This is the worst part of my day..

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Picking my daughter up from school. I dread this part of the day. After she gets dismissed from her class I let her play on the school playground with her friends for another 30 mins or so (give or take). It's such a hassle to try and avoid talking to other parents and teachers but I don't want to be selfish and tell my daughter she can't play with her friends. So I just sit here to the side, awkwardly, hiding behind my phone which brings up another worry: I dont want to look like the parent that ignores her kid and stays on their phone but its my stim toy. And I don't go around telling everyone I have Aspergers so to them I'm probably the weird, neglectful parent that they all judge. I wonder what its like to not stress over every aspect of life. /rant

Yeah, this must be hard on you I can imagine.

Would they allow you to pick her up later (30mins after they let class out) after she's done on the playground? Or could you find another soothing distraction that doesn't carry the same stigma as a smartphone? I think that sometimes in these situations it helps when people witness how truly awkward I can be. Even if they are not aware enough to see that I don't enjoy socializing or small talk, it does get them to stop trying to converse with me after a couple failed attempts.

even if i could pick her up later it wouldn't work out, my daughter would get very anxious if im not there right after she gets out :/ but i think the only way for her to stay after school without me there is she would be a apart of the C.A. which is where they take all the kids to the cafeteria to wait for their parents and thats not quite the same as the playground unfortunately. the only other distract.ion i can think of bring would be a book but i would have to pretend to read it, there's too much stimulation going on there for me to actually be able to read it. and im afraid to just sit there and watch my daughter the entire time because most parents take you doing nothing as an open invitation to small talk. im just going to try and start not hiding my weirdness, its just second nature for me to try and act normal so i dont dwell on things but thats not working out for me so far lol..

Oh...I have a trick for that, I may not be a parent, but it works out every time someone tries to initiate small talk:
After they've got a few questions...don't reply, and slowly back away.
If they follow you, get all your heart together and tell them that you don't like talking to strangers. If it goes even worse, explain them you have issues with small talk.
Works for me.

When I'm around extended family or strangers my social awkwardness kicks into high gear. Anyone that starts small talk I just keep my answers as short as possible (aim for one word reply's). Never ask them questions. Never use their name. They either get bored or offended and wander off. You can pretend to read a book, the same book, for a year. I doubt most NT's would notice so if someone asks you about it they might be worth talking to. Or just shrug and use a one word response.

Sometimes I find success in wearing headphones, although I'm not listening to music. People tend not to talk to me when they think I can't hear them.