this post was submitted on 03 Nov 2023
84 points (86.8% liked)
Autism
6900 readers
115 users here now
A community for respectful discussion and memes related to autism acceptance. All neurotypes are welcome.
We have created our own instance! Visit Autism Place the following community for more info.
Community:
Values
- Acceptance
- Openness
- Understanding
- Equality
- Reciprocity
- Mutuality
- Love
Rules
- No abusive, derogatory, or offensive post/comments e.g: racism, sexism, religious hatred, homophobia, gatekeeping, trolling.
- Posts must be related to autism, off-topic discussions happen in the matrix chat.
- Your posts must include a text body. It doesn't have to be long, it just needs to be descriptive.
- Do not request donations.
- Be respectful in discussions.
- Do not post misinformation.
- Mark NSFW content accordingly.
- Do not promote Autism Speaks.
- General Lemmy World rules.
Encouraged
- Open acceptance of all autism levels as a respectable neurotype.
- Funny memes.
- Respectful venting.
- Describe posts of pictures/memes using text in the body for our visually impaired users.
- Welcoming and accepting attitudes.
- Questions regarding autism.
- Questions on confusing situations.
- Seeking and sharing support.
- Engagement in our community's values.
- Expressing a difference of opinion without directly insulting another user.
- Please report questionable posts and let the mods deal with it. Chat Room
- We have a chat room! Want to engage in dialogue? Come join us at the community's Matrix Chat.
.
Helpful Resources
- Are you seeking education, support groups, and more? Take a look at our list of helpful resources.
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
I just took two of the tests he recommends, and blew the thresholds out of the water. Being on the spectrum has never been a doubt for me since I discovered that autism exists.
Two things I don't understand:
How do I score so highly on these tests yet still function? What is it that pushes one to be non-verbal for example as opposed to merely an extreme struggle to fit in with neuronormative behavior?
Why would I bother getting a medical diagnosis? What's it gonna do for me? Heavily medicate me and fundamentally change who I am so other people can be more comfortable?
Side note: As I've entered my fifties, I've noticed my memory and attention span have started to falter a little bit. I'm curious if this is related to constant exposure to the instant gratification of the Internet, early onset dementia, or a cumulative result of withdrawing into myself so hard over the decades because my very existence seems to be a grave abomination to most people. That part I'd be curious to talk to somebody, but have been unable to find anybody that takes my insurance, is accepting new patients, and doesn't use magic Jesus crystals as the foundation of their practice.
#2 you don't. And this is why self diagnosis is valuable. Knowing who you are means you can learn coping mechanisms and meet others like you. Getting a diagnosis means people will question if you're mentally capable of making your own medical decisions.
https://autisticadvocacy.org/actioncenter/issues/choices/sdm/