Hester Report post Posted June 1, 2016 So this is how the conversation went: Me: I have been diagnosed with ASD. My Family: Oh. Well. That's a surprise. Tea? *change the subject* One year later: My brother: I have been diagnosed with ASD My family: Wow, what exactly is that? Are there any good books we can read? Let's learn all about it! I can only read this one way - my (female) experience was considerably less important to them than that of my male sibling. I accept that from the point of view of society I don't appear as badly affected - I'm about 40 IQ points up on my brother, who isn't the smartest gent, so I mask better but I struggle just as much if not more. I've also had the "Oh but I'm a special needs teacher and all the autistic children I know are male, so how can you be autisitc when you are female?" It really hurts - it makes me feel irrelevant. I'm trying to sooth myself here by asking if this is a common thing, Has anyone else had an experience like this from either family or medical professionals? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MiddleEarthNet Report post Posted June 2, 2016 YES! I'm an only child so my parents can't compare me to a brother or sister but they have compared me to my cousins and children of their friends. But more specifically, I've always felt as if my parents don't understand me and don't accept me for who I am. Mum is constantly making hurtful comments about pretty much everything about me that my ASD affects but she seems to accept my dyslexia. Dad pretends nothing is wrong or different but then when something comes up (whether ASD or dyslexia) acts like he doesn't understand and has never seen it before. Even after doing martial arts for most of my life, mum still is too ashamed to tell her friends incase they percieve me as violent but they all know anyway because dad told them. Both are in denial about that I actually need quite high levels of support. And everytime I buy male clothes (this is a whole other issue) I get a massive telling off from mum. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trekster Report post Posted June 3, 2016 Female presenting autism tends to be less well understood to male presenting autism. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hester Report post Posted June 4, 2016 It sucks. Do you think we just have to accept it, or is there a god way to bring people round? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gold MD Report post Posted June 6, 2016 Doesn't sound like your family knew how to react. Did it seem awkward? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
