the natural reaction of everyone in my life upon hearing it has been some variation of “no way, I’ve known you your whole life, you’re totally normal”
meanwhile, the same people have instinctively always treated me with kid gloves, as if they subconsciously knew something was up with me but didn’t consciously want to admit it
Yes absolutely. And I’ve had to treat them with kid gloves in the process of opening their eyes to the autism all around them. Both of my parents have come around and accepted it, and are also exploring the possibility they may be on the spectrum as well, but my brothers all give me push back at the thought they might be too. Yeah okay bud.
My extended family is a lost cause. I don’t argue or try to educate, I tell them it’s a fact that I’m diagnosed and it’s a fact that it has affected my entire life. It’s not an excuse, it’s an explanation — but THAT is not an excuse to dismiss the conversations that need to happen about how we can make society a better place for people of all neurodivergent varieties, and not just “normal” individuals.
i still haven’t told anyone in my family. i live 1000 miles away from my home town, so that gave me some space to go through the diagnostic process on my own, but i’m going to visit them for christmas/new year’s in a few weeks from now and i’m not sure how/if i’m gonna tell them
meanwhile, the same people have instinctively always treated me with kid gloves, as if they subconsciously knew something was up with me but didn’t consciously want to admit it
Yes absolutely. And I’ve had to treat them with kid gloves in the process of opening their eyes to the autism all around them. Both of my parents have come around and accepted it, and are also exploring the possibility they may be on the spectrum as well, but my brothers all give me push back at the thought they might be too. Yeah okay bud.
My extended family is a lost cause. I don’t argue or try to educate, I tell them it’s a fact that I’m diagnosed and it’s a fact that it has affected my entire life. It’s not an excuse, it’s an explanation — but THAT is not an excuse to dismiss the conversations that need to happen about how we can make society a better place for people of all neurodivergent varieties, and not just “normal” individuals.
i still haven’t told anyone in my family. i live 1000 miles away from my home town, so that gave me some space to go through the diagnostic process on my own, but i’m going to visit them for christmas/new year’s in a few weeks from now and i’m not sure how/if i’m gonna tell them