What do you dislike about having autism the most?

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I have asked so many questions about autism on this forum. On a subconscious level, I suppose I am searching for the root cause of autism. Every time I think I have an answer, I ask a question on this forum only to find that my guess was wrong.

What do you dislike about having autism the most?

I picked sensory issues, although I have several problems that really bother me, that one was the most immediate, and has today been the worst. Admittedly, I have three neurological conditions that can cause sensory issues so I do not even think it is all autism.

I also wanted to pick not being able to get/hold a job or live independently.

All of the above.

Duplicate post

The disrespect.

Knowing that any NT person no matter how stupid or immoral will always be given more respect than me just for the fact of having normal neurology - that pains me so much!

I'd rather be stupid myself than have that knowledge hammered into my head on a daily basis - it's the stuff that serial killers are made of! Except that because I have intelligence and
a sense of morality I restrain myself with superhuman levels of willpower!

It's not easy though!

I can cope with the other stuff; none of it has the major impact of the disrespect - that can wipe everything positive out in an instant.

Too many options; I can't decide.

Sensory issues
Not really a problem for me. I just wear sunglasses and I'm fine.

Social Issolation
It doesn't really bother me a whole lot. I like my time to myself.

Lack of independence
AS or not, I don't expect to be fully independent yet anyway.

No girlfriend/boyfriend
I can't say that I'd want to live with someone for the rest of my life. I don't know, maybe if I met the right person, but for now, I'm content with being single.

People treat me with disrespect
Well, sorta. But do people disrespect me because of autism, or because of other things?

Can not get a good job
I'm not looking for a job, but if I was and couldn't get one, this would by far be at the top of the list.

Feel uncomfortable in public
This is a big issue for me, but this is more of a result of AS, rather than a specific part of it.

Not being understood
This really can get annoying at times. If I ever am understood, it's usually a cause for celebration because it's such a rare event.

Not understanding social rules
This is the cause of feeling uncomfortable in public. Definitely something I wish I didn't have to deal with.

Meltdowns
I don't have meltdowns in public.

NT's being so picky about my hygiene issues.
Do I think NT's are too picky about hygiene? Oh yes, absolutely. But it isn't that much of a problem. God forbid I shower everyday.

Answering dumb questions like yours.
Well, many questions that I'm forced to answer every day are dumb, but I don't think these are.

Social isolation and lack of a job make me depressed. The lack of a job isn't completely my fault though, what I've concluded is that employers don't like to hire full-time uni students. I also wish I had more opportunities to make friends like I could when I was younger. But as you grow up it gets that much more harder to find good quality friends

In order:

1. No girlfriend/boyfriend Currently I have one, but it was really one of my biggest problems

2. Meltdowns They are scary

3. Not being understood One of the key problems

4. Sensory issues Some noises, sounds and smells really annoy me

5. Not understanding social rules Can be rather frustrating.

6. Social Isolation It bothered me much in the past, now I accept it more.

7. Lack of independence I still depend on my parents in some ways, and the help of my closest friend too.

8. People treat me with disrespect I've put up with it.

9. NT's being so picky about my hygiene issues. Not really an issue by now.

10. Feel uncomfortable in public I can cope with it.

11. Can not get a good job I have a good job, I'll never be in an manager position despite my academics, I've put up with it. I wish I could hold down a good job in the future.


Answering dumb questions like yours. No problem, my questions are usually no less dumb.

None of the above Good list of options!

All of the above I've been thinking about choosing this, but that wouldn't have contributed to the intent of the poll.

Darn you put down too many options. No.

Social isolation – It would not be so bad if I didn’t want friends or anything, friends are just another thing that I want but cannot have.

Lack of independence – I hate having to rely on other people for anything, but having to rely on my family for things that to them is no big deal, things that are so easy for them, it makes me feel like I’m inferior to other people.

People treat me with disrespect – I hate it when people talk to me like I’m stupid, they hear you have AS and they immediately start talking to you like you’re an idiot. And I hate it when people assume I can’t do something, it’s like they expect less of me.

Can not get a good job – I can’t get a job at all, let alone a good job. It’s so frustrating to know that you could do a job well, if not for the social crap that comes with it, and if you could show them what you are capable of.

Feel uncomfortable in public – This is a major issue for me, I think it’s more related to my social anxiety than AS though.
Not being understood – Another major issue for me, and they wonder why I prefer not to talk to anyone.

Not understanding social rules – This makes everything so difficult, it’s made worse by my tendency to obsess over social mistakes, so when a misunderstanding does occur (even if it was not my fault) I spend the next few days torturing myself over it.

Meltdowns – I’d say that shutdowns are more of a problem for me as I’ve gotten older.

I put job. That probably increases with age. When I was young it was easy to get jobs - I am intelligent, can learn what they need and provide it. But after a while the social issues become important.

I lost a summer job because I tried to please the boss when something went wrong instead of picking up subtle clues about what she really wanted.

I was fired from my best paying employment because I told the boss exactly what was wrong with his company and what he needed to do about it. I should have kept quiet.

I had to end my even more lucrative own business because it reached a point where I needed to do full time customer contact and that was my weakest area.

I am currently on stress leave (the first time this has happened, I do not take days off sick), because my current boss is takes out her frustrations on me and I can't cope with it socially.

The benefits system is not much help because I look intelligent so get no sympathy, yet make poor decisions (benefits wise - such as living with my parents, so no housing benefit. Or leaving a job for rational reasons, but it means I got no jobseekers allowance)

I am trapped in a remote village, with nothing in common with anyone around me, and unable to either see a future here or leave. If I could live in a city and not worry about survival I could solve all the other problems (girlfriend, other friends, etc.). So I put job first.

All of the above, I think.

The single thing that annoys me most is "no girlfriend" (though I don't actively desire a girlfriend for the sake of it, there are just one or two girls I'd like a fuller relationship with), but that's just a consequence of "not understanding social rules", which causes me some frustration in other areas, such as in shops or in normal "friend" conversations, and is probably the factor behind "feeling uncomfortable in public". I mostly avoid "public" these days, so that isn't too big an issue.

I don't mind social isolation (usually I'm the one isolating myself from social situtations involving more than two or three people), sensory issues are something I rarely have genuine issues with, I'm still in full time education so I haven't struggled for a job yet, and meltdowns only trouble me when I'm under great stress. I can't really be independent because of my age so AS doesn't affect me in that regard yet (though I do worry about what will happen when I leave home or my parents die, especially given "no girlfriend" and therefore "no wife").

Hygiene issues... it does annoy me that I have to shower every day, use deodrant, etc., but it won't be an issue once I stop living with my parents.

The "lack of respect" is something I've played with. To be honest, I'm fairly well respected in general. The people who don't respect me are the underclass who aren't respected themselves, and I often point this out to them.

Almost all of the above.

Sensory problems are probably my worst.

I have sensory issues but I don't think it's because of autism. They are seriously severe though.
I think that whole area in my brain is damaged.

I chose 'lack of independence.'

I hate change so it's really hard for me to become more independent. The unknown scares me and I'd rather stick to my routines. I don't care much about the outside world apart from visiting my friend on occasion. It's really stressful though. And people don't understand how stressful it is. I suppose it's mostly sensory but that makes actually communicating hard.
I would love to live on my own and travel but it just seems impossible. It's something I'm going to have to work at.
Sometimes having people near me can be so uncomfortable I become angry. I don't care much for this society and do better on my own. All I care about is my interests, writing my novel and learning and getting interested in more things.
So, I'm pretty much in my own world. I have tried to find work and do the friendship thing but it's exhausting and it never gets me anywhere.