I Understand Much More Than You Think I Do

Hello all! Today's topic is all about the way I understand and process a variety of different events, situations, and concepts in my mind. Sometimes, people on the autism spectrum are very much misunderstood. And because of that, people might think that we can't possibly understand how someone might feel in a certain situation, which is far from the truth. Or maybe, people don't realize that we need things explained to us in the most direct, clear, cut and dry way possible and that we can't be left to interpret or imply what they mean whatsoever. Let's get started, shall we?

The first and foremost thing we all need to remember about autism is that it is a neurological disorder, not a mental disorder! There is a difference between the words "neurological" and "mental"; they do not mean the same thing. Not at all. Mental disorders are conditions that affect your mood, thinking, emotions and behavior. These refer to disorders related to your mind. These are things like anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and bi-polar disorder. They may cause you to feel sad or down frequently, you may experience extreme mood changes, or you may have trouble relating to other situations and people if you have a mental disorder. Neurological disorders, on the other hand, refer to any condition that is caused by a dysfunction in part of the brain or nervous system. Obviously these disorders are related to the brain itself. A neurological disorder can affect areas in the brain that control movement, communication, vision, hearing, or thinking. The brain and mind are not exactly the same either. They certainly work together a lot, though. According to a forum on sharecare.com, a doctor on there said that the brain is simply the physical organ associated with mind and consciousness, while the mind is part of the invisible, transcendent world of thought, feeling, attitude, belief and imagination. This is why mental disorders and neurological disorders are so different, and it's so important to recognize the difference between the two. Because autism is classified as a neurological disorder, to me, this simply means that areas of the brain that affect communication and thinking are wired differently than that of the neuro-typical brain. And it's not all bad to be wired a little differently!
*I retrieved my information about mental disorders from Mayo Clinic (I know.....) and about neurological disorders from www.childneurologyfoundation.org*

The reason I seem to say that people on the autism spectrum tend to be misunderstood quite a bit is likely because our minds are wired so differently. We think, operate, and communicate in a different way that people may not exactly expect or be used to. I know I would explain things to people and would get so frustrated when they didn't understand what I was saying to them because it made so much sense in my mind! Because certain things made perfect sense in my mind, I used to totally expect it to be the exact same way for everyone else! Hahaha. I was definitely wrong about that! I would be thinking "what is so hard to understand about what I just said?! Seriously, what I said really isn't rocket science...." ALL THE TIME. Like, I'm not even kidding you. Yet, I sometimes experience the same problem when other people try to explain things to me. I'll be like "huh? What does that even mean? What is he/she saying???" I sometimes find myself asking lots of follow-up questions to the point of driving people crazy and maybe they even wonder "HOW is she not getting this?? What the heck?" I sometimes find that people who know me pretty well even decide to explain things to me like I wouldn't understand if they didn't explain it otherwise, even though I very much understand the situation, event or concept and may even have some personal experiences of my own to enhance that understanding quite a bit.

Anyway, I guess the overall point of this post is to express the following sentiment: Guys, I understand and can empathize much, much more than you think I do. Seriously. I do. Don't assume that I can't possibly understand certain concepts, tasks, or circumstances just because I am autistic. It's pretty much the same principle as "don't judge a book by its cover." I understand that communication with people due to my unique way of thinking and processing may be a challenge that I have to constantly jump over in order to be successful in life. That doesn't mean I'll never be able to do it or understand things. One thing that really helps me is if people are very direct, clear, cut and dry with their communication with me and they don't say anything that could be vague or left up to my own interpretation, when clearly they don't want it to be. Ya gotta give it to me clear, cut and dry to the point if you want me to completely understand your point of view on something important or that means a lot to you emotionally. If you are any kind of vague with me in your communication of something very important, chances are, my interpretation of what the heck you're saying is not at all going to be yours! I can guarantee that 100%! No, I cannot just assume what you mean when you say certain things and leave important words out because you think I should know what the important words you are implying are. I do not have this skill. I'm sorry. When people do this, I really do understand where people are coming from and can apply myself accordingly. I'm not an idiot. I just think differently and you have to give it to me in the most direct way you can in order for my mind to process what you're saying correctly. Once that happens, I understand in an instant and can provide potentially amazing insight or do exactly what you want me to do, depending on the topic of the conversation of course. In short, don't ever assume that just because I didn't understand something the typical way doesn't mean that I don't understand at all. Sometimes, we just have to adjust accordingly when someone doesn't get something. even if we wonder why they can't just get it the first time since it should be so simple in our minds. Because everyone deserves a chance to be understood properly as many times as it takes to re-word and re-explain the point of view.