Difficulty with socializing and communication is one of the diagnostic criteria for autism. While most autistic people will continue to have problems with socializing throughout their lives, there are many steps that you can follow to navigate the tricky and sometimes subtle world of socializing and ensure that you can experience social situations and conversations without an ounce of panic or self-consciousness.
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Social Scripts
Many autistic people like to create social scripts that can help them with the most basic and common interactions they will experience. These social scripts might include questions and responses that can prevent autistic people from panicking before interactions and can help them complete transactional conversations without any issues. These scripts can be essential for autistic people to get through their day-to-day lives and achieve the results they need, whether this be booking a doctor’s appointment or buying groceries. These social scripts can teach autistic people what to expect from their social interactions and what they need to say in response- the only problem is if the other party goes off-script.
Be Yourself
As you get older, you might feel more comfortable in yourself and able to unmask in certain social situations. By doing this, especially with friends and relatives, you might feel less overwhelmed and confused in social situations, and more able to express yourself and your opinions. You might also worry less about perceived social slights, such as interrupting others and talking too much. Telling people that you trust that you are autistic could also be helpful, as this can allow them to understand why your social cues might be a little different from those of other people. As an adult, unmasking might take practice, though, if you have been doing it your entire life.
Apps
There are some apps available for autistic adults that may help you to improve your social skills. These apps can allow you to hone in on a skill that you struggle with and set goals to improve it. By using these apps, you will be able to track your progress. You might even decide to use these apps to communicate your mood and express your needs to others better, as well as follow courses focused on social skills and communication. However, you might find some apps for autistic adults more helpful than others. This means that you should research the best apps available to you before you decide to download any.
Practice
Although you might prefer to burrow yourself at home and never speak to someone again, especially after a social interaction that you felt embarrassed about, it is important to practice socializing as much as possible. This will help you to learn tips and tricks and improve how well you can communicate with others. Not only this, but you might gain confidence and realize that it is not so scary after all. This means that you should try to put yourself out there and strike up conversations when you can or attend social events. By doing this, you will also be able to learn resilience when social interactions go wrong.