I can't speak for others, but for me smaller affectionate interactions are actually 'beyond' sex. If I'm in bed with a girl, or if it's clear that things are about to happen, my brain relaxes and I know pretty well what to do. But when it comes to smaller stuff, I don't know what's appropriate, to pick the right moment, to figure out the frequency, etc. So I prefer to just not think about it.

In fact, I'd go so far as saying that having sex is one of the few 'states' in which I feel that I can just let go and do the right things. It's one of the things I love about sex!

Well autism is such a broad spectrum I would be reluctant to say there was an impossibility of emotional interaction - that's a common enough stereotype but I'd regard it as a pretty severe case. There's lots of people who are pretty functional but have difficulty reading/responding to emotional cues that most folk take for granted.

Hugging has two distinct sides - emotional and sensorial. It feels kind of futile to do it for emotional reason (you do it just to please the other side, maybe) but it still feels good for sensorial one. It's like hugging a pleasant animal.

You never hugged someone you missed to death ? I bet it wasn't for sensorial pleasure. There's something more when you can let down on someone else and somehow 'talk' by skin / closeness.

I choose not to "miss to death" anyone/anything. When it happens to hug someone it doesn't make much difference to me if we haven't seen each other for over a year or a minute.

Well, I used to feel that way, but again since these events I experienced the physical affectionate need for someone. Again, the reason I ask if autistic persons are stuck without this sensation or not.

I recently read part of an Oliver Sacks book, it's incredible how different everyone's experience can differ.