Part of being in a successful relationship with an autistic person is respecting their emotional boundaries. Anxiety and conflict can lead to sensory overload, which WILL result in a physiologically driven fight-or-flight complete with loss of emotional control.

It is the duty of the person with ASD to recognize, and set, those boundaries. But if you cannot respect them, you are putting them in a painful, compromising position where they cannot be their best selves.

And people with ASD: if you have a partner who is regularly putting you in this situation, compromising your safety for their gratification, it’s time to BOUNCE!