Interpersonal Skills Stack Exchange
Interpersonal Skills Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [autism-spectrum]

For questions relating to or asked by people on the autism spectrum (this includes what was previously known as "Asperger", as well as "high functioning" and "low functioning" autism).

The autism spectrum is a broad range of conditions caused by atypical sensory processing. One of the most prominent symptoms of autism is social impairment as people on the spectrum often lack the intuition about others that many people take for granted. Due to how broad the spectrum of autism is, two people on different parts of the spectrum may display remarkably different levels of social skill.

This tag should be used to indicate either the person asking the question has autism, or the person the poster is seeking advice about has autism.

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10 answers

How to convince my wife that my best friend and I are just friends?

I have a friend (a woman), who I met around 8 months ago. Since then, she has become my best friend and we are extremely close. Understandably, my wife is envious of the relationship and even sometimes suspects it is more than a platonic friendship…
Teri0
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111
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15 answers

How can I handle my father challenging everything I say?

I live with my parents. My father likes to challenge nearly everything I say, up to the point of ridiculousness. I can prove many of the things he challenges but not immediately. In most cases his disagreements with my comments are off-topic. They…
Belle
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90
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8 answers

Dealing with somebody who's ignoring my very existence

Background I have a group of friends, and we've known each other for about 7 years now. We once all were colleagues. One of these friends, Alice, has an autism spectrum disorder. This friend got fired from our workplace. During the period when she…
Tinkeringbell
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74
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11 answers

How do I tell a potential partner about my autism?

Background I recently met a woman on a dating app and we hit it off. Last night we went on our first date, which went very well and we are planning to go out again. I am interested in potentially having a serious relationship with her if the next…
Rainbacon
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56
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7 answers

How do I tell my close-ones that I don't appreciate it when they say I look like a bird?

While I ultimately believe that my family and friends love me and would never do anything to intentionally hurt me, there is a certain culture among my immediate and extended family members and my friend group of lighthearted teasing that I feel…
Jordad
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56
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8 answers

How can I more clearly ask people to accommodate for my autism?

I've got autism. This isn't always clear to people*. Sometimes I need accommodations for a sensory issue to participate in a normal way. One time, there was a colleague with a strong aftershave, for example, who needed my help. Sometimes these…
Belle
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51
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11 answers

How can women avoid talking during dates while keeping men at ease?

I am a 30 year old American woman. A few years ago, I read online that men and women communicate differently, specifically that men do not like to talk face to face and women like to talk face to face. I am on the autism spectrum so I always…
notmySOaccount
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49
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8 answers

Active listening in casual conversation: why does it not work?

I’m on the spectrum. Language doesn’t always come as naturally to me as to others. I often have a need to confirm I understand the conversation partner, for which I use active listening techniques like paraphrasing and questioning. I noticed that…
Belle
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49
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4 answers

How can I politely reject someone's advances?

I am a high functioning autistic woman and I recently went to a meet up for other autistic people and met a guy. I let him add me on facebook and we talked a little bit and he tried to ask me out almost immediately which I rejected by saying I…
Grimmy
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Boyfriend always responds "I didn't mean to" when he gets feedback

My boyfriend (been together 4 years) will always respond with "I didn't mean to!", when someone points out to him he did something wrong. It always sounds slightly accusatory when he says it, like he wants to say: "I'm only human, stop blaming me!".…
Belle
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43
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16 answers

Is it socially acceptable to dismiss a compliment?

Sometimes I get compliments like: "good job on making that website" or that I look nice or something. I often say that much more people look better or I could have done the site better, or even saying that I didn't do a good job. So my question: Is…
Termatinator
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43
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4 answers

Showing a homeless person that you care about their well-being

Every day, when I go to work, I pass by a homeless person. At first, I just waved hello to them, but now I shake hands with them and, when doing that, they will start asking me questions (like "how are you?"). I believe they want to have a…
Ael
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38
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6 answers

Rebuffing a former friend's (now a convicted criminal) attempts to restore friendship

I used to have a friend who I would fairly regularly see - usually for lunch. A few details about this individual: Very quiet and shy Is a high-functioning autistic individual Socially awkward We fell out of touch a few years ago when he (very…
Scoots
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37
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5 answers

Talking to the parents of an adult autistic student

I have an adult, autistic student who I have tutored weekly in programming since about November. His parents would like this tutoring to result in him being able to work as an entry-level programmer, but I have been slowly coming to the conclusion…
Ben I.
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35
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6 answers

How to open up to someone about loving them, when you don't know if they love you back?

I feel attracted to someone. I did have a relationship with her before (we were little children at that time, 5-7 years old), but we couldn't continue because of age and distance. We are both introverted and both have PDDNOS, a form of autism. I…
Termatinator
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