I guess people envy us!

[Orange Glasses]

I'm not sure what country you're in, but in the U.S. anyway I don't think the government readily gives disability checks to Level 1 ASD if even at all. I've never heard of it anyway. Is that actually a possibility?

I am in the States as well and I agree (assume) that ASD1 would most likely not qualify.

 

[Ella Spell]

I know a psychologist, Dr. Natalie Engelbrecht, in Canada who specializes in adult autism assessments.

I know Natalie as well.

She is a psychotherapist with Master's in Psychology. Her assessments need to be stamped by a medical doctor to be considered valid since she's not a C.Psych.

That's not to deter anyone, but something to consider.

 

[Slim Jim]

@Suzanne My first reaction to this thread is..."Trust me they DONT Envy us!"

What you're talking about. The people claiming to be autistic, that's some kind of sociological fad. Yeah, if they claimed to be aspergers, it would be more credible.

most NT people seem to find comfort and safety in being "normal" or "typical"

I've found this to be very true. The vast majority of people out there don't even understand the condition. But they know enough to know it's not a good thing. Hence the scorn, the abuse, that naturally follows. BTW Lets all Thank Mr. Hoffman! for his wonderful portrayal of Rain Man.

@Ella Spell
I'm sorry to hear about your situation. I hope your recovery continues. And you feel better everyday, more and more. And I hope your daughter is not hassled, I know that people in wheelchairs, do get abuse, stared at, alot. And that can make a person not even want to leave the house.
BTW Getting hit by a car..That Happened to Stephen King...Back in 99.


And regarding myself, I was given a diagnosis against my will. I never seeked one. So I'm not playing the system. If anything. The system played with Me.
BTW if a person breaks off on random tangents, trivia, non sequiturs alot, is that proof of Autism? Asking for a friend.

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

Do you know for sure those people with the handicapped plates are faking it?

Do you know that they are claiming Autism, specifically?

While I agree some people do try to play the system in various ways, and some people promote themselves as having ASD or other issues when they don't, many people do have legitimate invisible disabilities and they are judged harshly for conditions others can't see.

My daughter, for instance, has a wheelchair permit because she has a debilitating, permanent physical disability which people can't see by looking at her. She is often heckled, insulted, or forced to show her personal medical information to parking officials / police despite having her name and address on the permit, which is stamped as Permanent Use with no expiration by medical professionals and the government. Likewise I am recovering from strokes and although I no longer need my walker or cane, I can't walk long distances without face-planting into the concrete because of vertigo. I use my permit to avoid falling down and being struck by a car.

I got a parking disability permit, cannot walk that far, so far nobody has bothered me. Me being autistic is not anybody else's business. I see it as a gift, do not see a line of people wanting to trade places. I refused to use a wheelchair in the hospital having done this twice I guess I'm stubborn. Walker lasted a couple of days when they released me. Walk or be a couch potato.

 

[Stuttermabolur]

Why are you so sure they don't have autism? As has been detailed in this thread, getting a diagnosis as an adult is difficult for most and nearly impossible for some. ASD as an umbrella term covers a very broad range of neurotypes which are connected by a cluster of traits which can be difficult to empirically determine. The behaviour exhibited by people on the spectrum is also affected by people's culture, life experience and social environment (hence the common behavioral differences in women and men on the spectrum).

My ex has bipolar disorder, and after we broke up, a good friend of mine (who is bipolar herself, and has autism) argued with me about whether my ex was really bipolar. This is despite my friend having met her exactly twice (my ex was not in a depressive/manic phase either time) and my ex having been actually diagnosed. I had also been with my girlfriend through numerous depressive and manic episodes, so it felt disrespectful towards me that she wouldn't trust me regarding someone I was very intimate with.

I tend to take people at face value when they discuss their mental health struggles or discoveries. In my view, I don't see the point in disputing people who mention that they have some mental condition. Ultimately, we don't really know their minds/how they think/what they have gone through. People with ASD aren't the only ones who mask or pretend everything is fine around others even when we feel terrible or fake. If you dispute their view and they really are dealing with the condition, it suggests to them that they can't fully trust you, and might make them even more isolated or hide it further, while if they are incorrect I don't really see that much of a harm in believing you are something it turns out you are not. If they seek diagnosis, they should find out sooner or later anyways.

I tend to be very laid back about other people and their opinions anyways, so I hope you take that into account when evaluating my thoughts.

 

[Crossbreed]

So I honestly don't get why people want to be autistic.

Among those people, having a desire to identify as autistic is synonymous with their desire to be unique.

For those that actually do have it, it grants a positive framework from which to view ourselves and our past.

every therapist (psychology studies 3 years + 2 years additional education as a therapist (called: "psychologischer Psychotherapeut") can make an autism diagnosis. it´s not necessary that he/she is an autism specialist and you don´t need to go to an autism competence center, if you need a therapy or diagnosis.

In the USA,
autism-incompetent therapists readily recognize the severe co-morbids of ASD2 & 3, but not ASD1.
Autism-competent therapists seek to preserve the underlying autism while still addressing its co-morbid conditions.

...but in the U.S. anyway I don't think the government readily gives disability checks to Level 1 ASD if even at all. I've never heard of it anyway. Is that actually a possibility?

I got disability because my diagnosis included schizotypal disorder (against my objections) from an autism-incompetent psychologist.

I hate to be negative, but I have seen too much disability fraud from people with handicapped plates on their car...

I do not have a "handicapped parking" tag, nor do I have any reason to seek one out. I can walk just fine.

 

[Fino]

Trans-Autistic, meaning they are transitioning into having a developmental disability which was present at birth?

I have only seen "Trans-Autistic" mean somebody who is both transgender and autistic.

 

[Crossbreed]

it seems to me that there is a really big fake-news "lobby" in america, which spreads much fake news about autism (question is: why?),...

For autism, I do not think that it is deliberately fake news as it is competing theories on its cause and what to do about it.
One camp seeks to cure all autism out of existence.
Another refuses to acknowledge severe co-morbids as being a problem.
(I am of the camp "Autism is good; severe co-morbids are bad.")

 

[Ella Spell]

I have only seen "Trans-Autistic" mean somebody who is both transgender and autistic.

I hope that's what it means.

 

[Ella Spell]

My understanding is she works with a Medical Doctor for this reason.

Oh that's good. Last I spoke to her was during her sabbatical in 2021, and she was thinking about ways to have increased autonomy with diagnoses.

 

[Shaddock]

Thank you, that would be helpful

sry forgot to ask.

 

[Alexej]

I know Natalie as well.

She is a psychotherapist with Master's in Psychology. Her assessments need to be stamped by a medical doctor to be considered valid since she's not a C.Psych.

That's not to deter anyone, but something to consider.

https://embrace-autism.com/
Here is the web site for Natalie

 

[Aneka]

I know a psychologist, Dr. Natalie Engelbrecht, in Canada who specializes in adult autism assessments.

Thank you! But I'm based in Germany. If she does online-assessments, I could not afford it. Anyways, I've reached a point where the clearance of this question is no longer a priority to me. I have reached a new understanding of myself regardless and I no longer see myself as a defect, so whether I'm autistic or not, it doesn't matter, I'm on my way of accepting who I am and understanding why I struggle so much in certain aspects of my life (communication, socialization, relationships)
This forum and the people on it have helped me, too

 

[Aneka]

sry forgot to ask.

No problem

 

[Shaddock]

No problem

I now asked my therapist. he said that every therapist (Psychotherapeut) can make an autism diagnosis. and every medical doctor (Hausarzt und Fachärzte) can do that. (in germany)

 

[Crossbreed]

I now asked my therapist. he said that every therapist (Psychotherapeut) can make an autism diagnosis. and every medical doctor (Hausarzt und Fachärzte) can do that.

That does not mean that they are all equally good at dealing with it.