Being the resident autistic at work

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Apparently I'm like.... the person to get to train other autistic employees.

Training a new guy for the position I'm in. (He's not replacing me, there are multiple of us and we need another one.)
Was "warned" by a peer that he's odd and I need to be patient.

I meet the guy, and.... it does not take long for me to realize we think alike. All I see are my own traits reflected back at me. "One of us, one of us" is all I can think of. They thought I'd have trouble with this?

Later on, my boss confirms that, yes, this new guy is autistic, and yes, she assigned him to me because I would understand how to communicate with him better than anyone else.

Now, just because someone shares a condition with me, does not mean that I'm going to get along with them. This has not historically been the case.

But, they are right that I understand autistic traits in a way that they could never hope to. And that this means I generally am the best suited to train other autistic employees

It does make sense. I hope it all works out and they are not expecting you to magically understand everything about this new employee.

I see the buzz-phrase 'Expert by Experience' being used a lot recently. It implies that I am qualified to look after other autistic people. I am not a medical professional, and therefore this is simply not true. I have experience, which I can share with other autistic (and neurotypical!) people, but that's a different thing.

colliegrace, please do let us know how this all worked out.

You are expected to have a business relationship with him.
You are expected to figure out what he needs to do his job.
This can be a challenge if someone is good at masking, but that is why they need you to figure it out.
"You need to be patient" says they know it can be a challenge and will give you time to figure it out.

It would be great if you could manage him and reduce his stress level, but if you can't, I don't think anyone expects you to be able to do that. If you show talent at managing folks you may be able to move into management.