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

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

The autist must find her place in the world, where she can turn her diagnosis into something positive and play to her strengths. In my work as a radio producer, I can use my sensitivity to sound and ability to pick up on details. I hear every poor edit and shift in volume. But wearing my noise-cancelling headphones on the crowded metro on my way to

Often, I haven’t even realised that I’m being perceived as unforgiving. Instead, I think I have just been clear, if perhaps expressing myself a little too forcefully in my eagerness to stress my point and make myself understood. But neurotypicals are so easily hurt.

For a person with autism, the world is so unmanageable and the experience of a lack of control so overwhelming that they often cling to the minor aspects of their lives that they can control. Their food intake is one of them.

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

One can be separate from the collective yet a part of the world. For some people, standing on the sidelines is enough. Some of us are happier watching.

Autists can express themselves drastically and let others do the same. The tone in the group is liberating; here are none of the maladies afflicting online debating among neurotypicals, like personal attacks, whataboutism, and straw men. People argue factually and stick to the subject.

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