Do you ever discredit autism on purpose?

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I don’t like being seen as autistic. When people start rumors about me being autistic I just try to discredit them by saying everyone is autistic or by making it seem like they were just trolling me.

Saying everyone is Autistic does wrong by people who are #ActuallyAutistic. It is factually wrong, everybody is not autistic. It makes a lot of people think we can magically be like them by just trying harder.

If you said I am exhausted because of terminal cancer and I replied we all get tired sometimes would you like it?

As AS said.

But, also I can understand that you don't want to be spotlighted or treated differently from the 'in' group. I don't know if they're bullying you or just engaging in irresponsible none-of-their-business-anyway speculation, but it sounds like they might benefit from an adult sit down.

My best friend is autistic. He is the most intelligent sweetest person i have ever met. He has been there for me when no one else was. He helped me when i needed it...we are just friends (its purely platonic) but i adore him.

There is no shame in being autistic.

It's just that the society we live in sucks.

PN I may be on the spectrum, I may not, I seem to be a hybrid, either way it doesn't matter to me. People are people all the same....

My response to them would be along the lines of 'I don't get to choose my neurological make-up, but you get choose whether to be an a**hole.' And then ask them if they make fun of other types of disability. And what that says about them as people.

Why do you feel the need to deny having autism? Is there Stigma attached to it?

Of course there is stigma attached to ASD, and disabilities in general. Many people don't have a good understanding of what autism is: some think that all people with ASD have a psychopathic disregard for the feelings of others, some think that all people with ASD are incapable of caring for themselves or communicating at all, and are unable to function as a part of society etc. Naturally, these beliefs cause some stigma to be attached to autism.

Unfortunately, going into a job interview and announcing that you have ASD would make it much less likely that you would be hired.

Yeah I can see it might stop you getting a job but is there like a social stigma to it as in people wouldn't want to be friends with someone knowing they have autism?

You could say, "What aspect of my personality leads you to think I have autism?"
or
"Do you think that characteristic could have its roots in some other cause?

Their responses will likely make it clear if they are trolling you or actually interested and you can respond appropriately.

In some cases. Some people think that those with ASD are incapable of making/being friends with others, or that we are rude/unkind to everybody etc. I wait until I am good friends with people - and I judge that they have the degree of understanding about ASD necessary to receive the news without rejecting me - before I tell them that I have ASD.

Oh yeah a bunch of them.
The ones listed above.
A fake disease or a real condition often used to excuse to get undeserved benefits or rude behavior
Special Snowflake
Easy target
Spree shooter or mass killer

I wouldn't explicitly deny it if asked, but would you consider choosing not to disclose to most people a form of denial?

There's three categories of people in my life:
1) Those who I have gone out of my way to tell. They are extremely close to me - basically, my parents and my brother.

2) Those who I would tell if I felt the circumstance were right, but would feel awkward going out of my way to tell. Basically, this is extended family. If I actually had a close friend, that person would probably fall into this category too.

3) Those to whom I wouldn't deny it if asked explicitly, but with whom I would also go out of my way to avoid being put into this situation. Pretty much everyone else in my life.

Generally, I feel like most people in my life do like (or at least not mind) my quirks, but I think I generally get along with them better just having them think I'm a bit wacky than knowing I have ASD. If they knew I had ASD, they'd probably either feel sorry for me (which I don't want) or think that when I do something, it's ASD that's doing it and not me that's doing it, which I also don't want.

Basically, I want people to think of me as me, not as a case of ASD.

That would just come off as denial to me.

Interesting question! I'm sort of having issues with this myself. I'm working in physical therapy, and to my knowledge there are no rumors that I'm autistic. Yet, I'm with my clinical instructor throughout the day, and I wonder if she suspects. Of course, I can't read people THAT well, so it's hard to say.

That said, I am trying to hide my autism while at the same time contemplating admitting I have it. I just don't know how that would impact my career. It's a hard decision. I can't blame you for wanting to hide your autism. There is certainly a need to try to survive and "fit in" in society.

Well... I live in Asia, and people still view autism very negatively here.
A lot of people here associate autism with horribly behaved children with problems on discipline.
So I don't declare that I have autism when I'm applying for jobs.
And... they never did find out.

This is what I used to think it meant to be autistic, I always knew I had a different brain but had no idea why.