Was anybody ever told you wouldn't make it...

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...as an independent adult, but went and made it anyway? When I was 14 and developed psychosis and was hospitalized for 6 months, people there were telling me it was unrealistic that I'd be able to go home and live with my family again and that after being discharged from the hospital I would have to stay at a halfway house until at least the age of 18 where I could only sometimes see them. The way people were talking, it was like my future was already closed to me and I would have to live a life of disability. Looking at my records, I see my prognosis was written as "poor" and in the notes there was a question of, Would I ever be able to live independently or would I need support throughout my adult life?

Nevertheless, my parents worked to discharge me against medical advice (AMA) because insurance was running out and they didn't think I needed to be there anymore, though the hospital was able to get a court to order me committed for 2 weeks to prevent that. After that, my parnets worked again to discharge me AMA and this time the hospital couldn't get another court order, so I went home with them. There was a bit of a bumpy road at first, but I would go to a normal high school, succeed and make good grades, and graduate without anything about special ed being on the diploma! I would go on to college and graduate and now I work in a steady job with good pay.

Does anyone else have a story like this?

I do but the ending is not quite as happy. I went to a regular high school but did not do well in college because I was inadequately prepared and didn't know that until it was too late. The best child psychiatrist in Pittsburgh told me "You could not use quality education". Unfortunately, I believed him because how would I know not to? What kind of a job do you have now? I also did not anticipate having the work difficulties I had either.

I was told by a salesman at an employment agency (after an unfair layoff, where I as a client had no legal rights) that I wouldn't make the pre-engineering course. I did with As and Bs and I'm now one of the top students in computer science. I'm going to send him a "long time no see" on LinkedIn when I graduate.

All the time ... even now that I AM an adult.

I think that (1) they are jealous of the successes that I've fought for; (2) don't want me to have any more successes because it makes them look bad; and (3) it miffs them off when I defy their wishes and prove them wrong.

Let them retain their status as professional screw-ups. I live my own life now, and I don't have to please them.

Growing up, my peers said I was worthless and would never amount to anything.

I'm not an adult yet, but this has happened to me before. When I was a kid I had moderate symptoms. They said that I would never get better. Now I barely have any symptoms and I'm almost NT. Hopefully I'll be an NT when I'm an adult.

Not directly, but when I was a teenager, my mom expressed concern that I wouldn't be able to function as an adult. As a result, she constantly worked to get me out of my comfort zone.

Well I'm not an adult yet, but I can do a lot of stuff they said I wouldn't be able to do.
Not to my face, but when your are autistic enough they talk about you to your folks like you are not there.
And i am told the doctors and whoever said i would never be able to do what i am currently doing.
Some might still say that i will not be able to hold a job and will have to be on disability.
But i am trying to go as far as i can. getting mainstreamed into public middle school was a major accomplishment.
Although I still need special ed. oh well. i will get there........

Because of my lifestyle growing up, I was told that I would be dead by the time I was 20.

Social workers told me that there is nothing for me in this world.

But anyway, I'm here, I'm happy, I'm doing well, I've got a beautiful daughter and a lovely home.

family,medical people,teachers etc all said woud never be able to live away from the family home and they woud be burdened for the rest of their lives, proved them wrong at age nineteen.
will always have residential home placements but have gone far beyond the expectations of what people have had.