Hate the saying"Were all a bit autistic"

Some people who arent austitic in work say "we're all a bit autistic arent we" and the only difference between you and me is you have a diagnosis. Really makes me angry as they think just because soSmirk things that annoy them makes them autistic. I asked them how they deal with these annoying things and the said they just forget about it. Things that might annoy them will create severe emotional sSmirkess and anxiety, effects me socially and in some cases cause me to self harm, I can't just forget about it. It's obvious that a lot people don't understand what its really like to be autistic or theSmirkjust don't care and try and fob it off as something silly to just get over it Smirk 

Parents
  • Somebody said that to me when I naively disclosed my autism diagnosis. It made me feel horrible and although I knew it wasn’t true, it took me a while to recover self-worth, which wasn’t a high bar to start off with.

    I keep a condensed account of what autism is and how it affects me, on my phone. I have a longer version too which I edit it as new information comes to light. I like having it to hand in case I need the information quickly.

  • That's such a good idea. How did you come up with the phone information? Was it just from Google searches or something more specific? I think that's a great resource for anyone who finds it hard to explain things.

  • My starting point was the medical report following diagnosis. I listed the criteria for a diagnosis of ASD, e.g repetitive behaviours, communication difficulties, sensory experiences etc., and how those behaviours manifest in me.

    The profile of ASD was sourced between the ASD medical report, the NAS website, books and online research papers. I describe it as a neurodevelopmental condition.

    I have strategies for various social scenarios and for appointments with doctors and people I must engage with. 

    I have a list of responses ready if people make disparaging comments about autism. In reality, there wouldn’t be time to check my phone to help me make a timely response, but I am working on memorising them in the hope of verbalising appropriately.

    I gleaned much information from some of the excellent posts on this forum and I am currently working my way through Niamh Garvey’s new book, The Autistic Guide to Communicating and Connecting. It has useful strategies for making daily life smoother.

Reply
  • My starting point was the medical report following diagnosis. I listed the criteria for a diagnosis of ASD, e.g repetitive behaviours, communication difficulties, sensory experiences etc., and how those behaviours manifest in me.

    The profile of ASD was sourced between the ASD medical report, the NAS website, books and online research papers. I describe it as a neurodevelopmental condition.

    I have strategies for various social scenarios and for appointments with doctors and people I must engage with. 

    I have a list of responses ready if people make disparaging comments about autism. In reality, there wouldn’t be time to check my phone to help me make a timely response, but I am working on memorising them in the hope of verbalising appropriately.

    I gleaned much information from some of the excellent posts on this forum and I am currently working my way through Niamh Garvey’s new book, The Autistic Guide to Communicating and Connecting. It has useful strategies for making daily life smoother.

Children
No Data