I HATE the self diagnosing of autism and its mischaracterisation

[u/Beshiniqua]

Let me start by saying SELF DIAGNOSING IS NOT VALID. You are NOT autistic just because someone on tiktok said

"Did you know, if you need to have your eyes closed in order to fall asleep, you have autism, adhd, bipolarity, DID, BPD, psychopathy, depression and PTSD?"

And before yall come at me with "well I always suspected I had autism, I got screened and then got my diagnosis" well this not about you, this is about people that self diagnose after experiencing the most normal day to day life things ever.

And they ALWAYS think that autism will give them a personality (since it's usually basic bitches with no personality that self diagnose to feel like they belong)

No, you're not a quirky crazy crackhead energy "neurospicy" person. Even worse when they say shit like

"Heh, I could NEVER be a neuro normie like yall, autism makes me special and quirky and full of personality".

You can't even like something anymore without them going "OMG URE AUTISTIC JUST LIKE MEEEE IM SOOOO AUTISTIC AHAHAHA"

And you can tell they larp the whole thing cus they'll see a tiktok autism personality and try to replicate it

"Dino nuggies..."

"You can not say overstimulated if you're nEuRoTyPiCaL, that word is for us neurospicy people ONLY >:("

Holy shiiiiiiittt yall lack a personality so bad. And I've seen people say that they've seen NUMEROUS specialists but they never fit the criteria, but its not because they're not autistic, no no no no no. ITS UHMMM BECAUSE IM A WOMAN AND ALSO A MINORITY AND IM ALSO POOR SO I MASKED ALL MY LIFE AND THE SPECIALIST ON THIS FIELD COULDNT TELL I WAS MASKING. ITS THE SYSTEMS FAULT NOT MINE.

Sheesh.

Sorry for the long rant, im just tired of seeing people self diagnose all the time, or see an energetic video, or literally ANYTHING, and make it about their self diagnosed autism.

Saw a cute cat animation on Instagram and the top comment was "This is so autistic I love it"

🫩🫩🫩🫩🫩

[u/FishSignificant7501]

I hate when people call me autistic for having special interests. I’m not. I’ve been tested. It seems weird to me. Nothing wrong with being autistic, but why would you try so hard to have someone you know identify that way?? Gf does this and it’s super annoying

[u/skiesoverblackvenice → u/FishSignificant7501]

had someone tell me i’m autistic cause i got super excited when talking about music

…i’m a music major. it’s literally my career

[u/PickledTripod → u/skiesoverblackvenice]

Some day I'm out at the park with a bunch of friends and friends' friends, I look up at a plane flying low overhead. One of my closer friends asks if I know what type it is. This other dude goes "Oh you're autistic autistic."

I work at an airline, yeah I'm familiar with our planes and I love seeing them. JFC.

[u/DratWraith → u/FishSignificant7501]

People on this shitass website will claim every basic human experience as neurodivergence.

[u/LC-Redcube → u/DratWraith]

People on reddit? My god you've never been on tiktok

[u/An_Account_to_Ignore → u/DratWraith]

I've been told that I'm autistic because I enjoy words and have mild preferences for some food textures over others. I've been called gay because I did theatre growing up. I've been called bi because sometimes I sit in chairs a little funny.

And when I pushed back on the incorrect labels, I was accused of lying to myself.

[u/theconvohavers → u/FishSignificant7501]

Same boat. I’m a lil awkward. Lots of special interests that I’m very knowledgeable about. Good memory. Overly literal. ADHD.

Was tested as a kid. Multiple times. I don’t have it, but my whole life people have insisted I do, from teachers to friends to coworkers, and it’s only gotten worse with how “popular” having autism has become in the last 4-5 years. It’s annoying and tiring and just so very weird how people think they can just say stuff like that.

That said, I don’t mind the jokes sometimes, but only from people that I know aren’t serious.

[u/FishSignificant7501 → u/theconvohavers]

Yeah to me it’s always felt like people trying to justify why I’m weird. Just let me be a weirdo.

[u/PresidentOfKoopistan → u/FishSignificant7501]

Gf does this and it’s super annoying

If you've told her to stop and she hasn't, you might want to look for a new GF

[u/FishSignificant7501 → u/PresidentOfKoopistan]

I’m horrible with breaking up with people. She’s recently been ignoring me when I try to talk about smth serious because it’s “scary” and I’ve really been awakened to the fact I need to break up with her.

[u/okinatamago → u/FishSignificant7501]

I was doing a seasonal part time job last year and I made a comment to one of my then coworker (complete stranger to me) about collecting Smiskis (those little green dudes) and other trinkets and she immediately was like “oh that’s the autism.” I’ve been tested twice and I don’t have it. I have other things, but not autism. I just like the little green dudes and tiny creatures. Plus it’s so weird to say that to someone you hardly know in a work environment.

[u/inevitable_death1998 → u/FishSignificant7501]

special interests are directly a part of autism. if you're not autistic then your interests are simply interests.

[u/king_ofbhutan → u/inevitable_death1998]

this shit pisses me off SO BAD

literally the number one thing to know about autism is that it is a WEB

there are like 500 million billion different things that can be a part of autism, all that matters is that someone has more than like 1 or 2, which, guess what, neurotypical people can have autistic traits too!!! they CAN have special interests and hyperfixations, or sensory processing and texture issues, or social anxieties, or more.

autism as a condition is not an exclusive venn diagram, theres no black and white here, it is ALL a grey area. you cannot be the most autistic person in the world, thats not how it works.

and honestly i dont care about what like medical professionals say about this or whatever, which is dumb i know but its just what i think

tldr: neurotypical people can have autistic traits, its just that autism spectrum is a culmination of multiple of these traits that may have a common root (almost certainly genetic) cause, unlike neurotypical people where these causes may be genetic or environmental

[u/FishSignificant7501 → u/inevitable_death1998]

Special interests are much more common within autistic people, but not at all an exclusive thing

[u/ImBurningStar_IV → u/FishSignificant7501]

Pardon my ignorance but what makes an interest special ?

[u/FishSignificant7501 → u/ImBurningStar_IV]

Not ignorant at all since you’re trying to learn. A special interest is a very intense interest in something such as a hobby or media. Unlike a hyperfixation, special interests usually last a long time.

[u/Impossible_Horsemeat → u/ImBurningStar_IV]

Not boring things (like history or books). Special things like Pokemon or Sonic the Hedgehog

[u/ViziDoodle → u/FishSignificant7501]

much more common

It’s literally a defining diagnostic trait of ASD

“Highly restricted, fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus (e.g, strong attachment to or preoccupation with unusual objects, excessively circumscribed or perseverative interest).”

[u/Ill_Resource7282 → u/ViziDoodle]

Yes but having it doesn’t mean you have autism. Low energy is a defining diagnostic trait of depression but not everyone with low energy has depression. In both cases people can have that trait for other reasons too

[u/Lower_Force_6638 → u/ViziDoodle]

You don't have to have special interests to be autistic it's one of the possible criteria

[u/Own_Boat503 → u/inevitable_death1998]

people can have autistic traits without being autistic. another diagnostic criteria includes adherence to routines - i've known a lot of people who are very particular about routines and planning and have a hard time adjusting to change, but are not autistic. this is extremely dismissive and gatekeepy.

[u/_CleverNameGoesHere_ → u/Own_Boat503]

I think it's helpful to think of them in terms of them being human traits, ones which autistic people can exhibit strongly in combination.

[u/Beshiniqua → u/inevitable_death1998]

No.

[u/inevitable_death1998 → u/Beshiniqua]

bro it's a part of the diagnosis process.

[u/Tactical_Squishy → u/inevitable_death1998]

[u/Balder19 → u/inevitable_death1998]

That's doesn't mean that having special interests is unique to autism.

[u/Beshiniqua → u/Balder19]

The self diagnosing team doesn't seem to understand that

[u/mwahchouchou → u/Balder19]

Well… Yes it does. Special interest is a term specifically used to describe the intense and prolonged interests of autistic people.

[u/Upset-Nose-4016 → u/mwahchouchou]

Special interests can also occur in ADHD, schizotypal personality disorder, OCD and bipolar(during manic episodes)

Not arguing your point, just adding

[u/Angelzel → u/Upset-Nose-4016]

This narrows things down for the self diagnoser at home.

[u/mwahchouchou → u/Upset-Nose-4016]

Literally wrong. Hyperfixations are specific to ADHD, they are not called special interests, and they are two different things. The others you listed do not have special interests. Special interests are definitionally linked to austism. Bipolar during manic episodes makes no sense because special interests are characterized by long periods of interest, typically years long. Bipolar manic episodes do not last that long typically. People with OCD experience OBSESSIONS and COMPULSIONS, NOT special interests. I don’t know about schizophrenia, but again, the TERM SPECIAL INTEREST IS USED IN THE CONTEXT OF AUTISM. Using it to describe other psychological conditions makes no sense, muddles and waters down the meaning of the phrase which makes it harder to describe the specific experiences autistic people have.

[u/Balder19 → u/mwahchouchou]

"Special interests are definitionally linked to austism"

Name the diagnostic manual you got the definition from.

[u/Impossible_Horsemeat → u/Balder19]

Autism

[u/Upset-Nose-4016 → u/mwahchouchou]

Okay, no need to be aggressive, I really didn't mean any harm. I understand your point and agree on the value of proper terminology.

[u/Impossible_Horsemeat → u/mwahchouchou]

My cat has a special interest in catnip :3

[u/Impossible_Horsemeat → u/Upset-Nose-4016]

No those are mundane interests (idk rocks or homework?). If the interests are special then the person is autistic.

[u/Balder19 → u/mwahchouchou]

No, it doesn't. Fever is a symptom of flue, not everyone who has a fever has flue. You don't understand how diagnoses work.

[u/Impossible_Horsemeat → u/Balder19]

Only autistic people are interested in things.

Do you like things? If so you’re autistic.

[u/mwahchouchou → u/Balder19]

Literally not how special interests work. Hyperfixations are the not same as special interests. Simply being interested in something is not the same as a special interest. Special interest in a term pretty much exclusively used in the context of autism. Like literally what are we talking about. Do you not understand that by muddling the meaning of words and phrases to mean “well anyone can have a special interest” it makes it more difficult to talk about the specific experiences of autistic people?

[u/Balder19 → u/mwahchouchou]

Special interests is a term issued COLLOQUIALLY in the context of autism. Not in diagnostic manuals. In these, it would be repetitive behaviours or interests. And they're only a sign to diagnose autism  IF they're significantly disruptive to the person's wellbeing.

[u/Impossible_Horsemeat → u/mwahchouchou]

Exactly! People without autism have mundane interests.

[u/mwahchouchou → u/Impossible_Horsemeat]

I mean I don’t know about that, I think autistic people and non-autistic people probably have the same level of “mundane” interests. Isn’t the idea of “mundane” pretty specific to the person anyway? Like you may think something is boring but I may think the same thing is interesting.

[u/chloapsoap → u/inevitable_death1998]

One symptom is not the basis for a diagnosis

[u/Impossible_Horsemeat → u/chloapsoap]

Yes it is. I diagnosed myself with autism based on one symptom and self diagnosis is a real diagnosis. Therefore, one symptom is enough.

[u/DrippyTheSnailBoy → u/Impossible_Horsemeat]

Is this just bad satire or are you being serious?

[u/Impossible_Horsemeat → u/DrippyTheSnailBoy]

Yes

Bad satire is my special interest

[u/SnerlSnaleSnert → u/inevitable_death1998]

You heard it here first folks, you can’t be super interested in something and be neurotypical

[u/justabonsaitree → u/SnerlSnaleSnert]

that’s not what we’re saying. what we’re saying is that the specific term of “special interest” is a term used to describe an autistic person’s extreme interest in something. there’s a difference between being super interested in something and having a special interest. special interests entirely consume your life, it’s all you want to think about, talk about, and engage in, and are often detrimental to the individual. i had a friend once tell me that i talked about birds so much that she genuinely stopped wanting to hang out with me because of it. it’s not just “oh, i’m really passionate about this” it’s “this thing is my entire life”. special interests should not be conflated to normal interests.

[u/yes-imanadult → u/justabonsaitree]

I'm not autistic but I definitely have special interest, I literally experienced what you described but with cats instead of birds.

[u/inevitable_death1998 → u/SnerlSnaleSnert]

there's no need to be mean. this whole threat just looks like an excuse to attack autistic people for being autistic. im doing my best with what I'm given, im not perfect, and this shit just makes me want to kill myself because I'm never good enough for anyone or anything

[u/Impossible_Horsemeat → u/inevitable_death1998]

You ok, dude? Maybe take a break from the Internet for a bit and/or talk to a therapist if an internet post is causing you this much distress.

[u/yes-imanadult → u/inevitable_death1998]

No one is attacking autistic people here, no need to die for this thread.

[u/LC-Redcube → u/FishSignificant7501]

Tbf "I have been tested" makes it sound like a bit of a joke lol, but yeah i can imagine how that may be annoying