Accidentally "outing" myself to my college

[ASD_Geek]

I am very nervous now! My college is having an Autism Awareness event today talking about challenges that individuals with ASD face in the classroom.

They sent out emails to the students about the event. I replied to the organizer that I have ASD and asked for a copy of the information since I can't be there. The only issue is that I accidentally clicked "Reply to All" and didn't realize it until after it was sent. It was done from my phone, so I couldn't tell at the time.

I'm not trying to hide who I am, but I didn't want to "out" myself to the entire school.

 

[Butterfly88]

If you just asked for a copy of the information people could think it could be for someone else you know on the spectrum.

 

[ASD_Geek]

If you just asked for a copy of the information people could think it could be for someone else you know on the spectrum.

Thank you Unfortunately, I told them that I was someone with ASD in the email. I guess that what I get for being long-winded... lol

 

[LucyPurrs]

Hopefully students will be more open minded than the general population, hope so for your sake.
I'd like to say be proud of it- you have abilities others don't have. Maybe focus on those assets for others to see. Hope this doesn't get me into trouble with members here- I know it's not all easy for you. I just admire folks here and want to communicate that to the general population.

 

[Butterfly88]

Thank you Unfortunately, I told them that I was someone with ASD in the email. I guess that what I get for being long-winded... lol

Oh okay. This may sound strange but I'm one to believe everything happens for a reason, maybe you or someone in the class will benefit from it somehow. I can certainly understand you not wanting everyone to know but at the same time it may act as a relief, at least I think it would for me.

 

[Butterfly88]

Also, you said you were long-winded. If college students see a long e-mail that isn't for them I bet half of them don't even bother to read the entire thing.

 

[Tom]

That really stinks and sounds like something I would do. But now that the cat is out of the bag I would pretend I intended it all along and take the line I was up front about it and not ashamed of what I was. Or in other words if you can't hide it then strut it.

 

[ASD_Geek]

Hopefully students will be more open minded than the general population, hope so for your sake.
I'd like to say be proud of it- you have abilities others don't have. Maybe focus on those assets for others to see. Hope this doesn't get me into trouble with members here- I know it's not all easy for you. I just admire folks here and want to communicate that to the general population.

Thank you for your kind words! I appreciate them!

 

[Mr Allen]

You should be free to be who you are, if your fellow students or teachers have a problem with it, that's THEIR problem, NOT yours.

You're Autistic, not some kind of psychotic serial killer.

 

[WereBear]

I know these things can happen. But college is one of the easiest places to be “out.”

 

[AO1501]

Hopefully students will be more open minded than the general population, hope so for your sake.
I'd like to say be proud of it- you have abilities others don't have. Maybe focus on those assets for others to see. Hope this doesn't get me into trouble with members here- I know it's not all easy for you. I just admire folks here and want to communicate that to the general population.

No complaints about that approach from me - while I can understand how disclosure in the past has led to problems for many, autism awareness now is far more advanced, and reactions seem far less judgmental. And each disclosure is a potential 'teaching moment' helping us as a whole, educate out NT brothers and sisters.

To me, and I realise it is my turn to worry about getting in trouble with some of the other members here, not disclosing only helps us remain isolated and poorly understood. That doesn't seem a good thing.

But then I am proud of who I am and what makes me the way I am, and I am very good at what I do, so the worst reaction I've had is 'you can't be, you're so normal', followed by a 10 minute conversation about the spectrum.

 

[tducey]

You are who you are. That shouldn't be an issue for your college. I remember when I said I was Autistic when I went to college, they treated me the same as they always did.

 

[Full Steam]

Bit sloppy of the college not to Bcc, rather than send openly to everyone.

Hopefully it will be to your advantage, all the same.

 

[Starfire]

@ASD_Geek That was an unfortunate mistake but what’s done is done. You might actually be surprised about how disinterested your fellow students may be about it, and how quickly people move on and it will be forgotten about.

My 14 year old daughter was accidentally ‘outed’ by a teacher in a lesson a while back. She was mortified, come home in tears and had a massive meltdown while refusing to ever go back to school again. The next day however she came home quite happily, and said most of the students were so wrapped up in their own lives they couldn’t care less and didn’t even mention it.

A couple of kids said to her ‘bad luck with the ASD thing, if you were lucky and had ADHD, you would have got free speed from the doctor, and a get out of jail free card when you’re naughty in class!’

A few of her friends asked if that’s why she was a ‘dick’ and similar words sometimes, she said yeah, and it was a case of ‘oh well, whatever.’ That was that, and they moved on to what’s happening at the weekend, what was on TV last night and the football etc.

Its easy for us to be wrapped up in the ‘ASD thing’ because it affects and governs our lives daily, the choices we make and how we live. Honestly however, the vast majority of people are not interested and don’t care about it, that’s if they even know what it is, or believe that it’s a real thing in the first place.