The seven most frequently searched terms related to Autism
Happy Holidays!
As 2022 is nearing an end, I look back over the year and see what people have been searching and wanting to learn about in relation to ADHD and Autism.
I shared a list of the top 6 ADHD searches in October for ADHD Awareness Month, and now I give you the 7 most frequently searched terms related to Autism for 2022.
7) Dysgraphia
Why you or your child might hate handwriting and printing
Weakness in fine motor skills is an extremely common difficulty amongst those of us who are Autistic and/or have ADHD.
It is estimated that more than 60% of ADHD and Autistic people have dysgraphia, a disorder of written expression; and over 90% of us have weaknesses in our fine motor skills.
6) Dyspraxia
Developmental coordination disorder (DCD), also called dyspraxia, affects one’s ability to balance and coordinate movements.
Dyspraxia is very common in Autistics and people with ADHD.
5) Alexithymia
Autistic people are not emotionless robots: untangling and explaining alexithymia.
Alexithymia is a term used to describe difficulty feeling, identifying, or recognizing emotions.
This pathologization has been used to stereotype Autistic people as “unfeeling”, lacking in emotions, and unable to read the emotions of others.
This is a gross oversimplification which is harmful to many Autistic people.
4) Unmasking Autism
I have quite a few stories related to masking and unmasking, so I’ll just share the 2022 articles here.
Autistic Mirroring, Masking, & “Unstable Personality”
Mirroring is when a person mimics the body language, verbal habits, or attitudes of someone else, either intentionally or unconsciously.
Professionalism Is Performative
Why I let my neurodivergent quirks loose when I’m working with clients
And more:
Below is an entire series of stories about unmasking ADHD and Autism
3) Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA)
Is the PDA Autism profile helpful, or does it further pathologize Autistics?
PDA stands for Pathological Demand Avoidance, whereas RDA stands for Rational Demand Avoidance. I’ll explain what each means and why one approach may be more beneficial and accurate than the other.
2) Dyscalculia
A brief overview of a learning disability related to mathematics and numbers
1) RAADS Autism Test
RAADS stands for the Ritvo Autism Asperger Diagnostic Scale-Revised. I don’t have an article specifically about the RAADS, and I don’t use the term asperger, but I do have a couple related articles.
How to know if you’re Autistic
Those who are looking up the RAADS test are really just wondering “am I Autistic?” and “How do I know if I’m Autistic?” The story below is about my personal experiences and is intended for informational purposes only.
Also, having some autistic traits does not necessarily mean a person is autistic. Autistic traits are human traits, they just tend to be amplified or significantly different due to our markedly different neurology.
My Lightbulb Moments
Realizations I put together to conclude I am Autistic as well as ADHD
Things that made me go, “Oh, duh! I’m Autistic!”
Autistic traits that were missed for nearly 40 years of my life.
Also, I took the RAADS-R test online just for fun.
When you join medium, as a member you’ll have access to unlimited reads for only $5 per month. If you use my referral link, I’ll earn a small commission, and you’ll earn my undying gratitude.
If you’d prefer give a one-time tip, you can support my writing on Ko-Fi — also, it’s free to follow me on Facebook!
Related Stories
The Most-Searched ADHD Topics in 2022