The Autists: women on the spectrum

I have always known that I’m autistic. And yet I haven’t had a clue.

Habit leaves us numb and robs us of our capacity for awe. Automatised observations allow our souls to slowly petrify, turning us into robots.

Without knowing it, I was studying social interaction through the books, TV shows, plays, and films that I devoured.

Autists are bad politicians and impossible diplomats.

Because I take in every sound, including conversations, I also remember much of what is said. But neurotypical people appear to be insensitive to repetition. They love to talk about the same thing several times and come to the same conclusion over and over again. In contrast, I become impatient; I feel that what is being said has already been dealt

Girls with autism learn early to hide their social difficulties. But their alienation also runs deeper, as women more so than men are expected to be socially driven and take responsibility for the wellbeing of others. Many autistic traits aren’t compatible with women’s traditional roles.

To Weil, the sacred, the basis of human worth, the impersonal, is the human ability to suffer when experiencing bodily or spiritual harm. What remains is the trust of a child, the childlike core deep in every human heart that expects to be treated well, and thus protests when someone hurts it. That trust, that expectation of goodness, that part of

Social interaction pays no heed to the autist’s compass, especially not in the media industry. You can’t draw on your strengths if these conflict with the expectations of neurotypicals. Most conspicuous will be the aspects that are perceived as negative, like withdrawing, offering criticism that is too harsh, and avoiding big groups.

What distance must I maintain between myself and others if we are to together construct a sociability without alienation, a solitude without exile? ROLAND BARTHES, HOW TO LIVE TOGETHER