How Does Being Autistic Influence Your Dignity?

An article on an often asked question during talks on autistic living in today’s society

Photo by Kito digital on Unsplash

For a long time, I struggled to find my place in the world. When people talk about being an autistic man, they often talk about medical problems or modern social theories. I often get the question how being autistic influences my dignity.

First of all I believe that my dignity as an autistic man doesn’t depend on autism itself. It depends mostly on how other people see me, treat me, and include me.

The Burden of Stigma and Judgment

Every day I, like many others, face judgment and exclusion. People often stereotype me, which hurts my self-worth and makes me feel like I do not belong. This negative pressure makes my self-esteem lower and makes it harder to feel happy in social situations, or happy at all.

The most frustrating part is that some people often treat me like a child. They doubt my choices, my relationships, and my independence. Sometimes, others take over my decisions to “protect” me. But when they do that, they take away my right to choose and take risks. When society only sees autism as an illness or a defect, it makes my feel ashamed of who I are.

Finding Pride and Connection

For some of us, getting a diagnosis helps, whether it’s early, earlier, late or later. My autism diagnosis shows that my past struggles were not personal failures. It helps me understand myself better.

Seeing autism as a normal or positive part of who I am is very important. When I connect with other autistic people, it protects my mental health and helps against anxiety and depression.

There are different modern ideas about autism that focus on my strengths. I see my strengths as very varied, and not always related to autism or neurodivergence. For me, most important thing is finding a real place to belong. Sometimes that’s a within a group run by autistic people, sometimes it’s in a crowd of non-autistics or others. It’s not always the autistic peers that give me the respect and connection I need to feel dignified.

What I Need to feel dignified

In the end, my dignity grows when people respect my privacy, my individuality, and my choices. True acceptance means giving us the right to make our own decisions and be part of society.

Being an autistic adult man has its challenges, but we have the right to be treated with respect. It is time for society to stop looking at stereotypes and see us as adults who deserve full dignity.