I am like any other person: 

This is very true. I have things I enjoy doing, I have feelings & emotions. Although I often require a bit of support, that doesn’t make any different from anyone else.

I struggle to cope in certain situations:

Sometimes I have too much to deal with, mainly sensory, such as a bad smell, bad lighting, too much noise. This often leads to a meltdown. Although it can often be mistaken for bad behavior.

I am not a snitch:

When people call me a snitch, I find this really hurtful. I often feel people don’t understand why I might pass on information. I will often pass on information as I feel unsafe, or I am unable to process what I just saw, and often talking about it helps me to understand.

I find friendships & being social hard:

Having autism really does affect my social life. If I had a choice to work in a room of 30 people, or a room with nobody, I would choose the empty room every time. As I often find socializing with people I don’t know very well so exhausting and draining from fear of being self-conscious, as I often worry people won’t accept me, or might judge me.

I often feel unsafe around people who aren’t my friends:

When I’m not around my close friends, I feel insecure. I don’t feel relaxed. I often become a little snappy, quite closed, and will choose to sit alone, in fear of people not liking me. But I honestly don’t want to sit alone. If I found making friends a bit easier, I would mix with people who I don’t know very well a lot more.

I enjoy listening to music:

I think this is a slight under-estimation. I love listening to music, I find it so nice, as it shuts out the sounds around me, and can often help me to focus on what I’m doing, especially if what I am doing is stressful.