Published on 12, July, 2020
Hey folks,
I'm a 52 year old chap who has successfully navigated life without a formal ASD diagnosis. I recently had to deal with Social Workers and became very confused when they started accusing me of being 'manipulative and controlling' towards them. Having recently lost my wife my two teenage chdren and I have been seeing a therapist who suggested that it was probably my ASD behaviours being misinterpreted.
Having done some googl'ing I can see how a need for detail and clarity could be misinterpreted so I mentioned this to the social workers.
The social workers refused to accept this idea, demanding a formal diagnosis. Having got the diagnosis they now insist on me providing the research to show the link between ASD and THEM feeling controlled!??! I'm not a specialist or a researcher... has anyone been able to navigate a situation like this???
I'm worried that this could rapidly get out of control and suggestions made that I am 'manipulative and controlling' towards my children!
Any advice will be gratefully received.
Cheers,
Mark
HiMuhWuh
“What Did I Do Wrong?” : An Accessible Guide to Preventing Traumatic Misunderstandings Between You and Your Autistic Loved One" by Jaime Heidel contains many examples of autistic behaviour that can be interpreted as manipulative by allistics.
In fact, searching for the word "manipulative" in the book returns 42 results!!
She lays out LOTS of autistic behaviour and how they can be misinterpreted.
Here is just one - it is about our "direct communication" trait
Well done on getting the diagnosis in order to advocate for yourself!!
Smashin'!
Thanks for that... I'll give it a try and see if they 'accept' it as research!