BECOMING WHO YOU ARE
"Half of life is lost in charming others. The other half is lost in going through anxieties caused by others. Leave this play, you have played enough." (Rumi).
Autistic people know the frustrations of learning the social rules and playing the social game, only to be on the receiving end of others' misunderstanding.
Much misery, stress, and indeed trauma is caused by autistic people having to measure up to standards that are not theirs; it is better to be a first-rate version of who you are, not a second-rate version of a neurotypical other. Many problems are caused by having autistic people struggle to become what they are not, using neurotypical standards as the measure. An autistic person who is drawn into that game will always struggle, for the simple reason that they are being expected to become something they are not. The struggle to become who you are is arduous enough, but at least it is focused on the right thing - the development of one's unique potentialities.
