Parent doesn't believe diagnosis

I was diagnosed in my thirties. After spending such a long time struggling to fit in to a largely neurotypical world this came as a relief, and allowed me to make more sense of my experiences.

I'm aware that a lot of people in a similar situation are met with cynicism and get the 'you don't look autistic' response, but what I wasn't expecting was such dismissal and disbelief from one of my parents. I also feel like this attitude belittles the struggles of autistic people, because they don't believe they are dealing with anything beyond what is 'normal'. 

Does anyone have advice, or been in a similar situation? 

Parents
  • Hi, I’ve had  exactly the same, I got told,’you don’t look autistic, autistic people don’t talk and look at the wall’

    I think the older generation watched Rain Man and formed an opinion on all of autism. My mother said he hair dressers daughter had been tested by the NHS and was told she was a little bit autistic. Sorry it’s like being a little bit pregnant.

    what I found was the slowly catchy monkey way was best, little bits of what makes me tick every now and then. I do think that sometime a parent can think that  we are attacking their parenting.

    my mother had been sectioned 5 times for breakdowns, yet I can’t have autism!

Reply
  • Hi, I’ve had  exactly the same, I got told,’you don’t look autistic, autistic people don’t talk and look at the wall’

    I think the older generation watched Rain Man and formed an opinion on all of autism. My mother said he hair dressers daughter had been tested by the NHS and was told she was a little bit autistic. Sorry it’s like being a little bit pregnant.

    what I found was the slowly catchy monkey way was best, little bits of what makes me tick every now and then. I do think that sometime a parent can think that  we are attacking their parenting.

    my mother had been sectioned 5 times for breakdowns, yet I can’t have autism!

Children