How Can Anyone "Be Proud" of being autistic?

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For me, it's not about pride but rather having no shame.

I think, for a lot of people, autism is something they are ashamed and embarrassed of, however for me I don't see why I should feel ashamed.

I get frustrated, fed up, exhausted, overwhelmed and, yes, even a little sad, but in a way I'm proud that I have overcome so much. Also, if my autism is the one to blame for my intense special interests, attention to detail and strong audio-visual memory, then I wouldn't trade it for anything. But then, I am in the unique position to have recieved early intervention, which many of us are unable to receive, so I do understand why any positive traits pale in comparison to the struggles we face.

But even if I were to say that there is nothing positive about my experience as an autistic person, I would still feel no shame about it because I never chose this and all I can do is my best. If others have a problem with that, they know where the door is.

So as long as you feel no shame, then I'm with you. But if you do, please don't - you have nothing to be ashamed of.

i agree

I'd take a cure if one was offered to me, even if it would cut a decade or more off my life, as long as it would leave me functional in the remaining time.

That doesn't keep me from noticing that there are positives to this damn miserable disease.

Doesn't keep me from taking pride in what I have accomplished in spite of it (or sometimes because of it).

I HATE THIS DAMN DISEASE. And they tell me I'm so damn high-functioning that I barely qualify for a diagnosis.

I can choose to like myself, ASD and all, anyway. Why would I want to do that?? Because the years I've spent liking myself have been, by and large, the years when I wasn't filled with rage, intermittently struggling with suicidal ideation, unproductive, and allowing people who have no right to dictate the terms of my existence to do so anyway.

I'm always weird. But there's BAD, and then there's WORSE. Shame and self-hate make WORSE.

It's not a "scourge of the earth"--but it is not delightful, either.

I think we should be "proud" when we overcome obstacles placed our way.

For me, it challenges you immensely and relentlessly, this world is hard enough to persevere in without having complex issues hindering you, just getting through each day can be a monumental achievement with this specter bouncing off your bones and colluding with whatever else is grinding you down. The condition is ingrained within each of us and manifests in myriad ways and the development process has been profoundly affected and fractured, we are decorated by having navigated the labyrinth and sway of life with this thing swelling through our brains, we don't know any different. If one is proud of oneself, and identifies as an autistic person, and accepts all the degrees and depths, then we can be proud of being who we are, which is autistic. If one identifies as a person suffering from autism, who does not see it as anything but a curse and sickness, it is not the same concept of course. Every human being has a right to feel proud of their path in life and what they do to remain breathing and gaining whatever successes they can manage irrespective of what conditions they possess or do not possess.

Well, I would not say I was proud, but I am not ashamed.

What I would say is I am less ashamed of who I am since I got my diagnosis.

Being proud of being autistic is kind of ridiculous, being ashamed of it is ridiculous as well. It's neither a badge of honour or shame. It just IS.

Op I was feeling bad about a friend but your op made me feel better. Didn't expect a laugh out of it but grief, take a step back. Just slow down

I am neither proud nor embarrassed of my diagnosis. It is a part of me that cannot be changed but can to an extent be managed. At 41 years old i have had one girlfriend and two good, true friends in my entire life and I'm ok with that. I work low wage jobs, but my needs and wants are not grand or expensive. I don't see myself as an "aspie" and i see people who aren't autistic as "NT's." Life is what you make it. People are who they choose to be. I choose to be me, to be just George, and that's what I'm proud of, not a diagnosis.
Thank you for listening.