As an autistic person, the word dignity can be a challenging work to swallow sometimes. It is knowing that I am deserving of being worthy and respected for who I am regardless of what I or others may think of myself. It can be hard to see that we are in an age these times were this is something that can hard to be valued both within myself and within others.

For the longest time I could not imagine what that word dignity would actually mean to me and it had me at times realizing that I was one that often needed to be put to the side o around the corner because of my (sometimes unknown) diagnosis, mannerisms or behaviors that would be offsetting and disruptive to others to the point of being shamed by not only my fellow peers but also many educators and professionals growing up that has made me not understanding that there are people that are caring for myself and value me as a true person.

This is the biggest reason that I do not extend myself to other people where I do not have the guarantee that there is going to be dignity and respect in return from them. I always have on the back burner of the range of my brain that I am going to be bullied or disrespected in some way because of a simple move in the wrong direction. Let us face it, the social landscape for spectrum folk can be challenging to navigate in the world that is often not made for them, and it can be quite challenging a scary. Adding a comorbidity such as anxiety in the mix, only doubles the fear of something going wrong with a connection with others.

It is often why we as autistic people like to stay within our cocoon of safety and do things that are comfortable to us, and we know are not going to have to make us interact with those that make us uncomfortable to where we are going to not be treated with the respect and dignity we deserve. As humans in general, everyone deserves it, but for an autistic person, we are often passed on in life because of our mannerisms and inability to interact with others.

I cannot tell you the number of times I have been told to look others in the eyes until it became a necessity for me to work. It is also that my job as a natural requires me to treat others that I come across with dignity and respect and that I know that they should give the same to me. However, I am not aware of what is going on in their lives at that moment, so I know that it is always not a guarantee. Nonetheless, I know that it is Imperative for me to give it towards others, always.

Sometimes we do not see when others are trying to extend themselves to us as autistic people or we repulse ourselves because we cannot fathom the fact of making connections with others in a social or other kind of manner. It can be hard to imagine a life beyond what we as spectrum folk feel comfortable doing because it is something that makes us anxious or puts us on edge of what the other person’s endgame is. We cannot imagine that others would at times extend themselves to us because we cannot see that there are people who care about us, regardless of neurotype.

However, it is important to take things slowly with us and give us grace, patience and understanding when it comes to us connecting with us. It takes us time for us as spectrum folk to warm up to you and get comfortable because of the way that our brain operates. But, if you treat us with the dignity and respect that we deserve, it is highly likely that we will do the same for you and a mutual connection will be made for both of us. Just be kind and give us the dignity that we deserve as you would any other human being.