As we go through life, we’re going to notice how much we differ from other people when it comes to what bothers us. Due to these differences in our environments and experiences, things that don’t necessarily bother us can ruin the entire day of somebody else.
And while it’s not difficult for people to understand this in the abstract, it’s sadly not uncommon for some autistic people to report that this understanding doesn’t reflect how they’re often treated.
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When they’re not being outright singled out, it’s not unheard of for them to be excluded from aspects of life they need to survive based on assumptions others have about them.
Unfortunately, one story illustrates that this problem can persist even after it should be plainly obvious what effect one’s actions can have on their lives.
The man we’re about to hear from explained that he had been living with a roommate for about five months by the time their issues came to a head.
As he shared in a Reddit post , he’s not listed on the lease and their living arrangement began because the roommate couldn’t afford the rent and utilities on his own.
It’s also worth noting that the man is autistic and known to count many of the things in his life as a coping mechanism for the world’s many stimulations.
This is particularly important when it comes to food. This is because he can’t eat anything not made by him or a family member and if there’s a discrepancy between how much food he has and how much he’s supposed to have, he becomes overwhelmed.
For this reason, he made it clear to the roommate as soon as he moved in that he’s not allowed to touch his food and why.
However, the roommate only respected this condition for a couple of months before he started stealing morsels here and there, which stressed the man out.
As he put it, “At first he used to deny it then he apologized and promised to never do that again. A couple weeks later he would do so again.”
Recently, the man reached his breaking point after coming home from a stressful day and realizing that he had three fewer strawberries than he was supposed to because the roommate took them.
This caused the first meltdown the man had in four years as his previous roommates were far more respectful of his needs.
After this occurred, he contacted his parents and arranged to move back in with them before packing up and moving out while his roommate was away.
Although the man didn’t inform the roommate he was moving, he had paid the month’s rent up front and figured he’d be able to find another roommate in the three weeks this gave him.
Nonetheless, he felt compelled to ask Reddit if he should have handled the situation differently after the roommate called him in a panic and said he would likely become homeless soon.
And most commenters figured the roommate should have known better to steal his food regardless of the man’s circumstances.
As one user said , “From what you’ve said, you’ve informed him of conditions you need to be met in order to live together happily. And he has not maintained that which is not acceptable. Therefore you have every right to move on and find somewhere which meets your needs.”
That said, others told the man that he should have given the roommate more notice before moving out and that he hadn’t considered the short time frame the roommate has to find new ones.
In another person’s words , “A basic message of ‘sorry, I will move out because of ___, my last day is _’ is basic manners. Yeah, legally you don’t have to, but this isn’t legal advice.”
With this in mind, the man calculated how much the roommate would need for a full 30 days of rent and sent him that amount.
h/t: Reddit | Evening-Purpose-5123
