Conceitos essenciais
Autistic individuals often exhibit traits that are wrongly perceived as toxic red flags by neurotypical people, despite being natural expressions of their neurodiversity.
Resumo
The author, an autistic woman, discusses several of her own autistic traits that have been misinterpreted as problematic "red flags" by others.
Difficulty understanding others' perspectives: The author struggles to see things from someone else's point of view, which can lead to frustration when others make different choices. Through therapy, she has learned to be more open to hearing others' perspectives, improving her relationships.
Inappropriate reactions to bad news: When the author received concerning medical news, she reacted with uncontrolled laughter, which concerned the doctor and her mother. This type of atypical emotional response is common for autistic individuals.
Intense interests and fixations: The author has intense interests and can become fixated on certain topics, which neurotypicals may perceive as obsessive or strange behavior.
Difficulty expressing emotions: The author often has difficulty expressing her emotions, which can be misinterpreted as a lack of empathy or caring.
Blunt communication style: The author tends to be direct and blunt in her communication, which can come across as rude or insensitive to neurotypicals.
The author emphasizes that these traits, while challenging for autistic individuals to navigate, are not inherently "toxic" and should not be viewed as red flags. Rather, they are natural expressions of neurodiversity that require understanding and accommodation from neurotypical people.
Estatísticas
"I can only see my viewpoint, so other people's choices often frustrate me. I can't understand why someone else would make a different choice than me or why they don't understand my choices because this seems like the only choice."
"When the doctor told me that I had scoliosis and said to me that I would be in pain for the rest of my life and could potentially die sooner, all I did was laugh hysterically, and I couldn't control my reaction."
Citações
"It is a dangerous myth that autistic people are incapable of doing bad things, which stems from infantilisation, and it's essential to recognise that we are just as flawed as our allistic peers."
"Although many of these red flags are characteristics of autism, they are often interpreted as 'red flags' by neurotypicals and can cause others to misunderstand us."