Coming Out of The Closet With Autism/Asperger's Syndrome

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Flismflop
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29 Oct 2007, 5:28 pm

I don't see a need for anyone to know, other than my parents.


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KindaRetarded
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29 Oct 2007, 9:32 pm

I don't feel the need to tell anyone about it. I mentioned my suspicions t to an old girlfriend and she laughed and said that people with AS were "really weird" and that I wasn't "really weird" thus I couldn't have it. That's when I realised how little she knew about me. I'll tell more people when I've truly and completely come to terms with it myself.



sleepless168
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29 Oct 2007, 10:51 pm

I havent told anyone, and i dont plan to do it anytime soon neither.

about the parents being in denial, i guess thats exactly how my parents would be. I think people who have kids are like that because first of all it automatically plays guilt on them, and people are too busy on their own lives nowadays, so the easy way to deal with something that you dont expect is denial

i dont think i will ever tell my parents.



makelifehappen
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29 Oct 2007, 11:21 pm

josa wrote:
My parents don't really believe me, as I should have guessed. Maybe it's some kind of rejecting reaction, since my dad has some of the traits I have. In this case, I hope I had never told them :?


Parents have a difficult time accepting these sorts of things. Especially if you are grown. They think it will reflect badly on them as parents, knowing that they missed it and/or masked it....


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Flismflop
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30 Oct 2007, 1:53 am

makelifehappen wrote:
Parents have a difficult time accepting these sorts of things. Especially if you are grown. They think it will reflect badly on them as parents, knowing that they missed it and/or masked it....

That's probably an accurate presumption.

I'm pretty sure that my psychologist told my mom and stepfather that she suspected I have AS, before she told me. Prior to thiat, my mom tended to never give credibility to anything that I said about either myself or about anyone else. I'm pretty confident that my mom never would've accepted anything related to a diagnosis that I might've given myself.


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Wistaria
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30 Oct 2007, 4:55 pm

My parents forgot to tell me about my diagnosis when it was made four years ago (I was officially tested, but since I wasn't told anything I thought there was no diagnosis), so I didn't find out until almost exactly two years ago.

I told my significant other the moment I found out I have Autism Spectrum Disorder, and he thinks I don't have it. :| He's still in denial today and won't budge until he gets an official diagnosis report from a "reliable American doctor" (he lives in the US, go figure). I thought psychologists in the US were more likely to be ignorant quacks than reliable, especially when it came to adult females?

I have the feeling he's going to get a nasty shock if we ever meet in person... All I'd be able to say is "I told you so." It's not like I haven't warned him at all... :?



nebgreen
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30 Oct 2007, 6:39 pm

I don't think it's all that necessary or useful to tell people about it. There are simply too many stigmas attached, and a lot of people think that high-functioning autism and its many cousins on the Spectrum are just made-up excuses for producing more pharmaceutical medications. I have tried to explain it the best I could to others, but getting anyone to listen to me about anything for more than 10-15 seconds is a challenge in and of itself.


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NeantHumain
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30 Oct 2007, 8:58 pm

I wouldn't phrase it "coming out of the closet."



nicklegends
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30 Oct 2007, 10:56 pm

They really don't seem to care at all. Especially my friends. It actually comforts me because I don't have to do anything different to accommodate their response.



Berserker
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31 Oct 2007, 1:01 am

Mum already suspected I had AS. I was diagnosed with it a few years ago. I told my online friends, but they don't see me any differently. If I had real life friends (which I don't) I'd tell them I have AS.



Mirel
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31 Oct 2007, 10:09 am

I've never kept it a secret, I've always been loud, proud and here to stay.

I find it works better that way.



Grimfaire
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31 Oct 2007, 10:25 am

Here is a story for you on this...

I don't do Halloween... never have. But my friend was having a Halloween party and expected me to be there. Get togethers with friends once a month is normally not a big deal. I schedule them and prepare for them. But this, there were going to be new people there. This scares the living bejeezus out of me for some reason. (sometimes worse than others)... so Saturday rolls around (last Saturday, the 27th) and I'm deciding that I'm probably not going as I can't face all the people. Then think, they will come get me if I don't show up. (they will, I've finally found a few close friends who understand and accept me and just want to help) So head to the store to get a few things and call to see if I should bring anything. My friend goes, we need some fufu drinks and whatever you feel like drinking. DING DING DING... ah ha! I can face people if I drink a lot as then I just won't care that I'll spend the entire evening talking about one or two subjects and rolling my head around in circles. So grab a couple fifths of jaegermiester and head out. Proceed to drink more than should ever be drank. (4 fifths for 5 people and I drank most of it... I'll never do that again)..... so what do I end up doing... I never tell anyone but very close friends and family. Well until that evening.... I think I told everyone there. Bah!

I've been hiding ever since as I don't want to deal with the repercussions.



Unknown_Quantity
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02 Nov 2007, 10:23 pm

I told a friend of mine who I've known since primary school, via a message on Facebook. Here's part of the response... :D

Aspergers, huh? I'm sorry but I just can't stop thinking of asparagus! I don't know much about Aspergers except that there's an other-worldliness to it, and you have always had that...

Other-worldliness? Hey, I feel cool now! 8)


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jazzguy
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02 Nov 2007, 10:52 pm

My wife knows, and I told my mother but she doesn't know what to make of it. My brother knows but to him it's just another reason to think I'm completely stupid. I haven't told anyone else. I don't think it's any of their business. They wouldn't care anyway.
I'm not in this to draw attention to myself. I'm trying to get away from all that. Why tell anyone?



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03 Nov 2007, 11:40 am

The thing is everyone in my family and relatives knew but kept it from me. I did not know until just a few years ago. There is a special ed teacher that lives up the street from us and she intuitively knew that I had autism.


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Silver_Meteor
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05 Nov 2007, 10:13 am

I will come out but keep it low profile. People have always known I was different anyway.


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