Make yourself known. Tell the world your name and age. Talk about your diagnosis. Are you self or professionally diagnosed? Do you think self-diagnosis is valid? When did you realize/find out you were autistic? Post a photo of yourself if you’d like.
I’m Oliver. I’m 25. I’m autistic
After a lifetime of feeling different and like I was some sort of freak or losing my mind, I self-diagnosed at 21 after a lot of research. Shortly after that I pressured my mother into letting me see an autism specialist to see if what I suspected was true. It took several months to get into see the doctor and then an additional four appointments that spanned over another several months before I finally, at the age of 22, received the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Realizing I was autistic helped me tremendously. It gave me great insight into myself and gave me a concrete explanation for all of my strange behaviors. No longer do I feel like a failure for things that are out my control.
I believe that a well-researched self-diagnosis is valid. Well-researched being the imperative part here. I’ve seen people claiming they are autistic solely because they fidget or are socially awkward. I think self-diagnosis in adults is especially important as many doctors won’t even evaluate us for autism. By adulthood we are most likely past the point in life where we would actually need a professional diagnosis. Until healthcare is more available to people they cannot be faulted for self-diagnosing.
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