Parasympathetic activation (breathing exercise)

Parasympathetic activation (breathing exercise)

To prevent an emotional collapse (meltdown):

1. Breathe in deeply, then breathe out quickly 9 times.

2. Pause to relax.

3. Repeat the rapid exhalation 15 times, then relax again.

4. Finally, perform 20 rapid exhalations.

This controlled hyperventilation immediately relieves stress in the autonomic nervous system. After the exercise, remain seated, still, for 60 seconds.

Dr K's observation on identifying autism

‘If you find it so difficult to accomplish tasks that seem so simple to others, it is worth asking whether you might be on the autism spectrum.’

I believe many other important questions remain to be explored. The medical profession, psychologists and psychiatrists still have too little information and, above all, do not live the AS experience. That is not the case for me: I am AS and I contribute as a reference figure.

— JP

Prosopagnosia refers to a disorder of facial recognition. This term, coined in 1947 by the German physician Joachim Bodamer, is based on two Greek roots meaning ‘face’ and ‘not knowing’: although the name is recent, difficulties in identifying a face had already been documented previously.

‘If you do not see the face, you do not see the heart.’

For the AS person, perceiving a face and deciphering an expression requires a considerable expenditure of energy. It is not an inability: very often, the AS person chooses to limit this effort to preserve their energy for other activities.