I don't talk verbally to other people a lot but that doesn't mean I'm quiet. I verbally stim and echolalia my way through every day.
I have a rich inner world that I immerse myself in so I forget I exist in the outer world too. This means I forget other people can see me and hear me and interact with me.
The few people in my life I care immensely about are so important to me and I don't know how to express that. There are very few people I will seek out to be around, or start conversations with. If there is something I know they are interested in, I seek out things about whatever that is and share with them.
I take pictures of clouds, ask about volcanoes, and offer to help my bestest friend in the whole world with bug related things.
I take care of my mom since she's been sick. I have given her sponge baths, cooked food for her, and I take her vitals every morning.
My sister struggles with anxiety a lot and I try to help her through panic attacks and irrational thinking as best I can. We also chat about and watch musicals and fun movies.
Point being, autistic people have relationships just like non-autistic people. It may seem different from the outside, or it may seem not as rewarding, or whatever non-autistic people think we are missing, but we are capable of being close to other people. Even if an autistic person communicates in ways such as echolalia, sounds, aac devices, sign language, or anything other than typical, the right people will be there.
