Why Autistic People Don’t Necessarily Get On Well With Each Other

Being on the autistic spectrum is not enough. We need to have more in common with each other.

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

I was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome in 2012. It was a great revelation to me. It explained so many of my behaviors and struggles growing up:

• I used to stare at people too much.
• I would struggle with noisy, crowded places.
• I would often misunderstand people and not know whether they were joking or being serious.
• I would behave in socially inappropriate ways.
• I would get obsessed with certain things.
• I would over-explain if I thought I wasn’t being understood.

After being diagnosed, I went through a phase of trying to meet other autistic people via Asperger’s social groups. I even started my own group.

But I discovered a problem

These social groups didn’t always work out as well as I’d hoped. I eventually came to realize that having Asperger’s syndrome is not enough to have in common with other people.

Sure, people on the autistic spectrum can struggle to get on with neurotypical people. But autistic people…