Social Anxiety Kept Me From Meeting George Michael

In 1986, twenty-two years before my autism diagnosis, I had a chance to meet one of my musical heroes, George Michael. I hadn’t met George before, and the prospect of spending hours with him in the close confines of a recording studio thrilled and terrified me in equal measures. At around 10 pm that Friday evening, I was told that George was on his way to the studio and that I should make my way over. Immediately, the panic set in. My stomach began to churn with anxiety, and the excuses began as to why I couldn’t attend the session. Read More

The Problem with Autistic Dating Websites

Your dating experiences on the autistic spectrum

Adults With Autism.org.uk is keen to hear about your experiences of dating and relationships. Have you found it difficult as an autistic person to find a girlfriend or boyfriend? Have you used any of the online dating websites for people with autism, did it work for you? If not, how did you meet your partner and find love? Do you have any tips on how people with autism can find Read More

The big secret

As an autistic person… I have always assumed that there was a sort of secret that everybody in the world new. Everybody except me. I had always thought that everyone understood the social rules. There was hidden knowledge of how life works, that everyone shared, apart from me. Before my autism diagnosis, I had no idea why this was. My long entrenched low self esteem, informed me that I was Read More