Family & Friends

Autistic Boyfriend?

I'd really appreciate it if someone with an autistic loved one would answer this question; that, or someone who's educated in psych.

I think my boyfriend might be autistic... His family said he was tested for it, and that he could be, but he was lower on the spectrum.

I am extremely good at communication. It is one of my personal gifts; I can look at people's facial expressions and almost read their minds. But (let's call him Ty) is a completely different story. It is very difficult for me to talk to him.

He sometimes starts talking in the middle of a thought, without actually starting the conversation, so I'll have no idea what he's talking about.

At the beginning of our relationship, I couldn't say 2 sentences without him cutting in. I have gotten to where I can almost state a full paragraph.

He talks about trucks every day, and every conversation comes back to trucks (or other vehicles). He is VERY knowledgable about trucks, but struggles in other schools of thought. He also chats incessantly.

And he struggles greatly with empathy: he does not understand how other people feel until it is reciprocated.

But he is very sweet, affectionate, and forgiving. He has several redeeming qualities :)

My question is this: how do you teach an autistic person? There are certain things he does that are inappropriate because no one has taught him any better, and he is VERY difficult to teach anything. (He is an auditory, visual, AND kinesthetic learner.) For example: when he wants to emphasize a point, instead of just using intense language or profanity, he just belittles/insults one of my experiences. His family has done it to him for years, and he doesn't like it, but it is hard to get him to stop.

It is also very difficult to get him to be serious about anything. At the beginning of our relationship, he would frustrate me so much, I would just cry, and then he could take me seriously; I hated doing it, but it was inevitable.

Any thoughts?
Autistic Boyfriend?
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