Is it even possible for someone to fake autism?

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Listen, why would someone pretend to have it?

I mean, you'd have to know about it before you could even think it's a good idea to fake it.

I still don't get it. Unless you live somewhere where you may be able to get some financial or other benefits out of it (which I don't), what would be the point? It's not like I've gained popularity, financial gain, etc. from those around me finding out I've got Asperger's. At the most, they're mildly interested for a short while and then get bored with it. A bit like my Special Interests.

I just responded to this, but my post disappeared. I'm not writing out the whole thing again, just touching on the main points.

I fake being NT all the time. Thats probably because I wasn't diagnosed until my 40's and by then I had just thought I was weird and had learned how to fit in and act in public and control myself pretty well, so I thought I actually was NT. It's my default setting now.

There are some psych disorders that cause a person to actually develop symptoms of an illness or disease when they are scared they have it or in some cases like pregnancy, wish they had it. Also they can develop them because they are simply sure they do have it and have been told by professionals that they don't have it or they haven't bothered to go to a doctor but do their own research instead. In those cases the mind causes them to develop the subjective symptoms and even some outward signs like a rash or tics, etc. It's imagination that causes it but it's usually not done consciously at all. With something like that, the person would develop all or many of the symptoms that they know about but they wouldn't develop ones that they had never heard of being associated with the particular illness.

As for the person who is well known and accused of faking it, that is Amanda Baggs. I am not accusing her and I don't know nor care if she's faking it or not. It makes no difference to me, I'm only giving her name so the OP can look it up and decide for himself. Whether she is or not, it's in lots of places on the internet and you don't have to search a long time to find it, I'm just giving the information that it's out there. The last time I mentioned her somebody told me I was accusing her, etc and I'm not. She was interviewed on TV by Dr Sanje Gupta and supposedly she was low functioning and unable to really communicate until she was given a computer and she began typing eloquently and explaining in detail all her feelings and such. Other people who claim to have known her in the past said she was perfectly normal or maybe just a little off but certainly not unable to communicate. It's also said that for a while she claimed to have some serious psych illness like schizophrenia or something but that she doesn't have it anymore or maybe never had it, something like that, I can't remember the details. It's easily found on Google, so you'll just have to read it yourself and form your own opinion. Thats the only well known instance I know of where someone either fakes autism or is accused of faking it.

On the flip side of the coin is Jett Travolta, who was John Travolta's son that died a few years back. For years he and his wife claimed that their son wasn't autistic and that he had Kawasaki's disease, but from what I understand anybody who saw the kid knew that something more was going on with him. Thats the only well known instance I know of where it's obvious but denied.

So, thats my two cents on this, and much less wordy than the original post I typed up. I have no clue where it went.

Well...

Yeah, I'm waiting!

I wouldn't wish this on anyone and to think it's something cool and to desire to be like this is just wrong!

If someone does pretend to have it and they don't, well I see that more as an attention seeking thing but what's the point? No one's interested in you anyway. Get used to it - and be natural. Be yourself!

When I was young the concept of whether or not a difficulty was real or fake was common. The diagnosis of "faking it" really meant that I should push myself even harder to do the thing that is very difficult for me to do. This actually is how I have led most of my life. The problem is that it takes so much energy to push myself that it is only a matter of time before I burn out. I'm 38 and just beginning to understand this now, so hopefully you can learn sooner than me to recognize when you are forcing yourself to be something that you do not fully relate to.

If the question of "faking it" is even on your mind, it means you have been taught the importance of pushing through difficult circumstances without completely understanding what makes them so hard. Pushing ourselves can be extremely enjoyable when we are not conflicted about what we choose to do. But if pushing ourselves is painful it means we are trying to be something we do not really want to be to appease those that value our cooperation even more than our authenticity.

Huh?




I'm sure it's easy for people in their impressionable teens to think it's cool to be a smart, mysterious lone wolf - just like on the telly! These characters also often speak their mind very bluntly, which, I think, might be found a desirable trait by the "bookish" kids. Too bad it doesn't really work like that. I'm not saying being autistic doesn't have its occasional perks, but that you simply can't pick your traits.



...But just straight-up pretending to be an aspie, thinking it's somehow neat in itself is something I really don't get.
I have no idea how common this is, but there have always been people pretending to be something they're not. It's just kind of sickening how all kinds of disorders and mental illnesses are being shoved down our throats as being absolutely awesome.

What are you even doing on WP? For you to be here, there must have been some reason.

I guess a person could but why? I'm sure they wouldn't fake clumsiness or social awkwardness. It is painful until you learn self-acceptance.

It's painful even after you've learned self-acceptance.

I've always liked myself. In fact, I think I'm a really nice, decent bloke but the fact that I like myself doesn't mean I don't hate the fact that I can be walking along a perfectly normal, flat surface and still lose my balance. That certain sounds can bring me to my knees and certain smells make me throw up (especially HOT VINEGAR). Bright days and windy days give me migraines.

Who'd fake that? I don't even tell people about half the stuff I suffer. Nobody knows!

What is this supposed to mean?
Who was it directed at?
I am so confused right now.

I really don't know why someone would fake, that's not really what I was asking, which rebbieh pointed out. I'm just talking about going through my whole life up to this point having people tell I was making up (faking) my problems, and I would always wonder, "Am I? What if I really am, and I'm just fooling myself so I can be lazy like they say?"

I would try to ask them the same sort of thing, "Why would I pretend? You really think I want to be like this?" They would tell me it's BS, I just need to try (or pray) harder.

So I still have these kinds of thoughts when it comes to a lot of my behaviors, even though I am indeed diagnosed (technically 3. times), and I over analyze my own behaviors as a result.

By asking this I guess I'm sort of trying to prove to myself that I can't be faking, because if it's not possible to do, then I couldn't do it whether I wanted to or not.

Were you the OP? Let me check...

No, you weren't. Sorry.

Well, I guess it was directed at the OP (don't know)

What's it supposed to mean?

I guess my point is - nobody would end up here on WP unless there was an Autie/Aspie reason to seek it out in the first place.

I mean, if Autism never comes up in your life (as it never does for NT's) you wouldn't even think of Autism and probably not even heard of WP let alone, think of go on the Site and pretend to be an Autie.

One could also be a family member of an autistic person, a friend of an autistic person, or just somebody interested in autism.

One doesn't have to "lie" about being autistic to be a member in good standing on this site.

I guess it more comes down to me thinking I might be faking problems I really don't have just because other autistic people have the same or similar problems. I admit it doesn't really make sense, considering I am diagnosed, so I makes sense that I'd have these problems. But the fact that I obsess over whether or not I'm faking certain behaviors unconsciously isn't exactly logical either, yet I can't seem to not do it.

OP's reasons for posting this thread have been explained already - three times, in fact.
But I was also confused because I was trying to have a conversation with you.

With me? What did you want to say?