Hi, Newbie

[Emerald Richardson]

My name is Em for short and I am here because I thought it would be cool to look at and connect with other people who are on the autism spectrum. Just a little info on my experience here, and just for a strong opinion, I do not believe you should self diagnosis yourself with any degree or form of autism and should be confirmed to have it by a professional before the label.

I have a very mild form of autism and am overall able to live like an average person. However, this does not mean things have been easy or I do not struggle a lot. I was diagnosed professionally when I was three, but my parents did not tell me until I was sixteen because they did not want me to try to overcome my difficulties less because of it. In fact, they only ever told me because I was beginning to believe I was a insane person due to my extra challenges with things others around me found easy and could do simply. They are pretty conservative and very religious, so sometimes that stood in the way to them catering to all my desires and wants.

I have been obsessed with fantasy and mythology since I was little, but my relatives growing up told me that was bad and wrong. My play was restricted and access to imagination limited. In addition to that, I am a closeted queer person, biromantic asexual to be more specific, because of how homophobic, biphobic, and even acephobic my environment and peers are. I fear they will all disown me for who I marry if it is someone I love, even if it is a cis man at this point, because of any random thing they don't like about the person.

People I know tend to not take me seriously already and my folks treat me like I am an idiot just because of what I live with. It is so much harder as a young adult than I imagined, but much better than when I was a kid or teen. I am no longer wanting to die and I am still waiting to date because I want to find the best husband or wife who will love me as I am and help me raise children who will not have to deal with the nonsense and ridicule I grew up with no matter who they are. Gender roles and forced behavior or speech will be thrown away in my household for freedom of expression and endless family support.

I hope to share the stories I have been writing and books I have buying with my home too. I am addicted to writing and reading and I most likely will be my whole life. Anyways, I've ranted and that's enough of that for now. I am glad to have signed up and will be looking at others experiences on here too.

 

[Major Tom]

Hello and welcome Em!

 

[Pats]

Many people here are self diagnosed and I believe that's perfectly acceptable. If you have autistic traits, you have autistic traits whether professionally diagnosed or not. And, in some ways, HF autism can carry more difficulties because more is expected from you and people can't see the problems.
Hi Em and welcome.

 

[Nitro]

Hi Em

 

[Fino]

I'm narcissistic enough to value my opinion over a professional, so I've never been able to see any problem with self-diagnosis. I didn't self-diagnose, but I don't see why it would be a problem.

I love how fast your strong opinion came up, right in the first paragraph!

Welcome!

 

[Isadoorian]

Welcome to the Forums, I hope you make new friends and enjoy your stay in the process!

Yes, as said twice so far, many here are both Professionally and Self Diagnosed, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with the Former. There's even NT folks here who want to learn more about Autism so they in turn can help be closer and understand loved ones who're on the Spectrum.

I believe that one should have an open mind when it comes to diagnoses of ASD and Mental Illness, be it self or professionally diagnosed, and if one wants to be absolutely sure after self diagnosing, they can see a Professional about getting a Official Diagnosis done, as it'll help give closure. It certainly brought closure with a fellow Member here who got her Autism Diagnosis about a month and a half or so ago and she was quite relieved.

 

[china autie]

Hi Em,

Finding professionals who are competent in diagnosing adults AND getting an insurance company to pay for a neuro-psych evaluation is increasingly difficult in the USA.

The autistic community as a whole acceslpts self-diagnosing because of this. And also because we reject the medical model of disability in favor of the social model. We know who we are.

And even if someone is wrong and turns out not to be autistic, the community has room for them too. We are neurodivergent and we help each other.

I respect your right to have a strong opinion as I trust you will respect mine.

And yes, there are non-autistics here as well as folks who are considered BAP-- broad autistic phenotype, or sub-clinical autism.

Diagnosis can also be tricky and some of us have been misdiagnosed for years. Some of us have co-morbidity, or conditions that co-exist with our autism.

Enjoy the forum. You've found a great place.

 

[clg114]

Welcome to AutismForums!

 

[Progster]

People with Asperger's or ASD level one were rarely diagnosed before 1994 when the DSM IV was published, so many adults such as myself did not receive an official diagnosis until adulthood. Also, many people, especially females, were misdiagnosed with other conditions before receiving an ASD diagnosis. There used to be, and still is to, great social stigma concerning such conditions, so parents were reluctant to seek professional help when children were struggling. Many continue to be misdiagnosed, or to struggle, without being aware of their autism. People didn't used to have such easy access to information as exists today, with the internet. It used to be the case that if you wanted to learn about a medical condition, you needed to either visit a doctor, buy a book or visit a library. Nowadays, access to medical information is just a click away, so many older people who weren't diagnosed as children are learning about ASD and realising that it applies to them, and that this is the reason for their difficulties in life. Many go on to get an official diagnosis, but this isn't always so easy and not all want this for various reasons, so many self-diagnose. That's ok, and perfectly acceptable IMO. I was also self-diagnosed before I received my official diagnosis.

 

[Sarah S]

Warm welkome Em dear. SO true Progster they dident find my ASD until i was i think 30 (2010 latest evaluation) but i had it since birth obviously as al of my NSD diagnosis.