As fall arrives, in the housing complex I arrive in is usually an overall maintenance inspection of the property and this year was no different. As I traditionally have the past two years, I asked my mother to aid in getting the apartment ready for inspection. As I have improved in my skills since last year, I have also had a better allowance of letting her into my home.
As I have discussed over time, being independent comes with responsibilities. Many of the responsibilities are just that, a responsibility. However autistics that are independent, myself included struggle with understanding many of the norms that many expect of us. Because many times this is not instilled as a norm in the years prior to being independent, it can continue to be a struggle to realize the need to perform what can be mundane or silly gestures as a way that others expect us.
As I have had some time to ponder my own thoughts recently, I began to realize how much I have matured socially over the years and how people realize that I can actually be someone who can carry a conversation for a long time and my ability to mask as a neurotypical when necessary.
Somewhere, I can’t find the actual credit for this weeks’ feature blog post, but I truly believe that it is the honest to goodness truth. Being independent, when I get in the spurts of cleaning and making my home presentable to others, I am truly in my happy place because it is a task I can be proud of..
As an autistic, being independent has its perks. You can in many cases do what you want, make your place your own, set your own schedule. Now, granted, not all autistics can live independently, but for the ones who earn the keys to independence this is the moment they have been waiting for. But, sometimes can come periods of boredom and loneliness, which can lead into depression.
Dustin's Dynasty 