Autistic Hedgehog

My mother commented that while I'm introverted, I'm not anti-social, and I'm certainly not autistic. We'd been wondering after a diagnosis for some time, but my mother has now decided that because I've assimilated to my environment it's okay. I can't keep eye contact, I have a melt down if my talking goes off track, and I do avoid people. She just... she makes me sad and mad. How do I go about a diagnosis without her? Do you think it's worth pursuing?

Anonymous

Oy vey.

Many autistic people aren’t in the least bit antisocial. A lot of us aren’t even all that introverted, but can be driven to both introvertedness and antisocialness by the way society treats us. Being social doesn’t even begin to disqualify you from being autistic, and I’m sure I can find other autistic people right here on tumblr who’ll agree with that, if you think a wake up call might work on your mother.

Otherwise, often the best way to look into diagnosis is to get a referral from your GP or bring it up with your psychiatrist if you already have one. It can be difficult, because there are a lot of misguided notions out there like the ones your mother expressed. In the end, it’s about whether it’s worth it to you. If you feel it would make a difference for you, you should pursue it regardless of what your mother thinks. She’s not the one who struggles with eye contact or has meltdowns, after all.

Posted 2 years ago

13 notes

autism, actually autistic, actuallyautistic, diagnosis, allistic parents, ask, asks, ableism,