Trying to get an idea of how NTs see us. I know that when I see autistic people, I see someone that’s like me. Obviously, that’s not how NTs perceive us, so what do we look like to yall??
I am friends with an autistic person, and all I see is a slightly awkward guy. Which is totally fine to me because I am super awkward myself so that probably has little to do with his autism. We like to talk about our shared interests. He is more like me than different, even though I am ‘NT’.
When you say you are ‘NT’ do you mean non autistic or are u using the semi-official meaning in context of neurodivergence?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurodiversity
You don’t need to have a disability or difficulties to recognize your not as similar to other people as they are to eachother .
I was using it to say that I am ‘neurotypical’, since that is how the OP said it. I put it in quotes because I don’t really even know if anyone is typical lol. I just mean I don’t have any diagnosed conditions besides Generalized Anxiety Disorder, which I don’t think counts.
If I used the wrong term, I am sorry, just let me know a better way to phrase it! :-)
No no, you didn’t use it wrong its just that there are multiple interpretations and the term is only recently gaining traction in psychiatry.
What i am trying to say is you may not consider yourself to be autistic which is how the medical world Classifies us.
But you sound like you have a high chance of being neurodivergent which is the group we ourselves classify ourselves and it includes any neurological diversity including classical: autism, adhd, dyslexia and many many others, including people with no discernible disabilities, difficulties or challenges.
In yet other words, you may not be one of us the way you perceive us but you might totally be one of us the way we perceive you.
I wholeheartedly recommend reading that wiki-article i send.
Like normal people with more quirks. I will say that experience has lead me to believe that sometimes those quirks require a bit more patience/tolerance in extended company.
I’m friends with an autistic guy who’s very good at what he does and we share some interests, but he tries too hard to talk about what he wants to talk about and unfortunately it’s pushing others away.
he tries too hard to talk about what he wants to talk about and unfortunately it’s pushing others away
I had a friend like that. He would talk about whatever he wanted regardless of what anyone else wanted. We could be silent, and I’d bring up a topic. He would completely ignore it and start talking about whatever he wanted. If I pointed it out, he would either ignore that or tell me why I’m wrong for wanting to talk about my topic. It got progressively worse to the point I had to cut him off and block him on all communication avenues. It sucks because he was a longtime friend that wasn’t always like that. I think his success in academia made him a bit grandiose and entitled.
Having bridged both worlds, here’s how they are viewed as described by a few people that stuck with me all these years.
The first one I “go to thought” was more than one person is “awkward.” Some even describing them “out of step, socially.” Imagine a clock that is running fast or slow, but you have mentally compensated because generally, you can adapt depending on other clues. But they are always off, and you might have to warn others ahead of time.
Another comment was how autistic personalities are in that “uncanny valley of behavior” where people notice something is off, and it can be frightening but they are not sure why. Since autism is a spectrum of behaviors, which approach depends subjectively on the viewer. Kids, for example, can target autistic kids, and because they are developing socially, will group in “us” and “not us.” Autistic kids are “not us,” and the target of bullying. A lot of teachers know autistic kids just by how they are treated by others. “You’re too weird,” was something a lot of kids might say with developing language skills. The may not know WHY they hate a certain kid, but know that they DO. And “something is wrong.”
Personally, I see autism as some kind of evolutionary response to a civilization that is growing faster that humans can compensate. In order to get actual insight, one has to be “out of step,” lest they just end up trapped in the normal static of everyday compulsion. Like any other evolutionary advance, nature is “trying out” various things. Most will lead to dead ends. A few will adapt in other ways, and some will flourish in a new niche with new types of diversity. I have no proof of this, but I think it’s more than “well, we define autism differently now.” Yes, there were always people who were “touched by fae” or whatever convention was explained back in the day, but something has really changed. I personally think this and gender fluidity is a positive sign of things to come.
I don’t think I’ve ever “clocked” an autistic person. I’m not very perceptive with social cues, though.
Saw someone and thought they were autistic. I.e. I can’t realize unless someone tells me and I don’t have any close acquaintances that have told me.
But I also don’t know if that’s typical or not.
