Advice for (or general chatting with) other autistic graduate students?

[phantomlime]

Hi everyone, I am entering my first year of my Sociology PhD and would really like to chat with some other autistic grad students, especially if anyone has some general advice. I am obviously really passionate about my studies and work, and at my orientation yesterday I fear I came across as bragging or embarrassingly enthusiastic. I try to make sure I am obviously interested in what others are doing too, but I just struggle to hold those conversations and I have a bad tendency to info-dump when people show some slight interest in my topic (not in a way that sounds like I'm teaching about it, very much in an "isn't this just so cool??" sort of way). 

 

Anyway, I'm definitely having a hard time balancing my real want develop relationships with the other people in the department (grad students and faculty) and just the struggles of masking long-term in these environments. I was doing good towards the start of the day, but by the second half of the nine hours of constant socializing orientation I really felt like I could not contain my excitement anymore, and my reactions to things were less well managed than I would've liked. Very embarrassing, but I'm hoping they sort of write off my first-day behavior as because it's a lot of information, some last minute issues were noticed then, and I met a ton of new people. 

Unfortunately, my Uni doesn't seem to have an autism support group, which is surprising me. I'm sure there are others in my position, so I would really like to talk and hear your experiences. I'm hoping I just come across as a quirky, excited, and passionate, but I'm afraid it comes across as immature, naive, and posturing. I'm the youngest in my cohort (not dramatically, but I've had a really... focused education so very different/limited life experiences compared to the others in my cohort) and I'm pretty chatty. Trying to change the things I am worried about feels genuinely impossible. I've been trying my entire life to manage this info-dumping or bad conversational turn-taking and right now it doesn't seem feasible. Being here has been my goal since I was a senior in high school. I am over the moon and genuinely cannot contain my excitement. I really want to be a quiet person, but I'm just starting to accept that that's not me. 

 

I don't think it's worth it to file for accommodations (personally) at the graduate level. That said, I could really use tips for getting through these next few years. I have definitely developed some skills throughout undergrad, but of course the dynamic between students and faculty are different at the graduate level, and that's what I am more worried about. Finding the balance between friendly/competent/likeable and pushy/posturing/obnoxious. 

And, I'm not great at noticing when a short break could prevent overstimulation, it pretty quickly goes from "oh this is uncomfortable" to "Oh I cannot get myself to act and behave and think in the ways I want to because I am so overstimulated" so any tips in that realm would be helpful too.

 

Thanks in advance! I'd love to hear your experiences as an autistic graduate student!