Press space/click (tap if on mobile) to switch between the blank bingo card and the one with my answers. I was diagnosed with both autism and ADHD when I was around 6 years old, I think. Please remix this project with your own answers! ☺️ My personal description of how I experience each trait: • Resistance/distress to change - I get a little confused and a bit anxious if something big changes in my routine, such as an entirely new schedule. But if it's something small, like running out of my favorite cereal, I usually just try to shrug it off and move on. • Mostly hypersensitive/sensory avoidant - I get overwhelmed by loud noise easily, so I think I might be hypersensitive, at least with hearing? But then again, I don't really mind when I'm listening to music that I enjoy, as long as it doesn't make my ears hurt. • OCD - OCD isn't really an autistic trait, but it's still pretty common with autism. I personally don't know if I have it, but I don't think so. I am a bit of a perfectionist, but I think that's just the fact that I'm an artist, and I bet at least one of my fellow artists can relate to the fact that when the drawing doesn't look quite right you just HAVE to try and fix it. • Non-speaking/non-vocal - Eh, I'm actually only non-vocal when I'm stressed or focused on something. • ADHD - ADHD isn't really an autistic trait, but it's still pretty common with autism. I was diagnosed with both autism and ADHD when I was around 6 years old, I think. It does make sense though, because if I don't take my medication, or even somedays when I do take it, I have quite a bit of trouble focusing, paying attention, and controlling my impulses. • Obvious/less socially accepted stims - These are often things like hand flapping, jumping, spinning, rocking, vocal stims, etc. I sometimes jump or giggle when I'm really excited about something, and I might rock just a little if I'm feeling stressed. • Trouble reading facial expressions/body language - Sometimes I might think someone's upset because of their face or body language, even when they're not. • Very little/no eye contact - Oh, don't get me started on that. I've always hated making eye contact, plus I always thought it was kinda creepy to stare directly into someone's eyeballs during a conversation. • Doesn't understand unspoken social rules - I sometimes find it weird that some people make fun of others. I mean, that's why my animated comedy series is going to be called "The Misfit Squad," because all the main characters were seen as "abnormal" at some point. • Echolalia/palilalia - Echolalia/palilalia is the repetition of sounds, words, and phrases. Echolalia is repeating what someone else said, palilalia is a type of echolalia but is specifically repeating something you previously said. Me, personally, I like to repeat my favorite funny quotes to myself, often re-casted with different characters that I think fit the meme/vine/quote. This also goes for my favorite moments in shows and YouTube videos.
My personal description of how I experience each trait (continued): • Mostly hyposensitive/sensory seeking - I love seeing what noises certain things make or what some items feel like. Y'know what they say, curiosity k!lled the cat, but satisfaction brought it back. • Overly expressive in tone/body language - Yeah, I get pretty dramatic when I'm upset, but I dunno if that's just me being a teenager or not. I also tend to talk about my mental heath jokingly as a way to cope. ('Cause I'm still a piece of GARBAGE!~) • Difficulty making/keeping friends - Nope, I've got a couple of good friends that I'm pretty sure will try to stick with me until the end of the world. • Alexithymia - Some autistic people have an inability to identify and describe their emotions. I have a bit of trouble with that, but I can still kind of give an idea about how I'm feeling. • Has a special interest currently (or multiple) - I definitely have special interests. When I find something I like, I practically can never stop thinking about it, often coming up with tons of ideas. My current ones are The Mandela Catalogue and Rainbow Friends. • Talks a lot - I only do this to try and avoid any misunderstandings, but I do talk to myself a lot about my ideas. • Mix of hypersensitive and hyposensitive - This definitely fits me. Yes, I hate loud noises such as fire alarms, but I usually don't mind flashing lights or hugs. About the hugs part, all I ask is that you ask me before you give me one just in case I'm not in the mood. • "Picky eater" - Nope! Other than asparagus, mushrooms, licorice, or matcha tea-flavored Pocky, I'll eat any food you put in front of me. Especially desserts, because I have quite the sweet tooth. • Situational mutism - Yep, sometimes I literally do not speak if I'm having an anxiety attack. • Depression - Depression isn't really an autistic trait, but it's still pretty common with autism. As for me, I'm starting to think I might have depression, because I've got pretty low self-esteem, but I'm getting therapy for it. • Anxiety disorder(s) - This is an extremely common co-occurring condition with autism, especially social anxiety. I most likely have generalized anxiety, and I almost always feel like if I make just one wrong move, everything's gonna fall apart. • Subtle/more socially accepted stims - These are things like leg bouncing, quiet tapping, pen clicking, nail biting, visual stims, etc. Yep, I sometimes bounce my leg, crack my knuckles, click my pen, and so on. I have a bad habit of biting my nails, but I'm trying to stop that. • Not very expressive in tone/body language - Again, I'm pretty freakin' dramatic when I'm upset. • Intense eye contact - Once again, I despise making eye contact, and I think it's actually kinda creepy to stare into someone's eyeballs during a conversation.
