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Diagnosis

boopBrownie

Hi

I just found this place. I was diagnosed back in March through the university services and I found it really difficult. There were multiple reasons why, but one of the things that really affected me was the report I had to read about myself.

It felt very harsh. It basically just listed a hundred flaws that I apparently have. There was a short section at the end that referenced "possible benefits of having autism" but all of the very vague ones were things that were either disproved for me personally in previous sections, or ridiculous extremes such as "maybe you'll be as smart as Albert Einstein :)"

I cried quite a bit and felt very disconnected from my friends and peers.

It's still something that I struggle with.

  • in reply to DeSpereaux

    Thank you for sharing such an insightful document. 

  • I was diagnosed around the same time you were- I'm sorry your experience was so negative. Unfortunately the diagnostic criteria being based on 'deficits' means that the reports can make you feel really down on yourself if they're not very carefully worded.

    My own diagnostic report had a strengths section too, but this was very personalised and talked about specific things like my job and my special interests. I think that's a much better approach than an entirely deficit-based report or one that lists strengths of autism generally rather than the individual being diagnosed.

    The book Unmasking Autism (by Devon Price) has a really good chart in it that lists some common autistic strengths, which you may be able to apply to more specific aspects of your own life. It's worth a look, as is the book more generally. There are also some threads on this forum that you can look at to see what other people's strengths are- that might help you to find your own.

  • The benefits of autism should be less-oriented towards super-powers or next-step-in-evolution, and more-oriented towards how one applies and supports the flaws of autism into peaks of ability, I think it’s lazy and reckless for reports to wash their hands of responsibility, under the camouflage of saying ‘you can be anything if your believe’ whilst providing no support.

    The way that you manifest the strengths in autism is transmuting weaknesses into strengths through support. The way to manifest weakness is by vaguely calling autists strong, with no insight or support, and sending them out into the wilderness.

    Here is a list of those flaws reimagined as strengths, sorry for the superpower talk in advance, I simply mean it as a reflective exercise..

    https://xminds.org/resources/documents/web%20files/aspie%20criteria%20by%20attwood.pdf

    Ultimately it’s going to necessary to expose yourself to your interest and thread your interests into where you need to develop, in order to form procedures and behaviours. Seek autism post-diagnosis resources and gain insights as your interest allows, don’t rely on any one resource or person to solve your problem, instead seeks to keep moving with your interest over-time.. This forum too is a resource for exposure..