Hi Kat. I honestly don't think that lack of empathy is what is going on here. I can see why you might think that, but the truth is that most autistics have too much empathy, they feel too much -they can pick up and even feel everything the other person is going through and it can be overwhelming. Imagine being near a sick person and feeling as sick as they do, imagine being overwhelmed by the smells and sensations. What looks like lack of empathy to you, looks like sensory overload to me. Coupled with the unspeakable childhood trauma and it seems clear to me that Tai is doing the very best she can and a whole heap better than her mother did. Surely we all need to take responsibility for our own health - if Tai's friend had asked to be taken to the health centre, i know Tai would have been there like a shot to do just that. As an autistic, it confuses me when people don't just ask for what they need. Apologies if this comes across as a bossy at all: I'm just trying to spread awareness of how different autistic people are and how often they struggle against the misperceptions of allistics. In kindness, A.