The struggles of being Autistic
Adults may struggle to gain and/or maintain employment and are subject to teasing due to taking things literally, or having unusual gait, clumsiness, or mannerisms.
Many adults with autism experience depression due to ostracism and a strong desire to be social that is met by routine feedback that they're not very good at it, or they're outwardly good but it takes enormous energy to crack the social code by brute force and to constantly be on their guard.
People with autism are generally very truth- and reality-oriented. This is often given priority over social graces and keeping people sweet, which to them, can seem like social games, lying, and manipulative.
There's a disconnect and a bind. If they play social games, they feel inauthentic but are well-liked. If they don't, they're honest and authentic and disliked.
Autistics may blurt a truth that someone doesn't want to hear and instead of them considering it as feedback, they turn to friends who make them feel good (because they say the 'right' things).
The tendency to tell it like it is and the strong sense of social justice, possibly gained through introspection after early bullying, encourages a true knowledge of what it feels like to be disempowered.
Small talk sucks for someone with autism; it can be painfully difficult at the best of times.
There's a tendency to want to do something, change something, better something, be challenged.
Restlessness to get problems solved, discuss the big issues of our times, maybe even change the world can get in the way of building rapport with others.
Error spotting, truth, facts, and correcting are common place and often break rapport with others, especially partners & friends, who just want to be heard, supported, accepted, and/or empathised with.
Dealing with all this can cause stress & anxiety. To cope, many become obsessive about a 'special interest' - an intense absorption in knowing all there is to know about a specific area, collecting enormous amounts of data or examples, or embarking on a mission.
Einstein, Darwin, Zuckerberg, Spielberg, have all been said to fit the criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). They're some of the high flyers on the spectrum. It can certainly be turned to good.
Each person with autism can grow from where they are now to somewhere better.
Those with the skills can achieve this from within if they believe they can, and are willing to put in the work to achieve it!
Working on ourselves, autistics and neurotypicals alike, is a life-long process and additional to campaigning for understanding, empathy, and inclusion.
