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teksla
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31 Jan 2016, 10:47 am

I will probably buy a shirt that says "please dont touch me" so i could wear it to the next big family gathering. Does anyone think this is a good/bad idea?


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Leahcar
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31 Jan 2016, 11:12 am

To be honest with you, even though it sounds a good way to raise awareness and avoid people touching you, there is, unfortunately, the possibility that it might turn out to be a reverse psychology technique; there may be some awkward people in your family who would actually be provoked to touch you even more if they were to read the message on the T-shirt, just to see what happens. It's like a red button saying "DO NOT PRESS" above it in bold lettering. It makes some people more tempted to press it. Or someone might just see you from the back, unable to read the message, and touch you.

You shouldn't necessarily need to wear specific clothing in order to tell people you don't want to be touched. The T-shirt might attract unwanted attention, making things even more awkward.

You might want to tell your parents how you feel - you're very concerned about being touched at the gathering, and you'd like them to forward this onto other family members.


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teksla
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31 Jan 2016, 11:32 am

Leahcar wrote:
To be honest with you, even though it sounds a good way to raise awareness and avoid people touching you, there is, unfortunately, the possibility that it might turn out to be a reverse psychology technique; there may be some awkward people in your family who would actually be provoked to touch you even more if they were to read the message on the T-shirt, just to see what happens. It's like a red button saying "DO NOT PRESS" above it in bold lettering. It makes some people more tempted to press it. Or someone might just see you from the back, unable to read the message, and touch you.

You shouldn't necessarily need to wear specific clothing in order to tell people you don't want to be touched. The T-shirt might attract unwanted attention, making things even more awkward.

You might want to tell your parents how you feel - you're very concerned about being touched at the gathering, and you'd like them to forward this onto other family members.

I am not concerned about people doing it to provoke me. It has to do with that many in my family are old and often do not hear me when i say "i dont want you to hug me" or something similar. My father thinks i want to be "weird" and thats why i dont want hugs and my mother understands but still thinks i "should suck it up" and "just hug people".


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Yigeren
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31 Jan 2016, 11:41 am

I doubt anyone will understand. It never worked for me to try to avoid hugs etc at family gatherings. No one cares. They think a person that doesn't like hugs and touching is "grumpy"or something.

It still doesn't work when I tell people. Squirming to avoid contact, trying to move away, or saying no is apparently not enough.



AspieUtah
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31 Jan 2016, 11:51 am

There are some great T-shirts/sweatshirts designed just for us:

http://www.cafepress.com/+aspergers+t-shirts

http://www.redbubble.com/shop/aspergers+t-shirts

https://www.spreadshirt.com/aspergers+t-shirts

http://www.zazzle.com/aspergers+tshirts

This one ( http://www.zazzle.com/you_read_my_t_shi ... 3157338191 ) would seem to work for your needs. :lol:


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Tawaki
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31 Jan 2016, 11:55 am

I think the shirt would work around a group of stranges, like a a festival or something like that.

If they are not respecting your personal space, when you verbally say "no", a shirt isn't going to do squat.

Guessing the extended family knows about your diagnosis?



teksla
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31 Jan 2016, 12:04 pm

Tawaki wrote:
I think the shirt would work around a group of stranges, like a a festival or something like that.

If they are not respecting your personal space, when you verbally say "no", a shirt isn't going to do squat.

Guessing the extended family knows about your diagnosis?

They dont know about the diagnosis


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Yigeren
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31 Jan 2016, 12:12 pm

I just need a t-shirt that says "Go Away". Or maybe "Don't even think about hugging me." Haha, that would only make people more certain of my weirdness, but at least it would capture my sentiments about the matter.

I seriously doubt that a t-shirt is going to help people understand. They are either willing to listen and take you seriously, or they just don't/won't get it. Older people who are hard of hearing will probably be even less likely to understand. Asperger's is a condition that just wasn't known about when they were younger, and being hard of hearing means that a person often misses many parts of the conversations that are going on around him/her, resulting in confusion in many cases.



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31 Jan 2016, 12:13 pm

I wore a different t-shirt at your age.
It was purple with a white smiley face,
and said,

"Smile. It makes people wonder what you're up to."
:)



Tawaki
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31 Jan 2016, 6:34 pm

teksla wrote:
Tawaki wrote:
I think the shirt would work around a group of stranges, like a a festival or something like that.

If they are not respecting your personal space, when you verbally say "no", a shirt isn't going to do squat.

Guessing the extended family knows about your diagnosis?

They dont know about the diagnosis


Welp....If I saw a niece or nephew with a sure that said,"Don't touch me." I'd probably ask them what's up.

If you want to keep things on the down low, a shirt with "Don't Touch Me" probably isn't the way to go. You'll be fielding a lot of questions.



rude1
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31 Jan 2016, 9:59 pm

I wish I could wear a shirt in public that says "Please don't ask me personal questions" but that would probably just backfire and get me more unwanted attention. Do you have a family member you are close to who could talk to the others beforehand and tell them to respect your boundaries?

And they don't have to mention the diagnosis. They can just say you don't like to be touched.


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31 Jan 2016, 11:44 pm

You know, I have never really had a problem with being touched. I know that it can feel uncomfortable for some Aspies, but I am not bothered with it. Huh.


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EzraS
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01 Feb 2016, 5:28 am

They know better with me, but then have always known I am autistic. Plus I used bite. The only way I can see yours stopping is if they are told up front that it bothers you and why.