#early early diagnosis

[cookinguptales]

I know this is from a glorified salt advertisement, but you know what, I did need this today.

[five-thousand-loaves-of-bread]

thinking about how both actually autistic advocate & Autism Parent TM get wrong, thinking about how for many, especially born 1990s/early 2000s or earlier, or “even” now, double especially for areas & cultures & countries where autism not well known, (early) autism diagnosis did/do mean doom, but not in “autism inherently bad no hope” way—

but in “diagnosis on medical record mean reason dehumanize you, take away your human rights, take away ability decide for self, forever reason doubt what you say about self, deny you right to learn & education, lock you up in own home or in institutions (and when slightly older, prison), ‘valid’ reason kill you, etc” way.

in “in times & places like that, there zero support & help for autism or even general disability. no help you learn communicate, no help developmental delay, no caregiver respite, no financial help, no therapy, not from government often not even from surrounding” way.

in times & places like this, autism diagnosis, especially if also label “severe” “low functioning,” and intellectual disability diagnosis, was self filling prophecy: call you “never able amount to anything” -> not give support or help to amount to anything -> of course majority never able amount to anything

[zebulontheplanet]

I'm not that other anon asking about self diagnosis, and i'm here to ask about your opinions on formal diagnosis, early to late diagnosis?

My friend's diagnosed earlier and she hates that people online have been saying that's a privilege. I personally agree with her.

Hi! I believe that people online are taking things out of proportion.

Yes, getting diagnosed early in itself is a good thing because anything diagnosed early is good! But it’s not exactly a privilege, I don’t think that’s the right word that people should be using.

Kids cannot consent. They cannot consent to getting a diagnosis, to getting the possibly traumatic therapies that come with having an early autism diagnosis, the abuse, the neglect, the problems with medical staff when you have an early diagnosis, etc.

Privilege is not the right word. Yes, they can feel as if the person is “lucky” for getting a early diagnosis, but privilege isn’t the right word I think.

It’s hard. Cause you’re allowed to be jealous and I think a lot of people don’t realize that. You’re allowed to be jealous and upset you weren’t diagnosed early in life, you’re allowed to wonder and think and act upset, but taking away the experiences of people with early diagnosis because it’s a “privilege” isn’t good.

[91vaults]

So i’m wondering if this is common for AFAB people who end up diagnosed with ADHD

Out of curiosity i went over my school reports from primary school. My grades were pretty decent and I always made progress so that’s unremarkable

Interestingly there was a running theme of “not being able to concentrate” which was a bit surprising because while I remember this being an issue i didn’t know it was significant enough to be remarked upon. I just figured most kids can’t concentrate. It was worse in year one but i seem to improve, tho it still gets mentioned most years

but anyway my point is i was often described as “quiet, polite, well behaved, eager to please and a delight to have in class”

and i figure this must be why many girls/AFAB don’t get diagnosed? I did have an ASD diagnosis (which checks out) but if you’re well behaved, nice, aren’t really struggling acedemically then you’re opposite of the sterotype. Of course no one is going to think your struggling (i hear it’s the same for ASD too) it’s frustrating that rhe sterotype is hyperactive boys which people use to be dismissive . My niece recently got diagnosed with ADHD but i think that’s because her bahavioir issues are really apparent and she’s behined in certain milestones

also apparently in early school years i thought proof reading, spelling editing and punctuation was beneath me 😆

[defectivegembrain]

I think something people don't acknowledge enough though is that people getting diagnosed with autism as adults now are not experiencing what they would have when they were younger but just too late. The public image of autism has changed a lot. When you think oh I could've had this understanding and acceptance earlier on, chances are no you couldn't. Those of us who got diagnosed as kids really often didn't get that. Even in cases where people around us were well meaning. There was not the understanding. It's still lacking of course, but it's changed, in some ways for the better. It is in the same climate that missed lots of people's autism that others grew up with the highly stigmatised label. It hurt us all in different ways.

[neurotypicalabusesurvivor]

Being an early dainosed autistic 2011-2024: 🥰

Being an early dainosed autistic 1993-2003:💀

Being an early diagnosed autistic isn't always a privilege, and late dainosed need to understand that autism stigma was way worse in the 90s then it is now.

[shrikeseams]

.

[five-thousand-loaves-of-bread]

in short, think self diagnosis, after extensive research, is valid.

not everyone have access to medical professionals. not everyone have access to competent quality medical professionals. not everyone can afford. medical trauma & medical neglect exist. misdiagnosis exist. medical racism sexism misogyny. etc.

though. to add some nuance: (i am specifically addressing autism but probably applies to most self diagnosis)

1. sites like tiktok and tumblr provide important lived experience lens that hard to find any other place. often play huge part in journey! but tiktok and tumblr should not be only place you do research for self diagnosis.

further, watching one tiktok or one tumblr post is not enough for self diagnosis. know most people who self diagnose isn’t doing this, but do see some people do this.

2. there are late diagnosed autistic people with higher support needs. there are late diagnosed autistic people who are visibly developmentally disabled but their other I/DD diagnosis covered over their autism. etc.

having said that though. overwhelming majority of autistic who self diagnose who are late diagnosed. have lower support needs, are high masking, less visibly autistic. most of them lived their life in nondisabled neurotypical society, mainstreamed, go to typical school, get job, maybe job after job after job fired quit fired again—often forced to be this way, not given choice. which is all distressing. have grief about not being noticed as autistic earlier.

but. you need to know that there are early diagnosed autistic folks, some of them high support needs and/or nonspeaking minimally speaking, some of them who put in special ed, go to “special” schools, who have high support needs, who can’t or not allowed to live independently, who needs full physical assistance with bADLs, who can’t keep own basic safety, who will never able to hold typical job, etc etc… they are still autistic. just because you have trauma about being late diagnosed late identified doesn’t mean for them early diagnosis is a abuse free blessing.

early diagnosed, visibly developmentally disabled people like these often face the blunt of the violence. they are one of the most marginalized groups in our community.

some late diagnosed autistics hold privilege over some early diagnosed autistics. (note i say some—late diagnosis early diagnosis not monolith experiences.)

3. just because you are, say, autistic, doesn’t mean right this second you should be an autistic advocate, or right this second you’re qualified to. i believe all autistic people have important meaningful thing to say about own experience with autism. but being an advocate involves so much more than that.

being advocate involves constant learning, especially from people more marginalized than you and people not similar to you.

being advocate means constant self reflection, means reflect on own privilege and oppression, means reflect on own internalized ableism internalized racism, etc.

being advocate means learning to decenter self, learning how to hold space for others, learning how to apologize and take accountability.

being advocate means learning how to listen.

being advocate means learning how to take responsibility.

being an advocate means addressing own trauma and not project trauma onto others, especially other more marginalized groups.

being an advocate means acknowledging nuance.

newly realized autistics, newly self diagnosed autistics, newly professionally diagnosed autistics (who didn’t know they autistic before professional diagnosis), they all have important place in autistic community and autistic conversations. but being new to this means you have so much more to learn. and you need to learn how to do more good than harm when share own experience and do own advocacy.

4. there is a world of autism experiences beyond your own. listen to them, too.

with all that said. self diagnosis, after extensive research, is valid.

[bowserplush]

Dang my Autism wasn’t enough now I apparently have ADHD too 😳

[wild-at-mind]

I honestly thought I didn't really have much chest dysphoria (small chested) but it's been several days since I put binding tape on as I had been careless removing it and scabbed the skin, and it feels terrible. I have a day's break every week or so which is just about doable but not this. Good thing my skin is better

[falldogbombsthemoon]

Yall haha, my dad made it so I have wifi access for one hour a day. which I can use from like 14 to 21 german time. So once my mobile data is dead, I will not be active that much ig. So please dont think I'm abandoning yall.

[daechwitamv]

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[popcornoncemore]

I got my formal ADHD diagnosis!!

I was so worried I would get lost in the system, but I was so lucky to get a doctor who wouldn't take no for an answer. Getting diagnosed at 17 when one is a good student and has no history of misbehaving as a child was certainly difficult and at some points I worried I would be shrugged off because I appear to be doing alright from the outside.

But I got my diagnosis which means I can start looking into resources and support!

[alcorian]

i want to know if other people who have psychotic episodes(?) experience this. when i am having or near an episode, i get this... feeling. its hard to describe. a little panicky, maybe? heightened everything. racing thoughts. a kind of singlemindedness, i think?

its the feeling of losing my grip on reality, and it feels really bad.

[doctorweebmd]

well. congrats to me for being diagnosed with ADHD at 31 i guess lol

[neurotypicalabusesurvivor]

What people don't understand about NPD is that NPD people wish they didn't have the condition because it stems from childhood trauma.

I wish my feelings were validated as a kid. That my abuser would take responsibility for there actions and stop gaslighting me about my narc behavior.

They accuse me of not taking responsibility for shit but then they won't take responsibility for how they treated me as a kid. They only take responsibility for stuff that is socially acceptable.

All of this because they could not handle having a autistic kid. They sent me to receive all kinds of services and when I started to have big emotions over it they punished me. Because heaven forbid I not be part of the neurotypical master race.

Also fuck anyone who says a early dainoses is privilege it is not.