i have autism and ADD lol, bimboland is a hyperfixation rnthats so valid... getting hyperfixated/hyperfocused on stuff is both a blessing and a curse isn't it
hope it's okay to post this in here but my autism assessment is on saturday and i am scared.Hey cowgirl, its me, ur cowbrother.......
i only somewhat recently made the realization i may be autistic, even though i've displayed signs since childhood and other kids picked up on it as well (got bullied). had a psychiatrist tell me when i was a teenager "hey, it sounds like you might be on the spectrum" but it never went any further than that and i never thought about it much. i felt it would be too late for a diagnosis because i'm doing fine in college and i currently have a job that allows me to take breaks when i feel overwhelmed and i don't have to talk to people at all. but it might not be that way forever and i might need accommodations in the future so i decided to pursue getting a formal diagnosis.
but i feel like it might be a waste of time and money. i hope this isn't offensive to say but i feel like at this point in my life i'm not externally "autistic enough" to be diagnosed especially when most of the information about autism pertains to autism in men and there are still people who believe in the "extreme male brain theory" in the year 2020. i'm able to mask fairly well and i don't have a lot of classic signs because i've suppressed them due to bullying in my youth. like if i spend $2000 on an autism evaluation and don't get diagnosed because i'm too good at pretending to be not autistic idk wtf i'm going to do.
has anyone else ever felt this way? and if you've gone through the process of formal diagnosis as an adult, what was it like?
hope it's okay to post this in here but my autism assessment is on saturday and i am scared.cowgirl i know how that feels. i'm self-diagnosed autistic even though i fit most, if not all criteria of it, and was bullied as a kid because of it. i WAS taken to be assessed as a child but i was given the ADD label (which i also fit perfectly to be fair) instead of a diagnosis, and nowadays i genuinely believe that's because whoever the psychiatrist was believed only "men" (im transmasc <3) were able to be autistic. the only validation i've ever gotten was from my mom saying she "thinks i'm a bit on the spectrum". growing up without the formal diagnosis is hard but we're still standing! and you're never "not autistic enough" for a diagnosis. i feel that way sometimes too, but that's just in your head. since we're all good at masking bc of childhood bullying usually you might be fooling yourself into thinking the symptoms aren't there if that makes sense? that's what i do at least. since i don't have the diagnosis from a professional i can't help you with that but the community is extremely accepting from what i've seen, prof diagnosis or not!
i only somewhat recently made the realization i may be autistic, even though i've displayed signs since childhood and other kids picked up on it as well (got bullied). had a psychiatrist tell me when i was a teenager "hey, it sounds like you might be on the spectrum" but it never went any further than that and i never thought about it much. i felt it would be too late for a diagnosis because i'm doing fine in college and i currently have a job that allows me to take breaks when i feel overwhelmed and i don't have to talk to people at all. but it might not be that way forever and i might need accommodations in the future so i decided to pursue getting a formal diagnosis.
but i feel like it might be a waste of time and money. i hope this isn't offensive to say but i feel like at this point in my life i'm not externally "autistic enough" to be diagnosed especially when most of the information about autism pertains to autism in men and there are still people who believe in the "extreme male brain theory" in the year 2020. i'm able to mask fairly well and i don't have a lot of classic signs because i've suppressed them due to bullying in my youth. like if i spend $2000 on an autism evaluation and don't get diagnosed because i'm too good at pretending to be not autistic idk wtf i'm going to do.
has anyone else ever felt this way? and if you've gone through the process of formal diagnosis as an adult, what was it like?
Hey cowgirl, its me, ur cowbrother.......thank you so much for this thoughtful response cowboy. i'm happy i'm not alone in my fears but sorry to hear you experienced them as well. in my case, as a resident in an american red state, the evaluation is going to occur all at once in a 4 hour session which is quite daunting for me. i didn't realize they'd be looking at my physical mannerisms and whatnot, i thought they'd just ask me things. i guess it's good that it should be very comprehensive. your experience has given me hope of being taken seriously.
I don't like talking about this on here, but I want to help.
I was diagnosed in my later teens, just after finishing high school. I was good at masking, in the end I actually just barely passed as autistic on the tests they gave me because I'd been able to develop skills out of survival. By that point there was very little support I could access, and not a lot I could even use because I'd figured out my own coping skills.
When I was in high school I got pulled aside sometimes too, by teachers / counsellors about the possibility of me being autistic. But by the time I was tested, I'd learned how to act well enough that I mostly just read as awkward, and I was super scared I wouldn't get diagnosed and I'd either be an undiagnosed autistic person, or someone whose issues were his own fault.
I'm pretty sure we live in different countries, but the test I was given was done in several stages and it was very thorough. I still have some of the documents they gave me, write-ups of how they analysed my behaviour and body language and speaking patterns. They've gotten it down to a science, some services. I wasn't brushed off for being able to act mostly neurotypical, I was taken seriously as anyone else. And maybe this is a little sad but even at my best I'm-being-normal, I was still clearly read as autistic.
As an adult, there are not so many services to access, but that does not make the diagnosis useless. Being diagnosed can close some doors, but open a lot more. Even in a literal sense, if you need your employer or college to give you somewhere quiet to go. Specialist support, money to support you to live if it affects your work, finding other autistic people and coping together. One of the bigger things for me as well was the confirmation that I do have a disorder that affects me in many ways, and that many things I really have struggled with, or stupid shit I did as a kid because I didn't know better, aren't my fault. None of it was because I was stupid or neglected or causing trouble for myself, and I know a lot of other autistic people faced the same revelation.
I do want to point out that if you get diagnosed or not, the autistic community as a whole is usually very open to self-diagnosed autistic people, or even people who share some symptoms but not others. Even if you can't get a professional diagnosis, there is a whole world of people like you out here who can offer you better support and coping skills than many professional support workers.
Hope this helps.
Yeehaw.
cowgirl i know how that feels. i'm self-diagnosed autistic even though i fit most, if not all criteria of it, and was bullied as a kid because of it. i WAS taken to be assessed as a child but i was given the ADD label (which i also fit perfectly to be fair) instead of a diagnosis, and nowadays i genuinely believe that's because whoever the psychiatrist was believed only "men" (im transmasc <3) were able to be autistic. the only validation i've ever gotten was from my mom saying she "thinks i'm a bit on the spectrum". growing up without the formal diagnosis is hard but we're still standing! and you're never "not autistic enough" for a diagnosis. i feel that way sometimes too, but that's just in your head. since we're all good at masking bc of childhood bullying usually you might be fooling yourself into thinking the symptoms aren't there if that makes sense? that's what i do at least. since i don't have the diagnosis from a professional i can't help you with that but the community is extremely accepting from what i've seen, prof diagnosis or not!thank you for responding to me. i'm sorry you had to deal with that psychiatrist and hope that if you ever decide to pursue being reassessed that you are respected and validated. and yeah it seems like we're in the same boat, i definitely do kind of fool myself about my symptoms. the mind is a strange thing and sometimes i have to remind myself that i know myself the best and my version of reality is valid sklaskslkjjnghjbghr but i forget all the time! it's good to hear from another person that there's a community out there that will accept me regardless of the results of my evaluation.
i wish you luck on your assessment and hope the paragraph i typed makes sense LOL
hello, hopefully it's okay to post in a thread that hasn't been active in a while, but i wanted to continue my post from last month and say that i was formally diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder yesterday. it really was such a relief to finally know for sure and i feel like my world has opened up a bit.congrats! i hope this diagnosis will open up a new chapter of introspection for you. and that's a great analogy, i think it's very relatable. i also relate to you not wanting to get rid of it, because i think it can lead to lots of interesting and creative solutions to things that would otherwise be solved in a boring way. harnessing the way your brain and synapses work is just a process of knowing your neurology and adapting your problem solving techniques to it, instead of the other way around like autistic people are usually encouraged to. someone who's familiar with a downtown area and knows all the shortcuts will have an easier time navigating it than someone who strictly follows an outdated map :]
my doc said something interesting though. i'd mentioned to her during my assessment that i feel like i can't control my brain and have thought patterns where i get fixated on things (sometimes a good thing but sometimes i fixate on something negative) and she mentioned this may have something to do with the fact that many with autism have an excess of synapses. while most people have brains that prune synapses and unneeded mental connections, those with autism don't do this at a normal rate.
the way i see it, it's like the brain of someone without autism has neural pathways organized like a well-planned recently built suburban neighborhood. a person's train of thought which i visualize as a car has an easier time navigating this landscape. it's the kind of place where there are multiple routes to get to home depot if that makes sense.
i view the brain of someone with autism like a cluttered downtown area. the streets are all built around one point and almost lay on top of each other as the city has grown over the years. there's lots of one-ways and dead ends so it's easy to get lost there. the abundance of one-way streets means there's often just one route to get somewhere and a wrong turn can turn a short drive into a very long one. so when i'm fixated on something, it's like i've gotten lost at a dead end in a neural city street.
apparently there is a drug that can restore normal synaptic pruning but i like my downtown brain, nothing wrong with a suburban brain either. my hope is that with this diagnosis i'll be able to get help so that i can better drive the car that is my train of thought. just thought i'd share because maybe someone else can relate to the analogy.
another interesting thing and i suppose a question as well. i wonder if the excess of synapses may have something to do with migraines. i get migraines with aura and apparently during the aura period my synapses are going absolutely hog wild so perhaps these things are connected. so does anyone else here with autism experience migraines?
What is Ximboland ?
The Fashionable Republic of Ximboland is the worlds first democratic social media platform.
What is its mission?
Ximbolands mission is to serve the world by offering a truly democratic alternative to the established, familiar and autocratic social media platforms.
The establishment of The Fashionable Republic of Ximboland is a response to the widespread demand for a democratic alternative to autocratic social media governance. The world’s major social media platforms claim to be based on good will and fair governance however most seek to impose their world-view on all of their users.
Ximboland recognizes that democracy is the antidote to this problem.
What is the national flag of Ximboland?
When was The Fashionable Republic of Ximboland founded?
2007
What is the capital city of The Fashionable Republic of Ximboland?
Bimbo City
How many states make up The Fashionable Republic of Ximboland?
There are 6 states that make up The Fashionable Republic of Ximboland. They are Atheistia, Freethinkerland, Reasonopia, Agnostica, Secville, and Antitheocra. Bimbo City is the neutral administrative capital and is its own city zone. Booby Island is the home of the President of the Fashionable republic of Ximboland - Sindy Laarson I aka Miss Bimbo
What is a Ximbo xitizen?
A ‘Ximbo xitizen’ is a citizen of The Fashionable Republic of Ximboland. All citizens must be at least 18 years old.
What is a Ximbo?
Some people define a Ximbo as a superhuman - blessed with extraordinary good looks, intelligence and fashion sense.
Some people claim a Ximbo is a genderless or nonbinary superhuman.
Either way - all Ximbos possess the X factor.
How can I become a Ximbo xitizen?
In order to become a xitizen of Ximboland you must first pass the Ximboland xitizens test. It is free to become a Ximbo xitizen.
What is a Ximbo senator?
A Ximbo senator is a senior member of The Fashionable Republic of Ximboland. Only xenators are eligible to put themselves forward for election to senior government roles. Ximbos also get 10 x votes in all elections so they really do shape Ximbolands future.
What is a Ximbo minister?
A Ximbo minister is an elected or appointed official in the Ximboland government. These Ximbos are our leaders.
Who is the Prime Ximbo?
The Prime Ximbo is the democratically elected head of The Fashionable Republic of Ximboland.
Where does the Prime Ximbo live?
The Prime Ximbo lives in the Pink House for the 3 month term they are in office.
I want to become a minister or Prime Ximbo. How do I do that?
Any Ximbo citizen can become Prime Ximbo using the democratic process. Its a 2 stage process from Senator>Prime Ximbo. All Ximbo xitizens can vote in general elections but in order to put themselves forward to become Prime Ximbo/a minister they must first become a Ximbo senator.
Can I become Prime Ximbo more than once?
Yes a Ximbo can hold the position of Prime Ximbo for 6 terms max.
How often do elections take place?
The Fashionable Republic of Ximboland holds elections every 3 months for Prime Ximbo and every 3 months for State Ministers.
Where do important discussions take place?
The Town Square.
What is the treasury/ministers/Prime Ximbos salary?
The treasury/salary is the bank account of The Fashionable Republic of Ximboland. This figure is transferred to the paypal account of the Prime Ximbo at the end of their 3 month term in charge.
How is the treasury calculated?
The treasury is funded by the Ximbo xenators.
A percentage (33%) of the money paid by Ximbo xenators via Paypal is transferred into the Ximbo treasury. The rest is used for further Ximboland development.
What are the national colours of Ximboland?
Pink and purple
How old must I be in order to become a Ximboland
xitizen?
Anyone over the age of 18 can become a Ximbo xitizen.
When are the national holidays of Ximbo
land?
Jan 1st New years day
Feb 12th Darwin day
Feb 14th Lovers day
March 8th Womens day
March 21st Spring solstice
April 13th The Hitchslap Day (Christopher Hitchens birthday)
May 3rd National day of reason
June 21st World Humanist Day
Aug 2nd The Fashionable Republic of Ximboland national day
Sep 21st Peace one day
Dec 25th Newtons birthday
What are the currencies of Ximboland?
The Ximbo Dollar (B$). Currently it is pegged in value to the US$ and the Ximbo Diamond.
Who is the President of Ximboland?
Sindy Laaron I aka Miss Bimbo is the President of Ximboland. She founded the great bimbo nation in 2007 after escaping the tyranny, poor fashion jealousy of the old world. You can read more about her here
and here
Where is MissBimbo.com?
The Fashionable Republic of Ximboland was created by Miss Bimbo herself and is its successor.