Everyone can experience impulsive behavior from time to time. But for autistic people, impulse control is something that can be quite a struggle. It can range from cute to troublesome and if not managed properly can have many consequences in many forms without being able to control it on their own.

Many of the things that I experienced over my life are the fact that I have struggled with interruption conversations or talking out of turn. In the past I have experienced angry outbursts and have struggled with being easily distracted or having difficulty paying attention. One of the big things for me was remembering and following directions, especially if they were given to me verbally. I can remember my dad giving me three things to do and I can only remember doing one of them. Additionally, I also have struggled with blurting out the answer when it before being asked or the thought is finished by the other person.

As adulthood and more independence is obtained, there can be a struggle with understanding what is a need versus what is a want. It is often the case that the brain cannot hold itself back from what the person has their mind set on doing. This can be consequential in nature by not having the things that are necessary for an autistic person to function independently should they need to do so.

It isn’t always a bad thing to have your impulses drive your behaviors, but in certain situations, teachers, bosses, parents, or other individuals will need to try to curb the impulsive behavior, since impulsive behaviors can often be disruptive or otherwise problematic. This may cause further issues, because an autistic person who has had their impulses thwarted could end up having a meltdown or shutdown in response.

Autistic individuals are known for their ability to hyper-focus on an object or activity. Their passionate affinity for very specific things often leads them to prioritize that thing over whatever else may be going on in their lives, and the right trigger could very well cause them to forget everything else in an instant. A new stimulus arrives on the scene, and suddenly, nothing else exists.

There have been many things that have happened in my life because of my impulsivity. Sometimes, there come to the point where I realize that I have indeed made the mistake of what I have done and then I feel the remorse or the effect of the decision that I have made. Many of my mistakes have been able to be corrected or rectified, but it is always important to realize that there are times when that may not always be an option to have.

Living independently has taught me that there is a necessity of understanding what a need is and what is a want and how much something is really needed or is just things that I was hyper-focused on that just random must have thing where consequences can eventually happen. I have sometimes had to learn the hard way when there are things that cannot be reversed or rectified.

Moving forward, I realized that I needed to be more mindful of the decisions that I make and adhering to the skills necessary to function in society. This will help me continue to mold into more of adult that able to thrive in my own personal world without being in constant worry about doing something wrong or causing strive among other individuals.