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Explain This?

AutisticBeaut2025

Hello! 

How come you get people who are aware that they are autistic and feel relieved when they finally get diagnosed then on the other end of the line you get people who are totally unaware that they are yet neurotypical people can see that they are but they can't? If they were to find out that they were then then they may have a completely different reaction i.e. be upset or take a little longer to let it sink in. Does this make sense?

Parents

  • I think that the vast majority of the population have no idea what autism is like in reality. They have no concept of the real traits that are defining features of the condition. This is largely because the portrayal of autism in all varieties of public media are overwhelmingly of stereotypes that are either wildly inaccurate, or solely depict genius savants, at one extreme, or autists with severe co-occurring intellectual disability at the other.

    I managed to reach the age of 59, while working in biomedical research, without any realisation that I might be autistic. I thought that I seemed different to most people, but regarded that people in general probably considered themselves unique. I also thought that most people had problems similar to mine, but were just much better at coping with them. Both incorrect conclusions. Had I not indirectly received a hint that I might be autistic from a CBT therapist, I would still have had no idea that I was autistic.

    I can only conclude that my outward behaviour did not strike anyone during my then 59 years of life, who was not a mental health therapist, as being notably unusual or autistic in nature.

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  • I think that the vast majority of the population have no idea what autism is like in reality. They have no concept of the real traits that are defining features of the condition. This is largely because the portrayal of autism in all varieties of public media are overwhelmingly of stereotypes that are either wildly inaccurate, or solely depict genius savants, at one extreme, or autists with severe co-occurring intellectual disability at the other.

    I managed to reach the age of 59, while working in biomedical research, without any realisation that I might be autistic. I thought that I seemed different to most people, but regarded that people in general probably considered themselves unique. I also thought that most people had problems similar to mine, but were just much better at coping with them. Both incorrect conclusions. Had I not indirectly received a hint that I might be autistic from a CBT therapist, I would still have had no idea that I was autistic.

    I can only conclude that my outward behaviour did not strike anyone during my then 59 years of life, who was not a mental health therapist, as being notably unusual or autistic in nature.

Children
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