A lot of new members post here asking if it's a good idea to get a diagnosis - I was one of them when I joined almost 9 years ago. A lot of us older people had no idea that we could be autistic, and so of course in adults it is under diagnosed. I found an NAS article which reports the results of a study which calculated an estimate of how many people are autistic in the UK - both diagnosed and not:
The results suggest that 1.2 million people in the UK are autistic. That's about the same amount as use wheelchairs. Businesses, organisations and employers install ramps, disabled toilets, etc, to assist people in wheelchairs and give them access and inclusion, which of course is the right thing to do. But what is done to assist autistic people?
There is also a lot of discussion in the media recently about possible "over diagnosis" of autism. Why do people think this? Is it because they fear the cost of diagnoses will cause tax rises? I must admit that one of the reasons I haven't pursued a diagnosis is that I know the NHS has limited funds and as I don't need support I feel it's better for those limited resources to be used by those who do need a diagnosis (including those who need it for personal validation)
So, do we increase NHS funds and encourage all those who believe they are autistic to get a formal diagnosis, or would it be better to get society to make some small adjustments to make life more comfortable and accesible for everyone?
If you think society should change practices, what would make your life easier? (Or make it easier for your autistic family member, if you're a relative of an autistic person)
The first thing I would suggest is to stop shops playing music - I went into Superdrug yesterday where music was playing and became anxious and found it difficult to process what the pharmacist was saying - so I left and went to an independent pharmacy where no music was playing, and it was a much easier experience to get what I needed.
What else can organisations do?
