Myrtonos wrote:
A lot of people on the spectrum, maybe most of the ones diagnosed, are resistant to change. Is it true that many vehemently disagree with changing anything for illogical reasons?
I think all people should be resistant to change for illogical reasons. Society likes to tell us change is good and inevitable, but this is usually businesses or governments getting people to do things they don't want. Like more work for the same money. Yet, cancer is change, and society says we should always treat that, because it helps the economy.
Really, life is change, but that doesn't mean we don't all need consistency. Our ancestors needed consistent seasons and other factors for hunting and gathering, or we wouldn't be here. I also hate changes to things I rely on to live and function. I like a steady work routine, eat repetitive meals, and do other things in specific order so I don't have to think about a million factors, and I can live. This allows me to let change into other areas of my life. For example, I always like cycling through interests and the different phases (such as with music) I would go through. I also think some of our repetitive behavior isn't about doing the same thing over and over. I could watch one movie every night for a week, because to me each viewing is different--part of an emotional arc or experience. But, to someone else it just looks like boring, repetitive behavior.
I think people on the spectrum get labelled this way because they need more rigid routines to balance out sensory overload. And NTs don't really get this easily. But it's not like NT people say, "Hey I just met someone who hates eye contact and only talks at length about very specific interests. What a great change compared to what I'm used to!" They also like, and need, what they can count on.