friendship

My autistic friend has been to stay with me for three days and I'm completely drained (she had a lovely time). I'm at the point of saying she can't come again but she would be so puzzled and hurt. One of the many problems is that she keeps wandering off without telling me, which means I must keep constant tabs on her. If I lose sight of her she can't find her way around or to a tube station (I'm in London) and can't describe her surroundings to me on her mobile, or find me, but if I give her directions or whatever she accuses me of babying her – which I am, of course. Ideally I'd put her on a rein!!! It is incredibly stressful for me (she is oblivious) and I end up in tears. I really really don't know what to do.

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  • Damo, thank you so much again for suggesting PDA.

    You're very welcome. Glad to help.

    You'll find more on PDA here on NAS, at Reframing Autism and lots of other places. It doesn't mean you friend has this profile, but it might give you a better sense of how different minds might work.

    There's also a useful guide to being an autistic ally on that RA site. There's a lot of reading, but you seem like you care a lot for your friend and want the best for her, so maybe give it a go.