Celebs coming out as autistic

Post Reply New Topic

I don't know how I feel, I've never seen it

I don't like it when anyone goes around saying they have it just because of a few minor tendencies. I don't think Owl City is diagnosed. I think it's self-diagnosed, and he just seems way too socially competent in interviews and stuff. If he has it, it's either very mild, or he had worked tremendously hard on it. I think AS in general has been extremely trivialized by the media and society. People don't know what a serious disorder it is.

Yeah, the movie Hollywood celebrities and the political Washington celebrities with whom I have worked were all amazing. Living and working with the Hollywood crowd (at the Sundance Institute and Sundance Film Festival) was fun and several became friends. Unfortunately, my employment contracts prohibited me from initiating any conversation with the "resource" people (celebrities). Luckily, several of them (including James L. Brooks, Irvin Kershner, Karl Malden, Sydney Pollack, Peter Coyote, Lukas Haas, Franti?ek "Frank" Daniel and Vojtěch Jasný) initiated chats with me first. Anyway, it was a great few years back then.

Mad Hatter Matador:

I can see that concern, yes, and the danger of it being "the trendy thing to have." However, I'm not so sure that most people don't know what a serious disorder it is, or that kids will want to argue about having it to be the cool kid -- most people still think of it as something pretty unfortunate rather than cool or trendy or easy in any way, at least that's the impression I get.

When I first read about Gary Numan disclosing, my view of Asperger's and autism was that it was horrifically awful and a tragic thing to have or be diagnosed with. Now, a few years on, obviously I've educated myself more, and I realize that "tragic" is a bit much and not really correct.

But I tell you how I initially felt, to illustrate that I took it VERY seriously as a serious disorder. When I proceeded to look up the Gary Numan article I found, it was out of idle curiosity but also thinking "God that poor man....that must be awful. How did he ever manage?"

When I read about the traits and saw myself in them, I can tell you right now I didn't think "Cool! Trendy! Sounds pretty special!" and I certainly didn't wish myself into thinking I have it. Instead I was actually HORRIFIED.

I mean, how much more taking it seriously as a serious disorder can you get, than being absolutely distraught at recognizing the symptoms in oneself? I thought it was a serious disorder, no worries. So much so that I was scared and frightened just to even begin to think it might fit what had been going on with me all my life. I went into denial and didn't want to hear any more about it, though it stayed under my skin for years.

I mean no insult to anyone by sharing that seven years ago when I recognized the traits, I was as scared and upset as if I'd just read about AIDS symptoms and realized I'd been manifesting them all and ought to go get checked.

( I'm [i]not,/i] by the way, the sort of person who reads about things and always thinks I have the thing I'm reading about, just to put that out on record. )

Well I don't have AIDS but it turns out I do have Asperger's/ASD, and I had been correct in my aha moment. But that aha moment felt deadly serious to me, back then. It's not something to play around with and I think anyone who does is in the minority anyway.

I've come to terms with the condition now, and I don't feel the same horror I initially felt, but it was a journey to go from horror and denial, to valuing the self-knowledge. All I know is I never took it for anything other than a serious matter, at any time, but particularly when I first ran into learning about it.

I think some people are more educated than others. I remember one time my family was discussing a parent we knew who didn't want to tell her kid he had Asperger's, and my brother said something like, "Wouldn't it be a relief to have an explanation for, like, why you don't give eye contact?" Really? Eye contact is the first difficulty you think of? And I think a lot of kids with Asperger's probably don't realize that there is anything unusual with their lack of eye contact in the first place. It makes me think that people don't realize that you legitimately have a tough time understanding social rules, and forming relations, and deviating from your own restricted behaviors. I've seen the same sort of thing happen with OCD and ADHD. Everyone seems to think they have it just because of a few minor difficulties. I don't know, though, I'm probably overreacting.

Well all I know is it wasn't the minor traits like eye contact that were the biggest factors for me when I began to learn of the factors involved, but indeed the more serious ones that had affected my life far more profoundly. Yes, the "lighter" traits stood out too, but it was the more serious, consequential issues such as social problems that really affected me and stood out to me when I read about them. Stuff that had agonized me because I was aware enough to realize there was something wrong in the way I operate, and when I read descriptions it was like someone had described my own life's difficulties. The other more popularly known traits also fit me and completed the picture but they weren't the only ones. All of it as a whole brought me to awareness of how the pieces fit me. Being recently and finally diagnosed now, last month, it turns out that I do not number among those who "thought they have it" and in fact don't, or even have another disorder. It turns out it's ASD as I'd suspected. So if there's me, who accurately suspected, there must be others.

I've never run across anyone who seems to WANT this disorder, enough that they're grabbing onto things like not making eye contact well, "So I must have it!" kind of thing...Why would anyone be eager to want to have this? A lot of people here talk about it being the "too trendy" thign to have these days but I can't imagine that, and haven't met anyone like that. As I said, my own experience of first reading about the traits was not a feeling of wanting to have it but a horror in recognizing that I might. Because I was more repulsed than "ooh, sounds like me, yay!" I can't even picture anyone being the latter.

I don't pay much attention to it, its interesting I guess if I feel like they've overcame similar struggles as I have or they're someone I like. Generally speaking I think it is a good thing, I'd much rather be associated with these celebrities than I would mass murders.

So? I have very mild symptoms of HFA. Are you going to tell me I'm not autistic either? Just because he's good at interviews doesn't mean he can't have AS. Some aspies are good at masking their disorder, and I find that to be a good thing. It means they are doing their best to overcome those challenges. You can't judge a book by it's cover, right? So, why judge a person by the way they act or look?

I'm sorry, I think you misunderstood me, but I see that's because of my wording. I think he is self-diagnosed because of this article I read, not because of how I see him in interviews.

http://www.citypages.com/2012-08-22/mus ... -opens-up/

"we delve briefly into how he believes he's got the symptoms of Asperger's Syndrome but never had it diagnosed."

I didn't say I don't think he has it. I said, because of how I've seen him interact, if he does have it, it's either very mild, or he has put a lot of work into overcoming his difficulties, which seems to be the exact statement you just made. If he does have it, I like having him as a portrayal of Asperger's. If he doesn't, then I feel it might be a case of him not truly understanding what Asperger's is. I've seen him in another interview where he flat-out says "I have Asperger's" without a diagnosis. In that interview, he didn't say, "I suspect I have it", or "I have some symptoms of it." That's what I had the problem with. If I didn't read the above article I posted, I would've believed him, and not questioned it, regardless of the way I've seen him interact. Sorry for the confusion. I get annoyed when I hear people questioning the validity of Asperger's, so I certainly know how you must've felt when you read my post. Apologies again.

Oh, that explains it. XD I was going to say. You are right though. I saw it on a celebrity list where they said he had it, but I had no idea he said stuff like that though. You do have a point.

I don't mind celebrities saying that they have ASD if they have been diagnosed with ASD.
I don't like it when they self-diagnose and say that they have ASD.

But isn't it the same as when someone here self-diagnoses themselves and says they have it? I don't see the difference between non-celebs saying at those that are celebs. If you ask me, it's the same here as it is for them if they truly believe they have it. Maybe they just can't get diagnosed because of their busy work schedule. Celebrities are pretty busy people, you know. Plus, it's not easy to go out in public or anything without someone knowing who you are and hounding on you.

I don't like it when celebs or non-celebs self-diagnose themselves with ASD and say that they have ASD.

It is difficult to get an adult diagnosis in the United States for Asperger's syndrome (AS) or other autism-spectrum disorders (ASDs). It can be prohibitively costly or require the attention of several diagnosticians over many weeks of months. Outside urban areas, even finding a diagnostician can require some long-distance travel. For some individuals, there are several legal, governmental and professional incentives to avoid getting an official diagnosis. For all these reasons, some individuals (like myself) prefer to self-diagnose researching the matter and/or resort to screening tests.

There is a difference between saying you were diagnosed with ASD and saying you have self-diagnosed yourself with ASD.

As I think about it, why would a celebrity self-diagnose? They, more than many, have the means for a formal diagnosis.

I just don't like people saying that they have ASD when they have not been diagnosed with ASD.