Something that really sucks about being homeschooled K-12 and likely having autism...

...Is that people won't give you the benefit of the doubt whenever you do something awkward or say something that wasn't as tactful as it could've been. Because they assume you've already learned it and are acting the way you are because you're mean/weird/stupid. I try the best I can to improve and my social skills have come a really long way, but refining them further is a bit problematic because no one wants to give feedback to an autistic adult. Because they don't understand them.

And then eventually I realized that sometimes the problem isn't even me some people are just assholes. That adds another layer to the onion.

It feels like having exposure to my peers as a youth was particularly crucial for me as a probable autist, and missing out on it really hurt me. It feels like despite my efforts, I'm always going to be lacking a bit when it comes to my social skills.

I know autistic people who weren't homeschooled struggle too, though. So they'll still understand me.