For someone who's just been diagnosed with ASD, what would you say are the three biggest tools that you have in your toolbox to manage your overwhelm and for times when you're feeling particularly stressed and burnt out?

For me, I always make sure that I've got things on hand that I need.

I always make sure that my headphones are charged and I have a little bag that has everything.

I get very overwhelmed when my lips are dry, so I always have Vaseline everywhere.

So having things on hand.

Two, having the knowledge that you might not understand, you might not have all of the answers and that's okay.

You don't need to fully understand what is happening to you for you to try and implement things to help.

shocked,

A big thank you to Brown Advisory for supporting my mission and helping people to thrive in an ever-changing world.How do you find holding down friendships? I mean, do you find it a struggle to sort of sustain? Because I know, you know, with ASD, that can be a challenge, and with the masking and things and, and communication skills that, you know, you can't necessarily always read people's emotions as maybe, say, someone without autism can.

Yeah.

Friendships are really tricky for me.

I have long-term friends, and I've also made friends in adulthood, but I think I always watch other people make friends with ease and just think, "How are they doing that? What am I doing wrong?" You know? I watch friendships blossom between people who I met at the same time and we're in the same environment, but they're getting closer, and I'm thinking, "What have I done wrong? Is there something about me that, you know, is making them think that they couldn't form that friendship with me?" And I really struggle with intimacy, and not just physical intimacy, but emotional, and relating and connecting with people and understanding how to talk to them and be close to them in a way that a friendship demands.

'Cause it's not just about going out and socializing, it's also about having those deep conversations and everything that comes with that.

And I think I have struggled to feel like there's something flawed about me, and I think it puts a boundary up in making new friendships because I've had so many things go wrong in the past or lost friendships or actually had people who I thought were my friends say things to me like, "You're really difficult to read," or misunderstand my communication and take it as me being confrontational or simply people just not wanting to give me the time to understand how my brain works and the things that I need, and therefore we can't be friends because they don't wanna know about my disability, and that is really difficult.

And it gets lonely, because I'm 26.

Have you spoken to young parents with autism?