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I agree with what you've said about being gullible. People who meet me do not think I am gullible as there is something about my demeanor that makes people leave me alone; however, I am extremely gullible in many, many ways. Luckily, due to my demeanor, people do not try a lot of things with me. I'm really good at just NOT RESPONDING. People can yell at me in public and I act like I don't know they are talking to me. (But mostly no one yells at me or I just don't notice.)
I also learned that saying, "I don't care!" to emotionally possessed strangers leaves them standing there with an aura of dumbness.
Because I may come across to some people as "intelligent" and "knowledgeable" they do not see my gullibility so I've been left on my own with a lot of responsibilities or in situations where I should have had a lot of help. I didn't get the help, but was left to sink or swim. I swam and swam. I don't know why I am alive today!
Gullibility is an issue especially when there are sexual predators involved. Girls (and boys) with autism may be led astray by these people who show up one day and pretend to be a friend or pretend to care for the person with autism more than his/her impatient, or perhaps unloving, family does and then, Voila!, instant problem.
People with autism do need to be protected, even when they are adults! This is extremely hard to do because many of us may be viewed as bull-headed or stubborn. I, for example, will find a way to do what I want to do and there's really no one who can seem to stop me. I have to be reasoned with in a certain way in order for me to agree to listen. People would wonder why I can't just listen, but it doesn't work that way. Once my mind is set I'm going to try whatever it is I've decided and if it backfires, then hopefully I learn not to do it again. So I learn by trial and error, not by examining the big picture. Once I have actually experienced something, then I can pull up the data in my mind and examine the experience in order to determine that it's not a good idea. Over the years I've learned to collect information from the internet or from books when I give myself enough time to figure something out. This works well, but when I am left to my own judgment I often make poor decisions.
Here's an example (just an example):
My friend who raises tomatoes says it's ok to put the plants outside in May. The month of May comes along and there's frost on the ground, but I might put the plants outside anyway because my friend said I could put them outside in May.
If I am a bit more on my toes I might be able to catch myself, but sometimes I just don't. I follow my train of thought and continue with poor judgment because of my rigid thinking that makes no sense, or thinking that can be applied in one situation, yet not in another.
People would say, "Well, you are aware of this, so why can't you change it?"
The answer is: That's why I have autism and someone else does not.
One day I can do something, the next day I cannot.
It's similar to how many NTs around me can sometimes find their keys, but the next day they cannot. I may ask, "Why did you forget where you put your keys?" They don't know and they cannot recall where they put them. My solution is for them to do what I have had to do in order to cope with the meltdown I will have if I lose something and that is to put things in the same place every time. No matter how much I've told several NTs to do this, they do not seem to learn. Why? I don't know. It seems they cannot do it. (These particular NTs--not all NTs.)
If I put things back in the same place or if I see where I put something (like a thumb tack) in the Tupperware container in a kitchen drawer, six months later when someone asks for a thumb tack I know exactly where one is because a picture of it comes up in my mind.
What do you suggest for little ones who do not take pills? Is there something out there that is a viable option for small children?
