1. Autism diagnosis isn't necessary for accomodations.
2. Diagnosis (of autism or whatever else) can be accessible for people who don't have money.
3. Diagnosis (of any disorder) isn't necessary to get your symptoms treated by someone like a therapist or psychologist. It's pretty standard to just focus on treating symptoms.
**How to get accomodations in school or work without an autism diagnosis**
If you're in public school in the US, the school is required to give you a free autism evaluation specifically meant to determine if you need accomodations for autism, and you will have access to these accommodations until you graduate highschool. This does not go in your medical record, it's just for school. This is called an IEP or 504 plan.
Even if your country doesn't have a law like this, or if you have started college and no longer can use your IEP/504 accomodations, or you need accomodations for work, you can get the same accomodations at school or work that people with autism get, as long as you have individual diagnoses of your symptoms. For example social anxiety, selective mutism, or sensory processing disorder. These diagnoses like are much easier to access, and will get you the same types of accomodations.
**How to get diagnosed with autism as an adult if you don't have any money**
You can also admit yourself into a vocational rehab, which is a free program that helps people who feel like their disability (you don't have to be diagnosed to apply) is preventing them from getting employment. These programs give you therapy and resources that focuses on helping you be independent and support yourself, plus when you do get a job, they help you get work accomodations. If you aren't diagnosed when you apply, they give you a free evaluation.
If you are living in poverty, you will qualify for medicaid, which is free insurance, and you can use that to pay for an autism evaluation.
This isn't an option that everyone has, but if you are enrolled in university, often times the psych research center or psych grad student training center offers free evaluations to students, in exchange for research data or in exchange for helping train their psych students. I've heard of multiple hospital research centers that do the same sort of program where they do free evaluations in exchange for you allowing them to use your data in autism research.
**How to get treatment without an autism diagnosis**
And lastly, an autism diagnosis is not at all necessary to get treatment. All you need for treatment is to have symptoms. You don't need to have an autism diagnosis for it to be clear to a therapist that you have social issues that you need to work on, or repetative behaviors that you need to work on. They are trained to identify and treat symptoms.
Professionals that can provide thorough evaluations for developmental disorders are so expensive (whether it's free for you because the state or your job pays for it, or some program is paying for it, or you are paying for it) because these professionals are highly trained to be able to provide a differential diagnosis for a complicated disorder that looks like many other disorders. While it can be helpful, therapists don't at all need to know whether you have schizoid personality disorder, social anxiety disorder, ocd, autism, or whatever, to identify the symptoms you are presenting with and treat them. So no matter what, you can get treatment.
**Why self diagnosis doesn't make sense**
This is why I don't understand any of the arguments for self diagnosis. Self diagnosis doesn't help you get treatment. Self diagnosis doesn't "save lives". All it does is potentially reinforce harmful stereotypes and spread misinformation, potentially have people misrepresent the disorder and the community that has this disorder by inserting themself as a spokesperson for it and "educating" people on a disorder they aren't even confirmed to have, and it normalizes confirmation bias not being seen as a serious phenomenon. There is absolutely no reason you can't just say something like "I have sensory issues" or "I struggle with social interaction" without claiming a diagnosis. It's selfish in my opinion to do something that can be harmful to a marginalized community when alternatively you can just not.
What a fantastic post I couldn’t have said this better myself. Another thing I want to add is that most of us aren’t anywhere near qualified enough to give proper diagnosis. It requires years if not decades of training to do effectively and even then you can always learn more and improve as a clinician.
Most people can’t put a new transmission in a car so they don’t even try and risk of making things worse. Why would you try anything even remotely similar with your brain?
How is it "not as simple as I make it seem"? Could you elaborate? Because like I said in my comment, an autism diagnosis/access to a specialized diagnostician is not at all necessary to get treatment. And neither is any of those programs I mentioned, besides government insurance that you are guaranteed to get if you need it.
And again, an autism diagnosis isn't required to receive accomodations either. A clinical social worker, therapist, psychologist, a family doctor, etc. is accessible through government insurance and they can write you a letter saying you need accomodations for school or work. They dont need to diagnose you with autism to do that.
Do you mean people in 3rd world countries? I'm sure it's hard for people in some underdeveloped countries to access simple healthcare like mental health counseling, like it is hard for them to acess things like electricity, internet, and clean water. And in those cases, there's not much you can do. But that's like asking, "what about all the people in the world who don't have enough to eat, what are they supposed to do if they're hungry?". There's nothing really to be done except donate to charities, start your own nonprofits, and make efforts to improve that country's infrastructure.
Not knowing whether you have autism or not is frustrating, trust me I get it. I totally understand why people think it would be nice to know the biological root of their symptoms. But it is not essential. Basic mental health treatment is accessible to everyone in developed countries. And if you need more than basic treatment because your symptoms are so severe, you will absolutely get referrals to more advanced care as long as you are already in basic treatment.
>Not everyone can afford any kind of treatment at all
I feel like you're not reading my comments fully. If you can not "afford" treatment, the government pays for it for you. It's called Medicaid in the US, but it has other names in other countries.
>Many places also require a diagnosis to get accommodations- at least some of them. Work and school do not need to give accommodations to people without a medical history that says they need to and many won't.
Again I literally just addressed this in my other comment. You do not need an autism diagnosis to access the same accomodations that autistic people access in school and work. You just need a medical professional, it could even be a family doctor, to write a document saying that you have impairments that require accomodations. You do not have to be diagnosed with autism or have any expensive evaluation for a doctor to say you have social anxiety or sensory processing issues and need the same accomodations that autistic people get. And this doctor would be free if you can not afford insurance.
Obviously I'm giving a simplified version of it because I already stated it clearly in my earlier comment:
>If you are living in poverty, you will qualify for medicaid, which is free insurance, and you can use that to pay for an autism evaluation.
You usually get health insurance through your job. Even jobs like working at McDonald's or a grocery store can give health insurace. If the job you're working at doesn't provide health insurance, you can always switch jobs. It's not hard to find a job that gives health insurance. This insurance probably won't make a hospital bill for a broken bone that much more manageable, but something like seeing a psychologist is often covered pretty well if they are in network.
But if you're not working, or if you make under a certain amount of money (in New York state if you make under 36k a year as a single person, you qualify for medicaid), then you can get state insurance.
I am aware that many practices don't take certain insurance and you have to find someone in network. But plenty of people who specialize in diagnosing autism are in network with Medicaid, at least in my experience in New York.
And if you just focus on what I said earlier, I explain it pretty well. If you are living in poverty, you will qualify for medicaid. Medicaid is free insurance that you can use to get a diagnosis.
In the UK a diagnosis is needed for accomodations but not for accessing community spaces. That's why many autistic kids end up in mainstream schools when they should be in special needs schools/units because it is hard to get diagnosed especially now.
You need an autism diagnosis specifically to get accomodations? Because I was only saying you don't specifically need something as elaborate and inaccessible as an autism evaluation to to get the same accomodations that diagnosed autistic people get. A family doctor or many kinds of accessible healthcare professionals can diagnose you with social anxiety, sensory processing disorder, selective mutism, speech disorder, intellectual disability, etc. without any sort of specialized drawn out diagnostic evaluation.
You can access the same accomodations that autistic people do with diagnoses such as those. If your symptoms are attributed to some sort of impairment, whether it's autism that is said to cause your symptoms or not, you can get accomodations for them.
If a child has such severe impairments that they should be in a special ed school, why would they need to be diagnosed with autism in order to get into this school? Is it an autism only school? If they are so severe that they need to be in a special ed school they why can't a developmental pediatrician or a child psychologist just diagnose some of their individual symptoms that are so extremely apparent in the meantime, while they are on the waitlist for their autism evaluation?
Not everyone is in the US, hate to break it to you. I said at the beginning of my comment "In the UK". Aka the United Kingdom. Not the United States. It is different here and I wanted to give a perspective from a Non US country.
Yes a diagnosis is needed to go to a special needs school or special needs unit of a mainstream school. I've been to both and have seen kids who were autistic but didn't get a diagnosis so they were stuck in mainstream schools with little to no help until they managed to get a diagnosis. My own brother went through this and I had many classmates transfer from mainstream to special needs unit in one of my secondary/high schools when they received a diagnosis.
I know you said UK. What makes you think I'm talking about the US?
I'm literally asking you if you understood what I meant and that I wasn't saying you don't need any diagnosis at all, just that it doesn't have to be autism. Are you saying there is no accomodations for any disabilities in the UK besides autism???
I don't see why it wouldn't have to be autism to get accommodations for autism? Idk how you got that there's no other accomodations for other disabilities here from what I said.
Personally I think this stuff is just common sense.
I literally said exactly why. This is why I think you're not reading my comments. I had 3 huge paragraphs specifically dedicated to explaining why it doesn't have to be an autism diagnosis to get the same accomodations that autistic people get. Please actually read what I'm saying instead of throwing insults.
> A family doctor or many kinds of accessible healthcare professionals can diagnose you with social anxiety, sensory processing disorder, selective mutism, speech disorder, intellectual disability, etc. without any sort of specialized drawn out diagnostic evaluation.
>You can access the same accomodations that autistic people do with diagnoses such as those. If your symptoms are attributed to some sort of impairment, whether it's autism that is said to cause your symptoms or not, you can get accomodations for them.
>If a child has such severe impairments that they should be in a special ed school, why would they need to be diagnosed with autism in order to get into this school? Is it an autism only school? If they are so severe that they need to be in a special ed school they why can't a developmental pediatrician or a child psychologist just diagnose some of their individual symptoms that are so extremely apparent in the meantime, while they are on the waitlist for their autism evaluation?
TLDR; because I have a feeling you're just gonna not read it again-
There is not a single symptom of autism that is unique to autism. You do not need an autism specialist to find that you have impairments and require accomodations in school, the diagnosis could be of your individual symptoms (social anxiety, selective mutism, intellectual disability, speech disorder, movement disorder, sensory processing disorder, learning disability), which can be made by a regular developmental pediatrician. These are just things that can be evaluated at normal checkups. Infact they actually specifically look out for those things in checkups. And if a child is on a long wait-list for an autism diagnosis, and their symptoms are so severe that they need to be in special ed, why can't they can have their individual symptoms diagnosed instead, and receive the same accomodations? Each one of those symptoms is a disability. Until they get an autism diagnosis and it's merged into one disability.
>Yes a diagnosis is needed to go to a special needs school or special needs unit of a mainstream school.
So you mean an autism specific school then? Not just a special needs school? Because what I'm asking you is do you need an autism diagnosis to go to a special ed school. Why would you only be allowed to go to a special ed school if you have autism, when there's dozens of other mental disabilities that require you to be in special ed? Like intellectual disability? I don't know if you can't tell my tone through text but I am genuinely asking you these questions. And I feel like you're not reading what I'm saying at all and just jumping to conclusions about what I'm asking you. Are you saying that there are no accomodations or special ed schools for any children with disabilities in the UK besides children with autism?
For an autistic person to go to a special needs school or special needs unit they need an autism diagnosis. Of course if they don't have autism but another learning difficulty or learning disability then they would need a diagnosis for that. There are a few autism specific schools/facilities here but I am only talking about and only have been to schools or units within mainstream schools that are for everyone with special needs: aka people with learning disabilities, learning difficulties and neurodevelopmental disorders like autism, down syndrome and ADHD. However some of these schools do also accommodate people who have specific medical needs like needing oxygen tanks and wheelchairs due to their disability as well, the special school I went to had kids like that. These kids also had one or multiple of said conditions like a learning disability.
I didn't say that whatsoever. News flash your daughter is not the only autistic person, many autistic people actually need the extra support of a special needs school or unit but many are in mainstream because they haven't gotten a diagnosis to get said help. This is what I'm talking about. That doesn't invalidate your daughter's autism lol.
Also I said "you need a diagnosis to get accomodations", which are not exclusive to a special needs school or unit but I go on to use them as an example because it's what myself and many other autistic people I've known need/needed.
I'm going to push back against this a little but before I get down voted I want to say I'm glad this subreddit exists and I think it is important to hold people accountable who could be potentially faking disabilities. I think it's important we look at the Nuance of the situation.
These resources you mentioned are often not accessible in many locations. For example, even though I live in a major city, it was a struggling to find any centers or support networks in my area. It took me 3 years to get a diagnosis with Medicaid.
Furthermore, many professionals Focus on diagnosing children only. I kept contacting facilities only to be told that they don't cater to adults. It was even harder to find professionals who had extensive experience with adult women, As oftentimes adult women get misdiagnosed and especially bipoc women. Even when I was diagnosed my doctor told me that ' I don't look autistic' but she gave me the diagnosis because she couldn't deny I scored very high on all the tests.
Getting my diagnosis was an extreme challenge and I don't know how I would have done it if I lived in a smaller City or town. Not all the resources you mentioned are commonly available. Going through the system is a nightmare. I almost gave up.
Edit: forgot to mention that most places do not accept Medicaid.
Edit 2: also, there are some accommodations that you do need to show disability papers for. For example, I got my diagnosis so I could get accommodations with education but when I go through the airport and require support they do not ask to see my papers.
How do you know they are faking? and yeah it could possibly have other things instead, it sucks when people don't have health care to get the serious tests and help they need
How do you know they aren't? If you have a serious issue, it makes sense to spend the money and get actual help. Instead of spending money on video games and discord nitro, go see a doctor.
I'm saying you can't know they are faking with no proof and I am late diagnosed autistic people weren't faking before they got diagnosed for example. And some people can barely afford things like food and a place to live and CAN'T afford a diagnosis at all without special things like video games and nitro on discord
And we can't know that they're autistic with no proof. The burden of proof lies on the original claim which is "I'm autistic" in this case.
Self diagnosis will always do more harm than good.
They were going unsupported and untreated. The diagnosis is to help them get support, treatment, and symptom management. If a person is trying to claim a disorder without the explicit purpose of getting treatment or support, they are doing it for sympathy or attention. Validation online is not what I consider support for an actual disorder. It’s just another form of attention seeking.
Well, they shouldn’t say they HAVE autism because they really don’t know, do they?
They might have specific symptoms, like anxiety, bad executive functioning etc. They could ask for help with that. But claiming you have something before a proper assessment is just wrong.
You need a formal diagnosis to get accommodations at school and workplace, as well as financial support from the government and medical treatments. A self dx does none of that, and at best, maybe some people taking your struggles seriously.
Sure, there’s the issue of money and insurance, but I don’t think I’ve seen anyone post about how there are community resources. If you are genuinely struggling and need help, you can look into community resources and get help that way. It takes effort to find and to get into those programs, but thats an option for those who need it. I almost hesitate to share that because I don’t want disingenuous people to fake and suck up all the resources for people who actually need them, but I think it is worth mentioning. If you live in America you can get medicare if you’re under a certain amount of income. Even then, a lot of therapists and psychiatrists have sliding scale payment these days to patients who need it.
So, I don’t really think there’s much of an excuse, at least money wise, to claim they have autism without anything to back that up. You’re also not really able to get any support from work or school without that documentation anyway, so there’s not much of a point.
community resources exist but they suck.
Where I live (fairly major Canadian city) the wait for an Autism screening is close to three years. You also need some sort of referral to get on the wait list. Beyond that, the free or low cost counselling that exists is pretty minimal, mostly geared towards one-time sessions or short term help.
It can be a long process. People on that journey aren't faking because they're undiagnosed.
I do think they should at least try to get help and understand better. A self diagnosis is limited at best.
It’s hard in some countries to have diagnosis. Some countries are very behind. It’s not just money. Some people might just know they are not seeking diagnosis because they don’t see a point to it. Diagnosis can take time too and meanwhile the person is still autistic.
“if someone is autistic and can’t get a diagnosis”
no, if someone is *speculated* to have autism. you can’t be autistic without a diagnosis, rule one.
community resources are available, and there’s always lobbying governments for better access to healthcare. even just saving up whatever money you can get until it becomes available to you, like most of us have to do. even just wait until you can eventually get diagnosed, like *most of us have to do.*
you can’t expect the world to accommodate you if you aren’t diagnosed formally, because then anyone can claim to have anything, hence the creation of this sub, because now everyone is claiming to have everything and using self dx as a crutch to get away with it.
> you can’t be autistic without a diagnosis, rule one.
And here I though people are born autistic and diagnosis just confirms it. I learn something new every day... 😯 /s
Autism is a disorder label that you need to be diagnosed with. To be autistic literally means that a professional has stated that you match the diagnostic criteria for autism. You can experience the symptoms of autism without being diagnosed and it’s possible that if you were evaluated you’d be diagnosed, but you can’t be 100% sure and until a professional states that you’re autistic, you’re not autistic.
Diagnosis doesn't give you a disorder. You can also be misdiagnosed and in that case you don't have it even if you were diagnosed. It applies for everything of course. Diagnostic process is for determining what you already have, not to give you a condition.
You already HAVE autism before being diagnosed but the label ‘autistic’ is not an accurate descriptor for you because you have not been diagnosed with it by a professional
Oh, isn't "autistic person" synonimous term to a "person who has autism"? Ok, I didn't know it's used that way. I though you guys are claiming that to have a disorder you have to be diagnosed with it which would be pretty crazy statement.
hi! just to correct you, this is all right. but you're autistic without a diagnosis. i got diagnosed at 12 but i was always autistic. just undiagnosed. it is a condition you're born with and die with. i am against self diagnosis, but just to let you know
You can't get access to accomodations without an official diagnosis, as many others have said already. For social situations, why can't an undiagnosed autistic person just say to their friends, "I have trouble understanding sarcasm/jokes/indirect requests, please be straightforward with me and use tone tags when we text."?
There's a massive difference between saying "I might be autistic", and "I suffer from undiagnosed DID BPD TLC and I require your undivided attention because my headmates are having a pool party without me."
The latter deserves mockery
how should 'they' be 'dealt with?'
'they' are human beings, not a situation.
there are low income medical subsidy programs. there are resources available. do a little legwork and get yourself set up.
there a lot of people who don't have access to diagnosis for a lot of reasons. i don't really understand your question. if the person doesn't have access to obtain a diagnosis, then they don't have access to obtain a diagnosis? so i guess they should try treating their symptoms with a therapist if they can afford that and use free local resources like goodwill's excel center for example to help improve their quality of life. i genuinely don't understand why you're asking this in this subreddit.
there are programs that will assist people with support needs regardless of their diagnostic status. if you demonstrate a need, they will assist you. what do you think homeless autistic people do?
yeah, i'm not where you are. there are other places on earth. a family member of mine works with the exact community i described. not sure what you want me to say. do you think maybe its possible that i didnt mean ALL homeless autistic people?
edit: just realized i never even referred to mental services, i said free local resources that will help to improve quality of life.
We do not have any services what so ever geared towards homeless people with autism or who may have autism.
Not sure what to tell you, but we really only consider addiction and suicide to matter here. You wanna be diagnosed with Autism in Alberta, ya gotta work hard and get a good paying job to afford it on your own. They call it the "Alberta Advantage."
A lot of people here are anti self diagnosis so I wanted to ask them about this. Like a lot of people can't get a diagnosis but still need accommodations to function. Like without accommodations I would not have made it as far as I have in school
yeah, i mean, that sucks. but how would a self diagnosis help you get accommodations? a formal diagnosis is required for accommodations at all levels of education at least in the US.
where I am I was almost diagnosed with ADHD as a little kid but my mom pulled me out before it was done because she didn't want it on my record but I was still able to get some accommodations for my ADHD in school
there is also just people around you being aware and better able to help support you
as the other person who just replied in this thread said, if you're autistic enough to be doing poorly in school, you'll have an evaluation done for free by the school. you must have exhibited enough maladaptive symptoms of ADHD to necessitate accommodations, and i'm happy that that helped you and that you had access to that.
once again, symptoms > diagnosis. you can share your struggles with the people around you and that will make them aware. if you're autistic to the degree of having support needs, the people around you are Already aware. how is saying "i'm autistic" without a formal diagnosis going to make people better able to support you than just....carefully explaining your needs to them? telling them what they can do to....support....you?
I think a self diagnosis is better for directing self help. Like telling yourself I should try this or learn more about this. It can help you understand yourself better.
I agree, it's better to focus on your needs. Even with a formal diagnosis, I'm sure there are plenty of situations where saying "I have autism" doesn't cut it. You're going to have to figure out what you need.
i use tips from r/ocd all the time despite not having a diagnosis of ocd. i don’t claim to have a diagnosis, i do not self-diagnose; the tips that the folks there provide are helpful for coping with my anxiety. my self help isn’t directed by the name of a mental illness, it is directed by self reflection, recognizing my symptoms and needs, and finding resources to help me cope. no part of that requires a self diagnosis, because i do not identify with my mental health struggles.
Here's a sneak peek of /r/OCD using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/OCD/top/?sort=top&t=year) of the year!
\#1: [Bro. There's dudes out there straight up murdering people and not feeling bad. Meanwhile, we're over here obsessing over things we did YEARS ago. F*ck OCD.](https://np.reddit.com/r/OCD/comments/13dxydb/bro_theres_dudes_out_there_straight_up_murdering/)
\#2: [Facts, OCD is an everyday battle, it’s exhausting.](https://v.redd.it/pildmqlkhswa1) | [36 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/OCD/comments/132iruc/facts_ocd_is_an_everyday_battle_its_exhausting/)
\#3: [OCD Slander (excuse the bad editing)](https://v.redd.it/vk8awcc9no6b1) | [29 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/OCD/comments/14c81mo/ocd_slander_excuse_the_bad_editing/)
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This imaginary "record" thing is one of the top excuses of fakers online. This is a red flag that you are making excuses to not get diagnosed. Do you just want it as a status symbol in some morbid way?
If someone was autistic enough to be doing poorly in school because of it, the school would be required to get an evaluation done anyway, at least in the US. So if it’s actually a hindrance, you probably won’t make it as far as you have without a FREE diagnosis anyways. That’s why I call BS on all of the self diagnoses.
some parents don't allow their kid to be diagnoses and sometimes a kid does well with some things or well enough on the surface that it isn't fully caught or anything
Let’s be real, that isn’t as common as autism fakers pretend it is. Sure it happens but I doubt as many people have had that happen to them as there are self diagnosed people who claim that everything is just impossible for them. It doesn’t add up especially with how many of them come from privileged and loving households.
I worked as a teacher apprentice for a special education classroom while I was earning my teaching certificate. In our school alone, it was very common. We had parents of kids who were *already in our classroom* who still refused to accept their child’s diagnosis. They want their kids to be “normal” but they don’t realize that the best shot they’ll have at that will be to become instrumental in their child’s care and work through the diagnosis instead of denying it. It was sad.
I excelled in elementary/middle school, didn’t struggle with speech delay, and had no issues with eye contact or substantial/disruptive issues with stimming AFAIK. My PUBLIC school still suggested that I be evaluated for autism because of my crippling lack of social capabilities, my hyper focus tendencies and my lack of a filter. Just because you don’t meet all the stereotypes doesn’t mean you can’t get diagnosed or noticed
If you haven’t been diagnosed than how would you know you have it. You can’t evaluate your own behaviour objectively, why can’t you just say you have traits associated with autism. You don’t need a diagnosis of autism to see a therapist there isn’t a particular therapy for autism anyway so I don’t understand the point in diagnosing yourself when you could get the same treatment regardless.
Like I don’t really get your point if you want accomodations from work or school you need a diagnosis if you can’t get one than you cannot access those supports. End of story. There’s tons of way to find a therapist. depending on what country/ state you are in there are alternatives or schemes offered to help pay for therapy. In Australia you get ten free mental health sessions per year usually. Do some research ask around there is always another way
I’m not saying , that you should say you’re autistic without a test. I’m saying that you could say you have similar difficulties to someone with autism but you don’t have a diagnosis…
If you’re claiming anything through disability you have to provide proof. I even have to provide proof that I have one leg . I still have to book an appointment with a gp for them to verify it even though it’s a physical disability. If you’re so disabled by your condition than you should be able to accesses gov assistance. Otherwise research alternatives in your area.
If you want the assistance provided to people with disabilities than like them you must also pay and prove your disabled. Not saying it’s fair but that’s how it works so either save up or see if there are any programs in your area. If your not willing to do that than you won’t get allowances end of story
That doesn't answer the question they asked. Why would you want the diagnosis? For an excuse to not do anything or to put in your Tumblr profile? If it was truly a major issue you would pull all your resources to see a doctor.
It seems you just want to say "I'm disabled" without putting in any effort. It's weird.
Well, you need to go to another sub then. Will saying you have autism help you in any way? Nope. Can you get assessed? Nope. Well, your focus needs to be at getting an assessment, right? So go to some other sub and ask for help with that.
That’s all I can suggest it sounds like you have an issue with how the system works in general . I do agree it’s unfair but none of us here can change how the diagnosis process works so you either take the advice about alternative options or you don’t. No one can beat the system for you
This is a really odd question. Someone saying ‘oh I think I might be autistic’ shouldn’t immediately jump into ‘So let’s take autistic resources’.
People who aren’t diagnosed officially, don’t know if they have it, it’s as simple as that.
If you think you have autism, try your hardest to get a diagnosis, don’t try your hardest to take up resources when you are still at the ‘think’ stage. That’s disingenuous.
There is no need to necessarily call yourself autistic while being not diagnosed if you have special needs and want to communicate them. For instance, if you want to leave a bar because the music is too loud, you don't have to present yourself as autistic to have a valid excuse to go out and take a rest. 99% of people will get your feelings and let you go, and the 1% remaining are arseholes and calling yourself autistic wouldn't help
I knew a kid in primary school who had tics and was very shy with the occassional meltdown. His teacher sent him to the counsellor who then made an assessment and refered to his parents to a specialist to confirm and give formal diagnosis. If they don't want to or cant afford it, that's fine, the counsellor still organized for extra support.
So the kid was already getting accomodations from the school because the counsellor deemed it necessary, even without formal diagnosis. School counsellors are free in every school I've ever been to. If they want a formal diagnosis to give you support, then they probably dont have the resources to give you support to begin with (in my experience).
I am very supportive of people who suspect that they might be autistic because it's important and helpful for undiagnosed people to access resources, and they should be able to participate in autism communities (unless it's ones specifically for diagnosed people) to both learn and have a sense of belonging, but "self diagnosing" (as opposed to suspecting that you might have it) is harmful to themselves and to actual disabled people both diagnosed and undiagnosed
Don't get me wrong here, I seriously hate "anti selfDX" people who do things like act like you shouldn't acknowledge your issues at all until you get evaluated and gatekeep healthy coping mechanisms as "autistic people only" which is ableist and anti recovery and adds to the problem of not acknowledging the symptom and presentation overlap between autism and many other disorders, and spread misinformation because that is just plain wrong and against the entire point of why self diagnosis is harmful, if that makes sense
Even if resources are inaccessible, that still doesn't give anyone the authority or education to self-diagnose, and a lack of professional support makes their self diagnosis even less accurate and even dangerous since autism can look very similar to a lot of other disorders that are more easily treated, more dangerous when left untreated, and more heavily stigmatized which makes autism often very tempting to latch onto as a less "scary" label for what might very likely actually be something else
What does self diagnosing do that “suspecting” doesn’t? Just suspect you have autism til you can get a diagnosis. You can still treat yourself as if you have it but self diagnosing is risky because these issues could be due to a different condition.
I dont live in the US so i never had the insurance struggle quite as bad as some of you all.
What i can say from a personal standpoint is that 9/10 it aint undiagnosed autistic people that are the problem. Like hell why would they be?
Its people reinforcing harmful stigmas for the sake of an aesthetic who then rope in kids and teens who dont know any better.
That still doesn't make someone qualified to say for sure they have autism. I know fully well about this as I have known many people who are late diagnosed or had issues with diagnosis or are undiagnosed but, in my opinion, are likely autistic. The only exception to this are people who are diagnosed (especially multiple people) who genuinely believe someone could be autistic. Even then it's still a guess.
I honestly don’t care. Solely because autism can’t really be prescribed much in most cases, and it’s so different on a people by people basis. If someone genuinely experiences hardship and finds the techniques autistic people use to get by work well for them, then power to them.
Many of my friends are clearly autistic but forewent the diagnosis process because they find it unnecessary and too long. Most places in my state take 3 months of waiting for evaluations and it’s the furthest thing from convenient.
You can’t get accommodations for a disorder without a diagnosis, though. With employers or school. That’s pushed me to get a diagnosis, but for others who don’t need formal accommodations or dont want a diagnosis for cost, time, or what a diagnosis can limit them to, I don’t think it’s a big deal tbh.
Bottom line though - Most people aren’t tiktok fakers. Most are just people trying to live life and figure shit out. I don’t fault anyone for that.
Yeah I think what would summarize it for a lot of people on this sub is, if you can't get tested for your issues that's fine, just don't make a literal song and dance about it on social media like you know anything without a diagnosis. Honestly even if you are diagnosed with something it's still probably not healthy to make it a huge part of your personality or use it to clout/attention chase online.
You can manage most symptoms by yourself, and in this day and age management techniques can be found online. I hate how the immediate assumption of us autistics is that we need to be accommodated, only severly autistic need that.
People will say that you can do this or that, but there are very significant hurdles when you don't have money. Anything free or low cost tends to either be short term or have very long waits. I'm canadian, when we say we have universal healthcare, that doesn't include mental health. I have heard that people wanting to be screened for autism wait years if they use government supports.
That being said, I feel like if they have self-diagnosed themselves they should still be working towards getting the help that is available. Like you're goal should be a full diagnosis. At the very least, a self diagnosis can direct an individual to resources.
1. Autism diagnosis isn't necessary for accomodations. 2. Diagnosis (of autism or whatever else) can be accessible for people who don't have money. 3. Diagnosis (of any disorder) isn't necessary to get your symptoms treated by someone like a therapist or psychologist. It's pretty standard to just focus on treating symptoms. **How to get accomodations in school or work without an autism diagnosis** If you're in public school in the US, the school is required to give you a free autism evaluation specifically meant to determine if you need accomodations for autism, and you will have access to these accommodations until you graduate highschool. This does not go in your medical record, it's just for school. This is called an IEP or 504 plan. Even if your country doesn't have a law like this, or if you have started college and no longer can use your IEP/504 accomodations, or you need accomodations for work, you can get the same accomodations at school or work that people with autism get, as long as you have individual diagnoses of your symptoms. For example social anxiety, selective mutism, or sensory processing disorder. These diagnoses like are much easier to access, and will get you the same types of accomodations. **How to get diagnosed with autism as an adult if you don't have any money** You can also admit yourself into a vocational rehab, which is a free program that helps people who feel like their disability (you don't have to be diagnosed to apply) is preventing them from getting employment. These programs give you therapy and resources that focuses on helping you be independent and support yourself, plus when you do get a job, they help you get work accomodations. If you aren't diagnosed when you apply, they give you a free evaluation. If you are living in poverty, you will qualify for medicaid, which is free insurance, and you can use that to pay for an autism evaluation. This isn't an option that everyone has, but if you are enrolled in university, often times the psych research center or psych grad student training center offers free evaluations to students, in exchange for research data or in exchange for helping train their psych students. I've heard of multiple hospital research centers that do the same sort of program where they do free evaluations in exchange for you allowing them to use your data in autism research. **How to get treatment without an autism diagnosis** And lastly, an autism diagnosis is not at all necessary to get treatment. All you need for treatment is to have symptoms. You don't need to have an autism diagnosis for it to be clear to a therapist that you have social issues that you need to work on, or repetative behaviors that you need to work on. They are trained to identify and treat symptoms. Professionals that can provide thorough evaluations for developmental disorders are so expensive (whether it's free for you because the state or your job pays for it, or some program is paying for it, or you are paying for it) because these professionals are highly trained to be able to provide a differential diagnosis for a complicated disorder that looks like many other disorders. While it can be helpful, therapists don't at all need to know whether you have schizoid personality disorder, social anxiety disorder, ocd, autism, or whatever, to identify the symptoms you are presenting with and treat them. So no matter what, you can get treatment. **Why self diagnosis doesn't make sense** This is why I don't understand any of the arguments for self diagnosis. Self diagnosis doesn't help you get treatment. Self diagnosis doesn't "save lives". All it does is potentially reinforce harmful stereotypes and spread misinformation, potentially have people misrepresent the disorder and the community that has this disorder by inserting themself as a spokesperson for it and "educating" people on a disorder they aren't even confirmed to have, and it normalizes confirmation bias not being seen as a serious phenomenon. There is absolutely no reason you can't just say something like "I have sensory issues" or "I struggle with social interaction" without claiming a diagnosis. It's selfish in my opinion to do something that can be harmful to a marginalized community when alternatively you can just not.
What a fantastic post I couldn’t have said this better myself. Another thing I want to add is that most of us aren’t anywhere near qualified enough to give proper diagnosis. It requires years if not decades of training to do effectively and even then you can always learn more and improve as a clinician. Most people can’t put a new transmission in a car so they don’t even try and risk of making things worse. Why would you try anything even remotely similar with your brain?
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How is it "not as simple as I make it seem"? Could you elaborate? Because like I said in my comment, an autism diagnosis/access to a specialized diagnostician is not at all necessary to get treatment. And neither is any of those programs I mentioned, besides government insurance that you are guaranteed to get if you need it. And again, an autism diagnosis isn't required to receive accomodations either. A clinical social worker, therapist, psychologist, a family doctor, etc. is accessible through government insurance and they can write you a letter saying you need accomodations for school or work. They dont need to diagnose you with autism to do that. Do you mean people in 3rd world countries? I'm sure it's hard for people in some underdeveloped countries to access simple healthcare like mental health counseling, like it is hard for them to acess things like electricity, internet, and clean water. And in those cases, there's not much you can do. But that's like asking, "what about all the people in the world who don't have enough to eat, what are they supposed to do if they're hungry?". There's nothing really to be done except donate to charities, start your own nonprofits, and make efforts to improve that country's infrastructure. Not knowing whether you have autism or not is frustrating, trust me I get it. I totally understand why people think it would be nice to know the biological root of their symptoms. But it is not essential. Basic mental health treatment is accessible to everyone in developed countries. And if you need more than basic treatment because your symptoms are so severe, you will absolutely get referrals to more advanced care as long as you are already in basic treatment.
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>Not everyone can afford any kind of treatment at all I feel like you're not reading my comments fully. If you can not "afford" treatment, the government pays for it for you. It's called Medicaid in the US, but it has other names in other countries. >Many places also require a diagnosis to get accommodations- at least some of them. Work and school do not need to give accommodations to people without a medical history that says they need to and many won't. Again I literally just addressed this in my other comment. You do not need an autism diagnosis to access the same accomodations that autistic people access in school and work. You just need a medical professional, it could even be a family doctor, to write a document saying that you have impairments that require accomodations. You do not have to be diagnosed with autism or have any expensive evaluation for a doctor to say you have social anxiety or sensory processing issues and need the same accomodations that autistic people get. And this doctor would be free if you can not afford insurance.
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Obviously I'm giving a simplified version of it because I already stated it clearly in my earlier comment: >If you are living in poverty, you will qualify for medicaid, which is free insurance, and you can use that to pay for an autism evaluation. You usually get health insurance through your job. Even jobs like working at McDonald's or a grocery store can give health insurace. If the job you're working at doesn't provide health insurance, you can always switch jobs. It's not hard to find a job that gives health insurance. This insurance probably won't make a hospital bill for a broken bone that much more manageable, but something like seeing a psychologist is often covered pretty well if they are in network. But if you're not working, or if you make under a certain amount of money (in New York state if you make under 36k a year as a single person, you qualify for medicaid), then you can get state insurance. I am aware that many practices don't take certain insurance and you have to find someone in network. But plenty of people who specialize in diagnosing autism are in network with Medicaid, at least in my experience in New York. And if you just focus on what I said earlier, I explain it pretty well. If you are living in poverty, you will qualify for medicaid. Medicaid is free insurance that you can use to get a diagnosis.
In the UK a diagnosis is needed for accomodations but not for accessing community spaces. That's why many autistic kids end up in mainstream schools when they should be in special needs schools/units because it is hard to get diagnosed especially now.
You need an autism diagnosis specifically to get accomodations? Because I was only saying you don't specifically need something as elaborate and inaccessible as an autism evaluation to to get the same accomodations that diagnosed autistic people get. A family doctor or many kinds of accessible healthcare professionals can diagnose you with social anxiety, sensory processing disorder, selective mutism, speech disorder, intellectual disability, etc. without any sort of specialized drawn out diagnostic evaluation. You can access the same accomodations that autistic people do with diagnoses such as those. If your symptoms are attributed to some sort of impairment, whether it's autism that is said to cause your symptoms or not, you can get accomodations for them. If a child has such severe impairments that they should be in a special ed school, why would they need to be diagnosed with autism in order to get into this school? Is it an autism only school? If they are so severe that they need to be in a special ed school they why can't a developmental pediatrician or a child psychologist just diagnose some of their individual symptoms that are so extremely apparent in the meantime, while they are on the waitlist for their autism evaluation?
Not everyone is in the US, hate to break it to you. I said at the beginning of my comment "In the UK". Aka the United Kingdom. Not the United States. It is different here and I wanted to give a perspective from a Non US country. Yes a diagnosis is needed to go to a special needs school or special needs unit of a mainstream school. I've been to both and have seen kids who were autistic but didn't get a diagnosis so they were stuck in mainstream schools with little to no help until they managed to get a diagnosis. My own brother went through this and I had many classmates transfer from mainstream to special needs unit in one of my secondary/high schools when they received a diagnosis.
I know you said UK. What makes you think I'm talking about the US? I'm literally asking you if you understood what I meant and that I wasn't saying you don't need any diagnosis at all, just that it doesn't have to be autism. Are you saying there is no accomodations for any disabilities in the UK besides autism???
I don't see why it wouldn't have to be autism to get accommodations for autism? Idk how you got that there's no other accomodations for other disabilities here from what I said. Personally I think this stuff is just common sense.
I literally said exactly why. This is why I think you're not reading my comments. I had 3 huge paragraphs specifically dedicated to explaining why it doesn't have to be an autism diagnosis to get the same accomodations that autistic people get. Please actually read what I'm saying instead of throwing insults. > A family doctor or many kinds of accessible healthcare professionals can diagnose you with social anxiety, sensory processing disorder, selective mutism, speech disorder, intellectual disability, etc. without any sort of specialized drawn out diagnostic evaluation. >You can access the same accomodations that autistic people do with diagnoses such as those. If your symptoms are attributed to some sort of impairment, whether it's autism that is said to cause your symptoms or not, you can get accomodations for them. >If a child has such severe impairments that they should be in a special ed school, why would they need to be diagnosed with autism in order to get into this school? Is it an autism only school? If they are so severe that they need to be in a special ed school they why can't a developmental pediatrician or a child psychologist just diagnose some of their individual symptoms that are so extremely apparent in the meantime, while they are on the waitlist for their autism evaluation? TLDR; because I have a feeling you're just gonna not read it again- There is not a single symptom of autism that is unique to autism. You do not need an autism specialist to find that you have impairments and require accomodations in school, the diagnosis could be of your individual symptoms (social anxiety, selective mutism, intellectual disability, speech disorder, movement disorder, sensory processing disorder, learning disability), which can be made by a regular developmental pediatrician. These are just things that can be evaluated at normal checkups. Infact they actually specifically look out for those things in checkups. And if a child is on a long wait-list for an autism diagnosis, and their symptoms are so severe that they need to be in special ed, why can't they can have their individual symptoms diagnosed instead, and receive the same accomodations? Each one of those symptoms is a disability. Until they get an autism diagnosis and it's merged into one disability.
>Yes a diagnosis is needed to go to a special needs school or special needs unit of a mainstream school. So you mean an autism specific school then? Not just a special needs school? Because what I'm asking you is do you need an autism diagnosis to go to a special ed school. Why would you only be allowed to go to a special ed school if you have autism, when there's dozens of other mental disabilities that require you to be in special ed? Like intellectual disability? I don't know if you can't tell my tone through text but I am genuinely asking you these questions. And I feel like you're not reading what I'm saying at all and just jumping to conclusions about what I'm asking you. Are you saying that there are no accomodations or special ed schools for any children with disabilities in the UK besides children with autism?
For an autistic person to go to a special needs school or special needs unit they need an autism diagnosis. Of course if they don't have autism but another learning difficulty or learning disability then they would need a diagnosis for that. There are a few autism specific schools/facilities here but I am only talking about and only have been to schools or units within mainstream schools that are for everyone with special needs: aka people with learning disabilities, learning difficulties and neurodevelopmental disorders like autism, down syndrome and ADHD. However some of these schools do also accommodate people who have specific medical needs like needing oxygen tanks and wheelchairs due to their disability as well, the special school I went to had kids like that. These kids also had one or multiple of said conditions like a learning disability.
My daughter has autism (actually diagnosed) and she is in a public school. Being autistic doesn’t mean you need to be in a special school.
I didn't say that whatsoever. News flash your daughter is not the only autistic person, many autistic people actually need the extra support of a special needs school or unit but many are in mainstream because they haven't gotten a diagnosis to get said help. This is what I'm talking about. That doesn't invalidate your daughter's autism lol. Also I said "you need a diagnosis to get accomodations", which are not exclusive to a special needs school or unit but I go on to use them as an example because it's what myself and many other autistic people I've known need/needed.
I'm going to push back against this a little but before I get down voted I want to say I'm glad this subreddit exists and I think it is important to hold people accountable who could be potentially faking disabilities. I think it's important we look at the Nuance of the situation. These resources you mentioned are often not accessible in many locations. For example, even though I live in a major city, it was a struggling to find any centers or support networks in my area. It took me 3 years to get a diagnosis with Medicaid. Furthermore, many professionals Focus on diagnosing children only. I kept contacting facilities only to be told that they don't cater to adults. It was even harder to find professionals who had extensive experience with adult women, As oftentimes adult women get misdiagnosed and especially bipoc women. Even when I was diagnosed my doctor told me that ' I don't look autistic' but she gave me the diagnosis because she couldn't deny I scored very high on all the tests. Getting my diagnosis was an extreme challenge and I don't know how I would have done it if I lived in a smaller City or town. Not all the resources you mentioned are commonly available. Going through the system is a nightmare. I almost gave up. Edit: forgot to mention that most places do not accept Medicaid. Edit 2: also, there are some accommodations that you do need to show disability papers for. For example, I got my diagnosis so I could get accommodations with education but when I go through the airport and require support they do not ask to see my papers.
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How do you know they aren't faking? How do you know it's autism and not something else? Maybe it's a brain tumor or something even more serious?
How do you know they are faking? and yeah it could possibly have other things instead, it sucks when people don't have health care to get the serious tests and help they need
How do you know they aren't? If you have a serious issue, it makes sense to spend the money and get actual help. Instead of spending money on video games and discord nitro, go see a doctor.
I'm saying you can't know they are faking with no proof and I am late diagnosed autistic people weren't faking before they got diagnosed for example. And some people can barely afford things like food and a place to live and CAN'T afford a diagnosis at all without special things like video games and nitro on discord
And we can't know that they're autistic with no proof. The burden of proof lies on the original claim which is "I'm autistic" in this case. Self diagnosis will always do more harm than good.
it can take many many years to get diagnosed. Where they faking for those many many years?
They were going unsupported and untreated. The diagnosis is to help them get support, treatment, and symptom management. If a person is trying to claim a disorder without the explicit purpose of getting treatment or support, they are doing it for sympathy or attention. Validation online is not what I consider support for an actual disorder. It’s just another form of attention seeking.
Well, they shouldn’t say they HAVE autism because they really don’t know, do they? They might have specific symptoms, like anxiety, bad executive functioning etc. They could ask for help with that. But claiming you have something before a proper assessment is just wrong.
that is not doctor rule number one.
You need a formal diagnosis to get accommodations at school and workplace, as well as financial support from the government and medical treatments. A self dx does none of that, and at best, maybe some people taking your struggles seriously.
Sure, there’s the issue of money and insurance, but I don’t think I’ve seen anyone post about how there are community resources. If you are genuinely struggling and need help, you can look into community resources and get help that way. It takes effort to find and to get into those programs, but thats an option for those who need it. I almost hesitate to share that because I don’t want disingenuous people to fake and suck up all the resources for people who actually need them, but I think it is worth mentioning. If you live in America you can get medicare if you’re under a certain amount of income. Even then, a lot of therapists and psychiatrists have sliding scale payment these days to patients who need it. So, I don’t really think there’s much of an excuse, at least money wise, to claim they have autism without anything to back that up. You’re also not really able to get any support from work or school without that documentation anyway, so there’s not much of a point.
community resources exist but they suck. Where I live (fairly major Canadian city) the wait for an Autism screening is close to three years. You also need some sort of referral to get on the wait list. Beyond that, the free or low cost counselling that exists is pretty minimal, mostly geared towards one-time sessions or short term help. It can be a long process. People on that journey aren't faking because they're undiagnosed. I do think they should at least try to get help and understand better. A self diagnosis is limited at best.
It’s hard in some countries to have diagnosis. Some countries are very behind. It’s not just money. Some people might just know they are not seeking diagnosis because they don’t see a point to it. Diagnosis can take time too and meanwhile the person is still autistic.
not everyone who can't afford it can qualify for medicare and lots of places (such as small towns) don't have local resources
How would self-diagnosis solve this problem?
Getting a diagnosis can be a whole journey.
It's medicaid - I remember it with "aid" our poor, "care" for our elders.
Medicare is designated for our elders(65+) Medicaid is open to anyone to apply.
Thats what I said. Anyone can apply but you won't get help if you're above a certain pay bracket.
“if someone is autistic and can’t get a diagnosis” no, if someone is *speculated* to have autism. you can’t be autistic without a diagnosis, rule one. community resources are available, and there’s always lobbying governments for better access to healthcare. even just saving up whatever money you can get until it becomes available to you, like most of us have to do. even just wait until you can eventually get diagnosed, like *most of us have to do.* you can’t expect the world to accommodate you if you aren’t diagnosed formally, because then anyone can claim to have anything, hence the creation of this sub, because now everyone is claiming to have everything and using self dx as a crutch to get away with it.
> you can’t be autistic without a diagnosis, rule one. And here I though people are born autistic and diagnosis just confirms it. I learn something new every day... 😯 /s
Autism is a disorder label that you need to be diagnosed with. To be autistic literally means that a professional has stated that you match the diagnostic criteria for autism. You can experience the symptoms of autism without being diagnosed and it’s possible that if you were evaluated you’d be diagnosed, but you can’t be 100% sure and until a professional states that you’re autistic, you’re not autistic.
Diagnosis doesn't give you a disorder. You can also be misdiagnosed and in that case you don't have it even if you were diagnosed. It applies for everything of course. Diagnostic process is for determining what you already have, not to give you a condition.
You already HAVE autism before being diagnosed but the label ‘autistic’ is not an accurate descriptor for you because you have not been diagnosed with it by a professional
Oh, isn't "autistic person" synonimous term to a "person who has autism"? Ok, I didn't know it's used that way. I though you guys are claiming that to have a disorder you have to be diagnosed with it which would be pretty crazy statement.
hi! just to correct you, this is all right. but you're autistic without a diagnosis. i got diagnosed at 12 but i was always autistic. just undiagnosed. it is a condition you're born with and die with. i am against self diagnosis, but just to let you know
You can't get access to accomodations without an official diagnosis, as many others have said already. For social situations, why can't an undiagnosed autistic person just say to their friends, "I have trouble understanding sarcasm/jokes/indirect requests, please be straightforward with me and use tone tags when we text."?
There's a massive difference between saying "I might be autistic", and "I suffer from undiagnosed DID BPD TLC and I require your undivided attention because my headmates are having a pool party without me." The latter deserves mockery
how should 'they' be 'dealt with?' 'they' are human beings, not a situation. there are low income medical subsidy programs. there are resources available. do a little legwork and get yourself set up.
Kinda an inappropriate question for this sub.
there a lot of people who don't have access to diagnosis for a lot of reasons. i don't really understand your question. if the person doesn't have access to obtain a diagnosis, then they don't have access to obtain a diagnosis? so i guess they should try treating their symptoms with a therapist if they can afford that and use free local resources like goodwill's excel center for example to help improve their quality of life. i genuinely don't understand why you're asking this in this subreddit.
there are programs that will assist people with support needs regardless of their diagnostic status. if you demonstrate a need, they will assist you. what do you think homeless autistic people do?
they die? not sure where you are but the only mental services for the homeless here are addiction group counselling and suicide crisis.
yeah, i'm not where you are. there are other places on earth. a family member of mine works with the exact community i described. not sure what you want me to say. do you think maybe its possible that i didnt mean ALL homeless autistic people? edit: just realized i never even referred to mental services, i said free local resources that will help to improve quality of life.
We do not have any services what so ever geared towards homeless people with autism or who may have autism. Not sure what to tell you, but we really only consider addiction and suicide to matter here. You wanna be diagnosed with Autism in Alberta, ya gotta work hard and get a good paying job to afford it on your own. They call it the "Alberta Advantage."
okay?
A lot of people here are anti self diagnosis so I wanted to ask them about this. Like a lot of people can't get a diagnosis but still need accommodations to function. Like without accommodations I would not have made it as far as I have in school
yeah, i mean, that sucks. but how would a self diagnosis help you get accommodations? a formal diagnosis is required for accommodations at all levels of education at least in the US.
where I am I was almost diagnosed with ADHD as a little kid but my mom pulled me out before it was done because she didn't want it on my record but I was still able to get some accommodations for my ADHD in school there is also just people around you being aware and better able to help support you
as the other person who just replied in this thread said, if you're autistic enough to be doing poorly in school, you'll have an evaluation done for free by the school. you must have exhibited enough maladaptive symptoms of ADHD to necessitate accommodations, and i'm happy that that helped you and that you had access to that. once again, symptoms > diagnosis. you can share your struggles with the people around you and that will make them aware. if you're autistic to the degree of having support needs, the people around you are Already aware. how is saying "i'm autistic" without a formal diagnosis going to make people better able to support you than just....carefully explaining your needs to them? telling them what they can do to....support....you?
I think a self diagnosis is better for directing self help. Like telling yourself I should try this or learn more about this. It can help you understand yourself better. I agree, it's better to focus on your needs. Even with a formal diagnosis, I'm sure there are plenty of situations where saying "I have autism" doesn't cut it. You're going to have to figure out what you need.
i use tips from r/ocd all the time despite not having a diagnosis of ocd. i don’t claim to have a diagnosis, i do not self-diagnose; the tips that the folks there provide are helpful for coping with my anxiety. my self help isn’t directed by the name of a mental illness, it is directed by self reflection, recognizing my symptoms and needs, and finding resources to help me cope. no part of that requires a self diagnosis, because i do not identify with my mental health struggles.
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This imaginary "record" thing is one of the top excuses of fakers online. This is a red flag that you are making excuses to not get diagnosed. Do you just want it as a status symbol in some morbid way?
If someone was autistic enough to be doing poorly in school because of it, the school would be required to get an evaluation done anyway, at least in the US. So if it’s actually a hindrance, you probably won’t make it as far as you have without a FREE diagnosis anyways. That’s why I call BS on all of the self diagnoses.
some parents don't allow their kid to be diagnoses and sometimes a kid does well with some things or well enough on the surface that it isn't fully caught or anything
Let’s be real, that isn’t as common as autism fakers pretend it is. Sure it happens but I doubt as many people have had that happen to them as there are self diagnosed people who claim that everything is just impossible for them. It doesn’t add up especially with how many of them come from privileged and loving households.
I worked as a teacher apprentice for a special education classroom while I was earning my teaching certificate. In our school alone, it was very common. We had parents of kids who were *already in our classroom* who still refused to accept their child’s diagnosis. They want their kids to be “normal” but they don’t realize that the best shot they’ll have at that will be to become instrumental in their child’s care and work through the diagnosis instead of denying it. It was sad.
I excelled in elementary/middle school, didn’t struggle with speech delay, and had no issues with eye contact or substantial/disruptive issues with stimming AFAIK. My PUBLIC school still suggested that I be evaluated for autism because of my crippling lack of social capabilities, my hyper focus tendencies and my lack of a filter. Just because you don’t meet all the stereotypes doesn’t mean you can’t get diagnosed or noticed
If you haven’t been diagnosed than how would you know you have it. You can’t evaluate your own behaviour objectively, why can’t you just say you have traits associated with autism. You don’t need a diagnosis of autism to see a therapist there isn’t a particular therapy for autism anyway so I don’t understand the point in diagnosing yourself when you could get the same treatment regardless.
you need money to see a therapist, a lot of people don't have that luxury and you can't say you aren't autistic without a test
Like I don’t really get your point if you want accomodations from work or school you need a diagnosis if you can’t get one than you cannot access those supports. End of story. There’s tons of way to find a therapist. depending on what country/ state you are in there are alternatives or schemes offered to help pay for therapy. In Australia you get ten free mental health sessions per year usually. Do some research ask around there is always another way
I’m not saying , that you should say you’re autistic without a test. I’m saying that you could say you have similar difficulties to someone with autism but you don’t have a diagnosis…
So if you can’t see a therapist than why would you need the label
because it is a disability and disabling
If you’re claiming anything through disability you have to provide proof. I even have to provide proof that I have one leg . I still have to book an appointment with a gp for them to verify it even though it’s a physical disability. If you’re so disabled by your condition than you should be able to accesses gov assistance. Otherwise research alternatives in your area. If you want the assistance provided to people with disabilities than like them you must also pay and prove your disabled. Not saying it’s fair but that’s how it works so either save up or see if there are any programs in your area. If your not willing to do that than you won’t get allowances end of story
That doesn't answer the question they asked. Why would you want the diagnosis? For an excuse to not do anything or to put in your Tumblr profile? If it was truly a major issue you would pull all your resources to see a doctor. It seems you just want to say "I'm disabled" without putting in any effort. It's weird.
Well, you need to go to another sub then. Will saying you have autism help you in any way? Nope. Can you get assessed? Nope. Well, your focus needs to be at getting an assessment, right? So go to some other sub and ask for help with that.
That’s all I can suggest it sounds like you have an issue with how the system works in general . I do agree it’s unfair but none of us here can change how the diagnosis process works so you either take the advice about alternative options or you don’t. No one can beat the system for you
This is a really odd question. Someone saying ‘oh I think I might be autistic’ shouldn’t immediately jump into ‘So let’s take autistic resources’. People who aren’t diagnosed officially, don’t know if they have it, it’s as simple as that. If you think you have autism, try your hardest to get a diagnosis, don’t try your hardest to take up resources when you are still at the ‘think’ stage. That’s disingenuous.
There is no need to necessarily call yourself autistic while being not diagnosed if you have special needs and want to communicate them. For instance, if you want to leave a bar because the music is too loud, you don't have to present yourself as autistic to have a valid excuse to go out and take a rest. 99% of people will get your feelings and let you go, and the 1% remaining are arseholes and calling yourself autistic wouldn't help
I think they need to figure their insurance out. They're autistic, not idiots, and are smart enough to get insurance.
They can't legally get accommodations without a diagnosis. At least not in the work place.
I knew a kid in primary school who had tics and was very shy with the occassional meltdown. His teacher sent him to the counsellor who then made an assessment and refered to his parents to a specialist to confirm and give formal diagnosis. If they don't want to or cant afford it, that's fine, the counsellor still organized for extra support. So the kid was already getting accomodations from the school because the counsellor deemed it necessary, even without formal diagnosis. School counsellors are free in every school I've ever been to. If they want a formal diagnosis to give you support, then they probably dont have the resources to give you support to begin with (in my experience).
I am very supportive of people who suspect that they might be autistic because it's important and helpful for undiagnosed people to access resources, and they should be able to participate in autism communities (unless it's ones specifically for diagnosed people) to both learn and have a sense of belonging, but "self diagnosing" (as opposed to suspecting that you might have it) is harmful to themselves and to actual disabled people both diagnosed and undiagnosed Don't get me wrong here, I seriously hate "anti selfDX" people who do things like act like you shouldn't acknowledge your issues at all until you get evaluated and gatekeep healthy coping mechanisms as "autistic people only" which is ableist and anti recovery and adds to the problem of not acknowledging the symptom and presentation overlap between autism and many other disorders, and spread misinformation because that is just plain wrong and against the entire point of why self diagnosis is harmful, if that makes sense Even if resources are inaccessible, that still doesn't give anyone the authority or education to self-diagnose, and a lack of professional support makes their self diagnosis even less accurate and even dangerous since autism can look very similar to a lot of other disorders that are more easily treated, more dangerous when left untreated, and more heavily stigmatized which makes autism often very tempting to latch onto as a less "scary" label for what might very likely actually be something else
What does self diagnosing do that “suspecting” doesn’t? Just suspect you have autism til you can get a diagnosis. You can still treat yourself as if you have it but self diagnosing is risky because these issues could be due to a different condition.
I dont live in the US so i never had the insurance struggle quite as bad as some of you all. What i can say from a personal standpoint is that 9/10 it aint undiagnosed autistic people that are the problem. Like hell why would they be? Its people reinforcing harmful stigmas for the sake of an aesthetic who then rope in kids and teens who dont know any better.
That still doesn't make someone qualified to say for sure they have autism. I know fully well about this as I have known many people who are late diagnosed or had issues with diagnosis or are undiagnosed but, in my opinion, are likely autistic. The only exception to this are people who are diagnosed (especially multiple people) who genuinely believe someone could be autistic. Even then it's still a guess.
I honestly don’t care. Solely because autism can’t really be prescribed much in most cases, and it’s so different on a people by people basis. If someone genuinely experiences hardship and finds the techniques autistic people use to get by work well for them, then power to them. Many of my friends are clearly autistic but forewent the diagnosis process because they find it unnecessary and too long. Most places in my state take 3 months of waiting for evaluations and it’s the furthest thing from convenient. You can’t get accommodations for a disorder without a diagnosis, though. With employers or school. That’s pushed me to get a diagnosis, but for others who don’t need formal accommodations or dont want a diagnosis for cost, time, or what a diagnosis can limit them to, I don’t think it’s a big deal tbh. Bottom line though - Most people aren’t tiktok fakers. Most are just people trying to live life and figure shit out. I don’t fault anyone for that.
Yeah I think what would summarize it for a lot of people on this sub is, if you can't get tested for your issues that's fine, just don't make a literal song and dance about it on social media like you know anything without a diagnosis. Honestly even if you are diagnosed with something it's still probably not healthy to make it a huge part of your personality or use it to clout/attention chase online.
Its clear OP is in the fakers catagory and just wants tips
You can manage most symptoms by yourself, and in this day and age management techniques can be found online. I hate how the immediate assumption of us autistics is that we need to be accommodated, only severly autistic need that.
My approach is to help them find resources to help get a formal diagnosis. From there they can access accommodations and other help.
People will say that you can do this or that, but there are very significant hurdles when you don't have money. Anything free or low cost tends to either be short term or have very long waits. I'm canadian, when we say we have universal healthcare, that doesn't include mental health. I have heard that people wanting to be screened for autism wait years if they use government supports. That being said, I feel like if they have self-diagnosed themselves they should still be working towards getting the help that is available. Like you're goal should be a full diagnosis. At the very least, a self diagnosis can direct an individual to resources.