I joined a group hoping to be part of something meaningful and to share time with my mom, but it ended painfully. Being on the autism spectrum and having ADHD, I experience social situations differently. When I make mistakes, silence, coldness, or passive-aggressive behavior from others is deeply distressing. The uncertainty makes my mind spiral, and I feel intense emotional and even physical pain in my chest. If someone had directly told me what I did wrong, I could have understood, apologized, and corrected myself. Instead, I was met with distance and indirect cues I struggled to interpret. I found myself over-explaining and trying too hard to be accepted, which only made things worse. Eventually, I felt discarded, as if I didn’t matter. What I needed most was honest, compassionate communication and the dignity of being spoken to directly. When I expressed this thought in a group the group leader challenged my vulnerable post the push back was very hurtful😭😭😭😭