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Note: It is possible that some of these exercises may bring up difficult emotions or memories. You may want to complete them with the support of a trusted person and/or seek additional Support Resources if you feel distressed at any point.
There are many different ways to share your story. Generally, it is important to recognise that your story tells people about your strengths and challenges in a way that they can understand and support you.
Below are examples of how other autistic adults have shared their stories. You do not have to listen to all of them. As you watch any of the videos (2 - 7 mins each) or read the transcript(s), you may want to consider the following questions:
What are some of the things you liked about their stories?
How do they reflect stories of self-acceptance?
What parts might you have left out or said differently?
What other information might you add in your own story?
Video transcript: #NowIKnow - Lex's story | National Autistic Society
Video transcript: #NowIKnow - Melissa's story | National Autistic Society
The worksheet below provides a template to help you think through different aspects of your story.
Crafting your story is a process and will change over time. Your story will also vary depending on where you tell it. Later, you can select which parts of your story you want to tell in different settings or to different people.
Tip: You can refer to Further Information to help you explain what autism is and what it means to you.
Click on the embedded worksheet (or the ↗️ button for computers/laptops).
Fill it in by making a copy to your Google Drive or downloading it onto your device.