autistic self diagnosis is valid
a person: i’m autistic. i don’t have a professional diagnosis.
a neurotypical: you can’t! self diagnose! autism!!! onLy a dOctor can do that!!!
most doctors: don’t know what autism looks like in people other than nonverbal white cis boys
most doctors: recommend abusive therapies for autistic kids and teens
most doctors who specialize in diagnosing autism: refuse to evaluate adults
an autism evaluation for a minor teen who wants one: requires having supportive parents who understand that autism is not a tragedy and looks different for every autistic person, and that many autistic people can talk, have friends, do okay in school, and otherwise fake looking neurotypical
an autism evaluation for an adult: very expensive and often not covered by insurance in the U.S., also extremely difficult to get in France
an on-record autism diagnosis: can be used to deny you custody of children, to have your kids taken away, to forcibly institutionalize you
autism advocacy orgs that actually help autistic ppl like ASAN, AWN, AANE: Here are some resources for figuring out if you could be autistic. Professional diagnosis is a very personal decision and is not required for knowing that you’re one of us. We support you as an autistic person even if you don’t have a paper diagnosis.
a sincere autism self diagnosis: harms no one even if it’s incorrect, enables the person to feel part of a community of people with similar issues and learn more about autism, a gateway to learning about autism acceptance movements, often the first step toward self acceptance and self esteem
Okay, this post actually helped me a lot a while back. Idk if I’m ADHD or autistic, but either way, super helpful
This post is really helpful!
Anyone know of any of those self diagnosis resources they talked about-?
here you go (the coding of the original post got weird, I’m the op of the long chat post section, not actingnt):
Autism is a neurological variation that occurs in about one percent of the population and is classified as a developmental disability. Altho
AANE adopted the term Asperger profile to describe a range of neurological differences characteristic of over one percent of people in the U
Learn the signs and symptoms for Aspergers and the Autism Spectrum. Learn why women and girls with Aspergers or autism are under-diagnosed.
Asperger and Autism Spectrum diagnosis in adults. Symptoms and signs of Aspergers and autism. How to get an Aspergers or autism diagnosis. W
I…wait..really?
It’s, fine..? Because Ive always been so scared of like, calling myself autistic or smth because I don’t have a proper diagnosis and I don’t want to offend people.
it’s fine. there are actually very few autistic people who will be assholes about self-diagnosis and they’re usually the ones who most strongly support medical authoritarianism (and most paper-diagnosed autistic people don’t like them either)
