Autism

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A community for respectful discussion and memes related to autism acceptance. All neurotypes are welcome.

We have created our own instance! Visit Autism Place the following community for more info.

Community:

Values

Acceptance
Openness
Understanding
Equality
Reciprocity
Mutuality
Love

Rules

No abusive, derogatory, or offensive post/comments e.g: racism, sexism, religious hatred, homophobia, gatekeeping, trolling.
Posts must be related to autism, off-topic discussions happen in the matrix chat.
Your posts must include a text body. It doesn't have to be long, it just needs to be descriptive.
Do not request donations.
Be respectful in discussions.
Do not post misinformation.
Mark NSFW content accordingly.
Do not promote Autism Speaks.
General Lemmy World rules.

Encouraged

Open acceptance of all autism levels as a respectable neurotype.
Funny memes.
Respectful venting.
Describe posts of pictures/memes using text in the body for our visually impaired users.
Welcoming and accepting attitudes.
Questions regarding autism.
Questions on confusing situations.
Seeking and sharing support.
Engagement in our community's values.
Expressing a difference of opinion without directly insulting another user.
Please report questionable posts and let the mods deal with it. Chat Room

We have a chat room! Want to engage in dialogue? Come join us at the community's Matrix Chat.

Helpful Resources

Are you seeking education, support groups, and more? Take a look at our list of helpful resources.

founded 1 year ago

MODERATORS

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Questions from a potential autist (lemm.ee)

submitted 4 weeks ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

11 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I haven't been diagnosed with autism. If this question comes across as entitled or ableist, I offer my sincere apology in advance.

My wife thinks I'm autistic. Occasionally I wonder myself.

What is involved in getting a diagnosis?

If a diagnosis is acquired, what is the benefit? AFAIK there is no treatment, right? In fact, based on my reading on Lemmy, there may be downsides to being officially recognized (not due to the individual but due to the responses, especially by bureaucracy).

If I am, the only downside in my life has been being shunned and referred to as weird. Maybe being unsure of how to respond to the loss of those close to me. My career has been excellent because of things related to my apparently unusual personality.

Should I pursue this?

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[–] [email protected] 0 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

the decision of whether or not to pursue an official diagnosis is a pretty personal one. there's a lot of variables, depending on your individual situation, but yeah there's not usually a whole heck of a lot of material benefits if you aren't still in school.

most adults who go for a doctor's diagnosis do so because they value getting that second, professional, opinion on the matter. it can help settle down all that second guessing. but, it isn't strictly necessary. most autistic communities are perfectly fine with self-diagnosis; you can learn the diagnostic criteria yourself and do your own research, and no random doc is gonna know you better than you know yourself.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 weeks ago

It would be nice to know. I'm long out of school, so the only potential real impact on my life is socialization and fortunately I don't need to worry about that too much.