I have been recently diagnosed as autistic, and now I seem to see autism everywhere in my social circle. My brother, a daughter, at least two friends. . . Either there are a lot of undiagnosed autistic people out there OR I tend to become friends (more comfortable) with fellow autists, OR I am just being silly and am attributing autism to NT people with strong interests. Fellow neurodivergent folks of all types, what is your experience? (Edit: changed ND to NT. oops!)
We absolutely find each other unconsciously. I think it’s a combination of factors such as shared interests, dislike of small talk, the way we look, body language. Those quirks don’t seem odd to us, they feel familiar and comforting.