Introversion and extroversion

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I was talking to a professional (who works with people who have ASD diagnoses) yesterday about introversion/extroversion and autism.

What we both said was that it can be difficult for people woth ASD to act with extroversion in social situations. He told me that many people use extroversion in order to cope woth social situations.
We also said that perhaps extroversion/introversion is different in NT than in ASD. He could not really explain it to me.

I myself don't like to call myself an introvert.
It is ASD and not introversion like in NT, I think.
Also, I don't like binary categories like introversion/extroversion. Some add ambiversion in the middle. It seems too simplistic.

What are your experiences?

I can be shy but I am socially-driven. I consider myself ambivert.

Autistics can be introverts or extroverts.

Introverts just need less social interaction than extroverts

There is a commonality between ASD and introversion both groups get overstimulated and exhausted by social interaction. NT introverts get exhausted because it is the nature of their personalities, for Autistics it is sensory sensitivities and difficulty multitasking.

With autistics, the problem is an autistic may present as an introvert because
1. The autistic is an introvert.
2. The autistic is not an introvert but due to repeated social failures is afraid to socialize.

I find that people who call themselves introverts don't like being in big groups when socializing.
That would be me.

But to me the extrovert-introvert thing seems wrong. It seems very black n white.
I know of one person who is said to be very extroverted. At times he looks very introverted.

I think we all are a very personal mix of both.

Having both introvert and extrovert tendencies is called ambivert. I think most people, NT or ND, are ambiverts. I'm an ambivert, most definitely. I have both introvert and extrovert tendencies. I can get shy if I'm around people I don't know very well, and I often shy away from having conversations with strangers, but I am still a sociable person and often need social interaction. I don't really get exhausted from socialising but I don't really get exhausted from not socialising.

I am an extrovert. I had children to add more people to my life.

It can be especially painful to be extroverted and have ASD. Despite my high desire to be with people, I suffer to initiate and maintain. My son is also extroverted with social anxiety (supposedly not ASD), and struggles also. My daughter is the introverted ASD type and I envy her sometimes. I know there are pros and cons.

I did a personality test when I was in my 20s and the results said I was an introvert. I strongly felt that didn't fit me, especially when I read in the author's notes that people shouldn't try to change their personalities because it wasn't possible. So I rejected it and put a lot of work into trying to disprove it, with some success, partly because of a couple of lucky breaks I had socially and partly because I put my mind to the task quite thoroughly. At that stage of my life I could have been said to be an extravert.

So I don't think introversy and extraversy are useful terms to describe me. I'm more complicated than that.

After giving it much thought, I think I lean towards being an extrovert. I'm selling my crafted goods at the flea market every Sunday. Between Dean, Barb and myself, I'm the one who spends the most time at the clubhouse. Every time my clubhouse has a sports tournament against Mental Health and a barbeque, I'm the one who's there while Dean and Barb stay at their places.