I feel like an alien

Next time you step outside wear visible ear defenders or over ear headphones. Then your neighbour will assume you can't hear her and hopefully soon give up. 

I too hate it when something like that happens. I tend to just smile and nod, a problem if what they decide to talk about is not appropriate to smiling and nodding. If I do try to reply usually only one word comes out and often it isn't even the word I meant to say. I desperately want to escape but do not know how to politely.

I had one neighbour (years ago) who used to pop her head over the fence and try and talk to me whenever she saw me in my garden. I considered it an intrusion, because I was in my own personal space in my garden, and it made me even more anxious about stepping outside. 

Thankfully that neighbour moved and the others stopped trying to speak to me years ago. I suspect I am now considered very strange by them and treated as such.

My neighbour used to do this too over the fence, I hated it so much, the garden should be my private space. They don’t do it anymore because last year I was pushed to the limit by the screaming kids of the kids while I was in the living room at night, one of them was chasing the kids around shouting rahhh really loudly and it went on for an hour, I ended up losing it and banging on the wall and screaming. Well now they think I’m a psycho and she tried to guilt trip me over email. I explained how intrusive it was and she actually apologised but we don’t talk anymore thankfully. However they are still completely intrusive in my space, they installed cameras last year that can see in my back and front garden, they are always climbing up ladders and cutting bits of tree off and looking in my kitchen. Never known anything like it, I’d never be that intrusive into someone’s life. 

That is bad and intrusive behaviour by your neighbours. I have had incidents like that where neighbours seem to have taken some sort of obsessive unhealthy interest in my life. At one stage they used to brazenly stand outside and stare in. I had vertical blinds installed on all my windows but I really am not that interesting! Then they installed cameras which face my house. Their presence adds to my feeling that I am being watched whenever I step outside. I think that's partly why I react so badly when a dog barks at me, as the dog alerts everyone in the area to the fact that I am there. I just want to live my life quietly and go unnoticed by others. I consider myself a quiet and considerate neighbour, but I guess they just see weird loner.

It reminds me of when a murderer is caught. You see the neighbours being interviewed on the TV news saying things like "well he was a loner", "he always seemed weird", "he never went out much", etc. No wonder autistic people are perceived negatively by some people in society. They clearly think we're all some kind of psycho!

The local kids drive me mad too. They seem to be constantly screaming and shouting, sometimes for hours non stop. I couldn't stand that noise when I was a child myself in the playground and I certainly can't stand it now. Then they set the local dogs off barking when they ride past on their bikes and scooters.

Why do so many people put those huge trampolines in their gardens? They just encourage all the screaming and squealing. A house near me has a very large garden and they seem to have turned it into a mini theme park for the kids, massive trampoline, zip wire, swings, pool, etc. Just another reason I end up staying inside with all my doors and windows shut. Other people don't understand why it gets to me so much 

Yes, interoception if you are aware of internal body states, which many people are, but you are hypersensitive to it. Definitely not caused by anxiety.  I think its more not being able to filter out, ignore things that the brain senses but normally aren't helpful, and some aspects of autism are like that, notice too much, feel too much, and not able to focus clearly because of all that.

Have you heard of Willard Wigan, a fantastic autistic micro-sculptor - makes figures, scenes, that fit in the eye of the needled - he slows his heartbeat and sculpts between beats so the slight pulse tremor doesn't affect his work at that scale.  He must sense his heartbeat else wouldn't know if slow enough, or when to make the next move.  Taught himself to use the feedback to control of his heartbeat, to enable what he what he wanted to achieve, no courses, that is hyperfocus + special interest + obsessional thinking all in one

His websites not working but plenty online about him

Willard Wigan MBE — Brunswick Art Gallery 

I didn't know he has done a TED speech so watching that, anyone autistic should watch.       

Yes, interoception if you are aware of internal body states, which many people are, but you are hypersensitive to it. Definitely not caused by anxiety.  I think its more not being able to filter out, ignore things that the brain senses but normally aren't helpful, and some aspects of autism are like that, notice too much, feel too much, and not able to focus clearly because of all that.

Have you heard of Willard Wigan, a fantastic autistic micro-sculptor - makes figures, scenes, that fit in the eye of the needled - he slows his heartbeat and sculpts between beats so the slight pulse tremor doesn't affect his work at that scale.  He must sense his heartbeat else wouldn't know if slow enough, or when to make the next move.  Taught himself to use the feedback to control of his heartbeat, to enable what he what he wanted to achieve, no courses, that is hyperfocus + special interest + obsessional thinking all in one

His websites not working but plenty online about him

Willard Wigan MBE — Brunswick Art Gallery 

I didn't know he has done a TED speech so watching that, anyone autistic should watch.