Anonymous #1 16w

Yep, I stopped talking to them outside of family group chats months ago (excluding rare situations like the events that led up to this) and they act like I'm a monster for it. I told them exactly why I stopped talking to them but every time they've brought it up since then they've acted like I'm in the wrong because I'm not listening to them. It's extremely ironic because they haven't listened to me at all

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Anonymous OP 16w

She’s just being plain mean. My mom said things like this and she still doesn’t believe I have a diagnosis and only brings it up in order to insult me. It’s really frustrating.

12

Anonymous OP 16w

If you weighed the pros and cons and even got it done privately then it is your own choice to make, she can go ahead and be concerned and share her point of view obviously, but that’s not what this really seems like. Especially the “validation” comment.

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Anonymous #4 16w

I don’t get your reasoning. Just because someone doesn’t get an official diagnosis doesn’t mean they are not autistic and just because someone has lower support needs or ‘doesn’t seem autistic enough’ for your perception doesn’t mean they don’t struggle with things.

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Anonymous #4 16w

And also someone else’s diagnosis doesn’t mean not take away from your or your brothers diagnosis.

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Anonymous #3 16w

I never said or implied anyone’s diagnosis takes away from anyone else’s. It’s just attention seeking behavior. If you are neurodivergent, cool. But searching for a medical diagnosis for a disability when you are perfectly able to function in society is wrong. Too many people are claiming diagnosed autism as a disability but don’t have any barriers to the economy or society.

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Anonymous #4 16w

I guess I just don’t understand the ‘attention seeking behavior’ part. Getting a diagnosis is good for self discovery and to help individuals decide what is best for them, even if they are higher functioning

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Anonymous #4 16w

I'm not perfectly able to function in society though. My sister has no idea what my life is actually like and if I didn't also have ADHD I would absolutely need a diagnosis for accommodations

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Anonymous #4 16w

I don’t understand how a medical diagnosis for ANY condition is attention seeking. People have said the same thing to me after getting my POTS diagnosis… I’m also autistic and low-needs, myself. I have meltdowns & shutdowns, have struggled with eating foods (it’s so much work & such a big task to make or eat foods, it’s exhausting), and struggle to socialize. However, I’m about to graduate with a M.Ed. and I have a B.S. in Biology. An autism diagnosis helped me understand myself. It’s valid.

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Anonymous #6 16w

Exactly. Getting my diagnosis was so important for me being able to accept myself and get the support I need to function. I was so worried that I was somehow an awful manipulative person like my sisters kept telling me I was, and I didn't feel comfortable believing that I was autistic until I got an official diagnosis because of what the alternative explanation was

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Anonymous #4 16w

this is completely discounting doctors’ ability to do their job. they don’t just hand out diagnoses like candy. the whole point of diagnosing someone with a disability is to identify what’s pervading their ability to live a medically typical life so it can be treated.

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Anonymous #3 16w

You can’t self discover by yourself? Getting a diagnosis for something that is not a burden or disability is silly attention seeking behavior.

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Anonymous #4 16w

Are implying autism isn’t a burden or a disability if you’re lower needs than your brother???? (Who I’m really starting to think is fake bc ain’t no way you’re this fucking ableist to autistic people while having an autistic brother)

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Anonymous #4 16w

just because someone else broke both their legs doesn’t mean a paper cut hurts any less. i just told you doctors don’t hand out diagnoses to people who are not burdened by their disability. that’s not how any of that works, and you really should educate yourself on it for your brother’s sake. you’re being cruel.

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Anonymous #4 16w

You literally can't get an autism diagnosis unless you're disabled by it... That's the whole point of it being a disability

8

Anonymous #4 16w

It is clear that entirely don’t understand the nature of autism spectrum disorder, let alone how debilitating it can be at any levels of the spectrum . I implore you to just simply read the DSM-5 for the first time and read some research articles from APA and affiliated journals… Perhaps read “Life on the Bridge” by Kaelynn Partlow! You could even more easily watch the 2010 film “Temple Grandin” to learn more about how a woman with autism obtained her PhD in Animal Science. ❤️

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Anonymous #6 16w

the dsm can be harmful if people who don’t understand how to use it start with that; i’d recommend other reads more comprehensive to laypeople and not meant as a clinician’s manual first

3

Anonymous OP 16w

no joke, it will not ruin your life or any medical care you may need in the future (source: diagnosed autistic and has received medical care very easily)

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Anonymous #10 16w

But I understand why someone wouldn’t. Especially if they don’t already have another diagnosis. There are protections for a diagnosis too, unfortunately a lot of them have been reduced atm but I have to believe that’s a temporary issue.

4