Embarrassment

Any one else who was diagnosed later in life feel embarrassed by having an ASD label? When I first found out I guess I was relieved. Then after telling a few acquaintances and getting various responses I decided to stop telling anyone for a while. Where as now it seems that everyone and his (her or whatever) wife are either diagnosed or looking to get diagnosed. So now I feel like if ever I share that I am ASD people will think oh, another one *rolleyes*. I guess part of it is also how people perceive autism too, as an example stimming. I only have very mild stims that I wouldn’t ever do in front of anyone else because of the embarrassment. But I wouldn’t want anyone to think I full on stim as shown in the recent Chris Packham episodes. It’s as if I feel like being autistic makes me less of a person. 

This post is purely for discussion and not meant to offend anyone (which seems pretty easy to do these days). 

Parents
  • I simply don’t care what people think when they hear I’m autistic. No I don’t ‘look’ or sound autistic….whatever that looks like. At work I mask as and when needed. I’m sure now they know they can see it more.  I think if anything, people don’t know what to think, but if they aren’t people I care about, who cares what they think? Either way, I’m happy I know who I am, because I’d spent 49 years undiagnosed. I’m 50 now.

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