21/07/2025
😍it’s so nice to hear perspectives from people with autism who can express themselves like these…
🫣Dear parents, sometimes honesty can be the best even if our kids would get hurt in the process.. maybe we can teach them to keep their diagnosis as a private matter and only open up to trusted individuals like family or best friends. This can be especially true for adolescents or teen with ASD who don’t know why they can’t keep up with their peers and are pressuring themselves.
more. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/12KzorZWjwK/?mibextid=wwXIfr
"You can give your child the tools to be a strong self-advocate, you can give your child an example of a true ally by changing the conversation about autism and disability in your own lives." from 'Change the World, Not Your Child' by Lei Wiley-Mydske
Here's what Lyric Holmans shared about the experience of not knowing they were Autistic:
“People around me didn't seem to struggle in the same ways that I did, and were constantly pushing me to do better, accusing me of being lazy, or not trying hard enough. Even when I was putting in extra effort, I was falling short of what other people expected of me, and that really did a number on my mental health. If you're working so hard to do your best and you're just constantly told that your best isn't good enough, and you need to try harder. I slowly really lost myself and been tricked into believing that I was flawed, and I wasn't good enough. Learning I was Autistic late in life was like hitting the reset switch in my life, and I realized for many years I've been working against myself, instead of with myself. “It was that pivotal moment where I realized that, you know, I need to be able to feel proud of who I am. [...]
So, my labels growing up — and until I was almost 30 and found that I was Autistic — were 'not good enough', 'lazy', 'stubborn', 'difficult', 'stupid', the 'R-word', like all of these things I believed about myself, because I didn't have the correct label.”
And here is the experience of Emily Lees:
“I spent all of my adolescence and young adulthood just struggling. I didn’t really have a diagnosis. I look back and I just think, if only I had received some support. Because I’ll tell you now, I left high school with barely any qualifications. And I remember I would always be really, really good at the things I really, really liked. [...] And I ended up really struggling through school because I always felt like I was either in the top classes for English, but then I was in the bottom classes for everything else, you know, and that spiky profile is quite common for Autistic girls. “
..[Since being identified as Autistic recently] I’ve had a massive growth spurt personally, professionally within the last three to four months, and I’ve gone through a lot of change. Let me tell you, from a girl that struggled for so long with self-esteem, feeling different, and always feeling like I’m on the outside looking in, like, “How do people do what they do?” For me to be able to be at a point today where I can embrace my quirks and my difficulties. But I do have a lot of strengths, and I actually believe that today. I never used to believe that.”
Please share in the comments your favorite resources and strategies for telling a child that they're Autistic ♾️
Image ID [5 slides with yellow accents]. Slide 1 text reads: 'Parents ask me if they should tell their child they are Autistic. What should I tell them?' There is an illustration of a child with their hand raised. Slide 2 text reads: 'Our answer here comes from listening to Autistic adults who grew up not knowing they were Autistic. "People around me didn't seem to struggle in the same ways that I did, and were constantly pushing me to do better, accusing me of being lazy, or not trying hard enough. Even when I was putting in extra effort, I was falling short of what other people expected of me, and that really did a number on my mental health. If you're working so hard to do your best and you're just constantly told that your best isn't good enough, and you need to try harder. I slowly really lost myself and been tricked into believing that I was flawed, and I wasn't good enough. Learning I was Autistic late in life was like hitting the reset switch in my life, and I realized for many years I've been working against myself, instead of with myself." -Lyric from the Two Sides of the Spectrum Podcast'][Slide 3 text reads: "It was that pivotal moment where I realized that, you know, I need to be able to feel proud of who I am. [...] So, my labels growing up — and until I was almost 30 and found that I was Autistic — were 'not good enough', 'lazy', 'stubborn', 'difficult', 'stupid', the 'R-word', like all of these things I believed about myself, because I didn't have the correct label." -Lyric from the Two Sides of the Spectrum Podcast' Slide 4 reads: 'Another late-diagnosed Autistic adult said... "I spent all of my adolescence and young adulthood just struggling. I didn’t really have a diagnosis. I look back and I just think, if only I had received some support. Because I’ll tell you now, I left high school with barely any qualifications. And I remember I would always be really, really good at the things I really, really liked. [...] And I ended up really struggling through school because I always felt like I was either in the top classes for English, but then I was in the bottom classes for everything else, you know, and that spiky profile is quite common for Autistic girls." - Emily Lees from the Two Sides of the Spectrum Podcast. Slide 5 text reads: "[...Since being diagnosed recently] I’ve had a massive growth spurt personally, professionally within the last three to four months, and I’ve gone through a lot of change. Let me tell you, from a girl that struggled for so long with self-esteem, feeling different, and always feeling like I’m on the outside looking in, like, “How do people do what they do?” For me to be able to be at a point today where I can embrace my quirks and my difficulties. But I do have a lot of strengths, and I actually believe that today. I never used to believe that." - Emily Lees from the Two Sides of the Spectrum Podcast]
Here's what Lyric Holmans shared about the experience of not knowing they were Autistic:
“People around me didn't seem to struggle in the same ways that I did, and were constantly pushing me to do better, accusing me of being lazy, or not trying hard enough. Even when I was putting in extra effort, I was falling short of what other people expected of me, and that really did a number on my mental health. If you're working so hard to do your best and you're just constantly told that your best isn't good enough, and you need to try harder. I slowly really lost myself and been tricked into believing that I was flawed, and I wasn't good enough. Learning I was Autistic late in life was like hitting the reset switch in my life, and I realized for many years I've been working against myself, instead of with myself. “It was that pivotal moment where I realized that, you know, I need to be able to feel proud of who I am. [...]
So, my labels growing up — and until I was almost 30 and found that I was Autistic — were 'not good enough', 'lazy', 'stubborn', 'difficult', 'stupid', the 'R-word', like all of these things I believed about myself, because I didn't have the correct label.”
And here is the experience of Emily Lees:
“I spent all of my adolescence and young adulthood just struggling. I didn’t really have a diagnosis. I look back and I just think, if only I had received some support. Because I’ll tell you now, I left high school with barely any qualifications. And I remember I would always be really, really good at the things I really, really liked. [...] And I ended up really struggling through school because I always felt like I was either in the top classes for English, but then I was in the bottom classes for everything else, you know, and that spiky profile is quite common for Autistic girls. “
..[Since being identified as Autistic recently] I’ve had a massive growth spurt personally, professionally within the last three to four months, and I’ve gone through a lot of change. Let me tell you, from a girl that struggled for so long with self-esteem, feeling different, and always feeling like I’m on the outside looking in, like, “How do people do what they do?” For me to be able to be at a point today where I can embrace my quirks and my difficulties. But I do have a lot of strengths, and I actually believe that today. I never used to believe that.”
Please share in the comments your favorite resources and strategies for telling a child that they're Autistic ♾️
