An inherent “selfishness” of autism?

Maybe it’s just me. But for me, I’ve found that my autism has a selfishness whereby I don’t understand how things I do or say affect others. Maybe “selfishness” is want for a better word.

Not understanding people’s frustrations. So for example, mine is taking my time to get back to people, or thinking that people operate around the time I have mentally in my head. This is not intentional necessarily, although I’ve been more aware of it.

i noticed this today with my therapist saying they can’t keep chasing me up for a time for the next session. I take a long time to decide the time and date and obviously it’s important for them to know. I always feel awful when I realise that I had a lack of communication that causes upset to other people, because I often don’t realise how it affects others. 

I do this sometimes with messaging people late at night (some people get funny with this) or crossing boundaries I didn’t realise to cross. Then you learn about it if they say, or you get used to adjusting to the subtle hints that are said, and feel really bad, take it to heart, and try to be better.

something I also was aware of was making promises to people please, but also doing it because I genuinely imagined it was in my capacity to do so. Now I’m trying to hold back my words because it’s not healthy to lead people on in this way and think that because I’ve adjusted it in my mind of the promise, I think the other person has too.

Its weird, the best thing I could do, in the case of my therapist, is not read the message as angry, but read it as that they need to know for their plans, and try my best to be aware that people have other lives and need to know things. And also to try and write down things I said I’d commit to so if things change I can ensure it’s followed up on. I can’t trust my brain alone. It’s really hard to genuinely see things from others perspective sometimes.

does anyone else relate to this. Sorry I might just be rambling again

Parents
  • These thoughts brought to mind:

    The Maori word for autism is Takiwatanga, which translates to "in his or her own time and space".

    This term was coined by Keri Opai, a Maori civil servant, to provide a respectful and non-judgemental way to describe autism.

    Takiwatanga emphasizes that autistic individuals have their own unique timing, pacing, and rhythms for experiencing the world, aligning with the neurodiversity perspective that views autism as a natural variation rather than a deficit.

  • I heard about this, and thought it was really beautiful. I had thought it was a word that was always in their culture, but I realised it was pretty modern.

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