@whileyouwonder: Research suggests autistic people often place greater value on the quality, authenticity, and compatibility of friendships than on having a large social network. Having fewer friendships is not necessarily associated with poorer wellbeing if those relationships feel meaningful and accepting (Mazurek, 2014; Grace et al., 2022). #autismtraits #actuallyautistic #neurodivergent #lateidentifiedautism 🧠 As always, what I share is based on my experience as an autistic speech pathologist working in autism assessment, the lived experiences of the autistic community, and what I’ve seen across 8 years of assessment work. These insights reflect common themes I’ve observed in clinical settings, assessment conversations, and client storytelling. It may not apply to everyone, and research is still catching up on a lot of this. ‼️ This content is for general education and shared understanding, it is not clinical advice or a diagnostic service.
Dasha🌻AutisticAutismAssessor
Region: AU
Tuesday 02 June 2026 13:09:32 GMT
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mfrbarrett :
Too many friends is exhausting.
2026-06-02 13:44:56
439
Amy :
More people=more demands and expectations and personalities and feelings to decode. That’s too overwhelming. No thanks. 😅
2026-06-02 13:19:07
161
Aaron87G :
Quality over quantity every time!
2026-06-02 13:17:44
111
Eleri :
I’m envious of people with lots of friends but I genuinely don’t understand how they manage it. I don’t really get how to be casual friends with someone. We’re either close or we’re barely in touch
2026-06-04 12:26:41
58
CeceMarie72 :
I’m on my neurodivergent discovery journey. 👋Wondering if this is an autistic trait: I’ve always had trouble fitting in. Growing up I never had a friend group; I would hone in on someone and latch onto them, but after a period of time, I would move on to someone else. It’s like I was always looking for someone I fully clicked with, but never found it until my early 20’s. (I’ve had the same best friend for 30 years now.)
2026-06-02 19:55:45
7
Elsie :
It has been such an incredible relief to remove the pressure to have a big vibrant social life! I used to feel broken because I couldn't keep that up. Knowing that I'm autistic has helped me understand that a fulfilling social life just looks different for me, and that's genuinely ok.
2026-06-02 16:58:24
14
Lee313 :
I find friends exhausting, I have 1 maybe zero friends. Does my dog count?????
2026-06-02 13:41:52
16
Grace🇨🇦 :
I don't even want lots of friends. it's too much for me to keep up with.
2026-06-02 13:43:50
9
IamNotArobot :
Me! I'm not diagnosed but was suggested I look for an autism diagnosis when I got my ADHD diagnosed.
2026-06-02 13:29:29
20
bookcoffee0 :
I don't have 1 and I'm ok with it
2026-06-04 01:46:24
5
Jojo :
I'm happy with acquaintances 🤣
2026-06-03 05:42:13
4
Chris 🇭🇲 :
I have one friend that lives two states away. It's exhausting 😅
2026-07-12 02:47:17
1
Forest Goblin 🏳️🌈🆘🇺🇸 :
I have a partner, two close friends, an online group chat, and another couple social friends. It's plenty for me. Sometimes it's too many people.
2026-06-02 13:22:59
7
DillyDilly :
I don’t even want full on friends. It seems like too much. I don’t want expectations of hanging out all the time. I’m just fine with just my wife.
2026-06-02 13:25:10
28
justnicole52 🇨🇦 :
I don't have friends. I dont know how to make friends. I dont understand how it works.
2026-06-16 12:27:20
5
kristamurrell10 :
interesting. I have more friends than ever, and a husband... but im happy not seeing my friends very often. I dont have people over very often. I spend all my free time with my husband and have like 2 friends i talk to every day. The rest i talk to on and off
2026-06-09 03:08:06
2
Apple :
I just don't have the energy for tons of friends and I also don't know how I'd be close to them all too.
2026-06-18 18:32:03
4
MrTuk :
Maybe im just weird and people dont like me? 😂
2026-06-13 06:17:04
1
Adri 🇨🇦 :
I have too many friends. I have 4 “close” friends and I feel stuck with them because I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. But I truly only enjoy and feel like myself with two of them
2026-06-24 20:40:51
1
Womble 🇦🇺 :
Single. 2 kids. No friends. Perfectly happy 🥰
2026-06-22 12:17:15
1
Ro :
I only hear a problem when it’s one person. Because one person cannot be everything to you and it creates a really unfair, often codependent dynamic. I’m a small social circle girly
2026-06-25 23:18:54
1
The Makalien :
Quality over quantity 💅🏻
2026-06-09 15:20:19
1
Createtobeinspired :
Can’t keep up with remembering birthdays and writing messages for new year even with my family members 😳so more then 2 friends at a time is overwhelming… But I like to make new friends and quietly let go of old ones, when moving to places or changing stages of life … 😁
2026-06-13 23:59:07
2
tellymcmilly :
I'm a worse friend the more friends and demands I have 😬
2026-06-05 05:07:59
3
Jenny Yehudit :
I am sensitive to energies...can't handle too many people...it exhausts me and drains me...i need alot of alone time😳😳
2026-06-02 18:33:49
2
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