Myth: Autistic individuals do not want to make friends.

This is far from the truth. Friends is something many us on the Autism Spectrum want to have, but they are difficult for us to maintain. In fact, there are autistic individuals who have friends who love and accept them for who they are. I was fortunate enough to be swarmed my classmates throughout my school years who took me under their wings and accepted my differences. For that, I remain grateful and pray that they are doing well.

Meanwhile, there are many kids who dream of being in the situation I was in. Unfortunately, they lack the proper social skills needed for relationship building. This is something that takes more than seeing speech pathologists weekly, even though they are very beneficial. It’s a daily process. It’s a journey that will be ongoing until they take their last breaths.

On the other hand, there are autistic people who prefer their solitude, like I do. At the same time, they would love to engage in conversations with other people, no matter how much of a struggle it is to communicate. For example, I enjoy going to the gym because I enjoy exercising alongside others. But, I enjoy my solitude while doing so. The funny thing is that I don’t mind working out with someone else if asked.

The uniqueness about living with autism is that everyone affected experiences it differently. I call autism a developmental journey for this exact reason. No two journeys are alike. Also, for this reason, the ”autistic people don’t want friends’ myth is out of the window.

You know, you may be talking, working, or having lunch with an autistic individual and not have a clue. That’s the beauty of autism 🙂