I sometimes wish I could produce my entire history as an autistic person before getting in to debates with people about my disability because I feel like the immediate assumption is that I'm either A, a self diagnosed child or B, an alistic who's just very passionate. and then they talk down to me like I don't know what I'm talking about.
Like, no, my guy. I didn't diagnose myself after watching three TikTok videos. I was officially diagnosed when I was around 5, in the early 2000s. I spent the rest of my life as an autistic woman. I went to speech therapy, I was in several disability groups and got to know so soooo many different types of autistic people, ranging from high to low support needs.
I've had to get support my entire life, and it hasn't stopped. I don't have a job, but I'm independent enough to go to school. I can't drive, but I've only recently gotten good at using the bus enough to get where I need to. I have experienced both free independence and the restrictions of my disability. I AM Autistic. I've met more autistic people in my life than you will ever meet in a day. Please stop talking to me like I don't know what I'm saying.
