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Originally Posted by saranity92
I am a 36 yo woman who recently realized I most likely have high-functioning autism. The realization was like a light bulb for me, so many things about my childhood suddenly make sense like my many weird obsessions and my need to feel yarn under my fingernails to relax (I do this every single day and have since childhood.) I could list 20 more things but won't bore everyone.
I guess I'm looking for resources to help me manage some issues related to this. For example, one problem I have is that I sometimes copy the way people around me talk. Usually someone close to me that I spend a lot of time with. Not just an accent or phrase but the emphasis they put on syllables, the way they word things. It was pointed out to me a long time ago and I've been self-concious of it, but sometimes just can't help myself. That persons voice seems to become my inner voice.
I am working on my teaching license and I'm worried because my mentor teachers voice seems to get stuck in my head. I worry I will start talking like him and people will think I'm creepy! It seems like a dumb thing to worry about on top of everything else in my life....but I'm very curious if anyone else ever had this problem?
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Ohhhh yes, I've had that problem, too. Ha! I am a high-functioning autistic (née Asperger's) woman as well. Autism is quite different in women and men (were you aware of this?). Girls and women tend to mimic the behaviors of the people around them, which is why there has always been a deficit in females being diagnosed with autism: we learn from an early age to fake it, to fit in, to imitate and camouflage, hence we fly under the diagnostic radar. Boys and men tend not to mimic, so it's easy to spot autism in them.
If you really are autistic, you're always going to have social problems. You're always going to be an actress whenever you're around people. For me, being around more than one person is difficult, and when in situations where there are three or more people, I tend to become really quiet, awkward, and "weird" because I can't handle the overstimulation, I can't play-act with that many people, so I just shut down. But a lot of autistic people do learn to overcome this problem and are able to be "normal" (but then breathe a huge sigh of relief when they are alone again!).
As for advice for you, I'd say practice speaking when you're alone. Practice talking "normally" (i.e. not like your teachers). Maybe even pick someone else to imitate, like a friend or sibling or someone. Having something/someone to focus on in your mind might help you re-direct your attention and impulse-to-mimic away from your teacher. Train your brain.