The Stigma of Self-Diagnosis

[Progster]

An autistic person is autistic because they are autistic, and not just because they have a piece of paper that says so. The assessment and diagnosis are just recognition or confirmation of something that is a fact. Either you are autistic or you aren't, the diagnosis doesn't change that.

 

[Magna]

An autistic person is autistic because they are autistic, and not just because they have a piece of paper that says so. The assessment and diagnosis are just recognition or confirmation of something that is a fact. Either you are autistic or you aren't, the diagnosis doesn't change that.

^ I don't disagree with a word you've written here. What you've said is factual.

Dyspraxia, Tourette Syndrome, Specific Development Disorder, OCD, Selective Mutism, Avoidant Personality Disorder, Reactive Attachment Disorder, Fragile X Syndrome, Angelman Syndrome, Williams Syndrome, Landau-Kleffner Syndrome, Prader-Willi Syndrome.

^ These are some of the syndromes/disorders that can manifest in autistic-like traits but are not autism. A person is born autistic. However it's possible that a person who self-diagnoses as being autistic is incorrect in their assumption. Misdiagnosis by a professional for any type of disease, syndrome or disorder is unfortunate because the individual may not benefit from proper courses of treatment. Why would the possibility of a person misdiagnosing themselves with autism when they may have a different syndrome or disorder not also be unfortunate for the same reason?

In a related manner I believe the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the U.S. is a good thing and has helped many people including myself continue to work at a job that I otherwise wouldn't or couldn't do without the Reasonable Accommodations afforded and protected by the ADA. Self-diagnosis is not a criteria that qualifies a person to receive protections under the ADA.

This brings up other related discussion topics for other threads that I think would be interesting to discuss such as:

• Should self-diagnosis of autism be included in the ADA as a protected disability?
• If self-diagnosis of autism should be considered as valid as a professional diagnosis in all respects, would this help or hurt autism awareness and would this help or hurt the public's perception of autism?
• Should people who believe there is a distinction between self-diagnosis and professional diagnosis (fact) be considered discriminatory?

I would love to see questions like the above as discussion topics in new threads.

 

[SDRSpark]

In a related manner I believe the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the U.S. is a good thing and has helped many people including myself continue to work at a job that I otherwise wouldn't or couldn't do without the Reasonable Accommodations afforded and protected by the ADA. Self-diagnosis is not a criteria that qualifies a person to receive protections under the ADA.

I don't believe self-diagnosis of anything should be protected under the ADA or make one eligible for any sort of public disability services - if that were the case, a whole lot of people would have reasons to pretend to be disabled in some way. However, people who are self-identified as autistic are almost universally NOT doing that (I'm sure there are exceptions, somewhere, but for the most part we're not attempting to get any sort of accommodation that would go beyond the realm of 'basic decency', diagnosis or not.)

People who need accommodations or support tend to be identified early in life or seek out professional diagnosis out of necessity. It's those of us who can function well enough to hold down jobs, live independently, have families, etc. etc. who have flown under the diagnostic radar long enough to self-identify. No one is hurting anyone or taking resources from anyone because they don't have a piece of paper signed by a doctor.

I used to feel like saying "I'm autistic" was dishonest...but the more I learned, the more comfortable I got with the concept and I no longer feel that way (besides, I'm pretty sure everyone knew I'm autistic, or at least knew something is "different" about me, long before I self-identified. I don't exactly pass as a neurotypical.)

 

[SDRSpark]

I agree with the idea that if you identify with autistic traits, you can self-identify and be confident in your self-assessment. The drawbacks of living with autism are enough to counter any apparent benefits of unofficially putting your reality into a better-fitting context.

I'll pursue a formal diagnosis to assist my vocational rehabilitation and approaches to training and employment. And sure, part of me feels "more legitimate" with a formal assessment. That said, if I am evaluated and found to be something else, I will reject the results of that assessment. Regroup and weigh the benefits and drawbacks of getting a second opinion.

At the end of the day, I know what I know, and what I know is that I am autistic. Clicked right away. I believe very strongly, however, that I was raised by undiagnosed neurodiverse parents who did not pick up on any apparent abnormalities, so while that has given me some measure of self-acceptance, it also leaves me ill-prepared to navigate a neurotypical world.

My 16-year-old is also being assessed. It's pretty obvious to them, too.

Bottom line: you know what you know.

Bingo. Looking back on my life it's SO OBVIOUS - I clearly remember being assessed as a child, and it was decided that I'm "gifted"...I actually believe that the only reason why I wasn't diagnosed as autistic as a child is because my IQ was too high for the diagnostic standards at the time. I have been diagnosed with a bunch of other things over the course of my life (I've literally never had any two different professionals/groups of professionals agree on a diagnosis. I get a different answer every time I go to a different professional - as a result I have absolutely zero faith in professional diagnosis.) Some of them are more or less "close enough" that I am OK with the diagnosis being there (ie. relatively "harmless" and not so far off base that I can't relate to them at all even though I feel I barely fit the criteria and they miss the root cause entirely.)

My mother flat out told me "I didn't think anything was wrong with you because you were just like me." - she and I scored within 10 points of each other (both well above threshold) on the RAADS-R.

 

[Magna]

I don't believe self-diagnosis of anything should be protected under the ADA or make one eligible for any sort of public disability services - if that were the case, a whole lot of people would have reasons to pretend to be disabled in some way. However, people who are self-identified as autistic are almost universally NOT doing that (I'm sure there are exceptions, somewhere, but for the most part we're not attempting to get any sort of accommodation that would go beyond the realm of 'basic decency', diagnosis or not.)

People who need accommodations or support tend to be identified early in life or seek out professional diagnosis out of necessity. It's those of us who can function well enough to hold down jobs, live independently, have families, etc. etc. who have flown under the diagnostic radar long enough to self-identify. No one is hurting anyone or taking resources from anyone because they don't have a piece of paper signed by a doctor.

I used to feel like saying "I'm autistic" was dishonest...but the more I learned, the more comfortable I got with the concept and I no longer feel that way (besides, I'm pretty sure everyone knew I'm autistic, or at least knew something is "different" about me, long before I self-identified. I don't exactly pass as a neurotypical.)

I don't believe a self-diagnosed person is dishonest in their belief that they're autistic. The only way a person would be dishonest in a claim that they're autistic is if they actually didn't believe they were autistic but made the claim for some sort of perceived gain or exploitation.

I don't think of a self-diagnosis as being invalid to the individual because that's what they believe about themselves.

I'm different than you are in that early on in my self-diagnosis stage in my life I believe I did initially declare that I was autistic on the autism forum I used to frequent. Perhaps it's being the rules based person that I am, but it didn't feel right to me. From that point until receiving a professional diagnosis I was not ashamed to make it clear that I was self-diagnosed and I also didn't receive any negative bias from diagnosed members of the forum. I was accepted and it felt right for me to identify as self-diagnosed because that fact was that I was self-diagnosed.

I would never want any autism forum to exclude people that weren't professionally diagnosed. That would not be a supportive environment. I see no shame in a person clarifying that they're self-diagnosed.

 

[zozie]

I don't believe a self-diagnosed person is dishonest in their belief that they're autistic. The only way a person would be dishonest in a claim that they're autistic is if they actually didn't believe they were autistic but made the claim for some sort of perceived gain or exploitation.

I don't think of a self-diagnosis as being invalid to the individual because that's what they believe about themselves.

I'm different than you are in that early on in my self-diagnosis stage in my life I believe I did initially declare that I was autistic on the autism forum I used to frequent. Perhaps it's being the rules based person that I am, but it didn't feel right to me. From that point until receiving a professional diagnosis I was not ashamed to make it clear that I was self-diagnosed and I also didn't receive any negative bias from diagnosed members of the forum. I was accepted and it felt right for me to identify as self-diagnosed because that fact was that I was self-diagnosed.

I would never want any autism forum to exclude people that weren't professionally diagnosed. That would not be a supportive environment. I see no shame in a person clarifying that they're self-diagnosed.

I really appreciate your view on this thread, and in my initial reply, took a big chance. I am a big rule-follower, too, and it feels almost like a lie to say "I am autistic" without a formal diagnosis. I have not done that before and it feels pretty uneasy. Quite vulnerable, actually.

However, I spoke with certainty as a way of practicing believing my own judgments about myself, a chronic challenge. My personal history is one of continuously caving into others' assessment of me. I have become so accustomed to questioning my reality that I have coped by just assuming that others were right and I was crazy.

I say "I am autistic" as a way to prep myself for the conversation I'll be having with my therapist next week. Will he believe me? If he does not and I already doubt myself, I will cave again and continue to suffer. On the other hand, if I have said "I am autistic" at least once with the honest surety that I feel, then I will come out of that conversation armed with enough confidence to get a second opinion instead of fading away into misery and despair, as I have done in the past.

For me, it is very much linked to getting accommodations, so a lot rides on a formal diagnosis, or NOT having a formal diagnosis. And since adult women are so often misdiagnosed with behavioral disorders and I do have CPTSD, I could understand the theoretical rationale for a doctor saying, "You're mistaken, you're actually not what you think you are, that's your brain lying to you, look at your trauma history, I am the doctor so I know best, etc."

I hope it helps in our meeting that I've spent a considerable amount of time teasing apart the overlapping characteristics between autism and CPTSD. I don't want to be stubborn, nor do I want to be accused of being psychotic or seeking attention.

But I will happily make a concession on this forum: After much research (and sure, a few tests, but more from hearing from autistics themselves), I am convinced that I am autistic. I am self-identifying precisely because I'm convinced. And I am quite afraid of not being believed, so expressing certainty here is a huge step for me, and the safest place I could find to do so.

I hope this makes sense to the readers here. It's not so much an insecurity as it is a bright sense of hope I am afraid to embrace for fear that I'm wrong AGAIN and the world continues to be a confusing and frightening place.

I hope my therapist trusts me. 39 years is a long time to hide in the shadows. If not for the atrocious time I've had trying to find/keep a job, it's likely that I would have been content to be merely eccentric. But the struggle is real, and so I speak my truth, just in case no one else will.

 

[Magna]

I really appreciate your view on this thread, and in my initial reply, took a big chance. I am a big rule-follower, too, and it feels almost like a lie to say "I am autistic" without a formal diagnosis. I have not done that before and it feels pretty uneasy. Quite vulnerable, actually.

However, I spoke with certainty as a way of practicing believing my own judgments about myself, a chronic challenge. My personal history is one of continuously caving into others' assessment of me. I have become so accustomed to questioning my reality that I have coped by just assuming that others were right and I was crazy.

I say "I am autistic" as a way to prep myself for the conversation I'll be having with my therapist next week. Will he believe me? If he does not and I already doubt myself, I will cave again and continue to suffer. On the other hand, if I have said "I am autistic" at least once with the honest surety that I feel, then I will come out of that conversation armed with enough confidence to get a second opinion instead of fading away into misery and despair, as I have done in the past.

For me, it is very much linked to getting accommodations, so a lot rides on a formal diagnosis, or NOT having a formal diagnosis. And since adult women are so often misdiagnosed with behavioral disorders and I do have CPTSD, I could understand the theoretical rationale for a doctor saying, "You're mistaken, you're actually not what you think you are, that's your brain lying to you, look at your trauma history, I am the doctor so I know best, etc."

I hope it helps in our meeting that I've spent a considerable amount of time teasing apart the overlapping characteristics between autism and CPTSD. I don't want to be stubborn, nor do I want to be accused of being psychotic or seeking attention.

But I will happily make a concession on this forum: After much research (and sure, a few tests, but more from hearing from autistics themselves), I am convinced that I am autistic. I am self-identifying precisely because I'm convinced. And I am quite afraid of not being believed, so expressing certainty here is a huge step for me, and the safest place I could find to do so.

I hope this makes sense to the readers here. It's not so much an insecurity as it is a bright sense of hope I am afraid to embrace for fear that I'm wrong AGAIN and the world continues to be a confusing and frightening place.

I hope my therapist trusts me. 39 years is a long time to hide in the shadows. If not for the atrocious time I've had trying to find/keep a job, it's likely that I would have been content to be merely eccentric. But the struggle is real, and so I speak my truth, just in case no one else will.

Self-diagnosed or professionally diagnosed, you are among friends here and people who are supportive and empathetic in your life struggles.

It has been repeated many times and I agree, that it's important if at all possible to obtain an assessment from a therapist who is experienced with adult autism and adult autism assessments. A dermatologist can't effectively diagnose kidney disease but is still a physician. I would argue that a therapist who works with autistic children as a focus isn't an ideal assessor for an adult. Many people have posted on autism forums that they have broached the subject of autism with their non-autism therapist, psychiatrist or physician and have been dismissed. "You don't have autism because you can make eye contact.", etc.

If you're in the U.S., every state that I'm aware of has an autism society. The autism society in my state is over 150 miles from my home. I chose to seek an assessment there rather than locally because of the experience the PhD therapists and PhD assessors have in working with adults (they have PhD level professionals that work exclusively with clients who are 16 years old and older and do not work with children. I felt the same way you do and as such, I wanted to go to the experts.

Keep in mind that a key diagnostic criteria for autism even for an adult is the person's behavior they exhibited as a child and that data is generally required to be supplied by someone else rather than the adult's own recollection (e.g. data supplied by a parent of the adult seeking an assessment).

For example, this is an unlikely scenario, but a person could believe to their core that they're autistic, but when the person's parents recount specific details about the person's childhood behavior and there were no autistic childhood characteristics it's possible that the adult would not receive an autism diagnosis.

I was raised largely by my mother who passed away prior to my assessment. Fortunately for me, she'd written a detailed baby journal chronicling my behaviors and I was able to supply those writings along with my other assessment documents. My assessor said my mother's handwritten notes about me from the age of less than one year to three years or so was very helpful and valuable in conjunction with the overall diagnostic criteria.

It's important therefore, in my opinion, for anyone who is on the journey of self-diagnosis to go all the way back rather than focus on who you are now. To anyone who still have parents that are living, I would recommend having them recount how you were as a child and to write it down.

 

[Gift2humanity]

Has anyone else observed a stigma associated with being a self-diagnosed Aspie? Such as people saying things like:

"You're just looking for attention."
"You're just making excuses."
"You don't really have Aspergers."
"You're just hopping on the bandwagon."
"If you haven't talked to a psychologist, it's not real."
"You want people to think you're a tortured genius. You're really just annoying and socially awkward."

I don't tell people that I'm an Aspie for this reason. I see people posting comments like these on boards and articles online and I'm afraid of receiving this reaction should I ever "come out". There's a genuine difference between being a run-of-the-mill hypochondriac and actually having the disorder.

I'm self diagnosed, getting reassessed, its on another thread.
My social worker's boss once said I don't have a diagnosis and shouldn't say I am.

I feel like my traits irritate people, I don't like vagueness, I don't pick up on social cues, I can't tell motives, all of these things for someone not recognised as being on the spectrum are difficult as we are expected to meet the demands of everyday life, not to mention the sensory issues.

If you believe you are Aspie, you could get tested, it must be really hard trying to live as an NT while having these difficulties, at least with a diagnosis these difficulties will be validate and hopefully people will make allowances for you.
I say to people who I cant look in the eye, or other stuff, I have autistic traits.

 

[Magna]

I'm self diagnosed, getting reassessed, its on another thread.
My social worker's boss once said I don't have a diagnosis and shouldn't say I am.

I feel like my traits irritate people, I don't like vagueness, I don't pick up on social cues, I can't tell motives, all of these things for someone not recognised as being on the spectrum are difficult as we are expected to meet the demands of everyday life, not to mention the sensory issues.

If you believe you are Aspie, you could get tested, it must be really hard trying to live as an NT while having these difficulties, at least with a diagnosis these difficulties will be validate and hopefully people will make allowances for you.
I say to people who I cant look in the eye, or other stuff, I have autistic traits.

"I say to people who I cant look in the eye, or other stuff, I have autistic traits."

^I think that's a great way to describe your challenges to people. It's also absolutely factual and accurate to say such things.

"I feel like my traits irritate people, I don't like vagueness, I don't pick up on social cues, I can't tell motives, all of these things for someone not recognised as being on the spectrum are difficult as we are expected to meet the demands of everyday life, not to mention the sensory issues."

^ The reality is, in my experience "high functioning" autistic people are expected to meet the demands of everyday life regardless of having a diagnosis or to put it another way the difficulty with things like you mentioned doesn't lessen with a diagnosis.

 

[Gift2humanity]

"I say to people who I cant look in the eye, or other stuff, I have autistic traits."

^I think that's a great way to describe your challenges to people. It's also absolutely factual and accurate to say such things.

"I feel like my traits irritate people, I don't like vagueness, I don't pick up on social cues, I can't tell motives, all of these things for someone not recognised as being on the spectrum are difficult as we are expected to meet the demands of everyday life, not to mention the sensory issues."

^ The reality is, in my experience "high functioning" autistic people are expected to meet the demands of everyday life regardless of having a diagnosis or to put it another way the difficulty with things like you mentioned doesn't lessen with a diagnosis.

Hi
That's a reflection on NT people akin to expecting someone with a walking stick to put it down and run.
If I am diagnosed with Aspergers and someone gets shirty with me because of my difficulties, I will say that I have a disability, even though deep down I think Asperger is a blessing, but in crazy neurotypical world, it is seen as a disadvantage as there are just things we cannot tolerate, do, say.

 

[zozie]

Self-diagnosed or professionally diagnosed, you are among friends here and people who are supportive and empathetic in your life struggles.

It has been repeated many times and I agree, that it's important if at all possible to obtain an assessment from a therapist who is experienced with adult autism and adult autism assessments. A dermatologist can't effectively diagnose kidney disease but is still a physician. I would argue that a therapist who works with autistic children as a focus isn't an ideal assessor for an adult. Many people have posted on autism forums that they have broached the subject of autism with their non-autism therapist, psychiatrist or physician and have been dismissed. "You don't have autism because you can make eye contact.", etc.

If you're in the U.S., every state that I'm aware of has an autism society. The autism society in my state is over 150 miles from my home. I chose to seek an assessment there rather than locally because of the experience the PhD therapists and PhD assessors have in working with adults (they have PhD level professionals that work exclusively with clients who are 16 years old and older and do not work with children. I felt the same way you do and as such, I wanted to go to the experts.

Keep in mind that a key diagnostic criteria for autism even for an adult is the person's behavior they exhibited as a child and that data is generally required to be supplied by someone else rather than the adult's own recollection (e.g. data supplied by a parent of the adult seeking an assessment).

For example, this is an unlikely scenario, but a person could believe to their core that they're autistic, but when the person's parents recount specific details about the person's childhood behavior and there were no autistic childhood characteristics it's possible that the adult would not receive an autism diagnosis.

I was raised largely by my mother who passed away prior to my assessment. Fortunately for me, she'd written a detailed baby journal chronicling my behaviors and I was able to supply those writings along with my other assessment documents. My assessor said my mother's handwritten notes about me from the age of less than one year to three years or so was very helpful and valuable in conjunction with the overall diagnostic criteria.

It's important therefore, in my opinion, for anyone who is on the journey of self-diagnosis to go all the way back rather than focus on who you are now. To anyone who still have parents that are living, I would recommend having them recount how you were as a child and to write it down.

First, thank you so much for the welcome. It's so ...I am used to feeling out-of-place.

This is all good advice. Coincidentally, I just got off the phone with my oldest brother who does have some memories, saying that I was unusual and just never managed to fit in or conform to what people expected me to do. He also told me that our mother took him to be evaluated for autism in the 80s and he was found to be "gifted." He was later diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and is on SSDI. While I was talking to him, I remembered that I have a baby book that my mother filled out for the first few years.

I'll have to do some research on the following:

Ages 1-4:
Would seldom cry
Full 4-word sentences at age 2, reading independently at age 4
Sanguine affect (peaceful, contemplative) quietly looking around, but also affectionate
Serious and purposeful, problem-solving on my own
Obedient but quiet; my mom writes that she doesn't really know me, she only knows about me.
When there was a tantrum, it was epic
Serious sucrose intolerance and malabsorption issues
Frequently wandered off without telling anyone where I was going

Age 5:
Extremely independent, difficulty "following directions", quietly does it my own way
Kindergarten teacher warns of too much daydreaming and no socializing or speaking in class
Writes that now I am extremely decisive in my preferences and actions
Hates dolls, prefers books
Doesn't tell pretend stories, prefers to tell real stories
Easily bored at school, testing above average academically

Some things are left out, such as my stimming behaviors, and it's tough to guess what she'd find worth noting, given that at least my father is neurodiverse. My mother prefers leaving out unpleasant or concerning things in any personal story, but this account is at least something.

I remember a quiet childhood, content to be on my own, often exploring an empty field or river bed. I did sometimes play with a friend, but definitely attached to an older brother when I was old enough. I'd follow him everywhere, it drove him nuts. And my favorite daydream was being a hermit.

My inner world was so vast as a child. It is still, but you know...I don't visit as freely as I did back then.

As for finding a doctor who has experience with adult autism, I will be pursuing that for sure. But now I've got to give it a rest for a moment, stop perseverating over my early years, and just remember to trust myself. This is tough.

Thank you again for the warm welcome and sound advice. And for reading to the end.

 

[Gift2humanity]

First, thank you so much for the welcome. It's so ...I am used to feeling out-of-place.

This is all good advice. Coincidentally, I just got off the phone with my oldest brother who does have some memories, saying that I was unusual and just never managed to fit in or conform to what people expected me to do. He also told me that our mother took him to be evaluated for autism in the 80s and he was found to be "gifted." He was later diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and is on SSDI. While I was talking to him, I remembered that I have a baby book that my mother filled out for the first few years.

I'll have to do some research on the following:

Ages 1-4:
Would seldom cry
Full 4-word sentences at age 2, reading independently at age 4
Sanguine affect (peaceful, contemplative) quietly looking around, but also affectionate
Serious and purposeful, problem-solving on my own
Obedient but quiet; my mom writes that she doesn't really know me, she only knows about me.
When there was a tantrum, it was epic
Serious sucrose intolerance and malabsorption issues
Frequently wandered off without telling anyone where I was going

Age 5:
Extremely independent, difficulty "following directions", quietly does it my own way
Kindergarten teacher warns of too much daydreaming and no socializing or speaking in class
Writes that now I am extremely decisive in my preferences and actions
Hates dolls, prefers books
Doesn't tell pretend stories, prefers to tell real stories
Easily bored at school, testing above average academically

Some things are left out, such as my stimming behaviors, and it's tough to guess what she'd find worth noting, given that at least my father is neurodiverse. My mother prefers leaving out unpleasant or concerning things in any personal story, but this account is at least something.

I remember a quiet childhood, content to be on my own, often exploring an empty field or river bed. I did sometimes play with a friend, but definitely attached to an older brother when I was old enough. I'd follow him everywhere, it drove him nuts. And my favorite daydream was being a hermit.

My inner world was so vast as a child. It is still, but you know...I don't visit as freely as I did back then.

As for finding a doctor who has experience with adult autism, I will be pursuing that for sure. But now I've got to give it a rest for a moment, stop perseverating over my early years, and just remember to trust myself. This is tough.

Thank you again for the warm welcome and sound advice. And for reading to the end.

Did you read a lot of fiction or did you prefer non fiction?

 

[zozie]

Did you read a lot of fiction or did you prefer non fiction?

As a kid I read some fiction, like Where The Red Fern Grows and other stories about humans and animals, usually sad ones. Island of the Blue Dolphins really supercharged the hermit fantasy. I also went through a Judith Guest phase: Ordinary People, Second Heaven, which is fiction but about real life scenarios. I am terrible at writing fiction, and remember hating having to write it in school.

I've read some fantasy as a teenager and an adult, but these days I mostly prefer non-fiction. I have a couple, very cherished fiction books that I read over and over, but most of my books are analyses on certain topics. For example, Women Who Run with the Wolves is a Jungian analysis of certain fairytales.

My favorite NF author, David Graeber, recently passed. He wrote about bureaucracy, debt, and anthropological theories of value.

Do I need to be posting this in another thread?

 

[Gift2humanity]

As a kid I read some fiction, like Where The Red Fern Grows and other stories about humans and animals, usually sad ones. Island of the Blue Dolphins really supercharged the hermit fantasy. I also went through a Judith Guest phase: Ordinary People, Second Heaven, which is fiction but about real life scenarios. I am terrible at writing fiction, and remember hating having to write it in school.

I've read some fantasy as a teenager and an adult, but these days I mostly prefer non-fiction. I have a couple, very cherished fiction books that I read over and over, but most of my books are analyses on certain topics. For example, Women Who Run with the Wolves is a Jungian analysis of certain fairytales.

My favorite NF author, David Graeber, recently passed. He wrote about bureaucracy, debt, and anthropological theories of value.

Do I need to be posting this in another thread?

No you don't, sorry to go off at a tangent, it's just that your mum's comments on your baby book suggested a mature child, and mature children read fiction.
It's scientifically proven that lifelong readers are wise, hence the need for folklore to pass down the generations so that chidden can grow up to live wise lives and leave a good legacy for the world when they die.

Also, you know about Jung, I found him hard to get my head around when spiritually searching.
Which were your most cherished fiction books?

 

[zozie]

mature children read fiction.

I see. I had not heard of that before.

Which were your most cherished fiction books?

There's a book in the Chocolat series by Joanne Harris called The Girl With No Shadow, or The Girl in the Lollipop Shoes (UK, I think), and this is my comfort read. The author takes great care describing the scents and sights of cooking in the kitchen and making chocolate. The plot itself is about hiding from the world, only to confront your shadow, and how the confrontation resolves.

 

[Gift2humanity]

I see. I had not heard of that before.



There's a book in the Chocolat series by Joanne Harris called The Girl With No Shadow, or The Girl in the Lollipop Shoes (UK, I think), and this is my comfort read. The author takes great care describing the scents and sights of cooking in the kitchen and making chocolate. The plot itself is about hiding from the world, only to confront your shadow, and how the confrontation resolves.

They sound so wise, I knew from your post about the baby book there was something mature about you.

 

[Kit]

Has anyone else observed a stigma associated with being a self-diagnosed Aspie? Such as people saying things like:

"You're just looking for attention."
"You're just making excuses."
"You don't really have Aspergers."
"You're just hopping on the bandwagon."
"If you haven't talked to a psychologist, it's not real."
"You want people to think you're a tortured genius. You're really just annoying and socially awkward."

I don't tell people that I'm an Aspie for this reason. I see people posting comments like these on boards and articles online and I'm afraid of receiving this reaction should I ever "come out". There's a genuine difference between being a run-of-the-mill hypochondriac and actually having the disorder.

Even if you are professionally diagnosed, people online will still treat you like you are self diagnosed.

Has anyone else observed a stigma associated with being a self-diagnosed Aspie? Such as people saying things like:

"You're just looking for attention."
"You're just making excuses."
"You don't really have Aspergers."
"You're just hopping on the bandwagon."
"If you haven't talked to a psychologist, it's not real."
"You want people to think you're a tortured genius. You're really just annoying and socially awkward."

I don't tell people that I'm an Aspie for this reason. I see people posting comments like these on boards and articles online and I'm afraid of receiving this reaction should I ever "come out". There's a genuine difference between being a run-of-the-mill hypochondriac and actually having the disorder.

Even if you are professionally diagnosed, people online will still treat you like you are self diagnosed. One of my online friends thought I should put "aspie" on my Twitter profile but I knew that would backfire and people would think I am one of those aspies and plus it would attract more trolls.

 

[Finder]

This is a complex topic. I guess the conditions the diagnosis or self diagnosis is needed is important. If it is a personal identification, then either is fine. But if you are claiming some type of support, then a diagnosis is important.

I started to think I was on the spectrum when I was in a really hostile work environment--I will spare the gory details. When I raised that possibility, I was simply shut down and how could I argue? I did change jobs, but landed in another hostile environment. I then actively sought out the diagnosis because not only did I need to know, but I also needed proof.

But for me, the difference between me thinking I am on the spectrum and a professional confirming that was a revelation. It really changed something intrinsic in the way I saw the world and myself.

 

[Magna]

But for me, the difference between me thinking I am on the spectrum and a professional confirming that was a revelation. It really changed something intrinsic in the way I saw the world and myself.

^This is the same for me.

 

[JRMI2021]

Hello all,

I just recently received a formal ASD: well into my 40s. I only went that route so that I could get something on paper (if I needed it). Initially, I thought that it was just ADHD (which I have). The additional ASD diagnosis came as a bit of surprise (at the time). In hindsight, it makes a lot of sense.

Even with my wife's insurance, it was expensive. The ADHD & ASD diagnosis cost me around $2,000. Fortunately, I had money put away, so it wasn't a financial hardship. Of course, part of me wonders, if it was worth it. In the end, I would say so. If only because I don't know that I would have strongly suspected it w/o the psychologist catching it. Her phrase that made me suspect is her saying, "I think that your affect might suggest that you're on the spectrum." If a loved one were to ask (which one did) how I found out about the ASD, I can say that a psychologist diagnosed me with it. In my opinion, the official diagnosis carries some weight. This is something that matters to me.

For what it's worth, my only worry is that self-diagnosis could overlook something other explanations. However, I do think back to the period between talking to the psychologist to getting my official diagnosis (about 1 mth). I watched a ton of YouTube videos and I did think to myself, "I have to be on the spectrum."

I can understand situations where there might not be access to professionals for an official diagnosis or if it's cost-prohibitive. If someone needs to go the self-diagnosis route and it provides them answers and, msot importantly, support that they haven't had, I can't fault them for that.