People do not believe my accomplishments

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passionatebach
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27 Jun 2010, 8:39 pm

I have noticed a few threads where people have said that others do not believe they have AS or autism, when they have disclosed this information to people. I run into these type of comments all of the time when I tell them about my AS.

Transversely, I also run into comments of disbelief when I tell people whom I have known for years about my accomplishments. Especially when you run into them after you haven't talked to them for awhile. It is almost like people think that I am not capable of doing such things.

As an example, I ran into a friend from high school at an event yesterday. I told him about all of things that I did during and after our community's flood two years ago, and all of the programs and partnerships that I helped get started. I also told him that I helped a small community near where a live get back on its feet after the flood. He looked at me like I wasn't capable of doing something like that. I have noticed this response in others as well.

Has anybody else every run into this type of commentary from people from your past? Do people think that due to AS, you are not able to accomplish anything to society?



NearlyaHuman
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27 Jun 2010, 9:03 pm

Yep.
I think that may partially have to do with the fact that people may believe someone with AS is "mentally challenged".
People have this idea in their heads of what "leaders" look like, and if you don't resemble that, you're a "follower".
People rely on mannerisms much more than what you say. They look for confidence, which is a certain voice and body movement. It could be that if you appear anxious to them they may figure you are making crap up.


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reh
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27 Jun 2010, 9:03 pm

Apart from some single cases, it never happens to me. People who know me, fully understand that it's completely beyond me to invent such fantasies about myself.



idunnosmile
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27 Jun 2010, 11:41 pm

Not really people that "know" me, mostly just new people that are trying to get to know me.

People that have gotten to know me say that I am an unpredictable overachiever, so I think they know I am capable of anything that doesn't pertain to social endeavors that put me "out of character".

People getting to know me are another story. Since I can't speak the language of "cool guy" and I don't come across as very confident while dancing the social tango, I get disregarded as someone who can't do very much. However, when someone gets to know me, they figure out who I really am and don't question my achievements.

On a side note, my personal experience has led me to believe that people may not always be looking at you in disbelief. In fact, that look might be mistaken for someone who feels inferior to you or perhaps jealous of your achievements 8O



cyberscan
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27 Jun 2010, 11:52 pm

People who know me for a long time do not question my achievements even though they regard me as strange. However those who meet me after I came out about being autistic think I embellish I'm sure. I get the condescension quite a bit as well.


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League_Girl
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27 Jun 2010, 11:54 pm

I remember when I got my driver's license, I was getting from other kids "You have your license?" It was as if they all thought I was incapable of driving so they were shocked to see me drive. :roll:



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28 Jun 2010, 12:00 am

I pretty much never ever mention my accomplishments to people, so if they do hear about them they believe it. (They are usually told by someone else, like my mom.) Also I'm known for not being able to lie, lol. But, in my family I'm sort of expected to achieve so my accomplishments aren't really a big deal. Example: when I made the dean's list at my first year of college (this year) and told my mom she just said "I know." Lol.


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28 Jun 2010, 12:06 am

League_Girl wrote:
I remember when I got my driver's license, I was getting from other kids "You have your license?" It was as if they all thought I was incapable of driving so they were shocked to see me drive. :roll:

Ya I got that too, I think most were jealous because I driving to school a few days after my 16th birthday



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28 Jun 2010, 12:11 am

Friskeygirl wrote:
League_Girl wrote:
I remember when I got my driver's license, I was getting from other kids "You have your license?" It was as if they all thought I was incapable of driving so they were shocked to see me drive. :roll:

Ya I got that too, I think most were jealous because I driving to school a few days after my 16th birthday


I got underestimated in school because they didn't think I could do this or that and they acted like I was mentally impaired or something. Then they get shocked when they see I was doing something normal. Then when I did drama and performed in the play, people went from underestimating me to overestimating me.



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28 Jun 2010, 12:26 am

i try to explain to people that i was the true mastermind behind the Eiffel Tower, but nooooo, no one ever believes me :roll:
Frenchie got all the credit. He cheated off my paper in class. I was drawing a doodle of that same structure, then 5 years later, what do i see looming over Paris?
Also no one seems to believe that i've invented a time-machine or that i personally introduced man to fire in the stone age. But only because i didn't take credit for the wheel too. I mean obviously i didn't invent that. But they're all like, "hey, if you're going to give them fire, why not make sure they can hunt mammoths in style and introduce the SUV as well?"
i'll show them though, i'll go back in time and make sexytime with their grandmother then come back and remind them to be more respectful to their elders; namely me at that point.


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Last edited by Seanmw on 28 Jun 2010, 3:24 am, edited 1 time in total.

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28 Jun 2010, 1:31 am

I actually used to joke around "if I were running for president against John McCain, he'd beat me in a landslide; not necessarily because he has better ideas, but because the crowd would find him a helluva lot more appealing" :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:



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28 Jun 2010, 3:15 am

I hate that. People do that to me, all the time. I had a social worker at social services, who asked me, if I had the opportunity to work, even if it was in a sheltered workshop. I felt very offended, and I told her, that I worked in a factory for three years. She smiled and said, "Good for you!" with a big, stupid smile. Than she asked, "Would you be interested in going into a job training programme, for people with handicaps?" It was very annoying. :evil:


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TheDoctor82
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28 Jun 2010, 3:26 am

CockneyRebel wrote:
I hate that. People do that to me, all the time. I had a social worker at social services, who asked me, if I had the opportunity to work, even if it was in a sheltered workshop. I felt very offended, and I told her, that I worked in a factory for three years. She smiled and said, "Good for you!" with a big, stupid smile. Than she asked, "Would you be interested in going into a job training programme, for people with handicaps?" It was very annoying. :evil:



this is one of many reasons I don't bother with social services; I confront the work force head-on.



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28 Jun 2010, 3:35 am

TheDoctor82 wrote:
CockneyRebel wrote:
I hate that. People do that to me, all the time. I had a social worker at social services, who asked me, if I had the opportunity to work, even if it was in a sheltered workshop. I felt very offended, and I told her, that I worked in a factory for three years. She smiled and said, "Good for you!" with a big, stupid smile. Than she asked, "Would you be interested in going into a job training programme, for people with handicaps?" It was very annoying. :evil:



this is one of many reasons I don't bother with social services; I confront the work force head-on.
i know, right?
i invented fire, but i get none of the credit. How typical :roll:

my post about it is right above yours a few posts up


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28 Jun 2010, 3:40 am

Well, just remember:

when you're going to social services, the way they look at it is that "you need them", and technically if you're going there, they have no other reason to think otherwise.

It kinda doesn't put anyone in the position of being defensive, because they technically have that "power" of you. And that "power" kinda gives them the ability to speak to you as they will; I'm not saying it's good, just expectable in any situation like that.

Again...avoid social services, and meet this stuff head-on; never said it'd be easy...it isn't. But you can do it :)



Seanmw
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28 Jun 2010, 3:43 am

you know you have no accomplishments, when even your most outlandish tales can't garner a chuckle


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