“Not one tear fell from my eyes. I just said, ‘I know,’ and you were officially part of our lives forever. You are a huge part of my little boy, but you do not define him.”
Dear Autism, Thank You For Showing Me Different Can Be Good
‘If you can empathize with others, you’re not autistic.’ I wondered if I was an alien.’: Nonbinary person shares long journey to autism diagnosis, urges ‘knowledge about autism can save lives’
“‘You’re not trying enough.’ They gave me even more diagnoses, so I worked on them a lot. But nothing helped. It made me hopeless. Now, I know I was working on the wrong disorders.”
Living with Autism, I Have a Fear of Being ‘Found Out’
“I deleted the hashtag, and it hasn’t gone back up since. On the same day, I posted about autistic pride. I was still afraid. Maybe if I pretend I don’t have autism, it won’t be an issue in my professional life.”
‘STRIP. You HAVE to wear these scrubs.’ I was being watched while I removed my underwear.’: Teen suffers abuse at psychiatric ER visits, ‘I’m not just a number in the system’
“‘Sit down. I don’t know when you’re going home, STOP asking.’ They were admitting me because I wasn’t getting along with my mom.”
The Day I Was Diagnosed As Autistic Was The Day I Became ‘Normal’
“’You know, he is very ADHD.’ What I found blew open my world. I saw my son, but more so, I saw myself.”
‘My mom bought me pink shoes. ‘Those are for girls!’ When she asked if I’d rather be a boy, I said no.’: Non-binary, autistic person with ADHD shares journey
“When I born, the doctor said, ‘You’re going to have your hands full with that one.’ Even from a young age, I never felt like a girl. I wondered what was ‘wrong’ with me.”
‘My brother pointed out, ‘It’s common for siblings to have it.’ A lightbulb went off in my head.’: Woman with autism raises awareness for neurodiversity
“I always knew in my gut my brother was different, so the diagnosis wasn’t shocking. I didn’t see myself in that image, but I began to research. Boy, did I research!”
‘After a life of pretending to be normal, I finally let myself be me.’: Woman diagnosed with autism, ADHD as an adult
“It felt my identity had been built up like a Jenga tower. I started removing bricks and at the same time, I was piling new bricks on top. It led to a complete collapse. I broke.”
‘She’s just shy,’ they said. ‘She’ll grow out of it.’ All my life I felt like a misfit.’: Mom diagnosed with autism after son’s diagnosis
“I began to notice similarities between my son’s struggles and my own. Things that triggered him also triggered me. I had meltdowns just like he has meltdowns. I felt SEEN for the first time.”
‘Why can’t you just LISTEN?’ His type is known as ‘brat.’: Mom of Autistic twins discusses ‘comparing,’ ‘Each boy is different, yet one and the same’
“I let a friend try to teach me how to discipline Jack. The entirety of it shook me to my core as I watched how it broke him at just 4 years old.”
