What might ‘touch’ be like for an autistic? – quote from Alex Lowery
Written on 18th Nov 2016 by Alex Lowery
A lot of people like Physical Contact. For many people, hugs are comforting. When someone wraps an arm around you, you may feel loved, or when someone puts a hand on your shoulder, you may feel there are people who will always support you. But be mindful when doing these to people with autism and/or SID. I for one am not a fan of Physical Contact. I don’t like to be touched by people. I don’t mind a handshake, or things like that, but anything more than that is beginning to cross a line for me. If you meet someone the spectrum (even if you’re a very touchy person) make sure you ask before hugging him or her. Try not to put pressure on them to do it just to be polite either. The same would apply to wrapping your arm around them are putting your hand on their shoulder. If someone does go to hug me, I sometimes deal with it ok, but I really struggle to deal with it when someone puts his or her hand on my shoulder or arm around me.
Now, that’s not to say that if someone’s on the spectrum, you should jump to conclusions and assume they hate touch, because we’re all different. I have known autistics who love being touched.
I was trying to come up with a snappy title that will hopefully grab the readers’ attention, but doesn’t sound too ‘stereotypical’. I emphasize on the word “might” in the title. This is very much how Physical Contact “might” feel to an autistic, so don’t make assumptions but be mindful when meeting them. Below is a quote from myself about Physical Contact.
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