An autistic child in their natural state will most likely be bullied on a regular basis.
They often have to actively suppress anything that makes them stand out.
Some are able to succeed at this, and people stop bullying them.
But they’re then invisible. They still have no friends. They still miss out on any experiences that require friends.
When they ask how to make friends, everyone assumes that they’re not even trying. Everyone assumes that they’re doing nothing even though they’re burning themself out just to be invisible. They’re told “talk to people” or “just be yourself”.
But that’s what they were bullied for. They never had a chance to learn how to “talk to people” or what “just be yourself” even means.
So then, every once in a while, they take a wild guess at how to interact with others. And they get bullied again.
Then they stop doing the wild guess that caused them to be bullied. And they’re back to being invisible.
Some are able to
succeed at this, and people
stop bullying them.
Beep boop! I look for accidental haiku posts. Sometimes I mess up.