Autistic families and autistic individuals in NT families

Post Reply New Topic

I am just getting some ideas on how autistic people have autistic parents, siblings, etc and what it’s like for them but also getting some ideas on how autistic people cope with being in a neurotypical family. Some have supportive families while others weren’t so lucky especially when they were born in the 60, 70s and 80s when autism was very little known back then.

I only have one cousin with autism, adhd and dyspraxia but the rest of my family are NT but they support me very well. However, I do feel I have to bottle things up around them due to fear of being judged and attention seeking and spreading lies, etc. That’s why sometimes I wish I had more of an autistic family.

What are your family experiences? It’s ok if you would rather not talk about if it brings back bad memories for some people but just interested that’s all.

I come from a family that has a lot of anxiety, depression, sensitivity, shyness and even some PPD-NOS-type traits, but nobody's actually been diagnosed with anything and nobody seems to have ADHD at all. It was only me who went through the whole nine yards of receiving an early diagnosis like I was profoundly autistic (which I wasn't). I do wish someone else in my family shared the same experience of being diagnosed early on and being an outcast at high school. Misery loves company, as they say. But everyone else in my family always had more friends than me and it frustrated me to the core.

Okay, best I just say this now as I might say in another post in the future and then get the "but you said nobody else in your family was diagnosed, you're such a liar!" accusations, because I'm getting tired of being called a liar.
So my brother got diagnosed with Asperger's when he was about 33, but I don't believe he has AS. He has depression, low self-esteem, low confidence, and has always shown signs of bipolar or borderline personality disorder, but still not autism. Again, depression and low self-esteem is rife in my family so he's probably just genetically inherited that. He's never been an outcast like I was at high school. I know you don't have to be an outcast to have AS, but being a male with shyness and depression, surely if he had a social disorder (ASD) on top of that then it would make him somewhat of an outcast and have difficulty fitting in with his peers and being a target for bullies. But he was accepted by the cool kids, even though he didn't participate in any sports (he hated sports). Often bullies left me alone because they thought my big brother was so cool, even though I began getting bullied once he left school. I really doubt an Aspie with depression and shyness and lack of confidence would actually get that much social popularity points and be so accepted by the cool kids, masking or not.

But these days anything seems to mean autism.

The only autistic I know in my family was my paternal cousin's son and that distant cousin in my maternal side somewhere.

A few ND cousins here and there... Like no more than 3.
Said cousins likely have ND relatives themselves because those stuff mainly came from in-laws.

Neurodivergence or/and mental illness doesn't seem to be something that's been running around both sides of my family.

Instead my paternal line got vices and health issues. My maternal line has less issues unless being born male apparently.

I know some family patterns.
All I do know is that my maternal side had it better than my paternal side.


Regardless, my family accepts me.
But do not understand me.


All I can rely from them was literally all the time and space for other things I don't have to mind too much.
Like, I can literally just be unemployed and be alright with them.

Yet I had to rely on my self with the rest of everything -- from processing and whatnot. Things emotional and practical.
And I got my own pride, that I prefer to work.

Gained Number Post Count (1).
Lose Time (n).

Lose more time here - Updates at least once a week.

My parents are/were neuro-typical as far as I know

IDK how my brother and I became Autistic if there is no record or history of the disorder in my family...