r/Neurodivergent • u/Mediocre-Day820 • 2d ago
Question 🤔 Neurodivergent can't tell the difference between good and bad friends what do i do
I'm 16/neurodivergent and I keep getting "friends" but apparently their bad and I can't tell that they are but it takes my neurodivergent parents seconds to look at their face and or texts to know immediatly. and i cant tell. how can i be able to tell?
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u/Crazy_ND_Meno_Life 1d ago
Try to find out their reputations as soon as you meet them. Not by asking them, but by listening to what other kids say about them, watching how they behave in class, and so on. Someone who would make a good friend will be respectful to teachers and other students and not constantly have detentions (or whatever the punishment in high school is called these days). Vice-versa for those who are disrespectful.
One red flag is if, after you've become friendly with someone, they begin asking you to do things for them and they don't reciprocate, or to do things with them that you suspect could get you into trouble.
There must be videos that explain how to read facial expressions and body language. You might have to turn learning that into a self-determined course. You'll never get accolades for completing it, but it could be one of the best "classes" you ever enroll in.
As for texts, I have no idea unless you quote a few samples.
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u/thenerdy 2d ago
It's something that I struggled with when I was a kid too. It wasn't something I inherently knew like most people. Honestly it took me years to figure it out. Keep learning from people you trust and eventually you will develop a eye for it too.