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do your opinions count less if people knew you're autistic?

qwerty

One of the reasons that I'm scared about telling people about my diagnosis is that I'm afraid they might take me less seriously if we ever have a difference in opinion. I think I often have different views from others, and I would like to be able to express my views and be taken seriously and appreciated. But I'm worried if they know about my diagnosis, the other person might think "oh, you're autistic, you have a cognitive impairment/disability, then it's more likely that I'm right and you're wrong". Has anyone felt that their opinions/viewpoints carried less weight after disclosure? Or has your diagnosis ever been used against you in an argument/debate? Or has things pretty much stayed the same/become better after disclosure?

Parents

  • I have found, at work anyway, my views or opinions will be ignored initially but then when people realise after some time when somebody else suggests the same thing, they then realise that it was me that initially suggested it, and sometimes, whilst they may think its a really 'off the wall' idea or opinion, they usually come to realise I may be right, I have found the more people have gotten to know me the more they listen.

  • in reply to Bookworm

    I am familiar with this dynamic. For me it happens in unstructured groups, when there is no formal structure of who does what and people are sort of competing. It also depends on people. But it is attached to me rather than the disclosure. I am really curious what other experiences are specifically related to the disclosure.

    I must admit for me disclosure always triggered unhappy developments, people actively using it against me, and ignoring whatever I have to say, but I didn't specifically connect it to 'cognitive impairment', maybe naively.

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  • in reply to Bookworm

    I am familiar with this dynamic. For me it happens in unstructured groups, when there is no formal structure of who does what and people are sort of competing. It also depends on people. But it is attached to me rather than the disclosure. I am really curious what other experiences are specifically related to the disclosure.

    I must admit for me disclosure always triggered unhappy developments, people actively using it against me, and ignoring whatever I have to say, but I didn't specifically connect it to 'cognitive impairment', maybe naively.

Children
  • in reply to Tinyexplorer
    Tinyexplorer said:
    But it is attached to me rather than the disclosure.

    Good point. I think this applies to me too. People often ignore my opinions even though they do not know about my diagnosis.

    Tinyexplorer said:
    disclosure always triggered unhappy developments, people actively using it against me, and ignoring whatever I have to say

    yeah, this is what I worry about...

    Tinyexplorer said:
    connect it to 'cognitive impairment'

    I've been applying to jobs recently, and in the diversity survey at the end, some place ASD under cognitive impairment Disappointed I guess that's what many people believe ASD to be...