I totally know where you are coming from. I am happy to say to you, your not alone. I have people talk to me like im a baby all my life, it used to bother me, as i didnt like to be treated that way. But they do that alot, and they dont do it to tease me, more like they think i am unable to help myself.
As years gone by, i just take advantage of it. They end up help speaking for me to ask for things, help me get stuff, pour drinks for me, buy me food etc...
Sure i can do it myself, but if they look at me that way, then fine.. its not bad to have something out of it.
Anyways, but i know what you mean. I think people think i am retarded, because i dont seem to understand social que... but im not autistic, i am an original SA from birth, but i grew out of SA as a teenager, but then i had depression, and my SA came back, and now my commmuication is down hill... so if i cant communicate well, people think i am retarded..
Sometime i am interested in the topic, but because i am feeling anxious, i am not thinking or focus or listening properly, so communication goes wrong.
But when im online and talking about same topic, i am pretty confident and better at communication. So this is why my SA is real.
I dont lack communication because i dont have something to say, which is not SA.. i lack it becuase of my SA = anxious, nervous.. etc..
communication is the KEY for everything.
Yeah, the assumptions seem to be people's favorite thing to do when they don't know you. I had some frat boys calling me retarded to my face the first night I met them, and that was also the last night I met them because I didn't exactly want to be friends with guys that think i'm retarded. A co-worker called me retarded b4 to my face too. It just comes with the SAD, it's something we all have to deal with, I believe. There are people that assume we are stupid. That's their loss for not taking the time to get to know us, they are missing out on a good guy in my case.
Thats really rude of your co-worker! and def was his loss... normally people dont say that. so i think its just the job u r in, hires really rude people.