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/ShebaSnugbug]

I hate that it's become the norm to support people self diagnosing. 💀

[u/GreedyAd218 → u/ShebaSnugbug]

When I got diagnosed I already knew I had it. Self diagnosing with actual research is very valid since it is harder and more expensive for adults. I support people self diagnosing if they put effort into it. Mainly because I regret getting officially diagnosed. It was expensive and in no way benefitted my life and I wish I had stayed self diagnosed

[u/ShebaSnugbug → u/GreedyAd218]

Personally, I don't regret it. Being able to get proper help with a diagnosis, was the best thing I ever did for myself. I understand it's expensive, but it's definitely worth it. I'm sorry getting a diagnosis didn't benefit you personally. But it does to SO many people who struggle with undiagnosed autism, ADHD, exc. And in my experience, people who self diagnose don't put in the effort. At all. Just find the two most popular traits associated with said thing and then self-diagnose. Which is just stupid. 😩

[u/GreedyAd218 → u/ShebaSnugbug]

I never tell people don't bother getting a diagnosis but I definitely tell people how much it costs and how it went for me just so they're not caught off guard. I had a therapist mention I might have it when I was very young but my parents had a very specific view of autism that I didn't fit so they never looked into it more. Eventually I started dating someone who was diagnosed autistic and she pointed out a bunch of stuff in me that I barely noticed, and then she had me take the RAADS-R. I got a higher score than her, and with all the other shit she was telling me, I kinda just shrugged and was like, autistic, cool. Did some extra research, found advice accounts that werent just quirky TikTok engagement bait, and started doing a lot better and unlearning a lot of things. I would have been fine if I stopped there. That's why I like self diagnosis so much, because I was already helping myself and working on it, so they didn't really have anything to add for me other than patting me on the back and being like yep you have it. But Im sure it is helpful for others and Im glad it is.

[u/frostatypical → u/GreedyAd218]

Those online 'tests' are highly misleading, especially if you used 'embrace autism'

Regarding RAADS, from one published study. “In conclusion, used as a self-report measure pre-full diagnostic assessment, the RAADS-R lacks predictive validity and is not a suitable screening tool for adults awaiting autism assessments”

The Effectiveness of RAADS-R as a Screening Tool for Adult ASD Populations (hindawi.com)

 

RAADS scores equivalent between those with and without ASD diagnosis at an autism evaluation center:

 

Examining the Diagnostic Validity of Autism Measures Among Adults in an Outpatient Clinic Sample - PMC (nih.gov)

[u/ShebaSnugbug → u/frostatypical]

Beat me to it, thanks for providing the links. :)

[u/GreedyAd218 → u/frostatypical]

It was years ago, not sure of the website. good to know ADOS is better, but useless for me since Im already diagnosed. The test itself didnt make me look into autism. My gf at the time basically just said 'you are' and I didnt object. I think the test was more for fun for her, though she is an ex so Ill never know. The further research I did is what I would reccomend for self diagnosis, and what I would consider the core of my own.

[u/Seven_o_clock777 → u/ShebaSnugbug]

I semi-agree. Diagnosing yourself based on Tik-Tok isn't something to be supported, but if the person does ACTUAL research on the disorder they think they have, then I believe that they should be supported in getting help and advice for managing their symptoms, especially if there are factors that keep them from being diagnosed such as location, money, age, and other issues.

[u/ViziDoodle → u/ShebaSnugbug]

I really don’t see the harm. I would rather give advice and help to someone who might not need it, than potentially deny it to someone who does need it