I have Autism and Asberger Syndrome and I heard about World Autism Awareness Day on the 2nd of April. People are mean to me and act weird towards me and I struggle to make friends.
I struggled so hard that I moved form, but I'm still having problems and people are being mean to me.
Sam
Hi there,
Autism affects each person who has it in different ways. One challenge many people with Autism and Asperger Syndrome can face is finding it difficult to make friends or be part of a group.
It can be hard to know all of the social rules. And many people with autism say they feel as though everybody else seems to know the social rules. But you could have a look at our tips for making new friends.
Its very wrong of anybody to be mean to you. And its not your fault that theyre behaving in that way. You have the right to be respected. When somebody acts in a mean way or deliberately makes you feel bad about yourself, this is bullying.
Your school has a responsibility to help keep you safe from bullying. It could help to tell a teacher or another adult at school about whats happening. Youve done well to write to me about whats going on, and you could tell them just like youve told me. You could write down a record of all the bullying and show them how long its been going on for.
Im really glad that you felt able to tell me about this and I hope you get the help you need so that life starts to feel better.
You can also talk to one of the counsellors about anything at all. They could help you to practise what you could say to someone in your school about the bullying. The National Autistic Society also has a guide about social skills for teenagers and adults that you might find useful.
Take care, Sam
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