How do people react to your autism diagnosis?

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 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.