On Wanting To Be Normal

Recently I wrote a post on all the ways in which I’m different from the mainstream. It’s made me more aware than ever of the whole concept of ‘normal’.

I know that there are many, too many, autistics out there who don’t want to be autistic. Who just want to fit in and be ‘normal’. I don’t agree with their stance, but I can understand why.

If you’re a young person who’s spent their whole life having it drummed into you that autism is a wrongness that needs to be Fixed, Treated, Managed and Social-Skills-Classed the heck out of you, if you’ve drowned in ‘behaviour plans’, IEPs and ‘special needs’, then of course you would wish you weren’t autistic. There are young adult autistics who refuse to identify as such, or even talk about it or be in contact with other autistics, because they’re so sick of all of that.

And if you’re an older autistic who’s spent a lifetime being put down, criticised, reviled, rejected, side-lined and/or abused for simply being what you are, struggling with co-occurring conditions like Executive Dysfunction or Sensory Processing Disorder, whether you have a diagnosis or not; if you’re unemployed, friendless, maybe homeless, struggling with depression, anxiety and other mental issues or addictions, then you’re not going to see much value in being autistic, and will likely reject the autistic community, think it laughable even.

I also know there are even autistics, both young and old, who support ‘that’ kind of autism organisation and their research into eradicating autism. I feel for them, I truly do, and I understand why they would do this, even if I don’t think it’s a good path to take.

The biggest reason not to take this path is simply this – it can’t be done. It’s gene-deep, brain-deep, neurologically-deep. It’s in your very nerves, muscles and cells. You can’t eradicate it. The only way to ‘rid society of autism’ is for all autistics to die and no more to be born, ie you can only eradicate autistics, not autism. Which amounts to genocide. And even if you don’t think this is a step too far, and/or you’re thinking well at least this would mean nobody would suffer like you have, consider that there are autistics who don’t feel this, who want to be alive no matter how difficult it is, and/or whose parents, family and friends, especially other autistics, very much want them to be alive. And you don’t have the right to decide for them. And that the biggest problem in all the above is actually people’s ATTITUDES to autistics. If that changed…

So my feeling is that we might as well accept it, even embrace it, and maybe even try to make the world a little better for all of us not ‘normal’, or at the very least give a giant metaphorical raised finger to the world, with our being proud to simply be ourselves. Because why the heck not.

In light of all this, I look at my own life, and while it’s been difficult beyond words, and there were long spells when I did try hard to be ‘normal’, I didn’t ever really see that ‘normal’ as anything wonderful. The paradox is that the very traits that make me different from NTs are the very traits that led me to think what the heck is so superior about these people? And this was long, long before I had any idea that I was autistic. This is the other thing at the heart of rejecting wanting not to be autistic – why would I want to be something I didn’t regard as an ‘improved model’, even if they obviously did? So no, I don’t want to be NT.

What about the other characteristics that make me ‘different’? Being gay, for instance? I’m gay/lesbian because I don’t find men attractive. So why would I want to be someone who did? And non-binary – same. If I don’t identify with either binary, male or female, why would I want to be someone who did? Then there’s being an aromantic - if I don’t find romance exactly thrilling, why would I want to? Same with being introverted, why would I want to be one of those noisy extroverts who plague me? You get the picture, I’m sure. It’s all the same paradox, knowing that the alternative is more acceptable to society, but I simply can’t find it an attractive enough state to want to be it.

So in what ways do I wish I was ‘normal’? I think the biggest thing I’d rid myself of, if I could, is my physical disabilities. I’d love not to have CFS, or arthritis, or even an ankle that hasn’t been screwed up ever since I broke it. I’d love to have normal energy levels. To get up in the morning and go about my day, without needing hours to rev myself up to regular speed, because if I rush, I’ll get dizzy, nauseous, sweaty and probably end up back into bed. And that’s on a good day. Bad ones, I likely never get up at all, except to take the pills that help prop me up, eat the foods I need for same, or to go to the bathroom. Bad nights, I barely sleep at all. And the next day or even days, just plain suck.

It would be very nice to get at least somewhat closer to normal than this. But I know it’s not going to happen, that there’s not likely to be a cure for CFS in my lifetime. And also knowing that ageing and lack of fitness have taken away a great deal anyway. Having CFS sucks, but so does getting old.

Another way I’d like to be ‘normal’ is to not be poor. But that’s linked to being physically disabled for so long, and to some extent to who and what I am. I was never good at jobs, and was forced to drop out of university because of CFS – an illness caused at least in part by the stress of attending uni without the supports I had no idea I needed. There are, I suspect, many autistics with CFS or some other stress-related illness or disability, not surprising given the amount of daily trauma we suffer. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, but I think the biggest was forcing – pushing - myself to attempt ‘normality’, that it has harmed me on a very deep level.

In summary then, there’s not many ways I’d want to be ‘normal’, and they are based on things I don’t feel are intrinsic to me, unlike being autistic, gay, introvert, etc. If I could change my financial or physical status, I definitely would. But as things stand, I can’t. So I’m kinda stuck with them.

Being autistic though? I wouldn’t change it for the world. Even when it makes my life very, very hard indeed. I am what I am, and I refuse to apologise for it. And nor should anyone else.

The Central Dilemma of Being Autistic

 There’s a phrase that’s been echoing in my head a lot recently - you can only be what you are.

 This may seem so obvious as to be not worth saying, but it’s a privilege that most autistics aren’t allowed, or don’t dare allow themselves. Our authentically autistic selves are considered Not Acceptable to most of the world. We are all too often not permitted to be what we really are.

 Autism is defined as ‘abnormal’, and a synonym of abnormal is ‘unnatural’. And that’s how autistics are seen. NTs hold themselves as THE model of how to be, so in their eyes we’re a deviation from nature, a distortion of what a human being ‘should’ be, and hence we must be ‘corrected’, no matter the cost. It’s a kind of subconscious arrogance, manifesting as ableism. It involves a wholesale ignorance or refusal to acknowledge that the way we are is totally natural FOR US, both as individuals and collectively.

 Our idiosyncrasies and caprices, our strict orderliness or total lack of it, our raging sensitivity, our contrary minds, our brutal honesty or social obliviousness, our ways of talking or moving or connecting, our free-wheeling stims and our sudden spurts of joy, our abrupt hungers and our intense griefs, our deep diving into things like maths or cars or lampposts or history or outer space or music or brain chemistry… All the things that make us gloriously, outrageously, flamboyantly, achingly and overwhelmingly autistic, have been cast negatively, and seen as things to be eradicated, even when some of those things are also evident in non-autistics, and even when they’re harming no-one.

 The unspoken rule is, if an autistic does it, it’s wrong, simply BECAUSE they are autistic. The very state of BEING autistic is judged wrong. Is it any wonder that so often we can’t accept ourselves, when this is how our intrinsic state of being is framed? We’ve become conditioned, in one way or another, to feel inferior or just plain ‘wrong’ - regardless of whether or not we even know we are autistic. We’re taught to despise our true selves anyway, or at least to become determined to hide them, to avoid the inevitable repercussions.

 This often leads to the phenomenon known to autistics as ‘masking’, which is nothing to do with Covid, but rather the various ways in which many of us try to conceal our autistic behaviours and thought patterns, to present ourselves as ‘normal’. We might be pressured to do this by others, or we might do it to ourselves, in order to fit in, keep a job, etc, or just to avoid hassles or abuse. The cruel irony is that over time it can develop into such a polished performance, that even if we do come out, people won’t believe we are autistic, and sometimes we don’t know how to stop doing it, or who we are or might be without the masking.

 There are also autistics who can’t mask, or who can’t do it very well, or simply refuse to, and they can pay a huge price for that - which tends to make those of us who can try even harder, to avoid that fate. But even if we’re able to mask successfully, that also comes at a huge cost. Addiction, depression, anxiety, burnout, PTSD, self-harm, other mental illnesses, and the consequences of those, are rampant in the autistic community, and our average lifespan is only in our thirties.

 Thus the central dilemma of all autistic lives is, how much can we be real? And if we can’t or don’t mask, or the mask slips, how much and in what ways will we be punished for it?

 This dilemma presents itself in innumerable ways, small and large, on a daily basis. Punishments can be anything from a blank look or being ignored to physical attacks, abuse or even murder. We know that we run huge risks just by existing as autistic. Small wonder then, that some of us become surly, defensive, prickly and ‘unco-operative’, while others mask just to survive. Please note in no way is it my intention here to judge anyone’s choice on this - as a friend of mine said recently, “Masking is not wrong. What is wrong is that we have to do it.” And I’d say the same about being ‘un-cooperative’, or whatever other behaviour choices individual autistics make in order to get through each day with any shred of self-respect or sanity intact.

 So how can we be authentically autistic, in such a world? How can we get people to accept us as we are? The short answer is that they won’t – unless we DEMAND that they do so. And in my experience, the best path to building the inner strength to be able to do that, as individuals and as a group, lies in finding our anger.

 Anger is empowering. Anger is cleansing. Anger is also freeing. Anger allows us, after years of taking crap, to say “you know what? I don’t want to do this anymore”, or “this situation stinks”. It’s the little voice that starts saying “what right do non-autistics have to tell me how I should be anyway?” It tells us that we deserve better, that we have a RIGHT to be treated better. A whole heap better than what we’re currently getting.

 And yes, I know that for many if not most autistics, expressing that anger can be very risky. So much so, that some of us daren’t allow ourselves to even feel it, maybe thinking that we don’t have a right to it. While other autistics feel so much rage and bitterness, that it explodes ‘inappropriately’, and they’ve paid the price for that. Some of us alternate between these two states, to our detriment both ways. There isn’t a perfect remedy for this, but I have found that the most productive solution is to channel the rage into freeing our authentic autistic selves. So much of our rage (and our suppression of it) is because we haven’t been allowed to, or haven’t dared to let ourselves, be real. We have to demand acceptance, for all our sakes.

I recognise that I’m in a privileged position - I’m old, don’t have a job, etc, and personal safety aside, don’t much care anymore what anyone thinks of me. Thus I have little to lose. And I know that many others have way, way more at risk if they take off the mask, or allow themselves to get angry. And I’m not dismissing the very real risks of doing so, especially with the way things are right now around the world. Believe me, I do not.

 But at some point, in some way, we have to start being true to our real selves to at least some degree, or we’ll die inside. Or just die.

Because whichever way we go, there’s a price to pay. People often sense something ‘off’ about us anyway, no matter how well we mask, no matter how hard we work to divert their attention from our ‘faults’, to squeak through another day, and another, and another, and another…. How long before they realise we’re not THAT normal, and the punishments start? And even if we do manage to slide by, how long can we keep up the façade? How long before it all just becomes too much, and we break down? Burnout alone can be a huge price to pay.

 Now, I’m not saying that we all need to become hotshot activists/advocates, shouting to the world. That’s not a route everyone can or wants to take. There needs to be a recognition that everyone’s path to unmasking will be different. The process of unravelling the mask can be as slow, complex and experimental as building it was in the first place. And connecting to your anger can be just as difficult and just as prone to trial and error.

 It might be that you start with something small but quietly revolutionary, like allowing yourself to stim when you’re alone (for years, I didn’t even let myself do this), or to quietly, privately, dive into a special interest you’ve denied yourself. Or you could allow yourself to wear clothes or hairstyles others consider weird. You could create a blog, or YouTube videos, or paintings, or music, or whatever, which expresses something of your true self. Or perhaps you’ll leave a job that’s not right for you, or simply begin to be more honest with those around you, even if they do start looking at you funny, or, well, just about anything that allows you at least a little ‘wriggle room’ to BE you. To be authentically, wonderfully and uniquely autistic, to whatever degree you can manage - and you’ll probably find that degree widening over time.

 Because you can only be what you are – despite the world’s, or your own, strenuous effort to make you otherwise, and no matter how much you might hate yourself, and wish to be something else. I did all of those for most of my life, until I finally realised the futility of it. Why fight your true nature? Why not accept it, and work with it instead? You don’t have to love or even like everything or anything about yourself, I’ve discovered, in order to accept yourself. (You might ask, how can I accept negative things like meltdowns? You can accept the part of you that is sensitive, and work with it, not against it. This applies to all of your autistic traits, for that matter.)

Repeat after me – YOU ARE FINE JUST AS YOU ARE. THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH BEING AUTISTIC. And anyone who tries to tell you so, is wrong, wrong, and wrong. Find your rage. And channel it into being your true self. Because you cannot ever be anything other than what you are. And it’s time to stop pretending to be anything else.

How To Dehumanise Autistics

Recently, I’ve seen a couple of items floating around social media either proposing that autistics should be killed, or that autistics and those who have autism running in their families should refrain from reproducing, to rid the world of the ‘scourge’ that is us.

Now, I don’t know if these are some horrible kind of satire or the work of (possibly fake) trolls, but it doesn’t really matter. Because it can only work as satire, or trolling, because there are plenty of people out there who DO have these attitudes, for real, even if they’re not usually so blunt about it.

These posts could be called ‘How To Dehumanise Autistics 101’. Here’s how you do it. (All italics are actual quotes from the above mentioned posts, some slightly abridged.)

1) Tell people that we are lacking in basic humanity.

Describe us in language that will frighten people who don’t really know much about autism. Tell them that we are not [in possession of] a fully aware sentient controlled mind, that we’re mental invalids, who are incapable of participating in the kindred spirit of human connection, that we have a deficiency of the essence of feeling, an inability to consider empathy, or that autism is the most inhumane, most destructive and dehumanising condition, in short that we’re the ultimate monstrosity.

2) Create an alarmist picture of ‘typical’ autistic behaviour.

Paint us as mass shooters blowing the brains out of kindergartners, or becoming stalkers, or simply as terrible things who tear our families to pieces, leaving our parents’ lives in ruins, who remain forever incapable of toilet training (what is with these neurophobes, that they always go straight to the faeces?), or the cause of public disturbances, or just claim that each of us cost the world a million dollars of medical care. A big part of much of this, of course, is assuming that we’re all low-functioning human pets, though even THAT picture is a distorted and incomplete one.

3) Insist our lives are ‘miserable’.

Tell people that we are doomed to suffering, spend our time banging [our] heads on the floor (or filling our pants, presumably), live lives of constant pain and hate [ourselves], and that those lives are incomplete, missing the most important components of humanity and sentient feelings. You might even claim that autistics themselves would like it if nobody would again suffer from the condition [we] have.

4) Suggest or even state outright that the world would be better off without us.

The bald advice of these people is to leave [us] by the riverside as babies, or that anyone on the autism spectrum or with… relatives with autism.. needs to be discouraged from reproducing. Because if you carry autistic genes… [they’re] not worth passing on. That we should dare to dream big, that we owe [it] to the future, in fact, to wipe autism from the face of the earth.

Never mind that much of this is contradicted by the evidence, eg that autistics actually have too much empathy, hyper-sensitivity, and all-too-aware minds. Never mind what should be obvious, eg that a kid banging their head on the floor is either in pain or in an extreme of rage and frustration. Never mind that most of us do not consider our lives, or ourselves, or our minds, ‘incomplete’, or ‘lacking’ in anything but acceptance and understanding from others. Never mind even that much of our ‘pain’ is actually caused by that lack of acceptance and understanding. Yes, even the so-called ‘low functioning’ (a label that is essentially meaningless in practical terms anyway). The attitude of those around us is *THE* biggest single indicator of the quality of autistic lives. Period.

Actually, never mind common sense or facts at all. Just go for the jugular, and fill people up with so much fear of us that they’ll agree to anything to get rid of us.

That’s how you dehumanise autistics.

We have been abused, beaten, denied basic human rights, had our intelligence discredited, been tortured with ABA, had bleach or turps or other horrible things shoved up our bums or down our throats, had our authentic autistic selves forcibly or even violently repressed, and much, much more, including sometimes being killed, because of attitudes like this.

I suspect that people like this haven’t actually met any autistics, even those who would be considered ‘low-functioning’, they’re just going by some mental image of ‘what an autistic is’. They certainly haven’t met me, or any of my friends. They haven’t seen their beautiful souls, their depth of compassion, their empathy for the underdog, their ability to create communities and support each other (that ‘kindred spirit’ it’s claimed we don’t have), their joy in their favourite interests, or helping others, or simply in small things like a drop of dew in a flower.

But I repeat – these people are have only *publicly* stated what many others are thinking or feeling, without much reflection. The media, the ‘martyr/warrior mommy’ movement, and Certain Big Autism Organisations who don’t actually include us or even attempt to understand us are largely responsible for this, but the attitudes are rife in the general public as well.

It’s these attitudes, not autistics, that I believe should be ‘left by the riverside’, and ‘wiped from the face of the earth’. Enough with the dehumanising. We’re people. We’re human. We’re here to stay. And we deserve better than to be treated this way.

If We Really Were 'All A Little Bit Autistic'.

I’ve always been really bugged by that thing where we autistics try to share what life on the spectrum is like, and the reaction of NTs is 'well, we're all a little bit autistic aren’t we'. Firstly, because it denies and diminishes our very real difficulties. And secondly, because it’s simply not true. If your naturally white skin is deeply tanned from exposure to the sun, that doesn’t mean you’re ‘a little bit black’, and if you tried to claim so, it would be recognised as nonsense. Yet people insist on equating their occasional moments of social awkwardness or whatever, with actually being autistic.

So I’ve long wondered what the world would look like, if we really were ‘all a little bit autistic’. About a year ago, I asked around in several autistic groups, what their vision would be, of a world where everyone was autistic, with the idea of writing a post on it. Unfortunately, I went through a period of ill-health shortly after, and then got immersed in other projects, and never got round to writing it. But recently I revisited those conversations, which I’d saved in a file, and realised there were some good ideas in it. Plus, it’s still a Thing, where NTs do that. It hasn’t gone away, and I want to supply people with some ammunition to counter it.

So here’s the suggestions people made, divided into several categories, for simplicity’s sake. It turned out to be a long list! I want to thank all those who contributed. I’ve edited some of them slightly, made clear where people offered alternative ideas, and anonymised them all to protect peoples’ privacy.

Sensory

Foods would be automatically separated.

No forcing kids to finish their dinner.

No Styrofoam… Not just Styrofoam - polystyrene in general.

Weighted blankets would be sold as the norm rather than as an (often expensive) specialist item.

No unwanted touching.

No-one, on complaining about smells, would ever again be told "stop your whining, it's not that bad."

‘Smell pollution’ would be recognised as a thing. It would be considered a social offense to overload with perfume, for example.

[Or] No one would wear perfume or scented deodorant.

[Or] Perfume would only be smellable when you actually sniff it.

No-one would have invented fluorescent lights!

It would be totally acceptable to wear sunglasses year-round and indoors and no one would make jokes about someone giving you a black eye or suspect you of being a shoplifter.

Lighting, music etc would all be customisable to the individual.

Sunglasses would always be available at the dentist or any medical exam with bright lights.

Waiting rooms would be lit dimly.

[Or] Bright lighting would be non-existent.                       

They would come up with tech that doesn't buzz just below the range of hearing.

All motors and buzzing noises in the house and office gone.

Central heating would be [truly] silent.

There wouldn't be a need for earplugs.

Normal earmuffs would have an option to be ear defenders.

No-one would play their music on their phones, in the street. Ever.

Applause would not be a goddamn thing.

Wild or screaming children in small public spaces where waiting in line is required, like post offices, waiting rooms, etc [would be removed].

[Or] A quiet and softly lit room with individual cubicles in every building open to the public. If there is a line that you have to wait in, you could take a number and wait in the quiet room.

Supermarkets and shopping centres would have noise baffling technology. No more echoes.

And the lighting in the supermarkets would be different and there'd be no irritating music or loud tannoys.

There would be no muzak in shops. Ever.

Everyone would get private soundproof cubicles with soft lighting.

Clothing [wouldn’t be like] sandpaper, oddly put together, things glued and dangling, embroidery overloaded, etc.

Clothing labels would be easily removeable from clothes.

[Or -] No tags on clothes ever.

Socks wouldn’t have seams!

They would ban that weird plastic elastic stuff they put in seams in ready-to-wear clothes. Digs in and itches and scratches like mad!

All swimming pools would have the non-chlorine cleaning system. No kid at school would be forced to go to the public swimming pool.

Children's toys would have no battery-operated lights and noise. And the toys would not be all tied in the boxes so much my son gets so upset trying to get the toy out of the box.

Social

There would be no spontaneous social events.

Small talk would not exist.

No one would expect eye contact.

People wouldn't shake hands to greet each other.

People [would say] "hello" as a greeting instead of "how are you". They would only say the latter if they really mean it.

The phrase would you like to go for a drink would mean drinks, and there'd be a different one for 'I've assessed you as a life/night partner, shall we?'

No 'social niceties' - people would just say it how it is & not dance around the truth.

People wouldn't lie so much.

Everyone would trust one another and take people at their word.

People would actually say what they mean and then give you a chance to do it.

People wouldn't assume intent from tone and body language and you could safely take things at face value without the danger of realising, years later, that you were being mocked.

[People would recognise that] stating facts is not being rude.

No one would ask, if they looked good in an outfit, then be offended if you said no.... Or if you liked their new hair etc.

People would not talk to you about things that they know you cannot relate to… then be upset that you told them the solution options. Or finally said something honest that may be considered harsh.

The concept of "reading between the lines" [would not exist]. Along with there not being a singular "right way" to do things.

When something really cool happens no one would care if someone gets very excited and starts flapping or waving their arms. In fact, that's what most ppl would be doing.

No stims would be mocked.

Phone ‘seconds’ would be available to make important calls with your voice and manner.

There would be no socializing over meals. My food [gets] cold.

One sided restaurant tables, to discourage eye contact.

[There would be a] 'quiet please' side of the restaurant.

"I need some time alone" would be totally respected.

Sporting events wouldn't be a thing.

Sales people would be very clear what they were trying to sell you.

No criticism of special or unique interests.

No-one would be made to feel that they were less because of functioning labels, no invading personal space, sarcasm would be always marked with /s so people can tell, it would basically be utopia in an all autistic world for me.

Workplace

Job interviews wouldn't ask stupid gotcha questions.

Apprenticeships for teens so you got to learn your passion under an expert without having to go through an interview.

No open plan office/classroom designs.

All workplaces would offer quiet rooms for random breaks whenever needed.

Lunch/breaks would not be mandated at a certain time - if you were on a roll they’d leave you be.

Work from home would be available in all jobs where practicable.

Meltdown leave would be available.

Instructions would all be written and verbal. With no more than 2-3 at a time.

No-one would consider you anti-social at work for sitting at your desk with ear buds in instead of making chit chat about last night's episode of whatever.

DC transformers wouldn't whistle, no-one in the factory could bear it.

We'd probably all be happier in our jobs as we'd have created jobs that focus on our strengths and things we like doing.

I could have a working environment where it was perfectly okay for me to have a balance between work and social skills... In fact, I could easily get a job, for that matter.

Education

School bells would gently chime, not ring shrilly.

Subjects at school can go all day/week not 6-8 subjects/day, different classes, teacher, room, students...

Schools would not change daily routines or specific plans so often or without good reason and would give a lot more notice.

Education would allow for different rates of progress, would encourage people (the young and adults) to learn what they were passionate about and help find ways to build on that passion.

Also, education would be from home if desired.

Classes would encourage people to take breaks with a quiet room available at all times.

There would be no more Group Work in schools except where the task *absolutely requires* a group of people to complete it.

There'd be playgrounds with more tactile play for the kids.

No compulsory team sport classes for kids.

Flexible unisex natural fibre uniforms.

Nature designed integral to classroom, outdoor classrooms.

Low noise classrooms.

No homework.

The [education authorities] would not think mainstream is inclusive and other professionals would not blame parents and also not ignore them over school. Professionals would be agreeing with parents and there would be a partnership. There would be less mental health issues based around autism and related conditions.

Entertainment

The television programming would be radically different. More documentaries, intelligent written scripts, less celebrity driven reality shows. No ads, marketing is such shameless fake manipulation.

Maybe even channels dedicated to different topics, like there would be a train one, a biology one, an astronomy one, a history one....

An Architectural one, actual engineering details, with professional experience not the glut of terrible building makeovers, a photography channel, a drawing channel…

Theme park rides system would be different... You'd have to pre-book your time slot for each ride... No queues and you can book up to 3 goes per ride (so it works a bit like fast track) only fair to all.

Ponderer societies, chess clubs, salons for philosophical debates would be the norm not fringe.

Society

Social justice would be universal.

Places like Alton Towers or Drayton Manor wouldn't exist.

We [would] just accept that religious beliefs [etc] are personal and as individual as being autistic is.

No war, no famine and no poverty.

Nobody would be at war. We would work together to build a unified, accepting world, for the purposes of bettering the lives of every person on earth. We are the innovators that these NTs take for granted.

The planet would have guardians and caretakers, lots of volunteers...

Other

All drivers would use signals appropriately, travel within speed limit, and stop tailgating.

Buildings would be honest and have integrity of materials, not the faux finishes, opulent facades masking crappy design.

Houses would be soundproofed.

Baths would be bigger.

Bedrooms and private spaces would be bigger, and shared/living spaces smaller.

[Subway stations would not] be a huge challenge… [In an autistic world] these issues would be dealt with at source through design and construction.

Transport would be different, it would be larger and have enough room for everyone to have their own space.

Things would run on time, updated info would be spot on and asap.

Supermarkets would have larger aisles so you don't have to go near people to go past them.

Products would [always] be displayed in the same place in supermarkets, [but] if moved instructions for where to find that item would be available.

Everything would be planned and thought out, in a particular routine. There would be no change  whatsoever.

[Or] THEY WOULDN'T CHANGE ANYTHING WITHOUT GOOD REASON and would give notice AND also carry on the original version.

Also, we probably would have conquered the rest of the galaxy by now.

There are probably other things you can think of to add to this list. I offer these as ‘food for thought’, as to how different the world would be, if we really were all ‘a little bit autistic’.