Saturday, April 9, 2011

Asperger's Acceptance and Disclosure—What's the Difference?

I just read a father's perspective on acknowledging that his son has Asperger's. I recommend it, as I recommend most first-person, authentic perspective about AS.

Eventually, we either spend the energy to accept and live with Asperger's, or we spend the energy to deny and live with Asperger's. Both are draining, but one drains us in partnership with the truth, and one drains us by forcing us to repress/suppress the truth.

As I detailed in my series on the Seven Stages of Asperger's Awareness, acceptance is a precursor to disclosure. Acceptance is telling the truth to yourself. Disclosure is telling the truth to others. How much of the truth you tell to others should be a function of need and intimacy, but how much you tell yourself should only be limited by what you can handle.

As with many things, premature or over-disclosure can be traumatic But if you are having trouble disclosing to yourself (accepting your diagnosis) you should seek counsel with a friend, family member or professional.

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