When I was told about my diagnosis at the age of nine, I was left feeling confused. Although it explained all the additional support I received throughout primary school, it made me feel different from other students. So, what I did was deny I had it whenever family brought it up.
It’s taken me years to overcome my internalised ableism and I’m now at a point in my life where I feel proud of being autistic, thanks to supportive friends and the amazing autistic and neurodivergent communities.
In honour of Autistic Pride Day, I’ll share with you all my reasons why I’m proud to be autistic.
My attention to detail
One of the common traits of autism is a keen eye for detail. I’m able to spot patterns in things, particularly in work. My eye for detail helped me to succeed in my role as the copy editor for my university’s student magazine. Plus, my ability to spot minute details has made me more intuitive about people, which has helped me socially.
My integrity
Loads of people comment on how honest I am, and this is a common trait in autism. Many autistic people find it hard to tell lies, and I’m one of them. I love being honest because it avoids complications further down the line, plus being honest allows problems to be solved quickly. I’m also loyal to friends and always stick by their side and support them whenever they face hardships.
My creativity
Many autistic people are creative. There are many autistic people with creative flairs, such as Dan Ackroyd (the writer of Ghostbusters), Example (a British musician) and Tim Burton (director of Edward Scissorhands and Corpse Bride). My creativity and ability to think outside the box is one of the reasons why I’m proud of being autistic. I regularly write and create content for my Instagram blog Neurodivergent Planet and am currently writing a fantasy story.
My determination
Autistic people set goals and never give up on achieving them. That’s a trait I have and it’s why I’m proud of it. When I was in secondary school, many teachers believed I wasn’t going to do A-Levels or go to university because of the additional support I got in class as well as my low target grades. Well, I never gave up and kept pushing myself and I got there in the end. Even though there were times when I felt like giving up, my family and friends were always there for me and I eventually achieved my A-Levels and a 2:1 in English Literature. I’m glad I was ambitious and remained resilient, even when some people didn’t believe in me.
These are all my reasons to be proud to be autistic. I feel it’s also important to talk about the positives behind being autistic, just so young autistic people can feel empowered. Embracing my positive traits has made me a lot happier being autistic and has prevented me from expressing internalised ableism at myself. Now, I feel hopeful and more ambitious about my future and look forward to writing more content soon.
I hope you all have a happy Autistic Pride Day!