Isn't harder being an aspie adult than a child?

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I relate to RandomFox's experience. As a child, I was free to wander around and "zone out" or self-stim. I was mostly solitary, staring at patterns in the dirt or the movement of light or flowing water for hours. I was disconnected from other people but more strongly connected to nature and my faith which is a wonderful feeling. But, I was also supported (by my siblings, other kids, my parents, other kids' parents, teachers, and pastors) in school. I did not have anything called "special education", but it amounted to the same thing.

As an adult (even as a young adult in college), I lost the support network that I took for granted. Most adults may no longer need it, but I did. So since my diagnosis, I have been fighting and struggling to replace it ever since.

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I also relate to pasty. I have Selective Mutism, too. Luckily, I occasionally still have my twin sister to hide behind and speak for me.

But, people no longer overlook my behavior and write it off as "being a kid" (for example, what was considered harmless wandering would probably be considered trespassing now, because I am an adult, I should know better, and I probably have some criminal intent anyway). I am always worried that I may do something to get in trouble with authorities that can deny or take away my benefits, throw me in a psych ward or prison, or just some violent person that can hurt me, all because I did not understand the rules or they did not understand my behavior.

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Oh, and everything alex said. I did well academically because they explicitly taught those things. But they never explicitly taught us any practical adult skills, so now I have none and I am failing professionally, romantically, socially, personally and medically.

Sorry for stealing your words; my brain was not working well enough to generate them on its own.

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31st of July, 2013
Diagnosed: Autism Spectrum Disorder, Auditory-Verbal Processing Speed Disorder, and Visual-Motor Processing Speed Disorder.

Weak Emerging Social Communicator (The Social Thinking-­Social Communication Profile by Michelle Garcia Winner, Pamela Crooke and Stephanie Madrigal)

"I am silently correcting your grammar."

Perhaps it's different for everyone; but I personally have found being an adult a bajillion times easier than being a child. Maybe it's because I'm allowed to speak up when being abused and no longer have to surrender to narcissistic people because they are older than me. I have a say in what happens to me and "no" finally means "no".

junior high school was the worst. being held captive, for hours each day, 5 days a week, in small rooms, with 30 other 8th graders was a nightmare. they verbally teased me. and i did not get diagnosed til age 21. they also physically assaulted me.

at that school, in that year, the school's policy was that if students did something illegal en route to or from school, then it was the school's jurisdiction to take action. someone had the nerve to tell me "you got my cousin suspended". but an entire stampede of those 6th grade reptiles physically assaulted me at the bus stop. between age 12 and 34 (and counting), i have obsessed about it. every. single. day. and all they (plural, as in at least five). just got what, suspended?

now what is that? whose punishment was worse?

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now, precious little "people" almost always completely ignore my worthless corpse.

and there ain't no law that says it's illegal.

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likewise, @ lunchtime, nobody wanted to be around me. so i just hung out with whoever passive aggressively tolerated me. otherwise someone might've bullied me more.

but of course. then. that made me morally obligated to the students that put up with me.

but as an adult, they just overlook me. so whatever.

the other thing was that i had no clue i was autistic at the time. nor did i have a diagnosis.

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having said that, performing in school, while autistic, was much easier than performing in work while autistic.

too many workplace politics