Why do people here assume all ASD diagnoses are correct?

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I'm sick and tired of this attitude. If people can be misdiagnosed with BPD, OCD or ADHD; why the hell can't they be misdiagnosed with ASD? It's like people worship that diagnosis. Whenever I mention that I'm questioning my diagnosis people here think of a million reasons why it's correct. A lot of their arguments are not valid. It's like they think NTs are super humans or something. A lot of my "autistic traits" are traits that my NT mom and sister have as well. Even my super-NT stepsisters have some of those traits.

Autism is a spectrum, and it runs in families. Why wouldn't your family show some autistic-like character traits if you were diagnosed? There is a lot of research, and observations going back to Asperger himself, to note that when someone in a family is diagnosed with ASD, others are likely to have *traces* of it - and that means people who would not qualify for a diagnosis.

There is a category "broad autism phenotype" (BAP) which about 16% of the population arguably fall into (everyone more than one standard deviation above the mean in an autism measure like the AQ Test). There is evidence of a correlation between diagnosed children and the likelihood of parents or siblings being BAP.

There isn't a simple dichotomy of ASD vs NT. Just as the world does not divide up into two neat groups of "tall people" and "short people", so too it doesn't just divide up into pure NTs and pure ASD-types. There are plenty of people with mild autism-like characteristics who do not have, and do not qualify to have, an ASD diagnosis. And they are often the relatives of people who do qualify for a Dx.

So if you are legitimately Dx'd, it is also likely that you have "NT" family members who have some of the same traits that you have.

Oh, I agree. I mean, like one-A-N said it is a sliding scale and there isn't just one archetype for someone who is "autistic" but let's just say I know people who "fished" for the diagnosis for their kids for years until they got one they like. Yeah. I know, it sounds crazy, but when you know someone who is evaluated several times in a short period it's nothing short of fishy.

YES PEOPLE DO WORSHIP THE DIAGNOSIS. It's really weird and crazy but they do. Again, I have seen people both in my personal life and through customers I used to have at my last job who are just this. They are dangerous people and they are harming their child with such behaviour. To them, having an autistic child gives them a reason to receive attention. Don't give it to them! I know one guy who had a lot less problems than me (except that he was very lazy and wouldn't try to get a job that wasn't called Game Stop Employee, and wouldn't learn how to drive because it would take too long) and his mom would lecture me about his difficulties and how many difficulties he had in his life.

Hey, miss [name], why not talk about his accomplishments instead of talking about what he has trouble with? Why not talk about the challenges he overcame instead of just focusing on the ones he already has? Also, miss [name], you shouldn't teach your child how to go on disability and maximize benefits without attempting to teach him how to actually, I don't know, BE AUTONOMOUS. It's not impossible! Oh, by the way, you're talking to someone who has a lot of trouble with social situations, always has, always will, moreso than your son does (which is apparent since he would correct me in public). Oh, and this is relatively minor, but please tell me about how disabled your son is because he has aspergers (after you spent 3 years reevaluating him until you got what you wanted to hear) because I have people in my life with a wide range of disabilities who have proven they are much more capable and much less lazy than what you've raised your son to be.

THIS IS WHAT THEY ARE ACTUALLY LIKE. /rant over

Every time (and I mean EVERY time) I was evaluated for the disorder I got a spectrum disorder. I was evaluated multiple times since my parents didn't believe there was anything wrong with me, and ignored every diagnosis, until I eventually got one as an adult. The final one was kind of like to me, "okay whatever you have this".

I'm not saying that people should be evaluated 3 times in order to "for sure" be diagnosed, but there are certain people who "look" for their kid to be "disabled" and that's just screwed up. And then stuff like THAT happens. ew.

I don't know how people can be misdiagnosed with OCD. OCD is extremely easy to diagnose in my eyes. Anyway, just out of curiosity, if your family members have the same traits as you, why did they randomly select YOU to get diagnosed then? Obviously you must've been displaying traits that were different or more severe than theirs. Secondly, Im sure that all these years you've learned to cope and learn to be more NT by observing others, which makes you second guess your diagnosis. Thirdly, every one displays aspie tendencies (NT's and aspies are both humans after all), but aspies display them more severely that it actually interferes with having a normal life.

Because it's "a spectrum". And now it includes subclinical traits and traits due to other conditions.

I really don't care what label fits the best. I'm neurologically messed up, that's for sure. That's really all I need to know. And I think I was given enough tests and examinations over the years to believe in my being diagnosed as autistic. But it really isn't that important to me. It's not like I MUST be autistic. It just seems most likely.

Appeal to authority. :-p

If you feel like your diagnosis is incorrect you can take online quizzes (take literally every one you can find lol) and stuff to try to explain to your parents that you believe that you should be reevaluated. Evaluation is hella expensive though, so it might not fly with them. Typically if you score low on aspie quizzes you're probably more NT than you thought. If you're like me and score ridiculously high I would pocket my pride and run with it, and build my persona in a way that doesn't have the whole autism thing as a major part. lol (well that IS what I did)

If you're like me, autist but smart, you can also try explaining to them how you can overcome your issues yourself and don't need help (if you feel that way). They might not listen, I know people who have to deal with it, but prove it to them by showing them all the things you can do. It doesn't always work, but regardless, if you actually do a lot you at least have that to prove to everyone else.

i think a lot of people are Misdiagnosed with autism, the diagnoses had grown significantly in just a small amount of time which is very suspicious

It never hurts to get a second opinion, especially when the first opinion is a mere self-diagnosis.

Wait, the guy's self diagnosed? Then what's his problem?

I'm sure that some diagnoses are incorrect, and more in people who go see multiple doctors before they get diagnosis of what they want, like your mother did with you.