I have never hugged my niece or nephew. Not that I don't love them, I do, I just express it differently. This is an area that I think neurotypical people who enter into relationships with autistic folks need to be aware of. I know this is a bit of a stereotypical example, but a neurotypical woman who enters a relationship with an autistic man might be disappointed on her birthday if she's hoping he's bought her a romantic weekend away, but she opens a box to find a new upright vacuum cleaner because she said that her back felt sore from bending over to use a barrel one. The same with an autistic woman who has a relationship with a neurotypical man who opens a present to find a new jumper because his old one was falling apart.

With me, most times, I can't be bothered sugarcoating or suppressing my feelings around someone who is of no consequence (i.e. if someone asks me what I think of trump or hanson and they think either of them are wonderful, I'm less likely to care if I offend them by saying that I vehemently disagree0, but with someone I care about, it's different.