I’ve thought about this too! How much of our traits are the actual autism, and how much of our traits are a result of abuse and marginalization?
I wasn’t always afraid of meeting new people, but after enough bullying and being taken advantage of, I learned to not trust my ability to judge others unless I’ve known them for a longgg time. So, please excuse me if I’m not excited to meet you, but I don’t know if you’re going to be an asshole or not yet, and I’m not going to be insincere about it.
My therapist pointed out that a lot of autistic traits are extremely similar to trauma expression, and that it’s often hard to judge which is which.
I feel like I’m an oddball because I tend to trust people until they give me a reason but to. That’s led to some bad experiences, but it also gives my “this person is doing shady stuff” sense a boost. It’s not insincere, but neither is waiting to judge :)
I’ve thought about this too! How much of our traits are the actual autism, and how much of our traits are a result of abuse and marginalization?
I wasn’t always afraid of meeting new people, but after enough bullying and being taken advantage of, I learned to not trust my ability to judge others unless I’ve known them for a longgg time. So, please excuse me if I’m not excited to meet you, but I don’t know if you’re going to be an asshole or not yet, and I’m not going to be insincere about it.
My therapist pointed out that a lot of autistic traits are extremely similar to trauma expression, and that it’s often hard to judge which is which.
I feel like I’m an oddball because I tend to trust people until they give me a reason but to. That’s led to some bad experiences, but it also gives my “this person is doing shady stuff” sense a boost. It’s not insincere, but neither is waiting to judge :)