Learning to Stand Alone
- Get link
- X
- Other Apps
By
Elli Z. Georgiadou
-
- Get link
- X
- Other Apps
Learning to Stand Alone
Where the Journey Begins
🧠 What Is Autism?
 |
| Photo by Peter Burdon on Unsplash |
A Neurotypical Perspective from a Curious and Caring Friend
I’m not autistic. But I’ve been deeply drawn to understanding autism because people I care about live with it every day. Over time, my curiosity grew into a sense of responsibility. I wanted to understand—not just to “support,” but to truly see and respect their way of being.
So I started asking questions.
🔍 The Questions That Guided Me
These were the questions that first opened the door for me:
What is autism, exactly?
-
What does “spectrum” really mean?
-
Why do autistic people feel so tired or overwhelmed in social situations?
-
What is masking?
-
How do autistic people experience emotions, touch, or eye contact?
-
How can I support someone going through autistic burnout?
-
How do communication and sensory processing differ?
-
Why is routine or predictability so important?
-
What’s the difference between autism and ADHD?
-
What are stims, and why are they important?
-
How do autistic adults experience relationships and love?
-
How do autistic people experience the world?
-
Why do some people feel overwhelmed in situations that seem normal to others?
-
What happens inside the autistic brain during sensory overload or shutdown?
-
How does someone with autism process social rules and emotional connection?
-
What does masking feel like, and why do people do it?
-
How can I communicate respectfully and clearly with someone who experiences the world so differently from me?
These questions didn’t come from a textbook—they came from real relationships, real moments of not knowing what to say, or watching someone I care about withdraw and wishing I understood. Different post to every question will follow. I want to dedicate time to answer each question.
🧩 So, What Is Autism?
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition—which means it affects how someone’s brain processes information from early in life. It’s not a disease or a mental illness. It’s a different way of experiencing the world. Autism shows up in communication styles, sensory processing, emotional regulation, and how someone navigates social interaction.
Some key traits often include:
-
Differences in social interaction and communication:
Autistic people may find small talk confusing, or interpret things more literally. Eye contact might feel uncomfortable or unnatural. Social “rules” might not be obvious. -
Repetitive behaviors or routines:
Many autistic people rely on routines to feel safe and regulated. Change can cause anxiety, and repetitive behaviors (like hand-flapping, pacing, or vocal repetition) may help manage sensory input or emotional overwhelm. -
Hyper- or hypo-sensitivity to sensory input:
Loud noises, bright lights, strong smells, even certain fabrics can feel unbearable—or in some cases, go unnoticed entirely. -
Special interests or “deep dives”:
Autistic individuals often have intense, focused interests in topics they love—whether it’s astronomy, trains, music, or insects. These aren’t “obsessions,” they’re sources of joy and meaning. -
Masking:
Many autistic people learn to hide or suppress their natural behaviors to “fit in” with neurotypical expectations. But masking is exhausting and can lead to burnout, anxiety, or depression. -
Shutdowns and meltdowns:
When sensory or emotional overload becomes too much, the body and mind may respond with a shutdown (quiet, withdrawal, numbness) or a meltdown (intense, uncontrollable emotional release).
It’s called a spectrum because there’s no single way autism looks or feels. Every autistic person is different.
💡 If you're curious to understand autism and ADHD on a deeper level—whether you're neurodivergent yourself or care about someone who is—these videos, articles, and free online courses can be a powerful starting point. I’ve personally watched and read these as part of my learning journey. Let me know which ones speak to you the most!
📹 YouTube Videos
🌍 Autism & ADHD – Awareness and Personal Insight
📚 Articles & Websites
🌐 Foundational Knowledge
🎓 Free Online Courses
👩🏫 For Personal Growth or Professional Understanding
-
Managing ADHD, Autism, Learning Disabilities & Concussions | Coursera
-
Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorders (in French) | Coursera
📺 Documentaries & Interviews
🧠 Real Stories & Perspectives
💬 Why I’m Sharing This
I’m not a professional. I’m not here to define autism for others. I’m just someone who cares about people with autism—and who wanted to understand, not just “support.” These first questions helped me unlearn stereotypes and begin to see the depth, sensitivity, and strength that often go unseen.
Autism isn’t a tragedy. It’s a different way of being in the world. And once we start asking the right questions, we open the door to better relationships, better communities, and deeper understanding.
Soft Words That Stayed
The Room Inside: Meeting My Younger Self with Compassion
Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash 🕊 The Room, the Wall, and the Dance of Co-Regulation Inside my mind, there's a room. It started as an image in therapy, a space where my younger self existed — isolated, frightened. A place with no doors, no windows. Just grey walls and silence. But over time, that room began to change. A door appeared. Then windows. Light entered. And for the first time, I could speak to the child inside — the younger version of me. I could sit with her. I could listen. I began imagining knocking down the wall that separates her world from the open, warm feeling of a living room — a safe, shared space. I wished I could free her. I still do. This process — of visualizing the inner child and slowly transforming their environment — is a therapeutic technique used in inner child work , guided imagery , and Internal Family Systems (IFS) . But it's also deeply tied to a concept called co-regulation . 💞 What Is Co-Regulation? Co-regulation is when two people help...
✨ The Magic of Winter: Solstice, Christmas & Greek Traditions ✨
Photo by Theo Crazzolara on Unsplash As December deepens, the world feels wrapped in a quiet glow. Candles flicker in windows, lights shimmer across darkened streets, and the cold breath of winter invites us to pause and look inward. Christmas, with its rich layering of traditions, is not only a celebration of birth and renewal but also a weaving of ancient rituals into our present lives. 🌌 The Solstice Connection Just days before Christmas, the Winter Solstice marks the longest night of the year. Ancient cultures saw this as a threshold: the moment when darkness reaches its depth, and light is reborn. Fires, candles, and evergreen boughs were more than decorations—they were symbols of resilience, carrying the promise of return, of life beyond the cold. Today, when we light our Advent candles or gather around a Christmas tree, we echo these same gestures of hope. What was once ritual beneath starlit skies continues as a quiet thread in our own celebrations. 👉 This beautiful vi...
Masking in Autism: The Hidden Exhaustion of Everyday Communication
For many autistic people, social interaction feels like a performance — not because they’re dishonest, but because they’ve had to learn to "mask" their natural ways of being in order to be accepted, understood, or safe. This is called masking , and it can happen all day, every day. What Is Masking? Masking involves things like: Photo by Jens Riesenberg on Unsplash Imitating facial expressions and tone of voice Forcing eye contact Hiding stimming (like fidgeting or self-soothing movements) Suppressing emotions or overwhelm Studying and rehearsing what to say before saying it Pretending to be “okay” — even when they’re not Many autistic people start masking from a young age, often unconsciously. Over time, it becomes second nature — but it’s not natural. It’s learned. And it’s exhausting . It’s Not Just Strangers — It’s Everyone Masking doesn’t only happen in formal situations or with strangers. It often shows up in daily conversations with: Pho...
Comments
Post a Comment
💬 I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Did this speak to you in any way? Feel free to share — your voice is welcome here.