Hi. I make this call to the community to support a fellow autistic person (me) who is trying to take advantage of the best opportunity she had in her life to improve her quality of life. 

My boyfriend is offering to pay for my university and everything I need to carry it out including housing, food, materials and even support classes, but my social anxiety is making it difficult for me.

I recently started university after almost 10 years without being able to study, the space feels quite safe, the environment is super autistic-friendly and I have all the time in the world to study. It is an ideal situation and a once in a lifetime opportunity, but it is impossible for me to talk to my classmates because I feel insufficient and stupid and that makes it very difficult to work and participate in class. I don't know how to start a conversation and every time someone talks to me I freeze up and I'm super sharp for no reason even with professors.

There is a girl and a boy who sit near me and seem super interesting and I want to be friends with them, but I don't know how I can even get close. 

I spoke to a couple of therapists about this and the advice they gave me seemed insufficient and I don't know what else to turn to So I decided to try it with you girls. I know I'm not the only one this has happened to and I think you guys could give me better advice than my therapist. 

I'm looking for realistic advice, books that I can use as a reference, therapies, exercises, movies, esoteric rituals or anything else that has been useful to you that can help me improve my self-esteem and be able to talk to people I like and do group work with my classmates without acting like a B-word. (I'm not going to stop discussing this with my therapist, but I need to complement his neurotypical vision with neurodivergent ideas from people that lived the same situation)

Please help me not to lose this opportunity because I don't know how to socialize. 🥺

Thank you for reading *Picture to attract attention, not really related*

What do you recommend for someone who cannot speak?