Published on 12, July, 2020
I think like quite a lot of autistic people (i am a 21 year old female) my friendships are usually quite intense and with only 1 or two people at a time rather than ever being in a big friendship group.
So far i have no autistic friends.
I notice that the neurotypical girl best friends i have had throughout life are almost always quite confident, outspoken, and extroverted . I feel like having these friends sometimes feels like a shield in social situations and helps me to be more confident- and then when we’re alone it makes me feel more able to be outspoken about things too as there’s less pressure on me to ‘keep the conversation going’ etc.
Was wondering if anyone else has noticed any patterns in their neurotypical friendships/ qualities in people they end up gravitating towards?
My NT friends are all part of the LGBTQ+ community. There's a lot of overlap between that community and ND people anyway so most of my friends are both (as am I), but I think there's a lot of shared experience even for those who aren't- having to hide parts of who you are, knowing you're different even before you know WHY you're different, being treated poorly for something that does no harm and is beyond your control... we understand each other a bit more despite the differences.