Hi everyone, I’m brand new to this forum. I realize the majority here are either parents of children with ASD, or you, yourself have ASD. My mother (66yo) and brother (42yo) were both diagnosed 2 years ago. They are both high functioning and are opposites socially. My mother is more extroverted and likes being in social situations, though she struggles with social cues and the difference between an appropriate joke vs offensive one. My brother would rather be alone and play video games. He does well with one on one if it’s a topic he’s interested in otherwise conversation is minimal. I definitely struggled growing up in our household, as the only neurotypical person and the youngest. I was forced to be very independent at a very young age. My relationship with my mother grew very distant as I got older because neither of us understood each other, even small talk is a struggle. Anyway, here we are, they were diagnosed 2 years ago. I think they were seeking therapy only for a brief moment after their discovery. I would like to build a better relationship with them. I’ve been doing research about ASD and trying to understand how to communicate. I’m trying to be patient and have tried to adjust the way I communicate with my mother but it’s still like walking on eggshells. Conversations are usually about the weather and her daily life. Which is fine, I guess. I’m not really sure what I’m asking. Maybe if there’s someone here that have a similar experience. All the information out there is about teaching autistic children to assimilate. How do you teach someone in their 60’s? She almost uses it as an excuse for her behavior and expects everyone else to fall in line. She’s unapologetic and has the attitude of “well I’m autistic so it’s ok for me to act this way, and you need to be nicer and let me do what I want.” Sorry for the long post. I’m open to have a conversation with anyone that has more or similar experience. Thanks if you’ve read this far.

Posted by Kjrangson at 2023-04-03 20:42:14 UTC