Autism, From Someone Who Is On The Spectrum

Autism and Affection (February 2020)

"Stop shaming Autistic people for not showing affection in a typical way. Stating the way we show affection is "unnatural" suggests our ways of expressing love are not good enough as they are. It implies we should "love better" or the "right way", which often means to engage in behaviors we are not comfortable with, just to please you. We should not be forced to associate physical affection with discomfort and coercion. We express love differently, and it is just as valuable as any other form of affection."-The Autistic Life

Most of my life, I was guilted into physical affection to people did not know. So many of co-workers of my parents would want to hug me. Yet I had no clue, who they actual were. Here the thing, I have no problem express affection through hugging. In fact with certain people I am very affection to point that people have yelled at me for being weird because did not understand our relationship. But in that relationship it is normal because it was part of our relationship growing up so neither of us find it weird at all. 

Here the thing, there is stereotype of Autistic and hate physical affection especially cuddling and hugging. Some of us love physical affection and that is how we show others that we care and just because you do not understand the way someone is giving affection to others. Does not mean that they are weird or wrong, it is you do not understand that things are different to what you are used to. 

Autistic people express things differently others that does not mean weird and wrong. They are trying to comfortable way express themselves to others and how they feel about those in their life. You never know what someone has overcome to express themselves in a way that someone would expect to be "normal". Just because someone express in a way you are not used to does not mean it is weird or wrong.  

Until we started recognize that there is no right to express physical affection to others, we will still have stereotypes about what is "actually exceptational" affection. Just writing that seem stupid because is there really any right way to affection so someone you care about.