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Autism

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AGF

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I would hazard a guess, given the size of this community that I’m not the only one with ASD - in my case I’m at the high functioning Aspergers end of the spectrum and have a number of problematic traits (I shan’t list then all because frankly most aren’t relevant to my point) but I and many others struggle in certain environments and trains especially at peak times can be overwhelming. Obviously I avoid travelling at peak timeline if I can, but what more do you think train companies can do to support people with hidden disabilities such as autism?

Also if there are others with ASD on here, I’d like to hear your experiences.
 
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STEVIEBOY1

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A friend of mine has a son with Autism, he has to go to collage then work by bus and train, it is fine when evrything runs ok, but if there are problems, delays, cancellations etc ., can have problems. On the whole though he seems to cope fairly well, to get to his work place, he has to get 3 buses and manages that ok. I do think employers and travel trainers should be made more aware of Autism etc.,
 

AGF

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A friend of mine has a son with Autism, he has to go to collage then work by bus and train, it is fine when evrything runs ok, but if there are problems, delays, cancellations etc ., can have problems. On the whole though he seems to cope fairly well, to get to his work place, he has to get 3 buses and manages that ok. I do think employers and travel trainers should be made more aware of Autism etc.,

I agree, I think awareness is key. Some have introduced lanyards which are supposed to identify people with hidden disabilities but I think it draws more attention to that person which in many cases isn’t what they want.
 

Islineclear3_1

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I think my biggest struggle in relation to this is when I've made plans and the train gets cancelled at the last minute and messes everything up. I don't adjust to change very easily in that type of scenario and I get really annoyed as I am inconvenienced. In that moment, I don't want to imagine that there might be good reason for the cancellation.

But I don't know if that is specifically an ASD trait or just a normal reaction
 

Peregrine 4903

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I have ASD and I'm really strange. I love travelling on overcrowded trains as I like seeing the fact that the trains are really well used. It also means, particularly when travelling on the tube I don't have to look at people opposite me or see them looking at me which is what I find really stressful. I still love travelling by train and tube full stop.

Personally I think the one thing to remember with ASD and Autism is that everyone on the spectrum, like everyone else is completely different and what may work for one person won't work for another and what one person may find really difficult another wont.

An example is, there is a apparently a stereotype where people with ASD are really organised, but I was shocked when I first heard this as I was extremely disorganised. I am working on becoming more organised.

I also concur with what a previous poster said that I also get stressed when there are delays to train services, but I've practiced at dealing with the stress and I now say I can manage the stress, but that was only after years of support from my parents and me deciding I had to sort this problem out if I wanted to be able to travel independently everywhere as I do now.
 

route101

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I do get stressed if theres a delay or busy service and get cant a seat .
Im not too social when out , prefer to be left alone but i wont be rude.
Dp notice traits and phyiscal characteristics in others though , i find it fascinating.
 

AGF

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It is a trait of ASD - change of routine or plans without notice or expecting it can cause a lot of people with ASD distress, so you are not alone on that one. I could waffle a lot more on traits, but I don’t want to bore you, but if I can be of more assistance, drop me a message :)
 

AGF

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Personally I think the one thing to remember with ASD and Autism is that everyone on the spectrum, like everyone else is completely different and what may work for one person won't work for another and what one person may find really difficult another wont.

This is a really valid point, maybe using technology so as guards/ station staff can be made available in advance of struggles may be useful - some kind of app or something, that way assistance is tailored to the individual
 

AGF

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I do get stressed if theres a delay or busy service and get cant a seat .
Im not too social when out , prefer to be left alone but i wont be rude.
Dp notice traits and phyiscal characteristics in others though , i find it fascinating.

I’m much the same on all of this :)
 

gimmea50anyday

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Having 2 kids with dyspraxia I have been advised I show the symptoms off dyspraxia too. It explains poor muscle strength that quickly fatigues, hand and wrist pain when writing with a touch of dyslexia to boot, poor fine motor co-ordination (so on a PlayStation I’m a bit of a button masher and can’t do complicated button sequences, along with poor handwriting quality) hasn’t prevented me from being a train manager, however I will never make the driver grade unfortunately. I’ll just have to make do with Train Sim 2020 on my PS4...
 

jb108822

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I was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome in December 2003 when I was 11 (I'm now 27). Changes to routine can be tricky for me to cope with, especially right now with Coronavirus changing everything almost daily. In terms of travelling on trains, I'm not usually too bothered about how busy they are, so long as I can get a seat as much as possible. Weirdly, I'm fine with the Tube being busy, but that may be because I know it can often be like that. When travelling with Avanti (still feels weird typing that), I book first class, as I just find that to be a nicer environment to be in. Plus the free alcohol's a bonus. :P Since getting some noise-cancelling headphones last year, going out and about has been MUCH nicer - nowhere near as much traffic noise. My hand-eye co-ordination has never been great. I can often find social situations overwhelming when there are loads of conversations taking place and I don't know which one I should follow more closely. I can deal with train delays, but it's much harder to do so if I've got multiple connections to make. I've recently obtained one of these 'sunflower lanyards', which could be useful if things do go wrong and I need help. Main reason I got one is because I may be flying on my own for the first time later this year, and just thought it could possibly make things easier for me.
 

STEVIEBOY1

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Having 2 kids with dyspraxia I have been advised I show the symptoms off dyspraxia too. It explains poor muscle strength that quickly fatigues, hand and wrist pain when writing with a touch of dyslexia to boot, poor fine motor co-ordination (so on a PlayStation I’m a bit of a button masher and can’t do complicated button sequences, along with poor handwriting quality) hasn’t prevented me from being a train manager, however I will never make the driver grade unfortunately. I’ll just have to make do with Train Sim 2020 on my PS4...

Congratulations on becoming a train manager, do you enjoy the work? I think a friend of mine had dyspraxia, he has problems using scissors for example, but like you he did well workwise, being in the travel/rail industry and is also very knowledgeable about politics and buses/bus routes new and old. My handwriting has always been poor, I was examined once when I first went to secondary school in the early 1970s and they said that I did not have good hand to eye co-ordination.
 
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STEVIEBOY1

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I was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome in December 2003 when I was 11 (I'm now 27). Changes to routine can be tricky for me to cope with, especially right now with Coronavirus changing everything almost daily. In terms of travelling on trains, I'm not usually too bothered about how busy they are, so long as I can get a seat as much as possible. Weirdly, I'm fine with the Tube being busy, but that may be because I know it can often be like that. When travelling with Avanti (still feels weird typing that), I book first class, as I just find that to be a nicer environment to be in. Plus the free alcohol's a bonus. :P Since getting some noise-cancelling headphones last year, going out and about has been MUCH nicer - nowhere near as much traffic noise. My hand-eye co-ordination has never been great. I can often find social situations overwhelming when there are loads of conversations taking place and I don't know which one I should follow more closely. I can deal with train delays, but it's much harder to do so if I've got multiple connections to make. I've recently obtained one of these 'sunflower lanyards', which could be useful if things do go wrong and I need help. Main reason I got one is because I may be flying on my own for the first time later this year, and just thought it could possibly make things easier for me.


If you do fly later this year, when things get back to normal, which I do hope will be sooner rather than later, you should let the airline know that it is your first time flying and if you have any anxieties, they can be very helpful.
 

yorkie

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Congratulations on becoming a train manager, do you enjoy the work? .
If I may answer on his behalf, as a passenger on his trains on several occasions, it shines through that he enjoys his job, and he is brilliant at it because he makes sure passengers are well well-informed and looked after and are given connection information that is second only to the legendary Kevin Kramer.
 

gimmea50anyday

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If I may answer on his behalf, as a passenger on his trains on several occasions, it shines through that he enjoys his job, and he is brilliant at it because he makes sure passengers are well well-informed and looked after and are given connection information that is second only to the legendary Kevin Kramer.

Thanks for the nod. That’s good to know. (I do my best ;) )

I’m on all the stations too, Teesside Airport. Geoff and Vicky were on my train between Newcastle and Darlington
 
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jb108822

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If you do fly later this year, when things get back to normal, which I do hope will be sooner rather than later, you should let the airline know that it is your first time flying and if you have any anxieties, they can be very helpful.
I'll certainly try to remember that when I do get around to booking flights. I actually started looking at flights a few minutes ago now easyJet have released their winter schedule, though I'm not booking anything yet until I know what's going on and I've sorted one or two things out with work.
 

PaulMc7

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I'm 25 with Aspergers and I've had it for as long as I remember. Growing up was very difficult because nobody in school was mature enough to understand why I had a support helper constantly so it lead to bullying a lot of the time. Had a lot of mental health problems due to not being able to control it too but certainly in the last 2/3 years I've got on top of it well
 

AGF

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I'm 25 with Aspergers and I've had it for as long as I remember. Growing up was very difficult because nobody in school was mature enough to understand why I had a support helper constantly so it lead to bullying a lot of the time. Had a lot of mental health problems due to not being able to control it too but certainly in the last 2/3 years I've got on top of it well

Really glad you are moving forward with it :)
 

STEVIEBOY1

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If I may answer on his behalf, as a passenger on his trains on several occasions, it shines through that he enjoys his job, and he is brilliant at it because he makes sure passengers are well well-informed and looked after and are given connection information that is second only to the legendary Kevin Kramer.
That is good to hear.
 

STEVIEBOY1

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Thanks for the nod. That’s good to know. (I do my best ;) )

I’m on all the stations too, Teesside Airport. Geoff and Vicky were on my train between Newcastle and Darlington

Do many trains stop now at Teesside Airport, ? I did hear not so long ago that they wanted to expand air & rail services in that area, hopefully later when things are hopefully back to normal, that may happen.
 

mikeg

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You're certainly not the only one here, there's me as well :D

As for what the railways can do, I'm not awfully sure but that's because it's one of my interests and therefore I don't find much distressing.
Crowded trains can be stressful, crowded stations such as Leeds or New Street moreso but I've learnt to manage. Perhaps less sensory stimulus? e.g. unnecessary and repetitive announcements could be cut out? To be honest there's other environments which are far worse, those who know me from forum meets/meals will know I often have to leave slightly early not because I don't enjoy them but because after a while the interaction becomes a little too much to cope with. Like @PaulMc7 I had support throughout school, most of it 1:1 though bullying was mostly in primary school, when I had no to little support as opposed to secondary school.
 

alxndr

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I am not diagnosed, but many people have suspected it of me, including myself.

I don’t generally find trains an issue, although I’ve learned to stick to vestibules if they’re crowded and find I particularly struggle if there’s strong smelling food/perfume along with crowds. Part of that I think comes from knowing exactly how it all operates, being able to check up on how the journey/connections are going at any point (assuming there is mobile internet available), and being able to switch to curiosity mode if there are issues.

Busses on the other hand are my nemesis. They’re unpredictable, they can veer off course, they all operate slightly differently and are often loud. Knowing I would have to catch busses when visiting a friend in Glasgow lead to many nights on the First website, asking them multiple questions, and still ending up walking instead on occasion. It was a small victory when I caught a bus in my home town.

I would like to see more comprehensive information gathered in one place. A modern day version of the Railway Travellers Handy Guide. I’d especially like it if there was consistency between bus operators!
 

PaulMc7

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I am not diagnosed, but many people have suspected it of me, including myself.

I don’t generally find trains an issue, although I’ve learned to stick to vestibules if they’re crowded and find I particularly struggle if there’s strong smelling food/perfume along with crowds. Part of that I think comes from knowing exactly how it all operates, being able to check up on how the journey/connections are going at any point (assuming there is mobile internet available), and being able to switch to curiosity mode if there are issues.

Busses on the other hand are my nemesis. They’re unpredictable, they can veer off course, they all operate slightly differently and are often loud. Knowing I would have to catch busses when visiting a friend in Glasgow lead to many nights on the First website, asking them multiple questions, and still ending up walking instead on occasion. It was a small victory when I caught a bus in my home town.

I would like to see more comprehensive information gathered in one place. A modern day version of the Railway Travellers Handy Guide. I’d especially like it if there was consistency between bus operators!

I live in Glasgow and I agree with what you say about our buses. Most of them are usually late and a nightmare for anxiety. Like most other cities they run only for profit so end up overcrowded due to years of constant cuts and no regard for doing everything to stick to a schedule. A lot of the newer buses are fairly quiet in noise but all mostly on really busy routes so the noise from the bus being reduced is cancelled out by the noise and close proximity of people.
 

gimmea50anyday

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Easy solution, wear headphones. Get some noise cancelling or the larger “cans” as opposed to the in ear type. Soothing calming music such as the stuff they play on smooth or classic FM, or the soundtracks for LOTR or TES Skyrim. Or of course you favourite band or singer (Linkin Park, Jamiroquai or Dina Carrol in my case)

I find the above helps me sleep much better but the wife doesn’t like anything on so I have to go without
 

PaulMc7

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I'm someone who was diagnosed with Autism very early into my life and I've been thinking about the many ways it can affect my day to day life. I have also been trying to learn more about how it can affect others so if anyone is Autistic or knows anyone who is, I'd love to read how it affects others. Only share if you feel comfortable enough to, of course.

For me, the main thing is that I need everything to be organised or I become incredibly anxious. I eventually got comfortable with things changing last minute in my previous jobs but in general life, I need to have a routine in order constantly. I'm also incredibly picky with layouts on websites, spreadsheets and word documents.

Another thing is that I have such bad anxiety with telephone calls that I deliberately ignore them and text or email back depending on which is appropriate. I can occasionally deal with one or two calls a day but I find that more can cause major anxiety and even panic on occasion.

Another thing is that I sometimes miss words or punctuation completely in sentences and have to go back and read what I have typed or written in order to fix it. I was lucky that my college lecturers and school teachers were incredibly understanding of this and in the end, I got 2 good qualifications from college in a 3 year period. Illness was the only reason I never went to university in the end and it's a shame as I had big interests in studying Business or Economics.
 

Northumbriana

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I struggle to use trains now. If I reserve a seat and someone is in it I struggle to make myself ask them to leave. And if the train is overcrowded I feel trapped. Trains just aren't for me.
 

route101

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I'm someone who was diagnosed with Autism very early into my life and I've been thinking about the many ways it can affect my day to day life. I have also been trying to learn more about how it can affect others so if anyone is Autistic or knows anyone who is, I'd love to read how it affects others. Only share if you feel comfortable enough to, of course.

For me, the main thing is that I need everything to be organised or I become incredibly anxious. I eventually got comfortable with things changing last minute in my previous jobs but in general life, I need to have a routine in order constantly. I'm also incredibly picky with layouts on websites, spreadsheets and word documents.

Another thing is that I have such bad anxiety with telephone calls that I deliberately ignore them and text or email back depending on which is appropriate. I can occasionally deal with one or two calls a day but I find that more can cause major anxiety and even panic on occasion.

Another thing is that I sometimes miss words or punctuation completely in sentences and have to go back and read what I have typed or written in order to fix it. I was lucky that my college lecturers and school teachers were incredibly understanding of this and in the end, I got 2 good qualifications from college in a 3 year period. Illness was the only reason I never went to university in the end and it's a shame as I had big interests in studying Business or Economics.
I am quite bad with phone calls and messaging certain people like bosses back. I often leave it a while.
 

pokemonsuper9

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I am quite bad with phone calls and messaging certain people like bosses back. I often leave it a while.
I find similar, I haven't done a phone call (or any other form of audio two way communication) for a long time, no exceptions.
The people from my High School I kept contact with haven't heard my voice for a year now despite being in decent contact for that time.

I find properly wording "important" messages to be more important than it probably is, and if I dwell on sending something too long I can be less likely to send it and dislike it more (which often happens here)

I also seem to reword things if I can and if it's easy to, which I have already done four times to this post since posting it.
 

Purple Train

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I find properly wording "important" messages to be more important than it probably is, and if I dwell on sending something too long I can be less likely to send it and dislike it more (which often happens here)

I also seem to reword things if I can and if it's easy to, which I have already done four times to this post since posting it.
I do that as well. And usually it remains badly worded.
 
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