Autism Acceptance: Embracing Who We Are

Written by Gill Crea – Founder of Extraordianry Links

For most of my life, I felt like I was on the outside looking in. Social interactions felt scripted, expectations were confusing, and the world was far too loud. I didn’t have a name for why I felt different until my 40s when I was diagnosed as AuADHD. By that time, I already had two autistic children, and suddenly, everything clicked into place. Seeing so much of myself in my children led me to seek an assessment in the first place.

Me at 7 with my mum

My diagnosis wasn’t a tragedy or a burden—it was a homecoming. It explained the exhaustion I felt from masking, my deep connection with my special interests, and the challenges I faced in a world not built for neurodivergent minds. It was a key to understanding myself in ways I never could before.

As an AuADHD woman and mum to two autistic children, autism acceptance isn’t just an abstract concept—it’s a necessity. Acceptance isn’t about awareness campaigns or sympathy; it’s about true understanding, respect, and making space for autistic people to thrive as we are, not as society wishes we were.

Me now accepting myself

Too often, autism is discussed in terms of deficits and struggles, as if we are problems to be solved. But we are not broken. We are not puzzles missing pieces. We are whole, valid, and worthy of respect just as we are. The world often asks autistic people to adapt at great personal cost—masking, suppressing stims, forcing eye contact—but true acceptance means meeting us where we are and making accommodations without shame or stigma.

As a parent, I see firsthand the beauty and challenges of raising autistic children in a world that still has so much to learn about neurodiversity. For my children, I want a world where they don’t have to unlearn self-rejection the way I did. I want them to grow up knowing they are not too much, too different, or too difficult. Their needs are valid, their joy is as important as anyone else’s, and their way of experiencing the world is not wrong—it’s just different. 

In 2020, I founded a charity for disabled and SEN children called Extraordinary Links because I felt a safe place was needed—not just for my children but also for other children and families who needed support, understanding, and a true sense of belonging. Every child deserves to be in a space where they feel valued, accepted, and celebrated for who they are.

Autism acceptance means listening to autistic voices, believing our experiences, and ensuring that future generations don’t have to fight to be seen, heard, and respected. It means rejecting harmful stereotypes and embracing neurodiversity as a natural and valuable part of human existence.

We don’t need to be changed—we need to be accepted. And that starts with each of us advocating, educating, and celebrating autistic people for who we truly are.

To my fellow late-diagnosed autistics: you are not alone. You are not broken. Welcome home.