Image: Two images almost identical to each other stacked vertically. The top one is the back of a neck of a person wearing a sweater with the tag sticking out. It is captioned “What it looks like”. The bottom image is the exact same image but the sweater’s tag has been replaced with a cactus. It is captioned “What it feels like”.
At least in America, adult-diagnosed autism is something that seems to have been largely ignored until the past few years, and only recently have MH professionals started getting better at diagnosing girls and women, and adults in general. When my therapist suggested I see a specialist for diagnostic testing, we had the hardest time finding a psychiatrist in my area with any autism experience who wasn’t focused on child psychiatry, and the first one wanted $500 out of pocket before even seeing me, as they didn’t accept insurance. I don’t know if that’s standard, but if it is, I can see many people just not following up due to cost restrictions.
Couple that with the fact that DSM-5 and ICD-10 abandoned Asperger’s terminology and favor ASD as a much broader and inclusive term, and it shouldn’t be surprising that many more people today are saying they have it, diagnosed or not.
What is surprising to me is how much pushback I’ve seen in both ND and NT people who never seemed to push back at Asperger’s diagnoses in the past. I’ve heard many neurotypical people from comedians to “influencers” claim autism is just something people say they have without diagnosis because it’s trendy or an excuse for “bad behavior.” In my experience about half of my NT friends and family members just flat out said, “no you’re not,” when I confided my diagnosis, while the other half say they suspected it or are just supportive in general.
What’s worse imo is when the gatekeeping comes from within the ND community, almost like a disdain for people who have been masking well enough to get by while just being considered “eccentric” or “kind of weird.” If someone else says they struggle with some of the same issues as me without having been professionally diagnosed, I should be trying to meet them on that shared experience so we can understand each other better and can live more harmoniously, not ridiculing or judging them. And that exclusiveness/dismissiveness is rampant in these subs, even in this thread for instance. We shouldn’t minimize or reject the experiences of other people when they are just trying to offer connection. To even be offered that opportunity to connect takes an effort in trust, and should be encouraged.