How to share: Crafting your personal story

If you’ve decided that you may want to share your autism diagnosis or autistic identity, the next question: what will you say? This page aims to help you craft your story in a personally meaningful and empowering way.

Below, we provide 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 or read the transcripts, 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?

There are many different ways to share your story. But generally, it is important to recognise that your story tells people about your strengths, challenges, and needs in a way that they can understand and support you. 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.