How do people react to your autism diagnosis?

Most people have been supportive which is nice. But in a "ah that makes sense" or "its good you can get the correct support" kind of way. 

However one person last week said "oh congratulations!! That's so awesome! I'm autistic too and I was so happy when I got my diagnosis. How great is that?" It felt so nice for someone to see it as something to be celebrated. Not a problem or a way of getting help. Actually something that was really good and something I should be proud of. 

Think its a trait

Just told someone at work .. she was great about it .. we'll have to see if it is weird going forward. ... kinda stressful.

It’s made me smile about subtitles……I’m obsessed with having them on and even now have started not watching programmes where I cannot get them. 
Is this an autistic lovely trait then?

🐝 Bees 🐝 (they/them) Autism resources in bio #stoptheshock #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs said:

I think people don't believe it, because on the surface I look like I am really capable and can cope with stuff because I (somehow) manage to have a busy life

Yes, exactly. People can be the same with me, don't really believe it, because their eyes see a woman who can talk and work but they have no idea how it feels inside and they don't see me later on when I'm wrecked after a day of being "normal".

Claire said:

I love being autistic and having a love of knowledge on another level and info dumping to my family

So do I! Be autistic and proud! I am very proud of being autistic, I love everything about it! I am so sorry you have had very negative and stigmatising responses when you have disclosed that you are autistic, your autistic identity deserves to be embraced and celebrated!

I hope you feel like this online community is a safe space to be proudly autistic.

You may be interested in this video below about experiences of disclosing your autistic identity:

https://youtu.be/Sq82fb7NROY

I think people don't believe it, because on the surface I look like I am really capable and can cope with stuff because I (somehow) manage to have a busy life. Unless they live with me they don't see that under the surface and behind the scenes I am on almost total cool down and maintenance so that by the time I next leave the house I can function. I tread water until I get home then I have to go into rest and respite mode or the second the door is closed behind me I have a meltdown or need to immediately lock myself away to keep longer shutdowns at bay. The thing is I can't %100 not mask when I'm out, even in places where people know or accept that I am autistic because I can't always avoid the stuff that adds to the stress, some stuff just does suck, sucks for NTs too, and so will always suck, but has to be done in adult life, and no I can't stimm how I really need to in order to let out the ardfsfddfugfg! feeling.

People’s reactions to an autism diagnosis vary greatly, depending on their own personal experiences and understanding of autism. Many people find it difficult to come to terms with or accept the news at first and may feel overwhelmed by all the changes they might need to make. Others may react positively, embracing their diagnosis as a way of accepting and celebrating their neurology.

When I found out I was autistic, my initial reaction was one of relief: finally, I had an explanation for why certain things were so hard for me in life. It felt like a huge weight off my shoulders and motivated me to learn more about myself and how best to navigate being autistic in our society.

Once I started talking publicly about my diagnosis some friends reacted with surprise while others said they were not too shocked as they had noticed certain traits before but hadn't been sure how these related back to autism specifically. Some family members had difficulty believing it initially but have since become much more supportive after learning more about the condition from various sources such as books, seminars or online resources.

It can be helpful for those close to you if you provide them with reliable information about autism so that they can better understand what your diagnosis means for you specifically as well as getting an accurate picture of what being on the spectrum is generally like - this could include examples from autobiographical accounts written by other autistic people which often offer insight into everyday experiences many will relate with on some level.

Overall, reactions tend depend heavily on individual prior experiences – regardless of whether someone is a friend, family member or acquaintance – but having access good quality resources helps significantly in making sure those around us are equipped with correct facts when responding sensitively yet effectively.

I'm going to add some good reactions, because most of my friends and family knew I was probably autistic, or at the very least, very odd. So these are about getting the actual diagnosis. 

Brother: You have passed, you are now a full lisence autistic, no longer provisional licence

Friend 1: No sh*t Sherlock

Friend 2: Card saying 'Congratulations on the autism' which they had to make themselves because it turns out there isn't a large market for this (I think we should make a market for this) 

Friend 3: You are canon autistic!

Various other people: And how are you feeling about that.

Family members and others who have relatives who are autistic have been very supportive. Indeed some knew before I did. I then told a close friend who I thought would understand and got sympathy, which took me aback. I had to explain how pleased I was. Same for someone I have known for many years who told me how good I was at my job despite my Autism.Had to explain I was good at what I did because of it. All depends on how well they understand Autism.

I certainlyvagree that people dont understand .. but i suppose they have no reason to.  It certainly doesnt make a difference to how people tolerate (or not) my behaviour.

My family are supportive but people outside the family don't really get it

Most people give me a look and it'll either be they think it's something bad or something they can use against me.

I think it can be difficult. I actually began the journey of being diagnosed because one of the only people I've spoken to online that is still around after like 11+ years thought I might be. She was around during my teens, where I was constantly failing socially with people no matter how hard I would try and saw me struggling. She herself at some points thought I was intentionally being rude, but realised it absolutely wasn't the case and considered I may have something else going on as I was genuinely trying my best and just not understanding.

I have a lot of trauma from those times, and sometimes I wish I could go back to people that grew to hate me and explain that "I really didn't have bad intentions, I really didn't mean it, I was autistic the whole time and had no support or knowledge, I wasn't lying" but remember that sometimes being rude by accident is in no way as bad as gaslighting and bullying, which is what they did to me.

I have one other autistic friend who I've always had no problems with, and I didn't know that they were autistic either until I was diagnosed and asked them (as I recognised the similar ways we communicated, and how we always 'clicked').

He was diagnosed since being a child and has lived with it with full support, so is very secure in himself and is actually happy to finally share sensory things and issues with me as he's never had an autistic friend either. I did find it very interesting though that someone who on paper is completely different to me was always such a good friend, I guess it was just because we never had to mask or jump through normal social hoops so there were never misunderstandings between us :)

The only apologies I've gotten are because I was mistreated, abused, bullied and misdiagnosed for my whole life - when it comes to me being autistic, I mostly get people happy for me that I can now move forward and get the help that I need. The sad part is imagining what could have been if I'd gotten it from the start. Autism isn't a bad thing, it just needs understanding and support.

I also like to watch shows I've previously seen before instead of starting new ones. It's really comforting, I get a lot of anxiety when starting new shows or being asked to watch something new with someone :)

I stopped going to the works canteen because i getting morecand more comments about eating the same thing every day. Not mean comments, just 'thats weird' kind of comments.

And i also love watching the same thing over and over, be it futurama or starwars.

Subtitles are very useful as sometimes can't understand what people are saying. People guess I'm autistic and talk to me in a way I understand. We got similar interests. X