12. Are you late-diagnosed?

Yes! First thought about Autism when I was 21.

Got my diagnosis this year at the age of 31.

Took me 10 years of research, questioning myself, knowing I'm autistic and deciding that I don't need a formal diagnosis, then questioning everything again.
And always when I was ready to go to an assesment, there were no appointments available.

11. I want to make a link-list, so: What websites do you recommend to learn about autism?

I learned all I know online but I can't think of a website which is not YouTube. So I forward the question, I am happy to read recommendations of others :)

10. What's the thing your autism causes the most problems for you in everyday life? Are there workarounds that help you?

Strong smells. It's worse than noise because agains noise I can use earplugs. But when I'm for example on public transport, and someone used a lot of perfume, deodorant, aftershave etc, there is nothing I can do. It directly gives me a headache, I can't concentrate on anything else.

I wish people would be more sensitive to not do this.

9. What would your perfect day look like? Dreaming is allowed; it doesn't have to be realistic!

Well, not being asked to pick one thing as a favorite anything or the one perfect whatever would be a good start.

It totally depends. Generally, a perfect day would involve having a lot of time spending with a current hyperfixation, optionally with people I like who are also passionate about it.

And/or being in nature with warm and sunny weather near the sea :).

7. What is a funny or curious fact you learned from pursing your hobbies (special interests)?

I am honestly not sure what is common knowledge and what is not.
But plants like philodendron push out new leaves when they are very young by using the stem of the leave they grew before. Which is working fine when they are in a high humidity environment, but as houseplants, they get stuck frequently.
When they're older, they do it differently (without any issues).

6. What was an occasion where you felt able to unmask and be yourself around others?

I have an autistic collegue. It's easy to be around her, I can share my thoughts and worries without being judged.

Also I have friends who I feel safe with and can be myself. They helped me feeling confident about the way I am, which helps me being more myself in environments where it might not be that safe.

I am really lucky to have so many wonderful people in my life .

4. How would you explain autism to someone who never heard about it?

It's a different way of being in the world.

It means processing what you see, hear, smell or feel differently. Seeing all the small details at the same time and needing time to put them together to a whole picture, instead of seeing the picture and then being able to look closer to the details.

It means showing empathy differently than most people and therefore not as expected by most people.

3. What is your favourite stim?

I have a wartenberg wheel with multiple wheels which helps me to calm down better than anything else.

The stim I use most is tipping my thumb on my other fingers.

Question 2: Tell us a thing you like about your autism? What do you like about yourself?

I like that I am strongly attached to my values.
I treat people with respect and I am honest.
I notice small beautiful details in nature that others often don't see.
I am really good in understanding and structuring a lot of information in a way it can be understood by others.
I am creative when it comes to solving problems.

All of this is directly linked to my #autism.

Question 1 is: What is your current hobby (special interest)?

Since I was a child, I was interested in animals and plants. I had a long time of being frustrated because sadly I accidentally always killed all hoseplants. But now with ADHS medication, I can finally care for plants and my special interest in them was able to grow with them.
I am currently sharing my flat with 8 guinea pigs, 2 bunnies and about 100 plants.