Self diagnosis

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I didn't diagnose myself, but my grandma sure did.

Yep!, But, that was the mistake. Savantism is usually restricted to autists. In Kim's case, not so much.

Whats interesting to me is this:

I am self diagnosed at the moment. I believe I have passed muster on the peer confirmation here. I could be wrong, but I haven't been called on anything out of line with a diagnosis.

I also know that waiting on a diagnosis puts me in a different position, but only because I live in NYC and services are available. If I were not, I would have to rely on peer confirmed diagnosis. And, there is a lot of good information here. Even if it's just someone saying, "Nope, this applies to everybody unless this is also going on as well."

But, my diagnosis is for me only. It will not change who I am. It will just finally let me understand me as well as let me finally target areas that need deep work on. And, maybe, just maybe, the few people who have to deal with me on a professional basis (HR stuff) as well as veryfew people on a personal level.

Dangerous? Isn't more dangerous to get a wrong diagnosis from a "professional" be it medical or mental? Oh, if only there were a medical test.




Anything? For it to be legitimate do I need a "professional" to confirm if I am gay?

If you want to be accurately diagnosed, it may help to embrace, rather than hide, any savant skills you have.

Oooh, if I had been diagnosed accurately at age 13 years, I would very likely have been seen as prodigious, though not savant. After all, what NT 13 year old memorizes and studies genealogy, history, law and politics? By the time I was 18 years of age, I was practicing administrative law. As a 54-year-old, however, these are no longer prodigious skills.

That simple statement alone says so much for me as a late in life 'realizer.' All the bad decisions, all the amazing things I could do but fall flat on my ass at the most simple of things. So much lost and time wasted. Failed marriages, families messed up as a result. Two separate careers screwed up. Trying to salvage number three and hoping to switch before it, itself, implodes.....

In terms of autism, the only reason professional confirmation is needed is if you're applying for disability aid. Otherwise, it's very much like the gay analogy. If a person suspects they're gay, and living a gay lifestyle makes them happy (whereas a straight lifestyle makes them miserable) - then that's all that matters. Whether other people truly believe they're gay, or they're just faking it, and not living up to their full 'straight' potential... It's really, really no one else's business.

The only real therapy for autism is basically lifestyle changes anyway. So if living an 'autistic' lifestyle makes you happier than living an 'NT' lifestyle, there's a good chance that's your true nature. And in the case of self-diagnosis, it's assumed that you don't have any severe disability issues, and you're managing to take care of yourself, so I don't see the harm in it.

As for whether family and friends accept your self-diagnosis, it's much like the gay analogy. Some people will be understanding, others will be vehemently antagonistic. You find out who your friends are, and stick with the ones who are compassionate and supportive, rather than opinionated and judgmental.

That is not true. It has many other valuable assets that can be gleaned. HR notifications so that companies can work within individual's issues. Mental health treatment can be altered due to focusing on the real issues.

I am not applying for disability and I can tell you already that there are tangible benefits to the right people knowing.

I am putting this out because it's a very bad idea that people would only do this to get disability. It's a bad, yet easy misconception.

Agreed - sorry, I was lumping all of that into my definition of 'disability aid'. Basically, if you're seeking help of any kind, from official sources, due to disability issues.

And in fact, it's my feeling that if you don't need help in these areas, then by definition you're not autistic, because it's defined as having 'significant impairments' in important areas of functioning. Still, my attitude toward self-diagnosis is that other people know themselves better than I do, and I'm not qualified to make that judgment.

You might be, under the "peer-confirmation" idea. But, I understand your point about finding one's own path to self-identification. I honestly don't care what another individual does to convince himself or herself that he or she is autistic (or not). There are some recommended ways to self-identify, and certain required ways to pursue a diagnosis. But, I have no qualms about anybody claiming that he or she is autistic if they don't have a diagnosis. I did that before my diagnosis. My own experience informed me that many undiagnosed individuals are quite accurate in their suspicions.

I'm glad that I have an official diagnosis.

People often won't take someone seriously without one. This includes family, friends, coworkers, anyone. Even with a diagnosis, it's likely that people will not believe me. But if I need to explain my autism-related behaviors or feelings to others that I know, I think I'm much more likely to get a positive result with a diagnosis. Otherwise I'd just be saying "I think I have autism," which of course no one really believed when I said it in the past. Now I generally am taken seriously by those I've told.

I also need the diagnosis if I want any school or work-related accommodations, to get appropriate therapy or other help, if I need to go on disability, and to inform my doctors in case it may affect medical decisions.

Basically, if I want to do anything to help myself cope with having autism that includes other people, I need a diagnosis. If I were just to do some research and try to help myself, I wouldn't need one.

I am wondering how many people with a self-diagnosis are comfortable disclosing it to others without the backing of a "professional" opinion?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occam%27s_razor
Occam's razor and Gifted Aspie works for me--there is no simpler explanation for many of the things I can do.

One of my gifts is figuring out fixes or workarounds for stuff that doesn't work.

I did for 18 months. Nobody doubted it because, after reading so much research and diagnostic criteria, I could describe in detail my characteristics and co-morbids. Oh, and cite relevant research papers from memory.

Eh, even with a professional diagnosis, there are those who say it's overdiagnosed, and just a fad anyway. Weirdly enough, I had a friend who agreed with my pre-diagnosis suspicion that I had a lot of autistic traits - but after my diagnosis she couldn't accept that I actually had it. I've found that people can be illogical in that way!