Hello! I'm new here and actually quite new to my diagnosis of ADHD and Autism and need some advice on how to handle ignorance from parents.
I was diagnosed in Septembet 2024 at age 31. When I told my parents they didn't really think much of it and said it was good I have a diagnosis and can get support. Now fast forward 4 months later when having a conversation with my mum via video chat (my dad was also in the background) we got onto talking about Autism. My mum said the usual "everyone has a bit of Autism" when I tried to explain to her how things affect me she just said "but you've always been weird" my dad also agreed to her saying this.
My parents and I usually have a good solid relationship but as of the past year my mum and I have drifted massively she even said this is down to my behaviour and attitude (I also have. Bipolar disorder - but that's another story for another day) and I thought to myself being around some people is actually very toxic for me and they bring me down so I was pulling away from those people.
Hearing my parents be so nonchalant about my struggles and calling me weird really deeply hurt me as I've always felt weird and struggled with fitting in being my true self and I got upset and shut down and have decided to stop contact with my parents again. Even though its been over 4 months since my diagnosis I'm still finding it so difficult to accept, I feel embarrassed to be autistic as I am quite high functioning and I wonder if this is why my parents refuse to believe I am autistic because the only Autism they've ever seen is the likes of what's portrayed in the media like Rainman or those who are non speaking autistic.
Am I doing the right thing in cutting off my parents and essentially my family? I have tried to educate them on the topics of neurodiversity but it gets me nowhere. I did cut off my family but a few weeks later my mum almost died and it brought the contact again