For every autistic stereotype, there are also more nuanced versions. The same underlying cause can create an effect that’s more subtle, hidden entirely, or even the opposite of what you’d expect.
Trouble with eye contact is one example. Some autistics find it physically painful, but the mutitasking is what gets to me.
I find it cognitively painful to engage in a conversation while also performing the “eye contact dance” – looking toward, then looking away, and just the right ratio of each.
Sometimes the result is too little eye contact for the other person’s comfort. Other times, it’s too much.
If you experience things like these – things that are tricky to articulate because they’re not typical, but also not stereotypically autistic – then I wrote this book for you.
This post expands on ideas from an earlier post.