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CanadianGirl

I'm just beginning the process of seeking a autism diagnosis. I have been reading everything I can get my hands on about autism, and the more I read the more I feel like this is the key. It just fits, I feel it in my gut. 

I have a working document on my computer, where I've been writing down all of the reasons I believe I am autistic, with examples. I am planning to give this to my doctor when I am ready. It is currently 4 pages long, and I'm definitely not finished.

My problem is that the couple of people I've brought it up with "in real life" just kind of.. laugh it off. 

I feel like I'm pretty darn good at masking, and I know I hide a lot of things, due to the extreme bullying I endured throughout grade school. I'm just feeling hurt by realizing that even those closest to me don't really see me or my struggles. 

I don't even know where I'm going with this, or how to explain how I'm feeling. Tell me I'm not alone? Have any of you had close family or friends who deny your autism exists?

Parents

  • Hopefully, the people who know you best are well accustomed to you, and accept you for who you are, so they might tell you they do not see a reason to put a label on your 'weirdness'. This can feel like gaslighting, even if they mean well.

    I think finding out about autism is helping me figure out my identity and make sense of my life, but tbh this is no-one else's business so I'm not even going to tell certain people unless I want to and the time is right. It's your own decision and most people won't understand unfortunately (how could they?).

    (side note: some people who might laugh it off are probably autistic themselves, or at least share several autistic traits so they see nothing 'weird' about you. In particular, people you share DNA with and people with similar skills/interests to you are more likely to be on the spectrum. But most will not appreciate being confronted about it.)

Reply

  • Hopefully, the people who know you best are well accustomed to you, and accept you for who you are, so they might tell you they do not see a reason to put a label on your 'weirdness'. This can feel like gaslighting, even if they mean well.

    I think finding out about autism is helping me figure out my identity and make sense of my life, but tbh this is no-one else's business so I'm not even going to tell certain people unless I want to and the time is right. It's your own decision and most people won't understand unfortunately (how could they?).

    (side note: some people who might laugh it off are probably autistic themselves, or at least share several autistic traits so they see nothing 'weird' about you. In particular, people you share DNA with and people with similar skills/interests to you are more likely to be on the spectrum. But most will not appreciate being confronted about it.)

Children
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