Switching schools. Thought maybe masking my autism would do good for finally having friends.
Here’s what I did:
1- Sit on the third line: not too much back, not too much on the front;
2- Get pretty. Bracelets, jacket…
3- Watch them talk and imitate what they talk about when they talk to you.
Well, didn’t go this well. Still getting ignored (I like to joke with my brother that “Neurotypicals have autism detectors”).
Where did I miss it? I tried joining some conversations I heard, but they were pretty unkind at me after that.
As someone who never had any friends in school, my personal recommendation is make friends based on your interests (whether in person or online) and then keep to yourself the rest of the time. Expending effort to try to fit in both drains you and is immediately noticeable to others so it has little merit.