Interpersonal psychics!!!! I friggin love this and I identify with the term and how you have defined it. Thank you for helping me understand more of myself through your experiences. Much love, friend!
This was relatable. People and human behaviours have been one of my special interests, too. It made me a very good social anthropologist, even if I had to run indoors to my hotel room and stare at a blank wall for a while after every seminar and conference presentation. That ability to perform tips over too into actual performance skills. Being on a stage or at a podium is just a slightly cranked up version of what I have to do every time I leave my room haha. Academia is full of folks like us who've found a hospitable niche there. Glad to e-meet you!
“One of my special interests, is people. I am so intrigued by people. By the human condition. By the way people think and act and exist and love and commune and all the possible ways we could do any of those things.”
Wow! This was a real lightbulb moment for me. I struggle so much with impostor syndrome re being autistic and one part of that is feeling like I can’t really be autistic because I couldn’t identify a special interest.
But this is it! I find humans fascinating and I want to know everything about them and observe how they behave both as individuals and with other humans. I’m so curious about what makes people tick and understanding the ‘why’ behind their behaviours (which has been incredibly beneficial in supporting my AuDHD daughter: decoding what’s happening for her and understanding that some of her “challenging” [ugh] behaviours are actually due to her disability, so I can advocate for her).
Thank you so much for sharing your experience - it’s helped me unlock a deeper understanding of my own neurodivergence and identity. That’s a huge thing and I’m so grateful to you for it.
I really wonder when I hear this whether it’s as much about “autistic behaviors*” not being noticed or about the person saying it not thinking a certain kind of person can be autistic. Is it lack of diagnosis and representation of BIPOC autistic people? Otherwise disabled people? Fat people? Queer and trans people?
*I put autistic behaviors in quotes because while I think there are a lot of things I do differently because I’m autistic, being autistic isn’t about behavior to me. It’s about how my mind works. I could have the same action as a non-autistic (allistic) person and still not have the same experience of doing that thing. And I can have the same thought process but a different behavior. So reducing autism to what allistic people observe is a problem for me.
Then we get into the behavior/identity overlap. Is not being seen as autistic because someone doesn’t know autistic people with that a job, skill or hobby? I know a lot of autistic people who enjoy public speaking (like me) but that surprises a lot of allistic people.
Thanks for sharing, Amy. I align with you, I think about mindbodies from the perspective of how we experience the world, rather than how others experience us.
Interpersonal psychics!!!! I friggin love this and I identify with the term and how you have defined it. Thank you for helping me understand more of myself through your experiences. Much love, friend!
Love that you connect with this! And thank you, friend 💜
This was relatable. People and human behaviours have been one of my special interests, too. It made me a very good social anthropologist, even if I had to run indoors to my hotel room and stare at a blank wall for a while after every seminar and conference presentation. That ability to perform tips over too into actual performance skills. Being on a stage or at a podium is just a slightly cranked up version of what I have to do every time I leave my room haha. Academia is full of folks like us who've found a hospitable niche there. Glad to e-meet you!
Thanks for sharing, Caroline. Glad to e-meet you too!
“One of my special interests, is people. I am so intrigued by people. By the human condition. By the way people think and act and exist and love and commune and all the possible ways we could do any of those things.”
Wow! This was a real lightbulb moment for me. I struggle so much with impostor syndrome re being autistic and one part of that is feeling like I can’t really be autistic because I couldn’t identify a special interest.
But this is it! I find humans fascinating and I want to know everything about them and observe how they behave both as individuals and with other humans. I’m so curious about what makes people tick and understanding the ‘why’ behind their behaviours (which has been incredibly beneficial in supporting my AuDHD daughter: decoding what’s happening for her and understanding that some of her “challenging” [ugh] behaviours are actually due to her disability, so I can advocate for her).
Thank you so much for sharing your experience - it’s helped me unlock a deeper understanding of my own neurodivergence and identity. That’s a huge thing and I’m so grateful to you for it.
This is so wonderful, Alice! You are so very welcome. Thank you for sharing this 🙏🏽
Thank you for digging into this.
I really wonder when I hear this whether it’s as much about “autistic behaviors*” not being noticed or about the person saying it not thinking a certain kind of person can be autistic. Is it lack of diagnosis and representation of BIPOC autistic people? Otherwise disabled people? Fat people? Queer and trans people?
*I put autistic behaviors in quotes because while I think there are a lot of things I do differently because I’m autistic, being autistic isn’t about behavior to me. It’s about how my mind works. I could have the same action as a non-autistic (allistic) person and still not have the same experience of doing that thing. And I can have the same thought process but a different behavior. So reducing autism to what allistic people observe is a problem for me.
Then we get into the behavior/identity overlap. Is not being seen as autistic because someone doesn’t know autistic people with that a job, skill or hobby? I know a lot of autistic people who enjoy public speaking (like me) but that surprises a lot of allistic people.
Thanks for sharing, Amy. I align with you, I think about mindbodies from the perspective of how we experience the world, rather than how others experience us.