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Autism Relationship Resources: Building Understanding and Connection for the Relationships
Building and maintaining relationships is an important part of life, and for autistic individuals, relationships can come with unique dynamics and opportunities for growth. Whether it’s friendships, family connections, romantic relationships, or professional interactions, understanding and supporting the needs of autistic individuals fosters deeper and more meaningful bonds. This page provides resources, tools, and insights to navigate the complexities of autistic relationships. Whether you’re autistic, a loved one, or someone seeking to learn, these resources are here to support healthier, more inclusive relationships.
Recent Articles
Sensory Overload in Autistic Adults: Why It Happens and How to Cope
For autistic and neurodivergent adults, sensory overload can feel like it hits all at once. Imagine you’re in a crowded restaurant. At first, the talking all around you becomes intrusive, and you can’t concentrate on the person across from you, no matter how hard you try. Then the sound of repeated clinking of glasses and forks on porcelain intensifies, grates at your nerves, and suddenly the smell of the woman’s perfume at the table next to you becomes overwhelmingly strong.
Suddenly, you’re in full-body panic mode because this combination of sensory experiences is simply too much. Allistic people are able to compartmentalize and block out these types of input, but autistic people often cannot.
Sensory processing differences—formerly referred to as a “sensory processing disorder”—are the variations in how the brain receives, interprets, and responds to information gained through your senses from the environment and the body. Autistic people’s sensitivity to stimuli will vary depending on the individual.
Sensory overload, on the other hand, can happen when a neurodivergent person’s brain becomes so overwhelmed by sensory information in an environment (think: sights, sounds, smells, textures) that their body goes into a state of panic and fight or flight mode.
“Sensory overload, or strong sensory input, can often be described as ‘physically painful’ or ‘making my skin crawl’ by autistic adults,” says Jackie Shinall, PsyD, head of reliability and quality assurance at Prosper Health. “For example, they don’t necessarily feel anxious or stressed by the input, but rather uncomfortable overall, especially physically.”
While anyone can experience sensory issues and sensory overload, they are especially common among autistic adults and neurodivergent people more broadly. In fact, a 2021 study published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders surveyed autistic adults and found that 93.9% reported being extra sensitive to sensory experiences. Autism and sensory overload often go hand-in-hand.
If you have questions about sensory overload in autistic adults, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we'll cover what sensory overload is, why it happens, what it feels like, and how to prevent and recover from it.
ADHD vs. Autism: Understanding the Differences and Overlaps
There is not a day that goes by that I don’t ask the question, “Is it ADHD or autism?”
As the parent of an AuDHD child—AuDHD being a colloquial term used to describe the dual diagnosis of both autism and ADHD—I still have difficulty differentiating between the two diagnoses. Is her stimming an autism or an ADHD trait? Which of her Individualized Education Plan (IEP) accommodations at school are tailored to her autism, and which ones are tailored to her ADHD? How is her ADHD medication affecting her autism traits?
My experience is with my 9-year-old daughter, but this dilemma is equally accurate for many adults. If you’re neurodivergent in any capacity, you’ve likely had moments where you’re comparing your characteristics, trying to determine if they could be a sign of autism, ADHD, or both.
AuDHD is becoming increasingly common among neurodivergent people, and those with both diagnoses deserve a clear understanding of autism and ADHD, and what it means when they co-occur.
That said, the two conditions are not the same! Many people will only get diagnosed with one condition or the other, so it's essential to understand how they differ.
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What Is Stimming? A Guide to Autistic Self-Regulation and Expression
Self-stimulatory behavior, or "stimming", is a physical behavior used by autistic and other individuals (including those who are allistic) to regulate emotional or sensory stress, sensory seek, and/or express their emotions. In autistic people, stimming is often repetitive and is a way to calm their minds and bodies.
Personally, I have stimmed my entire life in many ways. Notably, I am always carrying a rolling stim toy with me. It helps to ground me when I get anxious, or when the noises in a room are too loud or overwhelming.
Everyone stims, whether they realize it or not. If you’ve ever bounced your knee while bored, or clicked a pen open and closed, you’ve stimmed. But for autistic folks, stimming serves a key role in sensory and emotional management. It’s not something to fix, but rather something to understand.
In this article, we’ll explain what stimming is, why it happens, and how to support yourself or someone around you who stims.
