Hi there I’m a 40 year old male and my girlfriend of 2 years and I have just split up. It had become apparent in our relationship that I had quite a few autistic traits and this was hampering our relationship and causing a lot of miscommunication and frustration between us. I have done lots of research, read books and had some cbt sessions and I became a bit too focused on autism and trying to fix things rather than learning how to live with the situation and carry on enjoying life & the relationship. Unfortunately we had a few break ups in the last few months & ultimately it all got a bit too much for us both & caused a lot of upset. We still love each other but recognise that trying again would simply lead us down the same path & we’d end up upsetting each other again which neither of us want, so we have decided to cut contact and work on ourselves. As part of this I’d like to be able to understand my autism better, learn how to live with it and how I might be able to maintain a good healthy relationship in the future hopefully with my ex partner. Does anyone have any advice for me or can you suggest where I might get support? I struggle with communication and empathy in particular. This article really describes a lot of the issues we have had but I really feel that I need more support. Thanks for any advice you may have
