Telling people about my autism

Hello Rainbowgirl,

Your question gets asks very often in this place, as I am sure you can imagine.

May I suggest that you use the search button on this forum using the key words "disclose" and after you have looked at the thousands of comments and opinions you'll find on those older threads, you can try the key words like "telling someone" .... and then look at another few hundred responses there too.

I suspect that other people will comment here in direct response to you now.......but I found it useful to trawl through the archive on this forum when I was looking to answer these sorts of questions for myself.

So......if you want my opinion on the question you have raised.....I have decided (through bitter experience and "trialling" a few different approaches) to generally NOT use the word autism when explaining about myself.  This is not because I am ashamed or embarrassed by what I am, but because people seem to (generally) freak-out a bit when they hear the word as a self-descriptor.  I really can't be bothered with the aggravation that telling people "specifically" why I am an unusual chap.

If I tell people that I am "odd" or "weird" or "strange" with certain things or certain situations or certain behaviours, they seem not be really care and we can move on quickly with whatever needs to get done or be discussed.

This is naturally just my opinion and chosen pathway now....I know that many other people have different feelings on this topic.

I wish you well.

Number.

Hello Rainbowgirl,

Your question gets asks very often in this place, as I am sure you can imagine.

May I suggest that you use the search button on this forum using the key words "disclose" and after you have looked at the thousands of comments and opinions you'll find on those older threads, you can try the key words like "telling someone" .... and then look at another few hundred responses there too.

I suspect that other people will comment here in direct response to you now.......but I found it useful to trawl through the archive on this forum when I was looking to answer these sorts of questions for myself.

So......if you want my opinion on the question you have raised.....I have decided (through bitter experience and "trialling" a few different approaches) to generally NOT use the word autism when explaining about myself.  This is not because I am ashamed or embarrassed by what I am, but because people seem to (generally) freak-out a bit when they hear the word as a self-descriptor.  I really can't be bothered with the aggravation that telling people "specifically" why I am an unusual chap.

If I tell people that I am "odd" or "weird" or "strange" with certain things or certain situations or certain behaviours, they seem not be really care and we can move on quickly with whatever needs to get done or be discussed.

This is naturally just my opinion and chosen pathway now....I know that many other people have different feelings on this topic.

I wish you well.

Number.