But an increase in social responsiveness does not translate into an Autistic person being able to communicate more honestly with people, or more persuasively, nor does it lead to them having more genuine friendships or locating people that they actually like. Paying more attention to others doesn’t necessarily make them feel more supported or

Though many Autistic people initially believe that our masks will protect us from ostracism, in time we come to realize that to be masked is not to be freed from judgment but to be imprisoned by it.

Aron et al. (1992). Inclusion of other in the self scale and the structure of interpersonal closeness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63(4), 596.

One of the aspects of being Autistic that most readily identifies us to others is just how unusual and socially transgressive we can be.

If you’re distressed at even the idea of your parent, partner, or close friend disagreeing with you, you may want to slowly work to extract your self-concept until your felt closeness looks more like this:

The discomfort of the unfamiliar can register as an active threat, and most transitions from one place to another or from one social context to the next happen entirely too fast.

took a more active interest in other people, finally asking them why they felt the way they did and believed the things they believed. I didn’t have to pretend to naturally understand other people anymore. By being so openly curious, I found it far easier to make friends.

If I could go anywhere right now and do anything that I wanted, where would I go? How would I spend my days if I didn’t have to worry about anyone watching and judging me? Which important values that I hold dear have I been neglecting? Who do I miss spending time with? What possibilities feel forbidden yet exciting to me? What do I really like?

Since we process new information in a more effortful, detailed way than non-Autistic people do and