Why lists of famous autistics who were never diagnosed?

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SSmith44
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02 Apr 2016, 8:42 pm

Why are there lists of famous autistics online about people who were never tested?
I've seen people like Elvis and Marilyn Monroe on lists of autistic people. Why would they say those people?



TheAP
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02 Apr 2016, 8:46 pm

It's sometimes fun to speculate about who might have autism based on their traits. Though of course it's not always accurate.



EzraS
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03 Apr 2016, 3:10 am

I think in some cases because some people want autism seen as something special. Look at all the famous talented people who supposedly have/had it kind of thing.



Yigeren
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03 Apr 2016, 3:54 am

In my opinion, to make people feel better about having autism. So that they can say "Well, you know, Einstein was autistic." I think it's pointless speculation but people are free to speculate.



Chichikov
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03 Apr 2016, 5:49 am

The other thing about those lists is that they always have a curious omission



Yigeren
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03 Apr 2016, 7:45 am

Yes, I think Hitler was likely autistic. But to me, it doesn't matter. It's not as if all autistic people are the same. He was severely abused in childhood and had a lot of bad experiences. Without them, he'd probably have been a harmless wannabe artist with no friends.

The guy had serious issues. I think the autism made him feel like an outcast, and he found that he could rile people up with his speeches. He became obsessed with these ideas about cleansing the world of Jews and other "undesirables." He probably secretly hated Jews because it was suspected that his real father was a Jew. So self-hatred in a sense.

Just a really screwed up guy who was responsible for the deaths of millions, who just happened to be autistic.



Fnord
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03 Apr 2016, 8:38 am

On the one hand, it's because some people want to feel 'special' about having autism, so they pick a bunch of talented, popular people and claim that they have autism too.

"These special people have autism! I have autism too! I'm also special!"

On the other hand, some people want to say bad things about autistics, so they pick a bunch of unpopular criminal types and claim that they all have autism.

"These losers have autism. You have autism too. You're also a loser!"

On the gripping hand, the people making these lists are probably not qualified to diagnose anyone - especially those they've never personally known - and may even be self-diagnosed poseurs themselves.

So when you see a list of "Famous People With Autism", check out the credentials of those who compiled the list. Chances are that no appropriately-trained and licensed mental-health professional would ever 'diagnose' someone without at least one personal interview.


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ASPartOfMe
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03 Apr 2016, 12:06 pm

Fnord wrote:

On the gripping hand, the people making these lists are probably not qualified to diagnose anyone - especially those they've never personally known - and may even be self-diagnosed poseurs themselves


Such autism authorities as Tony Attwood, Oliver Sacks, Uta Frith, and Simon Baron Cohen have retro diagnosed dead people.
Retrospective diagnoses of Autism - Wikipedia

While some amateurs do it for fun or because autism is a special interest there is a large element of overcompensating while trying to get self esteem after bieng abused for their entire life. Genius by association.


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