Autism

It can be difficult and uncomfortable to tell someone you don't like them. For women, it can also be dangerous because some men get very aggressive when they're turned down. You don't know her experiences and why she chose to make those statements. I don't think what she did was wrong.

I've been in similar shoes. It's really hard to notice the cues. Neurotypical people also don't understand how we think. Since they don't know what to expect they get scared. They don't know what other boundaries we're not aware of.

I mean she did tell you to kick rocks, in so many words. No one wants to be friends with or even interact with someone they consider to be a stalker, let alone their stalker. She called you a stalker which implies she doesn't want to be around you without saying so, many times people will avoid being so blunt about stuff like that for fear of retaliation. She was hoping you'd pick up on the hint that she doesn't want to be friends without having to confront you about it directly.

I'm not passing any judgement, I think you were right it was a bit of a miscommunication on both ends; she wasn't entirely clear and you missed the implications of her message.

I'm with you. While I've never been diagnosed as autistic, I do not pick up on social cue's ever. It's hard to explain how much better the world would seem (to me, at least) if people would just say what they mean. While being too forward could be misinterpreted as being rude, there is no room to miss a secret message when being direct.