Sometimes, NT behavior can be really dangerous for ND people! I was told to use an inhaler for my lungs. "Exhale, inhale deeply, hold your breath for 10 seconds, exhale, and rinse your throat." After falling to the floor twice from losing consciousness, I contacted my doctor. He told me that "we say 10s, because then people hold their breath for 7, which is enough. But, knowing you, you hold it for 10, which may lead to fainting. So, hold your breath for 7 s". Great... @actuallyautistic

@cvwillegen @actuallyautistic Another medical scenario where NT culture collapses under the weight of its recursive nest of expected deceptions is those ubiquitous 1-to-10 smiley-face pain scales. Most NTs will start frowning at “discomfort (2)” (not "intense (6)") and many autistics will smile and mask until “intense” (and then go flat-faced again at "excruciating (9)"), so the smiles don't match the numbers or the experiences. I guess we’re all supposed to realize it’s just a metaphor and everyone's just meant to guess the correct level... except in that case, what’s the point of the pictures at all? 😠

@neuralex @cvwillegen @actuallyautistic For the longest time I did not find the pain scale illustration very helpful, but I then reevaluated my pain and how I discount pain (a lot from my upbringing perhaps, though it might be autism too.) I'm currently being treated for severe lower back pain which I had all my life, but endured as well as managed with NSAIDs until they told me they were bad for me & my heart. /1