People lying about having autism

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This is my worry too, especially the autism is a superpower narrative, it can have advantages but equally for many the disadvantages are significant. The more the superpower emphasis is pushed the more people are shut down for speaking about the struggles. I fear that narrative can shut out the most vulnerable who need the support of the community.

The perception of a widespread autism wannabe phenomenon causes people to be suspicious that actual autistics are not autistic because they are faking it, or doctors wrongly diagnosed them because autism is way over diagnosed if not a fake disease.

As you may have noticed from my signature I am not a fan of the “superpower” idea.

1. It leads to delusions of grander.

2. It seems like positive but it is dehumanizing. Humans do not have superpowers.

If someone wants to lie about it that's bad enough, but what I hate is when they can't get their freaking story straight. I've encountered people who can't lie to save their lives because their story changes every time you ask, and it never adds up. Heaven forbid you question them or notice all the ridiculous inconsistencies because then you're accused of hurting their feelings or some other crap, when in reality they're the one pulling people by the chain and thinking we aren't supposed to notice.

The joke's on them, because people who are #actuallyautistic notice details whether they try to or not.

Not specifically, and unless someone was caught in an obvious lie I don't think I'd ever accuse someone of faking. At least not to their face. Unless they admit to not fitting the diagnostic criteria or something.

I'll be honest: I like being autistic. It's different. I like being different.
But.
I am also negatively impacted by it. The real life impact truly sucks sometimes. But it's my reality, and I've never been anything else but autistic. So it's hard to imagine being neurotypical.

The only upside to faking autism would be online, and sometimes not even then. Or just the self satisfaction of being like "hey I'm autistic".
Abso-f*cking-lutely agreed that the real life (not online) attention you get over autism is not desirable.

I wouldn't really accuse someone of faking either, but I'll sure as hell call them out for lying if they've lied to me or their story doesn't add up.

Fake it all you want (I suppose), but don't lie and treat people like they're too stupid to notice.

The other thing I hate is when these people suggest they're autistic and I'm not.

(ROFL)

Sure, maybe they are autistic, but don't even think about doubting me given the pages and pages of tests scores and diagnostic reports I've provided for myself ... compared to their NOTHING.

Autistic women are sometimes called fakers because they tend to mask better than males do. I remember at an old workplace, some dude was talking to me, saying that a girl who goes out partying and takes recreational drugs who he knows/knew, was clearly not autistic, despite her new found adult diagnosis.

I challenged that and said that going out partying doesn't necessarily preclude a person having autism, although it does make it more unlikely.

I recently went to a loud gay bar with a dance party and it was actually fun. I'm just as surprised that I didn't get sensory overloaded as much as you probably are. It was really f*****g loud in there.

And yet, same day, earlier in the day, got sensory overloaded multiple times when my companions were chatting. Yes, overloaded by them talking. Even in the next room and not near me.

I think a lot of autistic people who are higher functioning in some ways could manage a gay bar or any loud bar really, at least as a one off occasion. I don't think visiting a place like that means one cannot be autistic. That would be silly.

Yeah, bars can be super loud. I almost never go to them at night, lol.

Some dude on WP once challenged me because I said I really like loud rock concerts.
He thought that if I have misophonia I couldn't like loud music lol.
He also thought I couldn't go to gigs if I have agoraphobia lol.
I guess he doesn't know what misophonia or agoraphobia even are.

Aside from any of those challenges the dude made, I think it is pretty self evident that you are autistic, just based on your posts on the forums, Isabella.

LMAOOOO yup, you could say that again. ^

Level 2 (in some areas L3)
AQ Score 49/50
ADHD - Combined
Monotropism more than 99% of ASD and 100% of NT
Throw a few strokes on top for good measure
And some synaesthesia too

Proof supplied ad nauseam

I'm not saying it's a contest but it's pretty sad when people doubt it


RE: Concerts

Misophonia means difficulty filtering out small sounds, and becoming enraged
There are no small sounds at .... LOUD ROCK CONCERTS

Agoraphobia is a fear of exposure or having a panic attack in an open space
Indoor gigs are not open spaces, and there's no exposure because they're DARK


But duh

Hell, seeking loud music and loud locations could probably fall under sensory seeking behavior in some cases.

True. ^

Anything that can block out small, competing sounds is good with me.

I'd be unable to tolerate sitting outside on a picnic blanket with a transistor radio, but give me the loud music I like in an enclosed dark space, with all other sounds blocked out so I can hyperfocus on just one ....


... PURE BLISS



Getting to and from the venue is more of a terror than being there.
I had to forfeit seeing Weyes Blood in the spring for that reason.
It was a sunny day and I couldn't deal with leaving the house to go downtown.

I haven't encountered any fakers, but all the reasons mentioned in the thread are reasonable ones for a faker: trolling, facetious syndrome, or the occasional fad-following attention-seeker.

Hypochondriacs are another possibility: if you're convinced everything is wrong with you physically why not mentally too?

I have been formally diagnosed, but I don't identify with it the way most people do. With a middle age diagnosis, high-functioning, high-IQ, and iADHD comorbidity I see it as something I have not something I am - like being nearsighted. I don't see autism as all-downside, but definitely a double-edged sword. Unlikely most autistics that have embraced it.

Noise sensitivity is as much about what the noise is then how loud it is.

I belong to an autism support group at the autism services organization I work with. Many of the people in the group have jobs and a life in the outside world, though they all have issues more profound than my own. The group moderator, who has worked with this organization for years, asked a question, I wish I could remember exactly what, but she was definitely trying to evoke positive responses about being autistic. Everyone in the group told her autism sucks and they would rather not be autistic. I think she was surprised, and personally I was flabbergasted that this woman who works among autistic people would think we consider it a gift of sorts. Maybe because we are for the most part high functioning and capable of living independently.