Stb,

My reference to denial in this discussion truly had nothing to do with people with Autism. You are very open about it and I am very open (with my close friends) about my depression. I was very open and honest with my girlfriend about it also. I don't deny the fact that depression hits me once in a while and I work through it.

I just saw a lot of denial in my former girlfriend. She would say things such as she did not know why bright lights bothered her, or why her son hummed very loudly, etc. And there were a lot of signs such as her shutdowns which I talked to her about and she totally downplayed it. And it is fine that she has shutdowns but at the time, I had no clue what was going on.

The denial card really came into play when she brought up once that she felt chemicals and vaccinations cause Autism. That told me she has knowledge of the subject. I wish I would have taken that opportunity to talk to her in more detail.

So I hope my posts don't offend anyone here. A year ago I had very little knowledge of what Autism is and had no clue what Asperger's is. It took some time for me to figure out what was going on and during that time, it put a lot of strain on the relationship.

Let's put it this way, if she truly knows she is on the spectrum, and told me upfront, that would have helped me understand things.