The "what if" kicked in

would it really matter if you did or you didnt a diagnosis is just a piece of paper , if they said you weren't but you had so much lived experience to say you felt compley different would you actually care about their take,

at the end of the day is a condition that you live with in every moment of your life in all the worst ways, its not a Buch of check boxes you pick so you can show off to everyone for attention, you know if you do or you dont have it, the diagnosis is just confirming somthing you already knew or you wouldnt have gone for the diagnosis in the first place.

and tbh if your worried they do give these out to everyone now , so if you do want it if you have any symptoms you will receive it tbh so you will be fine.

If everyone can get the diagnosis just because of having some traits then it's bad. Then Uta Frith is right.

Alien0n3arth said:

If everyone can get the diagnosis just because of having some traits then it's bad

I'm sorry, but I politely disagree. For example, my friend scores as borderline on the AQ test and has some autistic traits. She has some sensory sensitivities which cause her distress in the office where she works, which her employer will not do anything about. If she had an autism diagnosis she could claim that she needed adjustments due to a disability - this would make her life better and wouldn't hurt anyone else.

In the UK most autistic adults get no support after diagnosis, but most employers should be able to make adjustments to help autistic employees. Actually, I feel that all employers should try to adapt to the needs of their employees, autistic or not, but in most cases you need a formal diagnosis for this to happen, just as you do to get the letter saying you don't need to drive as part of your job. So I cannot see anything "bad" about being diagnosed because of having some traits.

Ok, sorry I misunderstood,  now I get what you mean by borderline case.

I'm absolutely sure that I do have some condition that affects my whole life, so if it's not autism, then I want to know, what and I'm gonna ask the diagnostician. 

Ah! I think I may have explained myself incorrectly. “Borderline” is probably not the best term for me to use, since that could be easily misinterpreted as referencing BPD. I was meaning to say that I was diagnosed as being between Autistic and not Autistic. I was on the border of that.

So my advice is that if the assessor states that you are just barely qualifying for being Autistic, you could suggest that they lean more towards not giving you the diagnosis in that case.

You are absolutely correct though, BPD and Autism can be comorbid. You are also correct that it seems like there is a weird tendency for diagnosticians to diagnose one or the other (I find that especially interesting that it seems to be a trend with women in particular…)

You can have both- autism and borderline,  I don't know why the diagnosticians rule out one since they find the other. They can and often do coexist and ND people are even more likely to develop various comorbid conditions than NTs. Of course I don't know if you have BPD or was that diagnostician wrong.

There are various views, some emphasise more tge struggles, others- the super powers, some say that autism is a disability,  others say its just a difference. The fact is that it's a diagnosis- diagnosis is being given to someone having a condition that affects their health/functioning/wellbeing. It shouldnt be given to everyone,  then it would lose its point. The struggles snd the super power often co exist. People just prefer to view it from different angles.

Alien0n3arth said:

If I'm not autistic,  then I don't want this diagnosis. I'm done being misdiagnosed and falsely treated in the past.

That’s totally fair and reasonable. How about this: What if you make it clear to your assessor how you feel? You could even say that if they find that you’re borderline, to lean more towards declining it. That’s not what I would do personally, but maybe that would make you feel even more assured about it if/when you get a positive diagnosis?

I’m not certain that’s the best advice, but I think it’s at least worth a thought.

By saying "some traits" I mean some traits that are insignificant (don't cause struggle). I'm absolutely not saying, that someone deserves or does not deserve the diagnosis,  I'm not a diagnostician. But as stated above "everyone can get the diagnosis"... it triggered me somehow. Because unfortunately I'm not like everyone and it caused me a lot of trouble in my life. 

There are also people who show some of the autistic traits even quite strong, but still are not on the spectrum (primary characteristic of ASD is social communication differences and repetitions). I had a colleague at work, who had to plan everything in advance to minutes, everything perfectly planned and scheduled. But she communicated absolutely normal. I'm not a diagnostician, but this person is probably not autistic. 

If I'm not autistic,  then I don't want this diagnosis. I'm done being misdiagnosed and falsely treated in the past.

Exactly! The psychologist that diagnosed me even stated that I am so borderline that she almost considered not giving me the diagnosis. What pushed her over the line was my personal testimonies about sensitivities and difficulty with social norms growing up. Does that mean I don’t deserve the diagnosis as much as someone with more definitive traits? I hope not.

If there is an explosion of Autism diagnoses being “handed out,” then it’s likely because there is - and probably always has been - a lot of Autists out there.

Alexa said:

I told him to wear a baseball cap

Whoa… is that why I wear a baseball cap all the time?!

Lotus said:

She has some sensory sensitivities which cause her distress in the office where she works, which her employer will not do anything about.

It's a shame. I did my best for one of my staff who hated bright lights but was not autisitic. I told him to wear a baseball cap or eye shade to work while I fought to have dimmers put in at his end of the office. Managers can do it, but you're right that having a diagnosis increases the chances of getting some help.

Lotus said:

She has some sensory sensitivities which cause her distress in the office where she works, which her employer will not do anything about.

It's a shame. I did my best for one of my staff who hated bright lights but was not autisitic. I told him to wear a baseball cap or eye shade to work while I fought to have dimmers put in at his end of the office. Managers can do it, but you're right that having a diagnosis increases the chances of getting some help.

Alexa said:

I told him to wear a baseball cap

Whoa… is that why I wear a baseball cap all the time?!