fed up with workmates saying i'm not autistic

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a lot of people at work saying i can't be autistic because i'm a bus driver. they say i'm weird , difficult and stupid but they say i'm not autistic otherwise i wouldn't be driving a bus.

what is their logic? do they think all autistics are mentally incapable of talking, driving , working,?

i am a good bus driver and i am good at dealing with the public. but i am autistic , i was nonverbal until i was about 7 or 8 year old and i do have other symptoms and was diagnosed with moderate autism in childhood but my autism doesnt stop me performing well at my job.

one thing is i am not shy at all but i still hate socialising. do other people with autism get accused of not being autistic jus because you are a good worker?

Don't listen to those people. They don't know anything about autism

You know you are autistic; and you know about autism. And you know you're a good bus driver.

Just continue to do your job well.

It comes from the public's lack of knowledge and ignorance on the subject of autism. Might I suggest you print off some leaflets from a reputable source regarding autism and when you get that nonsense again, you can hand the person a description of autism.

Probably

I don't know how autism affects the OP but if wherever I get any information about autism, it never describes me as an adult, even if it's written by an autistic. Plus I have ADHD and anxiety disorder, and it all overlaps.

I don’t even bring it up. Most people think autism =‘s rainman . (That old movie)


Just refer to Sheldon or the good doctor.


Most people can only refer to what they see on tv

Is this a retort to you explaining that you are autistic? If it is don't bother telling these people anything ( some people are incapable of learning ), even autistic people doubt their diagnosis. Just try to ignore them and don't bring up the subject of autism , they will eventually give up on openly doubting your autism ( the banter will probably not stop though and might even turn into autistic slurs ) . Do as Kraftie has suggested - Keep doing your job well.

On the other hand if you would rather clear the situation up , pick one of your workmates who appears to be just going along with the crowd rather than instigating the doubt and show him proof of your diagnosis and tell him how offensive his behaviour is.

If you need help with an issue you should only talk about that issue and not bring autism into the discussion, unless you absolutely have to. Autism is so complicated that many autists on this forum have difficulty understanding whether they have it or not.

I don’t tell people I have it unless they know me well and I know they’d be understanding about it, especially if they’re knowledgeable about autism.

Lots of people just don’t know anything about it or they think of Rain Man or nonverbal children.

Really, I would just ignore the scoffers. They know nothing about you.

I don't know that I would hand out leaflets; they would probably think you're nuts if you did that.

But maybe talk about someone---a relative maybe---who is socially awkward. Especially if you've established a bit of rapport with somebody.

Otherwise, just continue to drive the bus well.

A smart social worker is likely to understand autism. It is common enough that they should know it as part of their job. Someone with autism is likely to need their services. It isn't unusual for a social worker to have an advanced degree.

I wouldn't even have told them if I were you. I haven't told any of the people I work with. They're nice enough, but the average person doesn't know anything about autism. When people ask me why I can't work more than a handful of hours a week, I just tell them I have other things going on. (They don't have to know those "other things" are listening to music, self-medicating, and sitting alone in my room waiting for my batteries to recharge.)

Fact is, if they can't see it, "they" have trouble recognizing a disability.

the thing is i'm not very good at passing off as normal, i am prone to meltdowns, i dont socialise with my coworkers on lunch breaks if i can help it and i dont laugh or joke at all and i am cold and standoffish.
i am not ashamed of my autism and i lack awareness of what others think and feel
all this shows
my husband is also a bus driver in the same company btw and he told a few people i am autistic which got around.
a few people figured out i was autistic before they were told about it

but most people in the company dont believe it and so they decide to be nasty to me instead
and yer people do think of rain man when they think autistic or they think genius but i'm no a genius i have learning difficulties too
but buses are a special interest of mine and i love doing my same route

To me, it's a great accomplishment to even drive one of those English double-decker buses....

Why do you assume their response to you is logical? Their response sounds more emotional than logical to me, from what you’ve described.

They sound ignorant about Autism. I’d take their opinions about Autism with a shaker of salt.

Also: not only are you a bus driver, but you are a good bus driver & good with the public. I see you are in England. Is your bus a double decker?