Who are your favorite people to be around?

The ones with any form of off, disconnect or power button. 📺

Of course, I’m going to talk about it because that is what I do.

FUCK. It’s Tuesday.

Social interactions can pose challenges for individuals on the spectrum.

I cannot attest to the number of people that have called me weird or walked away from a friendship with me due to misunderstanding or misinformation.

Developing and sustaining friendships can be overwhelming and frustrating, leading to fear, confusion, and anxiety, especially among individuals with autism.

Check out these factually proven reasons as to why I was diagnosed with autism. Honestly, the signs have always been there, but they were misconstrued as a disciplinary case instead of a mental disorder.

Please remember that back in the 80s there was very little research into adhd or autism. Specifically pertaining to females who do not display a physical disability as well. Yet, I can honestly say my social abilities are that of a teenager. It isn’t that I stopped maturing then. I was born with a silent disability. My superpower was figuring out how to become a functional human being with very little needed assistance.

Here’s a list is why I don’t and haven’t peopled well since 1982.

10 REASONS FOR SOCIAL AVOIDANCE ON THE SPECTRUM

1. Difficulty navigating conversations and initiating dialogue due to anxiety and uncertainty about engagement levels. Most of the time I just feel really stupid and undereducated.
2. Struggle to interpret body language and differentiate between genuine and fake friendships. SOCIETY IS RUDE. Do yall need another round of Covid time out to think about your shitty attitudes?
3. Increased anxiety in social settings due to expectations and self-consciousness. ✅There are no expressive words that I can weave together to make enough of an impact for any soul who doesn’t already go through it- to understand. Yet, I still thought it was normal while in a corner balled up crying on a mattress in the corner of a dark room because I couldn’t understand my parents love. It’s no wonder 💡)
4. Difficulty coping with changes in routine and rigid thinking patterns. Couple this one with the chronic airheaded nature of ADHD. Trust me, I get seizures from the fun.
5. Lack of confidence in social abilities and negative self-perceptions. You know how we are all our worst critic right? Well Jesus be sweet sweet chocolate goodness baby if I won’t even leave the house because i can’t look in the mirror.
6. Tendency to dwell on past negative experiences, affecting present and future relationships. Hi. Have you read my blog? You can thank my assistant, Tissy Stism.
7. Dilemma of disclosing autism due to potential stigma and misconceptions. OR NEVER BEING DIAGNOSED. It’s actually more of a mind fuck when you’ve spent 40 years trying to figure out why you’re so different.
8. Risk of appearing overly friendly or socially inappropriate. I am both and yall can get over it. It just takes me a solid hour to catch my groove and then I’m all in.
9. Challenges in understanding and managing emotions related to friendships. Emotions? You mean there is more than just crying and being angry all the time?! 😅
10. Stress associated with maintaining friendships and uncertainty about communication frequency. Yo. Yo. Yo. This one is super key. Sure, the others brought up instant memories of points in my history that I can physically remember- BUT- this ones name is Fred.

Fred is the demon that lives the deepest inside of me. He tells me things like “You’re too difficult to communicate with” or “No one cares about you”. This rings especially true after a lifetime of being physically disconnected, and unable to communicate. He also pushes me to openly speak my mind until the anger has flowed out, completely. The manipulation of feeling unwanted, or unworthy of companionship is very real. It is also the reason I get shit canned by civilian employers when I demand accountability from the ownership for safe working conditions. Then, they fight and will not pay unemployment. That’s a story for another day.

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