icesyckel
Well-Known Member
I am this week, for the first time, finding that ignorance is not the only problem when it comes to autism. For a brief minute, I thought that the biggest problem NT's have with autistic people is that they do not understand us or what autism is.
Now I realize that, even among those few NT's who truly do understand (which is few), there are still expectations that we will act or think as an NT would. I don't know if they forget what they know about autism, forget we are autistic, or if they just don't care.
Don't get me wrong, being in the statistical minority, I get that it is incumbent upon me to either assimilate (to the majority) or accept the consequences of non-assimilation. Fine. However, with those who few who know I am different and express that they understand that I am different, it never ceases to shock me when they are surprised later to find that I am different.
Does anyone else observe this bizarre behavior? Someone acknowledges you're on the spectrum, expresses understanding about what that means, and then a few minutes later wants to know why you don't want to go out for dinner or engage in small talk or go on for 15 minutes about olive oil?
Now I realize that, even among those few NT's who truly do understand (which is few), there are still expectations that we will act or think as an NT would. I don't know if they forget what they know about autism, forget we are autistic, or if they just don't care.
Don't get me wrong, being in the statistical minority, I get that it is incumbent upon me to either assimilate (to the majority) or accept the consequences of non-assimilation. Fine. However, with those who few who know I am different and express that they understand that I am different, it never ceases to shock me when they are surprised later to find that I am different.
Does anyone else observe this bizarre behavior? Someone acknowledges you're on the spectrum, expresses understanding about what that means, and then a few minutes later wants to know why you don't want to go out for dinner or engage in small talk or go on for 15 minutes about olive oil?