Verified or self-diagnosed Autistic/ADHD badges

I wouldn’t be in favour of that because it could be divisive. It would be like having qualified and unqualified autistic people, which doesn’t make sense as people are either autistic or they aren’t, diagnosis or not.

There are long waiting lists for assessment in some areas and not everyone can afford to pay for a private diagnosis, so people waiting assessment might feel judged. Who is going to vet people and check the paperwork that ‘proves’ a person has been assessed and diagnosed according to NICE guidelines, and what about data protection and rights to anonymity which (correct me if I’m wrong) may be enshrined in law?

I am just in favour of more security, I'm not sure all parts or discussions on the forum should be open to everybody. There are likely to be multiple accounts linked to the same ips. It may become contentious if people are discussing how they got their assessment or what they discussed before their diagnosis. I say this because it may become harder to get an assessment in the first place in future.

Your data is protected by law as per the website GDPR terms you agreed to. 

I understand what you mean and it concerns me. Perhaps I am hyper vigilant at the moment, but I am wondering if some of the occasional posts over the last few months are genuine. I don’t mean people who believe they are autistic and haven’t been assessed, rather the posts that contain media sensationalist traits. I don’t think there is a satisfactory solution for all parties.

There is a forum in Ireland run by one of the big autism charities and it requires people to submit proof of diagnosis or proof they have been referred for assessment. I haven’t used it, but the posts are only available to view if you are allowed admittance and are a user. It doesn’t look like it would have the number of people we have here, and that rather restricts the wide variety of topics of interest. 

pietro_21 said:

I have noticed similarities with several different accounts by posters

I noticed that too. 

I think the forum works well for the majority of people. There are some things that I would never post here, simply because the whole world can see everything and I am the sort of person who likes to keep some aspects of my life private, even from my good friend. Apart from that, I would be concerned that the system would be hacked and our identities disclosed from our email addresses. 

I remember that two forums has been previously suggested, but I think it was more to do with accommodating specific interests. The conversation didn’t lead anywhere. 

pietro_21 said:

I have noticed similarities with several different accounts by posters

I noticed that too. 

I think the forum works well for the majority of people. There are some things that I would never post here, simply because the whole world can see everything and I am the sort of person who likes to keep some aspects of my life private, even from my good friend. Apart from that, I would be concerned that the system would be hacked and our identities disclosed from our email addresses. 

I remember that two forums has been previously suggested, but I think it was more to do with accommodating specific interests. The conversation didn’t lead anywhere.