Unexpected Response

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I am in my 50s and although I have known I have had Aspergers for a few years now, I did not get officially diagnosed until January of this year. I got an official diagnosis for personal reasons. The response I have gotten from my siblings was totally unexpected. They have in essence, shunned me. They were OK with seeing me as a loner recluse but not as someone with Aspergers. I would have thought they would have at least offered encouragement and support. I realize this is my life and I have to act in ways that benefit myself. I guess this type of reaction is good in a way because it is a litmus test that shows their true colors. If they can't accept me for who I am, it is better they are not a part of my life. I realize this is a vent but this is something I needed to get off my chest. I was wondering if anyone else has experienced a similar reaction from their siblings

Just friends.
My siblings still treat me like crap as though I haven't even got AS.

I'm sorry that they shunned you. That is horrible.

my sis didn't care at all really. if anything its helped us come a little closer cause now she knows there's a reason why i'm a little 'off.'

Aspinator, how did they shun you? I ask because fifties is an advanced age to START to shun a sibling usually. I'm curious as to how it happened...

Just like my WP sister Merle here, my siblings shunned me without knowing about AS or that I had a neurological condition. They wouldn't care what I have, just that I don't fit their lifestyle of social contacts and money as top values, so it wouldn't make any difference if I told them (we haven't spoken for many years, though, and never will again).

I hope Merle adopts you as her brother, as she's done with me.

Sorry to hear that, my guess is that they don't understand Asperger's, but still it's not nice of them to do that.

Chances are they were already mentally "there", just needed to hear that "straw that broke the camel's back". I mean...when my Dad went back to NJ for his mom's funeral, he told my Uncle I was Autistic( for whatever reason it was any of his business, I have no idea)...and both he and my Aunt suddenly referred to me as "severely crippled". What made it worse was, being that my dad is completely spineless, he temporarily disregarded any knowledge he already had about Autism, and just sided with them.

Ironically, my Dad is also the black sheep of his family, as his family is a bunch of pricks & he's adopted.

It's like no matter what I tell him about his family, he tells himself he's getting acceptance that he really isn't.

But getting back to my main point, dude I think the only one that was in denial the whole time....I hate to say...was you. You wanted to believe that your family was warm and accepting of you despite some quirks, but the deep down truth was they really weren't; obviously, they weren't going to say anything, but better you found out this way than otherwise.

And hey....as George Carlin would say "F--- 'em!" They don't deserve you in their lives if they're so horrible to you.

Just remember- Einstein was also Autistic, and he barely spent time engaging in discussion with people; he had good reason too, and he won the Nobel Prize for his efforts. We hear all the time about Einstein and his greatness; do we hear about the other scientists that were in his quarters? No, there's a reason for it; figure it out

I experience very little interaction with my siblings anyway. The youngest has many AS traits and just gets on with his obsessions all the time; I don't think he'd shun me if he learnt of my AS, but I'm unable to break the news to him. My parents avoid subjects related to my difficulties. I think family shuns and avoids those with such issues when they do not want to face them or risk having to take on a caring role of some form. My parents were always terrified of the responsibility of admitting any impairments I had, so they exist in denial.

shunned from here to eternity.
but then, i have also learned over the past few years i can be a difficult person.
see some siblings and not others.
all know of my AS. most think it explains a lot. no shunning in relation to AS dx.
just shunned for the behaviours associated with it.