"It seems really random..."

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sabby, I think I have had some similar experiences.

If there's a gatekeeper of some sort, he or she often tells me my writing is not normal. I know that. That's one of the things that makes it interesting! I mean, how boring would 'normal' writing be anyway.

When I have an occasion to present my writing directly to members of the general public, like at a (smaller) literary festival, people often like it.

So, what I kind of favor, is being bilingual so to speak. Fine, there's a variety of good writing styles. And the normal-formal is one! I mean, a good straightforward writing style is fine. But other styles are fine, too. I also like using a pen name (it gives me more confidence in taking risks.)

And for another example, a good screenplay is often meaty, substantial where not everything is said (again, how boring would that be?).

I disagreed that people should have to qualify "I think I have autism" instead of saying "I do have autism."

This probably means I am seriously hung up on semantics and should just walk away. I am sorry about that.

Please explain the harm caused by this potentially wrong self diagnosis. How is it more hamrful and pervasive that a potentially wrong diagnosis from a 'professional'? I do not understand the underlying distrust or skepticism of self diagnosising. Even if someone gets the label incorrect, they are recognising something in themselves that isn't 'normal' and are looking for an answer. A dx of Aspergers' does not grant one instant disability payments, any sort of routine prescriptions with potential for abuse or any sort of social understanding or sympathy. Even if they get the label wrong, do these people not deserve some understanding and support?

Please explain what is lost, damaged or otherwise undermined when someone self dx's.

I think I see what littlelily613 is saying. I came here to try and understand the experiences people on the spectrum have to see if they related to my own experiences. Just like Verdandi said, there are a lot of people here who want to make a logical, informed decision as opposed to a "gut instinct" one. We want to do the research, so we come here and various other places.

To me, WrongPlanet is a community for support, but it is also one for education. So many threads here aren't just for help dealing with AS. Many people come here looking for answers. There's always some new "do I have AS?" or "does anyone experience this?" threads because of the huge number of people here not looking for help and community so much as looking for answers.

I'm one of those people. There are only so many books to read (and so much money to spend on books) and so many websites to visit. I joined this community to fill the gaps and put aside the lingering doubts by finding other people like me. And one of the first things I do when I read an experience similar to mine is check out their profile page to see if they're diagnosed or not. I'm not saying I discount people who aren't diagnosed or are self diagnosed, but to me the difference is like reading a Wikipedia article or an encyclopedia one. Both are prone to errors, but one has more "professional" weight than the other.

I think it would bother me a bit if someone who was undiagnosed said they were officially diagnosed. If I looked to a person, thinking they were diagnosed, whose experiences matched mine only to find out that we were both suffering from some alternate condition, I would be a bit upset. It's misinformation. It's misleading. And it DOES give people a skewed view of what AS is.

I don't think it's wrong to say you have AS as opposed to thinking you have AS. It really is a matter of semantics and personal opinion on the validity of professional opinions. Self-diagnosis is self-diagnosis. It's like DIY car repairs. Some people can repair cars without ever having worked in an auto shop. The information is out there. But if your car breaks down are you going to call a shop or someone off Craig's list?

It's not about the individual. It's perfectly fine to go take a wrench to your own automobile and be your own auto mechanic all your life. People shouldn't be afraid to get into your car just because you replace your own transmission. And you can give all your neighbors advice on how to fix their cars. But you shouldn't pass yourself off as a trained auto mechanic when you're not.