How do you Disclose?

Grace McGrath

Disclosure is different for everyone, and it may or may not be safe to disclose.  I knew I had to share it with my family.  This was big news, and I wanted them to know I was autistic.  It is important to set the stage before you start and not just blurt out the hard thing.  For those I called, I said I had some news to share, and then I said some version of I went to a doctor to do some testing because I knew I felt different in some unique ways, and it turns out I am autistic.  It was important for me to state this wasn’t going to change anything about me going forward; it was just more information for me to know about myself.  Some people reacted better than others, but I knew that wasn’t my fault; that is more of a them issue.  It didn’t mean it didn’t hurt, but that is why it was important I had a safe person to talk to.