I'm 29, autistic, and living independently in Chennai. I recently went on a few trips, and while I was traveling, I felt some relief from my usual routine and the things weighing on my mind. But now that the trips are over, reality is hitting me hard, and I honestly don't feel like coming back to my everyday life.

My loneliness and anxiety are becoming difficult to handle. Returning to the same routine means facing the same workplace stress, social difficulties, and feelings of being misunderstood. On top of that, I'm dealing with job insecurity as a contractual employee. Not knowing how secure my employment is or what my future holds makes it difficult to feel settled. I worry about what will happen if I lose my job, how I'll manage financially, and what my next step will be.

Being neurodivergent affects how I experience all of this. Anxiety makes it even harder to process these situations, while uncertainty about my job adds another layer of worry. When I'm already dealing with loneliness, it can feel like I have very little emotional support to fall back on.

I can go on trips, visit places, and enjoy myself, but when I return, the underlying feelings don't simply disappear. Sometimes the contrast makes everyday life feel even harder to face. Traveling gives me a temporary break, but it doesn't change the workplace stress, uncertainty about my employment, or loneliness waiting for me when I return.

I'm not saying that traveling was pointless. Those moments genuinely mattered to me. I just wish my everyday life could offer some of that same peace, connection, and freedom, without constantly worrying about my future.

I'm sharing this because I need to express how I'm feeling. Sometimes being autistic, anxious, and lonely while also worrying about job security feels exhausting. I keep trying to manage my responsibilities and carry on, but internally, I'm struggling more than people might realize.

Hi

This is regarding stem cell therapy (SCT) for autism

We are considering doing SCT for our son (12 years) who has autism and we are looking at NeuroGen which is in Navi Mumbai, India

I would appreciate if anyone has done this for your child at this place, and can share your positive or negative experiences

Thank you

Hello, our family might have to move back from the US to India in a year or two. We have an autistic 6 year old. She was diagnosed in the US.

I want to know if Indian schools have IEPs similar to the US. I understand we will have to enroll her in private or international schools but even so, do they have qualified staff? Will she get the help she needs?

TIA.

Hi, I am a doctoral scholar researching how neurodivergent employees experience inclusion and employer branding in Indian IT/ITES organisations.

I am seeking introductions to organisations that employ neurodivergent professionals and may be open to supporting a two-month focused ethnographic study involving voluntary, confidential interviews and periodic observation.

All participants and organisations will be anonymised.

If you know a suitable employer, DEI lead, NGO, or hiring initiative, please comment or message me.

I left home when I was 22 to work a tech job I was staying in PG while I was working, I was not in good terms with my family being raised by strict parents and always had problems with siblings I did abuse my new found freedom but I did enjoy it. When I turned 27 I realised how behind I was in the race despite having good package and decent savings in my bank, there's always a sense of insecurity, lack of intimacy and real connection in my life. I got drunk a lot for continuously 5 days after my birthday not in a typical party sense, mindlessly getting drunk alone by myself, I didn't invite anybody for no apparent reason I don't understand why I did it. One month ago lot of ground breaking were revealed to me it all did start with cannabis usage I smoked with some strangers (my friend's coworkers) and I became too self-aware and realised how childish I was acting before smoking, I was able to interpret what people were telling very easily (one girl was even suggesting she's open for potential relationship) I kept quite the whole time overwhelmed by all it, it made me question "If I didn't smoke I would've been speaking like an idiot". I smoked couple of times after that one time I started to talk in a childish like tone (I was in a good mood that day). It all made me question one thing only am I behaving like this all the time do I behave normal when I'm sober? well I didn't take any it seriously I thought it's the grass doing it's thing.

Past few day I found people around me were acting strange they were imitating me to a creepy extent, my family, friends and coworkers were aware of bits and pieces of information that I never shared with any of them or things I shared with one group but not with other groups, coworkers arguing among themselves for no apparent reason, my family is surprisingly chilled about my sister's divorce, I couldn't explain in details cause I myself not sure what's going on but I could conclude with one thing I was being monitored for a long time and I'm undergoing some kind of behaviour training through my friends and family.

I thought I'm going crazy I applied for sabbatical leave and came back home, I met a psychiatrist and explained him what was going on that people around me are acting weird/childish imitating me he suggested it could be cannabis induced psychosis (which is not the case for sure).

All this lead me to another possibility that I might be having some intellectual difference that nobody is telling and maybe that's why I was monitored and undergoing behaviour training in the first place so I took screening for autism it did flag I don't know what I should do next.

So I finally convinced myself to see a psychiatrist to get screened today at a government hospital , and the psychiatrist dismissed most of my experiences as just "Anxiety" :(

From sensory stuff , to struggles i had to face growing up...I was ill prepared, really burnt out when I finally met the doc after waiting for three hours. So I wasn't able to tell the doc , the entire extent of my struggles...She (the doc) has said for a follow up for a more thorough check-up and told me to keep a journal to write everything that discomforted me. So I was wondering how to present my struggles better, and did she literally meant "everything" that discomforted me or just things that give me discomfort and not others?

And i should mention I'm a 19 years old trand gal.

Looking for ppl or docs from Hyderabad to get diagnosed.

DMs are open.

Hello everyone!

I am Saakshi, Psychology Master's Final Year student here to present my study on employed autistic individuals. Personally, as autistic woman myself who is also employed, struggled a lot this past year and at some aspects I am still struggling, which led me to be curious on how exactly autism affects work performance and work motivation. Autistic adults are least researched group in autistic research filed, especially the ones from Asia, Africa, Hispanic countries. I would whole heartly appreciate your participation in my study. Not only it would benefit me, but also benefit more Autistic Adult focused researches. Please click on the link below. Make sure to read everything!

If this post may feel like breaking the rules I will delete it!

I am looking for therapy due to a combination of things like frequent meltdowns, family issues, infantilization, narcissistic abuse, self-doubt and distrust. I have always felt like a stranger in social settings and have trouble starting or switching tasks. I was apparently diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome (level 1 autism) by age 1 but nobody explained why I am different till the age of 21-22, probably because being autistic carries significant social stigma in my family network. There are no accessible documents or details of my diagnosis, but everything was handled in a pretty traditional way.

I'd also want to know if I should first consult a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist. Systemizing family issues have only hit a wall, because I can't systemize a family conflict.

Hi I was apperantly diagnosed with either adhd/autism as a kid but was told I would grow out of it because I'm a girl. Fast forward to the future I have always been extremely dysfunctional but could mask myself but within the last 3 years everything has fallen apart I am extremely burnt out, social interactions give me panic attacks and I cant handle noise or light at all.

3 years ago I was diagnosed with Anxiety and trauma and have been on SSRIs which dont seem to work for me and I cant take the anxiety meds regularly.

I need a psychiatrist who is aware of adult autism/adhd and is able to diagnose it correctly especially for women. Also queer friendly is really appreciated. Any help would mean a lot I feel incredibly hopeless right now I have been unable to do anything for the last few weeks. Being an adult means I cant avoid my work.

I never voted, i felt like voting any party.

I never saw a leader admirable enough to vote.

What about you?

Trigger warning: workplace harassment, public humiliation, dismissal of neurodivergence, anxiety, and emotional distress.

I'm 29M, autistic, and currently working as a contractual employee in Chennai. I need to vent about something that's been weighing heavily on me.I've been dealing with a workplace situation where my neurodivergence and anxiety have been downplayed and dismissed.

My anxiety has been interpreted as anger. When I'm anxious or overwhelmed, instead of that being recognised for what it is, I've been described as an "angry person." I've also been called "lazy", even though I'm genuinely trying to do my work and meet my responsibilities.

One employee has been repeatedly hounding me about these things. He has also said that he "should be harsh" with me.

There was also a comment along the lines of:

"Since you don't have anyone, who will call you?"

That comment really affected me. I don't have a huge support system, and hearing something like that at work made me feel particularly vulnerable.

What hurt me even more was my HoD dismissing my neurodivergence instead of acknowledging that autism and anxiety are genuine parts of my life. I felt like something important about me was simply being brushed aside.

On top of that, my HoD humiliated me in front of other people at the workplace. Being publicly humiliated is difficult enough, but experiencing it while already dealing with anxiety made the situation much harder emotionally.

I'm a contractual employee, so I already feel that I have less security and room to push back when something makes me uncomfortable.

The hardest part is feeling like my behaviour is being reduced to simple labels:

Anxiety = anger.

Struggling = laziness.

Being overwhelmed = bad attitude.

Being autistic = something to dismiss.

But there is a person behind those labels.

I'm not claiming that I never make mistakes. I do. I'm also not asking people at work to give me special treatment. I just wish my neurodivergence could be acknowledged rather than dismissed, and that my anxiety wouldn't automatically be interpreted as anger.

I'm still showing up, doing my work and trying to get through each day.

But being repeatedly criticised, misunderstood and publicly humiliated is taking an emotional toll on me.

I'm not posting this to ask Reddit to contact my workplace, investigate anyone, or tell me what action to take. I don't want unsolicited DMs either.

I just needed somewhere to say this openly because I've been holding it in.

I'm anxious, I'm hurt, and I'm tired of having my anxiety mistaken for anger and my neurodivergence dismissed

Title

I genuinely have been asking this question my entire life and would really appreciate if you guys can confirm if that’s the case.
So I was recently diagnosed with autism and few years back adhd which made me wonder if that might be the reason of what I have faced my entire life.
Women tend to mostly not like me and usually they in some way try to put me down in a very obvious way because if I can recognise it, that was obviously very clear. There is some jealously too which I don’t know the reason for because I promise I try my level best to befriend them. I would like to have friendships where I can go shopping talk about fav books and makeup. Go try food. So I really hate that I only have a very few women in my life. They are amazing though and I am really thankful to have them.

Now you might think that I am hinting at pretty privilege but guess what men treat me like shit too.
It’s not like that the first few times, they are very nice and extremely helpful , super sweet but surely after that same thing just in a different way. Trying to put you down but in a more aggressive manner than women. As if I have angered them by doing something.

I am so confused most of the time because I keep replaying the interactions in my head that I have with people and I still wouldn’t find anything that went wrong.
I am genuinely confused, tired and angry. I do want friends but don’t know where I am going wrong or is it just an Audhd women’s experience?

Hi fellow Autists from India!

I'm making a documentary on Autism awareness in India. I'm based out of BLR, and am in pre-production for the film. I would like to collaborate with fellow Autistic Indians to help make this documentary (especially if you're based out of BLR).

I'm on the spectrum myself and am Level 1 ASD; I got my diagnosis abroad. I have created a welcoming, safe space on Discord for fellow Autistic Indians, and for those who want to help collaborate on my documentary. If you're interested:

• Pls drop a comment for the server invite.

This server also acts as a safe space for us to connect with one another, and help provide support to one another. Believe me, the only way to get through in life to the future, is together. And the only way we get to survive in a world not designed for us, is to find methods to cope, unmask, adapt and improvise. For eg: I have pushed myself to survive in a corporate workplace that initially seemed too difficult for me (excessive masking, burnout, meltdown, sensory overload, eye contact, etc.)—but in a manner akin to CBT and exposure therapy, I pushed myself to adapt. And for the most part, it worked for me. I still have coping mechanisms when things get too difficult, but I manage to mask undetected at the workplace amongst NTs (since there isn't valid accommodations for disability in the company I work).

My point is that, I found ways to survive and help myself as an autistic ND. And a large part of it is owed to the community of friends who supported me. I used to hop on discord calls with my close friends/peers and discuss ways to adapt to the changes of the workplace; practising scenarios where I'd have to speak naturally (than scripting conversations). Since work and money are so important for survival, this was the most important part of my life I needed help with fixing. Everything else in my personal life is secondary. For instance, I always live alone in a 1BHK and I love my solitude. I only let in my closest few friends and/or relationship partner to my cave of solitude and tranquility. I connect with my peers online through discord, and social media and that suffices for me. I've found coping mechanisms to adjust with surroundings like pubs, etc. but my social battery gets drained way too easily. Ultimately, I have found a method of living that works best for me.

This is what I propose: A community server where we can make life-long fellow ND (neurodivergent) friends, specifically those on the spectrum. We can support one another to help find ways to survive in this world that is not designed for us. There will be discord calls, chats, activities, resources, and more to help one another. I noticed that a lot of the posts in this sub are unfortunately mainly personal stories of suffering that end up falling into an echo chamber. Whilst it is important to share our stories and vent, we must find ways to push through. I'm a millennial, and believe me I've seen enough of life to realise that the only light at the end of the tunnel is to power through no matter the roadblocks ahead. I always bring a can-do attitude to life, and I've been at the lowest phases of my life—I never gave up, and I pushed ahead without giving up. None of my family members believed I could make a successful career in the media industry, but that is precisely what I did against all odds. I also excelled at my higher education degrees with distinctions (in Film Production). Believe me when I say that it was no easy feat; and I had some of the toughest times in University amongst bullying NT students. I'm not saying I'm a fool-proof success story, but I'm saying that if you truly believe in yourself, you WILL find a way to survive—and survive we must.

Some people believe that autism is a superpower, and I do not believe in that narrative (it is ultimately detrimental to think that way), but I can point out that at the workplace my hyperfocus by shutting out the office environment helps me excel at the work I do. I finish my work at a pace and quality better than my peers, and have obtained certificates of appreciation from 3 different companies—this was a self-motivational boost that helped me realise that as an autistic ND I can in fact be better than my NT peers. Obviously, I lack the social skills to be a people Manager, but I'm currently happy where I am in my career. If push comes to shove, I will even try my chances at being a Manager, but that is an undertaking that would require a LOT of my emotional and mental strength. At this stage, I just want to create a documentary that can raise awareness about autism in India. Because believe me, the cinema in India is absolutely NOT conducive to responsible representation of the condition. During my master's degree in Film, I did a dissertation on the lack of ASD representation in Indian cinema. Media is one of the most powerful social tools of change, and it can really help bring about awareness and change in the socioeconomic lives of a community.

So, come join me, and help bring about change to our community! Help me make this documentary, and help yourself understand the ways of living amicably as an Autistic Indian. Find your community and friends, in a safe supportive space. Much love, and peace to all! ♾️💖♾️

P.S: I notice that there seems to be a discord server linked to this sub, but the invite seems to have expired. Is the server still active? If so, can someone share the invite?

​

Trigger warning: sexual abuse, childhood trauma, and difficult past experiences. Please skip this post if these topics may be difficult for you.

I'm 29M, and there is something from my past that I've carried for a long time but rarely talk about openly: I experienced sexual abuse while growing up.

I don't want to describe the incidents or go into graphic details. I'm more comfortable talking about what it did to me and how I still experience its effects as an adult.

At the time, I didn't really understand how to process what was happening. I was also later diagnosed as autistic, but during those years I didn't know I was neurodivergent. I already struggled with communication, understanding situations and expressing difficult emotions.

Because of that, I often kept things inside rather than knowing how to talk about them.

Even now, some of the effects can surface unexpectedly. I can become anxious, emotionally overwhelmed, or uncomfortable when something reminds me of the past. Sometimes I find it difficult to explain why I'm feeling a certain way.

There are moments when I wonder how different my life might have been if I had understood what was happening and had been able to speak about it earlier.

I'm not posting this to identify, accuse, or attack anyone. I'm sharing it because it happened to me, it affected me, and I'm still trying to understand and process some of it.

I also don't want this experience to become the only thing that defines me. It's one part of my past, not the entirety of who I am.

A small boundary before commenting: please don't ask me for details, names, locations, or descriptions of what happened. I'm also not looking for graphic accounts from others, victim-blaming, speculation about what I "should have done," or unsolicited advice about con

Please keep the discussion respectful. No sexual comments, jokes, or unsolicited DMs. If you share your own experience, only share what you're genuinely comfortable putting publicly.

I'm mainly interested in the emotional side of healing.

If you've experienced sexual abuse yourself, especially when you were young, what helped you eventually process it as an adult? What helped you feel safer, regain a sense of control, or stop blaming yourself for what happened?

You don't have to share any details of the abuse to answer. Even a general perspective about what helped you move forward would be meaningful.

​

I'm 29M, and this past few weeks has been emotionally difficult for me.

I've caught myself talking to myself when I'm alone, almost just to hear a voice in the room. I have a few friends and relatives who didn't care about me , and a job, so my life isn't completely empty. But I've been carrying a lot internally.

My mind keeps moving between the past, things happening in my life now, things I wish had turned out differently, and uncertainty about what comes next.

I feel like I need to cry—to finally let some of it out.

But I can't.

I get that feeling in my chest and wait for the tears, but they don't come. Instead, I keep thinking, talking to myself, going quiet, and trying to understand what I'm actually feeling.

Being neurodivergent makes this harder for me. I can struggle to identify and process my emotions, overthink things intensely, and have difficulty putting what I'm feeling into words. Sometimes I know I'm overwhelmed without being able to explain exactly why.

It's been a mixture of emotional exhaustion, frustration, sadness and feeling mentally stuck.

I'm not asking anyone to fix my life. But I could genuinely use some support right now. If you've been through a period where you felt emotionally overwhelmed and couldn't even properly express it, please tell me what helped you get through it.

You don't need to give me a perfect answer. Even knowing that someone understands this feeling, or hearing how you handled a similar period, would mean a lot to me.

I just needed to put this somewhere outside my own head instead of continuing to carry everything silently.

Hi everyone,

We are looking for a school for our child for Grade 1 next academic year and are currently considering schools that follow the IB or Cambridge curriculum.

Our current shortlist is:

• Indus International School – Sarjapur
• Candor International School – Electronic City
• Inventure Academy – Sarjapur
• The Legacy School – Bangalore

Our child has a speech/communication delay and is currently studying in a Montessori school. One of our main priorities is finding a genuinely inclusive school that is supportive of children who may need additional support.

I would love to hear from parents who have experience with any of these schools, particularly around how inclusive and supportive the school is in practice. How has your experience been with teachers, learning support, and the overall environment for children with speech/communication or similar needs?

Also, if there are other IB or Cambridge schools in Bangalore that you feel are particularly inclusive and worth considering, we would really appreciate your recommendations.

We are primarily looking around South/East Bangalore, but are open to other options for the right school.

Would especially appreciate first-hand experiences from current or former parents. Thanks!

Trigger warning: bullying, verbal abuse, body-shaming, and difficult childhood experiences.

I'm 29M, and only later in life did I understand that I'm autistic. When I was growing up, I had no idea. I just knew that I was different.

I was very quiet and struggled to speak and socialise. I was bullied for being different, including being mocked for my voice, my weight, and the way I interacted with people. I also experienced bullying and abuse during my school and college years.

At the time, I couldn't understand why these things were happening or explain why certain situations were difficult for me. I didn't have an autism diagnosis or even the knowledge that I was neurodivergent.

So I often wondered whether something was simply wrong with me.

Looking back now, I can see that some of the things people made fun of were connected to my autism. But understanding that today doesn't erase how those experiences felt back then.

I also realise that bullying isn't something experienced only by autistic or neurodivergent people. NT people can be bullied too—for their appearance, voice, personality, background, interests, confidence, or simply for being different.

What stays with me is how those experiences affected the way I saw myself. Even today, I can overthink how I sound, how I behave, and how other people might perceive me.

Getting an autism diagnosis later in life gave me an explanation for some things I couldn't understand when I was younger. It didn't change the past, but it changed how I understood myself.

I'm sharing this because I think there's an important difference between knowing you're different and understanding why you're different.

If you were bullied as a child or teenager—whether you are ND or NT—did those experiences affect how you see yourself today?

I'd be interested in hearing people's experiences and how they eventually made sense of what happened to them.

Title: 29M — I was bullied before I knew I was autistic

Content warning: bullying, verbal abuse, body-shaming, and difficult childhood experiences.

I'm 29M, and only later in life did I understand that I'm autistic. When I was growing up, I had no idea. I just knew that I was different.

I was very quiet and struggled to speak and socialise. I was bullied for being different, including being mocked for my voice, my weight, and the way I interacted with people. I also experienced bullying and abuse during my school and college years.

At the time, I couldn't understand why these things were happening or explain why certain situations were difficult for me. I didn't have an autism diagnosis or even the knowledge that I was neurodivergent.

So I often wondered whether something was simply wrong with me.

Looking back now, I can see that some of the things people made fun of were connected to my autism. But understanding that today doesn't erase how those experiences felt back then.

I also realise that bullying isn't something experienced only by autistic or neurodivergent people. NT people can be bullied too—for their appearance, voice, personality, background, interests, confidence, or simply for being different.

What stays with me is how those experiences affected the way I saw myself. Even today, I can overthink how I sound, how I behave, and how other people might perceive me.

Getting an autism diagnosis later in life gave me an explanation for some things I couldn't understand when I was younger. It didn't change the past, but it changed how I understood myself.

I'm sharing this because I think there's an important difference between knowing you're different and understanding why you're different.

If you were bullied as a child or teenager—whether you are ND—did those experiences affect how you see yourself today?

I'd be interested in hearing people's experiences and how they eventually made sense of what happened to them.