactly! Lol
I even went as far as getting a cheap temp sensor from AliExpress that works on batteries and has wifi so I get a notification when temp is below xx degrees called “windows open”
I don’t do it now, but I used to carry a compass because I couldn’t work out where south was. I grew up by the sea, which was south of me, and moving in-land caused much confusion.
I cant open doors with my hands, only the elbows.
Public doirs be gross
Funny you mention measuring stuff, because a quirk I’ve always had which I think is associated with my autism is a very weak ability to estimate quantities and measures. Like if someone asks me how far away, how big, how heavy, etc. something is, I often give a guesstimate which is so far off of what they expect the correct measure to be that they look at me funny and ask “wow really?” which makes me recalibrate my guess and say “uh no actually probably not, if that was the reaction you had to it”
Hahaha, II love that you’re kinda faking them out even if you’re right or not lol. I used to work as a cashier, and I would always guess the weight of the vegetables/fruits before putting them on the scale/scanner thing because i love estimating that stuff too. I did it out loud once and got it almost exact and a couple customers jeard and wete impressed. So I tried a few times and the customers in line and I made a game of it and cheered or "awww"ed when I got it wrong. So fun.
I also like trying to guess the amount of something i need for recipes. Like, a recipe calls for a cup of onions, I look at the whole onions in store and based on size I imagine what it would look like diced in a measuring cup, I usually get close and its so satisfying
Heel-toe downshifting everywhere. The brake pedal is lava.
What is heel toe downshifting? Are you doing it on a manual vehicle?
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Yeah. The “heel-toe” comes from pressing the accelerator and brake pedals at the same time with the same foot. It uses the brakes much less, if at all.
Nobody else seems to ever do it. It’s something that keeps me on the task of driving, and it effectively blocks out all distractions.
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I’m the same. It feels good when you get it right After 2 decades of doing it, I always get it right and it still feels good. So, I do it every time without even thinking about it.
Most people are perfectly OK with coasting around a corner completely off-balance, missing the apex by a full metre and accelerating two full seconds past the apex. It drives me insane being behind them.
Hey, thank you! I love measuring things too and it never occurred to me to carry a measure tape with me, such a great idea
Welcome to the team 🤝
Tossing objects a tiny bit up in the air with one hand (or two if big), trying to have them spin as fast as possible and then catching them again. Screwdrivers, mugs, knives, bottles, plates, bags, balls, hammers, phone, tins…
With knives and other oblong objects, I try for rotating them in two directions at once.
There is a trick to catching wildly spinning knives safety almost all the time. I have mastered it. I have no idea what it is or how it works.
At first I read hamsters there instead of hammers :-) glad I misread that. I like tossing stuff as well, and have the same experience catching knives or other dangerous objects, it’s weird how you can catch them pretty reliably.
Haha, no animals. That sounds horrible :D
Counting steps in 4s on same surfaces, keep even-evens (2 steps each foot, 4 total) on the same surface. Watch ahead to know I’ll need to adjust steps when surface is going to change to keep to the 4 steps counts. I don’t like stepping on those bumpy surfaces at crosswalks that are indicators for blind people. I step over those.
Ooooo this is kinda similar to something I used to do that I described here
The bumpy yellow pad thingies are kind of unsettling now that I think about it
I get an atypical haircut because of my autistic hairlines. It involves shaving a hard part on the right side of my hair down the hairline, buzzing the right to that with a fade, growing my left top out, and then getting a fade down the left side. It’s asymmetrical, definitely sticks out, and I love it. I just wake up and go, yet still stylish.
