Desire to be Loved

I often see parents of people with autism say things along the lines of ‘he isn’t ready to date’ ‘what if they can’t deal with getting their heart broken’ and my favourite is ‘it’s not worth the risk of him getting hurt’.

I think the reason why these kind of statements grate on me so much is because people with autism have the same desire to be loved as any other person on the planet. Not only that, but we deserve to be loved just as much as anyone else and these worries apply to anyone else who is trying dating for the first time.

This is one thing that I hate about the way the general population see people on the spectrum. They see them us as childlike, helpless creatures who have no grasp of social responsibility. This is most likely reinforced by the way in which we are portrayed in the media, but I think that is something for another day.

The truth is, I think a relationship is more important for people on the spectrum than they are for people who are neurotypical. From my experience the speed at which someone develops is vastly accelerated when they have a strong emotional investment in the relationship. Not only that but having someone who understands you, that is willing to deal will all your quirks and complications.

The reason it grates on me is quite simply, I get annoyed when someone with autism, or any disability in fact is treated differently simply because they have some label attached to them.

Thanks for reading,

Spec.