Hi thank you for the comment! Yes I can make one - I’m currently waiting for a new computer because mine has broken but I will try and make a short version when it has arrived :)

I understand your pain. I’m 32 and never had a single friend. I’ve had a few acquaintances, but that was scattered throughout my lifetime and never got to know them enough to consider each other friends. I drifted apart from those people anyway when I moved. You’re not alone. There’s nothing wrong with you. Keep trying and you’ll find your people eventually. I’m trying to tell myself the same

@marmedello Thank you so much for this, and I hope you too find a real friend one day

Not all autistic people are the same though

Sociopaths have no emotions. Autistic people have too many so no…

@@darceylauren That’s not true though. Psychopaths have no emotions. Sociopaths have an explosion 💥 of emotions depending on the situation.

@@zachberry4742 they still have a lack of emotion though and definitely no empathy, which autistic people feel intensely plus a huge range of emotions

@@darceylauren This feels like a much larger conversation. I’ve recently started working with someone that says they’re autistic, but I’m having a lot of doubts. I know that autism is real and that it exists on a spectrum, but some of these people that claim to be autistic I just don’t believe. Yet, when I say this they get offended. They tell me that I’m offending an entire group vs just them personally and at a certain point I understand why people w autism have a hard time finding work. If you run the risk of offending an entire group of people because you call out their claims of autism then they become a liability. I even asked this person what makes them autistic or neurodivergent and I don’t necessarily see what makes them entirely different from the average neurotypical person. I was told, “I’m neurodivergent which means I think differently from other people.” Ok? Most people on average will think differently in some way from one person to the next. Then it was “ I stim” which means you either make a lot of hand movements or fidget around in some way. I too make a lot of hand movements or talk with my hands yet that doesn’t feel like something that makes me neurodivergent. Then it became” I collect a lot of dolls” I mean I know that’s a thing as well, but she’s a girl and she collects stuffed animals… so just collecting things or a specific thing is an indicator? I need better indicators of what truly makes a person autistic because I have people claiming to be autistic who have been diagnosed by doctors saying these are key traits yet I just don’t see it. I’m not convinced fully. At times it feels like an excuse for potentially bad behavior. I can’t even say to this person, “ I doubt you have autism” without hearing about how ignorant I am. I have no problem learning more about autism, but I refuse to be told I can’t question someone’s autism or their neurodiversity just because they have a doctors diagnosis. Doctors used to give people weed cards if they mentioned they had bad anxiety when we all knew it was a way to get marijuana without getting arrested. I don’t firmly believe every person diagnosed with autism is autistic. Unless it’s a severe case like being nonverbal or having severe deficits that are too noticeable to ignore I can’t believe every claim even with a doctors diagnosis. I don’t want to sound ignorant and I’m open to changing my stance with more information, but autism is a tough sell for me at times unless it’s more noticeable.

@@zachberry4742 I understand where you’re coming from, but I think the people you have spoken to may not understand it themselves. Autism diagnoses are very complex and it’s not just one doctors opinion, it’s a very long process and most people that go through it get told they don’t have autism when they do (mainly due to severe autistic stereotyping that doesn’t meet criteria for less severe cases). Yes everyone has characteristics of autism e.g. collecting things, getting socially drained etc but to be diagnosed with autism means that all these things are to the extreme that it interferes with their life. When someone says they think differently, they mean that they don’t pick up on social cues, they aren’t born with the instinctual understanding of conversation and language and all the social aspects that humans naturally develop. It also means that our brains are wired differently (which has been scientifically proven on MRI scans) so our senses are heightened in some areas and weak in others- for example, I’m extremely sensitive to noise and touch, but I have no awareness of hunger or needing the toilet. Basically, when these things collectively negatively affect your life and cause significant distress, it warrants a diagnosis. That diagnosis can then help people and hopefully reduce issues - for me I have such a vast understanding of my autism now that I have found ways to support myself in most areas and strangers wouldn’t notice I have it anymore. But that doesn’t mean it’s gone, it takes a LOT of effort and things in place 24/7 to maintain a normal ish life. People just get offended when they’re told they don’t have it because a lot of people only think autism is the severe non verbal type, and those who appear more ‘neurotypical’ still have a LOT of struggles that are usually hidden from public so we often feel like our problems are minimised. Let me know if you have any other qs :)

Are you ASD yourself? You could always try me, Autism is a weight I carry.

@@Elsewhen404 I'm self diagnosed if it counts! if you want to chat I have a discord: slimesplash_art

@@Elsewhen404 I'm self diagnosed if it counts! I'd like to chat, youtube doesn't let me share any links though

I'm an Autistic myself, you could try conversing with me.

I've never related so much to the comment about theme parks. We went to a theme park on a whim and I HATED it. Fake! Fake! Fake! My senses were screaming