Is It Acceptable To Be Proud Of Having Autism?

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6 months ago I was diagnosed and although I absolutely don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, I really feel proud that I am actually a savant that can play piano and write any type of music on FLStudio without ever actually having learned to play or read and write sheet music. But I know very few have my same experience, only 10%.

Why not be proud of your strengths?

Trust me: you'll have people who will try to emphasize your faults.

I'm not sure how you could be proud of having Autism, as it not something you achieved.

It seems many people are proud of things they were born into, by random luck. This doesn't make sense to me.

How about being proud of your achievements? or proud of how you have dealt with having autism?

It's always acceptable to be proud of yourself, unless you're rubbing it in other people's faces.

Of course it is! Autism is part of who you are, and the more you accept it, the easier life will be. Disabled people face what many would think are surprisingly high amounts of discrimination and ignorance. I know plenty of autistic people are proud of not only their identity, but also the adversities and unique experiences that come along with having a different neurotype.

As an autistic LGBTQ person, I liken it to LGBTQ pride.

If you shouldn't be proud of being autistic then I guess people shouldn't be proud of being gay or black or being left-handed or Canadian or whatever since they didn't work to achieve that, either. In fact I'm sure most gay people would rather not be if they had a choice, and having parades and stuff is all a bunch of stereotyped, flamboyant rainbow-hued nonsense.

Being proud to be autistic is like being proud to be American. It doesn't make a lot of sense, not because being autistic or American is a bad thing (neither is inherently bad or good), but because it's not something you worked for and achieved. Of course, immigrants can be proud to be American because they worked hard to get here.

You can, however, be proud of the ways being autistic or being a citizen of any country has shaped you. You can be proud of how you've grown despite or because of your position in life. Pride in your identity is about being proud of how you have grown from the experiences caused by your identity. Gay pride, for example, is about being proud of yourself and others for coming out of the closet and fighting against discrimination, living their lives despite popular opinion.

So it is awesome to be proud of your accomplishments in learning how your mind works and how to work around it or use it to your advantage!

You can be proud to be autistic, I believe, when your autism causes you to do things that would make anyone proud.

Temple Grandin, I believe, should be proud of what she's accomplished because of her autism--and, as a result, proud of her autism, too.

I dont think its really something to be proud of anymore than having a leg or arm is. Its just a condition we live with, in many ways it benefits us because we are able to solve problems in faster and more direct methods than people who do not have aspergers can.

On the other side of the coin, i have a friend in a wheel chair who ive often asked "if your legs suddenly started working would you like that?" his reply is always "Ive adapted to living without them so no i dont want my legs to work"

Most people would think, what a strange reply. But when your mind has learnt to cope with the way it is its not strange at all rather its very comfortable and preferable. I often think, i wish i didn't have aspergers but then i revel in it at other times thankful that im not a stupid 'normal' person.