08/24/2026
7 reasons narcissists may target autistic people and why the pattern can be so difficult to recognize.
Autistic traits can be misread as vulnerabilities by someone looking for control.
1. You may communicate very directly. A manipulative person can exploit that openness while giving you very little honesty in return.
2. You may take responsibility for relationship problems. Especially if you’ve spent years being told that you’re “too sensitive,” “too rigid,” or “difficult.”
3. You may struggle to identify manipulation in real time. Understanding what happened afterward doesn’t necessarily mean you could recognize it while it was happening.
4. You may become deeply invested in fairness and consistency. That can keep you trying to make sense of behavior that was never intended to make sense.
5. You may mask your discomfort. Someone may not realize how overwhelmed, confused, or distressed you are because you’ve learned to appear composed.
6. You may confuse intensity with connection. When someone initially seems unusually attentive, validating, or fascinated by you, the contrast can feel powerful.
7. You may stay longer trying to understand what went wrong. Your brain may keep searching for the missing explanation when the real issue is the other person’s pattern of control.
This information is important because recognizing a pattern after the fact isn’t the same as understanding why you were vulnerable to it in the first place.
Autistic people deserve relationships where their directness, loyalty, sensitivity, and desire for clarity aren’t turned against them.
Dr. Zonya Mitchell |Neuropsychologist
Thank you
