Another common thing I hear from my parents is "you made that up" whenever I talk about memories I have from childhood. It's like if they don't remember what I'm talking about, I must be lying about it. Autistic people have an excess of brain cells/ brain matter as infants and young children that gradually decreases to normal levels as we age, so it wouldn't surprise me if we remember more about our childhood than most neurotypical people do, bc there's more material to process the information with. My memory is still very good and reliable, and I remember tiny things about people close to me that I sometimes mention later, which often surprises them. El and I remember tiny things about each other, and refer to the phenomenon as "autism brain." And my parents know my memory is very good and that I'm an honest person, but for some reason whenever a highly specific memory pops into my head and they don't remember it, it must not have happened. They tend to view my experiences as an autistic person as hyperbolic, because of how sensitive I am, not considering that I'm describing my experiences as objectively as possible. Even when I understate things I've experienced, they tell me I'm making things up. With sensory issues especially, a common refrain is "seriously? It's not that loud/bright/itchy." I don't understand why I'm supposed to believe their neurotypical experience of the world and accept it as my personal truth, when they refuse to believe my experiences. I don't ask them to accept my experiences as /their/ personal truth, except in the case of memories that are so clear they're undeniable, so it frustrates me that they feel the need to invalidate my perceptions and try to replace them with their own. ~Eden🐢
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