The Influence of Social GroupsHOAs are only one example of how our lives are shaped by social groups. For autistic adults, however, they present a unique challenge because autism fundamentally affects social communication. I have experienced similar patterns in workplaces, nonprofit organizations, volunteer groups, and countless community groups I genuinely wanted to be part of. Consequences of Social Rejection for Autistic AdultsThe cost of this constant social rejection is staggering. The tragedy is that many autistic adults are completely unaware they have violated social expectations because those expectations were never explicitly communicated.