Switching schools. Thought maybe masking my autism would do good for finally having friends.

Here’s what I did:

1- Sit on the third line: not too much back, not too much on the front;

2- Get pretty. Bracelets, jacket…

3- Watch them talk and imitate what they talk about when they talk to you.

Well, didn’t go this well. Still getting ignored (I like to joke with my brother that “Neurotypicals have autism detectors”).

Where did I miss it? I tried joining some conversations I heard, but they were pretty unkind at me after that.

  • Arcanoloth@lemmy.ml
    24·
    2 months ago

    Being in my mid-forties I have concluded that it is far more rewarding to find fellow non-NTs to spend time with, because they understand the pain that is NTs and their usually unreflected reliance on their gut-feeling (which happens to tell them that we are “other”). In school I hung out at a Star Trek Fan meetup, later it became the Chaos Computer Club and Mensa; All of these were full of delightfully inclusive fellow freaks. Find your people instead of trying to please those who merely happen to be around.

      • surewhynotlem@lemmy.world
        3·
        2 months ago

        Drama club is where I found most. Until we started a Magic The Gathering club. That REALLY got them out of the woodwork.

      • Arcanoloth@lemmy.ml
        2·
        2 months ago

        Yeah, I cannot sugar-coat it: It was shit, and it will be similar at the workplace (albeit with more mature NTs, which does help), but it get’s easier when you have “your” people to socialize with outside of these society-enforced group interactions.