Is It Acceptable To Be Proud Of Having Autism?

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I suppose it comes down to your definition of 'proud'.

I am certainly not ashamed. I am grateful for the fact that my AS makes me good at my job, makes me logical and practical, makes me who I am. I wouldn't change it for the world and I wonder if I would have got as far academically and professionally without it.

Similarly, I'm not ashamed of my physical disability. I'm not necessarily 'proud' of it as it really doesn't give me many advantages (like I think my AS does). However, if I wasn't physically disabled I wouldn't be competing at international level sport and all the experiences that comes with that.

I see distinct differences between my AS and my physical disability as I believe my AS has more influence over my personality. While I can be proud of what I've accomplished with my physical disability, I'm proud of the way I am with my AS.

Hopefully that makes sense to someone else!

I don't really think "proud" is the right word to use here, because proud is usually used to describe an accomplishment. I do like who I am, including my autism, and I'm thankful that it makes me a more logical and detail oriented person, where I often catch mistakes or problems that others miss. I am proud of my academic achievements in life, though, which I believe autism has helped.

You're all right, Autism is shameful and I'm sorry I even started this thread.

It's acceptable to feel proud of anything you feel is a strength. If you feel that your autism has played a part in anything positive that you consider to be a strength, a gift, or helped you achieve something because of your brain wiring, jesus of course go ahead and feel proud of your gifts and your strengths.

If you have a savant gift that would not be the way it is had you been NT, there's no reason in the world not to have the viewpoint that FOR YOU autism is a gift or is responsible for your gift. If you feel that way, it's your right to feel that way.

FOR YOU.

Try to remember, however, that when you see other posts here by people saying their life seems to be only struggle because of factors of autism, you need to have compassion for that. You need to understand that not everyone IS a "savant" at anything. That not everyone has found a way to turn anything in THEIR case of neurodiversity into anything successful. Even when trying their very best. Don't condemn these people as not trying hard enough, or of being "ashamed" of autism. And don't condemn those who choose not to disclose rather than shout it from the rooftops.

That's THEIR CHOICE and there can be complicated reasons behind that, for them, not just "oh you're ashamed of being autistic."

No, there's often more to it than that, and you don't know that person's life or struggles.

You keep making indignant posts on the theme of "what so I'm not supposed to feel proud of anything because it's autism related in me?"

I've told you before on your other identical thread, that's silly and NOBODY'S SAYING THAT.

Also, it's good to remember that the very severely affected people -- I hate the term "low functioning" -- have so much worse effects from their autism than you might, some may fervently wish they were not autistic, or be one of those wishing for a cure, or one of those feeling defeated by their disabilities.

Some people may be very much more disabled than yourself, and while that doesn't take anything away from your right to feel proud of your neurology FOR YOU, I think you're focusing too much on the struggles you read about here on WP, and thinking that just because someone else is finding this diagnosis very much more complex to wrestle with than you are, that you feel browbeaten into feeling the same way.

You're not being browbeaten into feeling the same way. Nobody's doing that.

Personally, my own view on this -- when I see people with autism overcoming challenges and being very successful, or even if they aren't but they are at peace with who they are and their diagnosis, and they disclose to everyone in their world, and it works for them -- I THINK THAT'S GREAT.

I am genuinely happy for those people.

Just because my own experience is way more complicated than that doesn't mean I can't look at those people who are having a very different experience and feel genuinely happy for them.

Everyone's journey is different. Everyone's experience even of the same condition, the same diagnosis ----- is different. Be respectful of that while still enjoying your own well adjusted coming to terms.

I don't know anything about how well-adjusted you are generally, but what I meant was you appear to be well-adjusted regarding your diagnosis of autism. Going by what you post in relation to your recent diagnosis, I've gotten the impression you are embracing your diagnosis in a positive way. In this thread for one, you describe your savant musical gifts and you attribute the savant ability to your autism, quite directly. You're proud of it and you are complaining that you get the feeling others are making you feel you shouldn't be.

That to me seems well adjusted in terms of your autism. You're wanting to be proud to say "I've recently been diagnosed, I'm great with that, I love my music skill, I'm out and I'm loud and proud."

I would call that well-adjusted in that area even if there are other things in life you don't feel adjusted about at all. That's all I meant by that.

I'm proud of how I've persisted when I had no idea what fabric I was ensnared within all my life and the person I've developed into out of those unknown voids I'd been wandering through and wondering about, I'm very astonished at my inner strength and the contours I possess out of it, I guess the next decade is about learning how I can progress further holding the clarity of the surface rather than perpetually being submerged within the liquid we know as autism, I'm proud of the guy I am, having this condition is a colossal reason why I am the way I am and experience, interpret and process life with the tint so to speak, people are proud of many things that affect how they live and travel through life's terrain. If you're not proud of having autism and being affected by it that's fine, some days I feel completely useless, deficient and outside of the human race but I still seem to reject the notion I ought not be proud, I don't feel great about it but it certainly means something heavy whenever I remember why I face harder challenges.

I'm not proud, but accepting of my autism. It is still hard when I struggle because I've internalized that I should be able to "do it all". I've mostly accepted that most don't recognize that struggle, but it does get painful some days.

Where did anybody imply that autism is shameful? I think you might be upset about something. Maybe you should take a break from the Internet and do something you enjoy.

You can be proud of overcoming obstacles, but being proud of something you have no control over is strange to me.