Yes absolutely. And I’ve had to treat them with kid gloves in the process of opening their eyes to the autism all around them. Both of my parents have come around and accepted it, and are also exploring the possibility they may be on the spectrum as well, but my brothers all give me push back at the thought they might be too. Yeah okay bud.

My extended family is a lost cause. I don’t argue or try to educate, I tell them it’s a fact that I’m diagnosed and it’s a fact that it has affected my entire life. It’s not an excuse, it’s an explanation — but THAT is not an excuse to dismiss the conversations that need to happen about how we can make society a better place for people of all neurodivergent varieties, and not just “normal” individuals.