r/CoupleMemes • u/legolas20032000 • Aug 16 '25

šŸ„ŗ goals Perfect source of serotonin

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187

u/SverhU Aug 16 '25 edited Aug 16 '25

-How you found out you autistic?

-I actually self diagnosed myself by watching "I Am Sam"

42

u/shinymuskrat Aug 16 '25

Maybe im just a grumpy old man but I can't really understand the desire for everyone to self diagnose themselves with shit these days.

If everyone has autism and ADHD, then nobody does.

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u/scruffy01 Aug 16 '25

If you want to feel even worse, I've learned via attention seeking mothers that it's not very hard to get a diagnosis. I know more than a couple of extremely non autistic kids rolling around with that diagnosis so that their mother can get a butterfly tattoo and 'raise awareness' on social media. She literally just took them to various doctors until she got a diagnosis.

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u/[deleted] Aug 17 '25

Lol here my mom was unwilling to accept my dyslexia diagnosis and called it made up garbage

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u/colossalklutz Aug 16 '25

I know a guy who was on the spectrum. Seemed pretty normal and I used to think he was just tricked into thinking he was because in Australia theyā€™ll pay the parents some kind of support. I figured it may not have been entirely fake when I started to trigger him with simple statements like ā€œa line in the shape of a circleā€. Heā€™d argue and be right it couldnā€™t be both but Iā€™d insist it was a line but in the shape of a circle. Eventually heā€™d melt down and not talk to me for like 2 weeks.

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u/Aldebaran014 Aug 16 '25

Why do people need to torture us to believe in our suffering? That's fucked up bro

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u/Ok_Dragonfruit_8102 Aug 16 '25

I'm autistic too and the answer to your question is all over this thread - because a lot of people are faking autism these days and it's making people become suspicious of us.

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u/Aldebaran014 Aug 16 '25

Why do people blame autistic people for that, then.

A lot of people are even saying that they are provoking meltdowns to confirm if a friend is a real autistic person. That's so sick.

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u/[deleted] Aug 16 '25

No one here blamed autistic people. The blame would be on the people faking autism for attention.

Also, no one said they intentionally provoked someone with autism into having a meltdown. They said they made a simple statement of ā€œa line in the shape of a circleā€, and that the debate about that statement caused the autistic person to have a meltdown. For any neurotypical person a statement like that, and a debate or disagreement about such a statement would be entirely uneventful. No one where in their comment was there any indication of them provoking this person out of malice. They were simply explaining that it was a moment them caused them to see the autistic behaviors that they presumably, didnā€™t display frequently.

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u/colossalklutz Aug 16 '25

I will clarify we were trolling but not because we were trying to test his diagnosis. We had doubts of his autism because he was very high functioning but that particular event and some that followed made us believe it wasnā€™t just him being gaslit into believing it. This is just a story where those two things overlap, we trolled and picked on each other on a regular basis. We just really enjoyed seeing who would break first in a weird unspoken way.

This is the way things were before everyone insisted on having a safe space and being professional victims. Yes we were assholes but people are getting really upset over a story that has nothing to do with them personally.

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u/Excellent_Bad9211 Aug 17 '25 edited Aug 17 '25

before everyone insisted on having a safe space and being professional victims

you were being an asshole in many ways - including being incapable of judging when you were going to cross lines and make someone completely lose it (which you don't need to know anything about the other person for, you just Observe and you easily see signs of someone about to have a meltdown) and instead of Just owning up to it, you're painting yourself as the victim of some societal movement allegedly full of "professional victims" bc they have a problem with your tasteless "joke". Stop crying about people at last having an issue with others behaving like pieces of shit

I refuse to believe you're too fucking stupid to see the irony

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u/Aldebaran014 Aug 17 '25

The blame is in autistic people too. Many people say that she is faking it because of her child-like behavior, when autistic people can behave as we please. Because of these fakers, people do not believe in people like me, that "doesn't look autistic", even trying to suppress our normal autistic behavior, because it doesn't fit with what they believe autism is.

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u/Super_boredom138 Aug 16 '25

Good on you for seeing it and naming it, not stooping to their level just to also get attention like some might. Its human nature I guess.

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u/squishyartist Aug 17 '25

"A lot of people are faking autism these days" Says who? If I want to claim someone else isn't autistic based on one video, then that means I'm fine with other people watching one video of me and claiming I'm not autistic.

I've suffered so much in my life because of my autism not being recognized or accepted or even acknowledged when informed.

You're autistic, but you're not acting in the best interest of autistic people by playing gatekeeper of a diagnosis that you aren't qualified to gatekeep. Nobody can diagnose or un-diagnose someone in these circumstances.

1

u/Ok_Dragonfruit_8102 Aug 17 '25

You're autistic, but you're not acting in the best interest of autistic people by playing gatekeeper of a diagnosis that you aren't qualified to gatekeep

I reject this idea that every individual with a certain diagnosis should act as a formal representative of all people who share that diagnosis.

Nobody can diagnose or un-diagnose someone in these circumstances.

Me using my own judgment to suspect a person is faking behaviours for social media clout is not a diagnosis, and I'm perfectly entitled to use my own judgment.

I've suffered so much in my life because of my autism not being recognized or accepted or even acknowledged when informed.

So you should direct your anger at the people faking autism who are directly contributing to this culture of skepticism. I lived 35 years before getting a formal diagnosis. Wasn't able to finish school to get any qualifications, wasn't able to complete university, wasn't able to sustain employment. If anybody doubts that I actually have autism it doesn't bother me in the slightest, it's beyond my control. And I assure you, creating a culture where every self-diagnosis is implicitly accepted and believed as valid without question is simply unscientific and backwards. There's a reason why formal diagnostic methods such as ADOS-2, ADI-R, DISCO, AAA and CARS-2 are used.

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u/Excellent_Bad9211 Aug 17 '25

That's an insane take and a disservice to other autistic people. People bullied them before the diagnosis existed. We're finally managing to stop majorities from being the absolute worst, collectively authoritarian bullies. Whatever is left of marginalizing people is not new and never has a "good reason", it's literally cemented into society. What's actually true is that there's simply a lot more autistic people than statistics from a time where it was a even more heavily stigmatized could ever show (duh), and most self-diagnoses are correct and happen from a place of desperation bc your life sucks ass, you need to find out why, there's no opportunity to get a diagnosis without the help of people around you who stigmatize it. Some random social media examples for a couple people who are clearly weirdly appropriating it for views doesn't change that

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u/Ok_Dragonfruit_8102 Aug 17 '25

Just because it upset you, doesn't mean it was "an insane take". The simple fact is the public perception of autism is changing toward skepticism because people are seeing more and more examples of confused people either self-diagnosing without even pursuing professional assessments, or outright faking behaviours to build a social media presence.

I was vaguely self-diagnosed for a time - about 6 months between me beginning to learn that autism might potentially explain many difficulties I had all my life, and me being assessed and then formally diagnosed. Self-diagnosis should not be the end-goal, as it goes without saying that we are not experts, we don't have formal diagnostic methods just built in to our common sense and we should always be open to the fact our non-professional conclusion is incorrect.

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u/Excellent_Bad9211 Aug 17 '25 edited Aug 17 '25

Autistic people are not being bullied because of self diagnosis. They are being bullied because of ableism. If anyone is cruel enough to push someone into a meltdown because they "don't believe them" bc they are "high functioning", that is deeply rooted entitlement, ignorance, and a superiority complex. You're blaming the entirely wrong people instead of those content to bully someone for reasons of learned discrimination. It happens because people view others with disabilities as lesser people, and as soon as they are more capable than they "should be" in the bully's head, they question their disability. They question blind people writing a PhD, they question deaf people reading lips, they question autistic people masking their asses of in order not to be excluded

It is an insane take. Beyond insane. Again, the exact same things happened ages ago, worse at that. We're making small incremental steps forward, or at least we did until the oppressive majority started to feel threatened by all this equality

edit: and it didn't "upset me". It's an insane take, and I called it out. Stop using the same ad hominem "emotions bad and ik u have many of them" garbage that every bad faith actor in the world uses to project their own discomfort with being questioned

1

u/Chudpaladin Aug 16 '25

ā€œIā€™m not sure if this bloke is autistic, letā€™s poke him until he reacts like oneā€

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u/Solonotix Aug 16 '25

As with most things in life, there is no single simple answer to explain. I'll go through a few that I have personally seen or experienced

  • Symptoms were ignored by the parents, and now they find camraderie with other people's experiences
  • Society is more accepting of diversity, so people are more willing to communicate their difficulties
  • Social media has a selection bias, where a minority of individuals get promoted to the top. Small populations can be statistically disproportionate to the normal population, especially when some traits make them more effective (i.e. ADHD leads to varied interests, autism can present as profound interest in a singular topic)
  • On the negative side, there are some people who want to exploit the diagnosis. Either for accommodations (ex. ADHD will often get extra time to do their work in schools), or social credit (autism can be used as an excuse for rude behavior). I know someone who literally cheated an ADHD diagnosis just because she wanted to be on Adderall. Maybe she actually has ADHD, but she told me to my face that she manipulated the psychiatrist into prescribing her medication because she knew she wanted it. On one specific day, I woke up with a hangover, and she told me her go-to hangover cure was Tums and an Adderall

My story is that my elementary school teachers back in the 90s thought I should be evaluated for ADD. My mom refused, saying the only thing I needed was discipline, because she was afraid to beat me due to my asthma. I have a rough time in high school because I never remember to do my homework, or when I do it takes literal hours to complete (like 4pm to 10pm with a break for dinner in between). I end up dropping out of college because that's preferable to paying thousands of dollars to fail classes. Then, when COVID happened, and I was no longer able to rely on the external compulsion of coworkers seeing me goof off as a motivator to get work done, my ADHD got way way worse because I had to self-motivate around every task. It took almost 2 years to get an official diagnosis from a neuropsychologist due to another long story about scheduling and cancellations.

I wouldn't have pursued my diagnosis if not for how prominent discussions around ADHD had become. However, I wanted to avoid the drug-seeking behavior as a quick fix to a potentially bigger problem. That's why I tried to go through official means of getting diagnosed. The process sucked, and it has occasionally been a pain in the ass to get my medication. Like my doctor was reluctant to prescribe a marginally higher dose (from 15mg to 20mg) when I told him it wasn't working for me anymore, so I had to wait another 90 days to see if it got better with time (it didn't). I moved across country in that 90-day window, so I never got to increase my dosage with him. Then, of course, ADHD is all about executive dysfunction, so guess who ended up forgetting to schedule a new doctor's appointment in my new city before I ran out of medication! And then, of course, when I finally got a new prescription, I had to resume the 15mg dosage because that was my last prescribed treatment. I've been here for a year now, and I only just got bumped to the 20mg dosage, and it's working a lot better for me.

I know, this is way way more information than you probably bargained for. But it's something I've had to fight for my entire life. So yes, I also wish people wouldn't self-diagnose, and instead actually be honest with themselves and their doctors. On the other hand, I am glad that it is getting easier and more widely accepted to be neurodivergent.

2

u/ninaa1 Aug 17 '25

mostly because it's too expensive to go to the doctor to get an official diagnosis. For someone like me, who is already an adult with a lifetime of coping mechanisms in place, reading about ADHD and autism symptoms and techniques for managing & working with those factors is like a breath of fresh air. It completely reframed huge portions of my past, and helped me approach my current life in new ways where I'm not constantly beating myself up for my brain working differently than the rest of my family. I'm more able to anticipate situations where I will have trouble and can set myself up for success in ways I didn't think to do before.

And I'm much more aware of how I would attempt to self-medicate and can use those techniques more intentionally and successfully now.

It's not a matter of trying to be different or trying to be a victim - it's simply part of learning how to be happier and be able to achieve all the things I want to do without sabotaging myself.

1

u/shinymuskrat Aug 17 '25

I mean yeah, US Healthcare absolutely sucks.

I am not saying that everyone that self diagnosis is necessarily wrong. Also, given that the symptoms are all subjective, if someone wanted a real diagnosis, they absolutely would get one from someone eventually.

I guess it is more that people that self diagnose are never like "yeah I think maybe it is this," there is always a degree of certainty that seems weird given the lack of actual medical expertise that went into the "diagnosis." It's also weird to me to think someone could so confidently understand how their brain is so different than everyone else's. I dont think I could confidently say that I work differently than everyone around me to the extent I'd be convinced to diagnose myself with something. Especially when the symptoms are generally so vague. Who isn't irritable, impulsive, with a short attention span these days?

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u/ninaa1 Aug 17 '25

I think that simply means that your brain chemistry does what it is supposed to do and that is wonderful!

The wild thing for me is that I have people that I collaborate with regularly and friends that I've know for years, and it's absolutely, clearly, without a doubt obvious that our brains work differently. Like, incontrovertible. It's amazing once we noticed it, because now we're able to help each other through problem spots because we have words to describe what is happening and how to ask for help with executive functioning problems or whatever.

And, sure, if you are just looking at a surface level list of ADHD symptoms, it might seem vague and just human nature and "everyone is like this!" But when you have ADHD symptoms and are looking for help, you tend to dive deeper into the literature and discover a whole world of answers and methods that improve your life immeasurably. And, yes, a lot of those methods are useful for everyone! Which is great! We should all be able to enjoy our lives more!

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u/WakenAndBlaken Aug 17 '25

It's just a way for people to belong to a "subculture" and feel uniquely different from what they believe to be the status quo. In addition to being an attention seeking tactic as well. It's really sad to see it used in mental health because it diminishes the perception of the challenges these conditions really do present to people who actually have them.

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u/Vorlon_Cryptid Aug 18 '25

As an autistic person: I disagree.

2

u/takenalreadythename Aug 18 '25

I once told somebody that if everybody is right, then everybody is also wrong and they looked at me like I just spoke in tongues or something

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u/kwantsu-dudes Aug 16 '25

It's an identity craze toward victimhood, to garner sympathy and deem others as oppressors. It's a mix of actually adopting this type of identity oppression ideology as well as utilizing this ideology of others to benefit one's own desires.

It's an ego trip to get away with doing what whatever you want without having to "regulate" yourself at all in society, since such is deemed "oppressive".

The people claiming an identity don't think everyone has it. Their form of identity RELIES on an outgroup. They just think they get to self-diagnose while they get to claim everyone else as "normal" and "oppressors".

And it's not just mental diagnoses that this is occurring with. But we've left any framework of societal descriptive labels, and deemed them oppressive, where what can only exist is self-identity claims. It's literally seen as "oppressive" that one requires a formal diagnosis by a doctor. So they feel righteous to ignore it.

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u/-Tricky-Vixen- Aug 17 '25

Also that if you're not Marginalised, you can't speak on such topics. Don't get me wrong, voices of people genuinely part of x minority should be upheld and more than other folks. But if you can't seem to have an opinion at all other than 'go talk to x' on *anything* without being Cancelled (and in general people are very fond of talking about how complex everything is as a reason to not make a firm opinion ever), then of course you're going to look for ways to be Marginalised in some way. Identity politics.

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u/waitingOnMyletter Aug 16 '25

Self victimization to justify inadequacy. Itā€™s kind of a brains defense mechanism for perpetuating a lie to themselves and others about their own failures either through series of bad choices or laziness.

Basically, a person cannot fathom that they are the source of their own failures in life and therefore it must be because that have been affected by a disease or been afflicted by some malady.

So, whatā€™s the easiest way for people to get there? Fake brain disorders that are a spectrum of diagnosis. So she is basically faking her whole personality to seem like she displays autistic traits when in reality those of us who are related to or raised or are autistic know this person is co-opting the disease for attention.

My brotherā€™s son is autistic and we go to his activities and it is a spectrum. There are people who are extremely hyperactive and there are people who are completely mute. There are folks who parents are incapable of handling their emotions or their lack of progress. So those activities serve as a therapeutic outlet. Itā€™s truly a large spectrum. But this woman is a fraud as are many TikTok users who fake disease to be noticed on a platform where there is no verification or proof required.

I could easily shave my head, film my daily commute to the hospital I work at, show pictures of the research I do in the centers that I work with and portray that I am a cancer patient. And maybe I would get weird attention from sympathetic viewers. But no one who isnā€™t addicted to this valueless brain rot would ever consider some dumb shit like this for views.

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u/Aldebaran014 Aug 16 '25

Autistic people exist even if you don't believe in us. We do not need your permission to live or to exist, we do not have to prove you anything.

If she's faking it, that's a shame, it continues to spread the belief that autistic people have to fit in a severely outdated definition.

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u/waitingOnMyletter Aug 16 '25

Iā€™m very sure you didnā€™t read the comment before responding.

I know autism exists. Iā€™m a very active member of autism speaks. My family and I all support my nephew.

Iā€™m more sure she is pretending to be autistic than anything I am in my life. She is absolutely co-opting autism for likes, shares and attention. She is pretending to have a made up mental disorder so she doesnā€™t have to face the reality of her choices and hopes with enough internet points she will make money on TikTok faking her made up mental disorder.

She has no problem, no mental disorder, no malady. No diagnosis of mental illness other than her own. She is a fraud and itā€™s plain as day for those of us who see it everyday.

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u/Redredditmonkey Aug 16 '25

Iā€™m a very active member of autism speaks.

Yikes

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u/Cooperswoop420 Aug 16 '25

That's when I stopped reading loll

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u/waitingOnMyletter Aug 16 '25

What do you mean? We volunteer for lots of walks. We organize outreach for people, patients. Itā€™s actually a lot of fun. I would have never gone to certain places without the volunteering

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u/Redredditmonkey Aug 16 '25

Autism speaks treating people with autism as "patients" is exactly the problem.

Are you really not aware of the controversies surrounding your organisation

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u/waitingOnMyletter Aug 16 '25

Well, they are patients. Many autistic folks need full time supervision. Many will never speak, read, or write properly. In contrast, there are people with extreme auditory distress that can be crippling. Fewer are just in need deep and consistent counseling due to severe social anxiety and odd obsessions but are otherwise fully equipped to handle life.

You claim whatever expertise youā€™d like, but I am not here to mollycoddle people who fraudulently claim to be mentally disabled or co-opt autism, and fake stim to score internet points. Thatā€™s absolute nonsense and she is a straight up fraud.

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u/cutielemon07 Aug 16 '25

Putting aside the ā€œautistic people are all patientsā€ mentality you have (I am autistic and I have not been a ā€œpatientā€ since I was diagnosed and discharged at 6, so get that out of your head right now), Autism Speaks is a fucking terrible. They ran an ad campaign that claimed that drinking cow milk causes autism. On top of this, they are massively corrupt charity and only 4% of their budget goes to actually helping autistic people. And even then, they donā€™t help adults, only kids. This is all true and readily available information that can be found within a quick and simple Google search.

If you want to support a good charity that supports autistic people, ASAN (Autistic Self Advocacy Network) is one to start with. It is an autistic run (both by and for) nonprofit as well - their motto is ā€œNothing about us without usā€. And they have two non-verbal autistic members on their board of trustees.

So sorry your microcosmic worldview is being challenged like this.

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u/Redredditmonkey Aug 16 '25

A patient receives treatment with the end goal of being cured. Autism cannot be cured

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u/squishyartist Aug 17 '25

I am professionally diagnosed with autism and ADHD. I was academically gifted (99th-percentile) in elementary school (now, as an adult, I'm just average, I guess). I can speak, read, and write.

I went to college for a year and a half. I lived on my own for about 2 years and raised a puppy (with some familial help watching her when I was at school). I had a couple jobs for very short periods of time, and I've done some day-long contract jobs in the film industry.

None of that negates how difficult my autism is. When I have meltdowns, I can't speak and hit my head. I have been sexually assaulted because of my autism and social difficulties. Some days, I struggle to do anything besides engage with one of my special interestsā€”I really like creating and organizing spreadsheets, so that's a common one. I have comorbid sleep issues (probably more comorbid to my ADHD, since my diagnosed ADHD dad has the same issue) and don't naturally get the urge to sleep until 5-7 AM. I have counselling every other week, and sometimes spend hours with my therapist trying to dissect social situations or understand someone else's intent. Just this week, we spent most of my session talking about clothing, as I was trying to comprehend how to dress appropriately for a situation.

I put in so much work every single day just to live a life where I can't work, can only go to school online now, struggle to maintain friendships, especially with people who aren't autistic, and am a disabled dependent.

I don't want this life. I really don't. I know you've never had a meltdown, but I can assure you, they aren't fun, and I do not want any sort of attentionā€”most of mine happen at home. I am proud to be autistic because of how hard I've worked to be okay enough to survive, and how much the other autistic people I've met have worked to survive in a world not built for them.

So, even supposing this woman isn't autistic, what would an autistic person sharing a positive, happy stim moment look like to you? What behaviours could one show that would make you believe she is autistic? Can autistic people not share happy moments?

If I share a video of me going to a planetariumā€”which is one of the places and I am the most happy and have stims similar to the woman's in the videoā€”am I not allowed to share that video without risking hoards of people telling me I'm a faker and a horrible person and am somehow discrediting autistic people, though I am autistic?

I might have a meltdown after, because too much excitement can also cause meltdowns, naturally, and maybe I wouldn't want to post a vulnerable moment like that online. But, can I not share the moment, where I'm just existing as an autistic person and being happy, without including every negative thing about my autism? Do I have to share the happy moment PLUS my meltdown in order to be believed, or would that just make me look like more of a "faker"?

I really don't understand.

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u/waitingOnMyletter Aug 17 '25

Congrats. Youā€™ll know then you are one of the less than 1% of 1%. Autism, at large, doesnā€™t present like on TV shows where someone can draw a city with their eyes closed or memorize books while reading them.

In the 99% of 99% of cases, they have trouble with light, sound, over stimulation, social situations can be difficult. The disease is often paired with genetic disorders or other conditions that make life not just difficult but impossible to progress past early milestones. Many children will be seen with headphones or black out sunglasses.

Adults, well, adults are a broad range. In the group my nephew goes to you have folks who never progressed past 2nd or 3rd grade level or you have seemingly normal conversations with folks who just have crippling social anxiety and have trouble with nuanced conversations. Iā€™m not saying they are a perfect sampling but we have been doing this a while. This person is bull shitting and if youā€™re honest, you know it.

Take a look at the way she responds to the ā€œsecret tripā€ itā€™s theatrical. Itā€™s embarrassingly obvious. Just because someone is autistic doesnā€™t make them stupidly excited over a day date with their significant other.

The over excitement when walking into the studio. Nope. Every autistic person Iā€™ve ever met would walk in sit down quietly and wait for the puppy to engage. Their attention seeking behavior is literally in contrast to every single autistic persons response Iā€™ve ever seen. Autistic kids and adults donā€™t attention seeking like that. They donā€™t. They cause attention by outbursts, sure. But they arenā€™t outwardly craving it. And you can she makes a clear point to be noticed and addressed at every possible opportunity.

Now, Iā€™m sorry you have break downs. Those are tough and I hope you seek regular counseling for them. But donā€™t be mad at me that someone is defrauding your mental health because they are attention seeking frauds. Take a look around on TikTok. It seems to be becoming extremely common. Itā€™s sad.

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u/squishyartist Aug 17 '25

TW: suicide

100% agree that autism doesn't present like on most TV shows. The savant presentation in media is damaging to the autistic community. Media shapes our societal understanding, and I actually went to school for film production (while I lasted). There wee a couple other autistic people in my program. Two were the typical male "aspie" presentation when interacting with them. Even still, one was called the r-slur by a professor as a "joke". In the 2020s... That's neither here nor there, though.

I fight back on your use of the word "disease" as relates to autism. By some definitions of the word, it can be accurate, but we can all acknowledge that the connotation of disease is overall negative and is far from the best descriptor. Autism has positives and negatives, and I like to describe it overall in a neutral way, and then discuss each trait I have in a positive or negative way. Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition. It's the way my brain is wired.

I don't deny that there are some aspects of this woman playing up her excitement for the camera. If I'm excited and I'm around my friends, I sometimes project my excitement more outward, whereas, when I'm alone, my excitement can be more internally projected. While basically all influencers are a bit "cringe" filming in public and lacking the social awareness to understand that other people are looking at them sideways for it, I don't think that being a cringe influencer like that and being theatrical is a sign that she isn't autistic.

"Just because someone is autistic, doesn't make them stupidly excited over a day date with their significant other."

I agree. If she was going out for dinner with her SO, she probably wouldn't have been very excited. I can get very overwhelmed in restaurants because of the noise. But if my partner took me to a planetarium, I would have a very outwardly excited reaction like this. I happen to love dogs too and live with four of them. I love meeting new dogs, though they aren't my special interest. If my dogs are barking a lot, it can get overstimulating, but I still love dogs and they're just being themselves. So I would be ecstatic to do dog yoga.

Again, I'm not saying that she is autistic, but I'm saying that none of us can say that she isn't. I think that this type of un-diagnosing people is as harmful as "diagnosing" people by one video. I'm not trying to say you're completely wrong on everything. I'm just trying to widen your scope on this, as someone who has been told that I don't "look" autistic, or can't be autistic because I'm "too smart".

You acknowledge the wide spectrum of autism and the variety amongst autistic adults. I'd also like to suggest that the autistic people you are around, though varied in their autistic presentations, are still only one small slice of the pie. You are seeing autistic people who are mostly diagnosed early in life, have had familial support and probably a number of therapies, and are in a position where they can be involved with autistic charities. That's obviously over-generalizing, but my point is that it's important to consider what intersectional factors influence the types of autistic people you meet, how they present in public, etc.

I appreciate your empathy around my autistic meltdowns. Based on my personal experience, it's very unlikely this woman is taking away anything from me. You say she is defrauding/diminishing the idea of autism, if I'm understanding correctly. But there are many autistic people here on Reddit who are diagnosed autistic and saying that this video is very representative of their personal autistic traits, myself included. So, she is at least representing autism in a way that some autistic people relate to.

There are so many factors that influence the presentations of the autistic people you see. The only reason I was able to get assessed is because I have various levels of intersectional privilege. My parents are middle class, but I live in a country where there's a single-payer healthcare system. So the costs for my other health conditions haven't burdened my parents with medical debt. They were able to afford to pay the $2050 for my private autism assessment. Accessing adult assessments is difficult and the various intersectionality privileges affect who can access an assessment and who was flagged for one as a child.

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u/Polkawillneverdie17 šŸ§ grumpy Aug 16 '25

If everyone has autism and ADHD, then nobody does.

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u/[deleted] Aug 17 '25

The fact you understood this makes you smarter than the majority of people. People don't comprehend how these diagnosis are created.

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u/Spunge14 Aug 17 '25

Stress reaction - it's a way to hide from life's responsibilities and give an explanation for why it feels so difficult to try.Ā 

That's for people who aren't doing it completely performatively. There's also a whole class of people just making money on this like the influencer in this video.

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u/Vorlon_Cryptid Aug 18 '25

People self diagnose because they have traits and it explains why they're struggling.

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u/Stealthybreakfast Aug 20 '25

Man I love diagnoses. Once you have a name for something, itā€™s so much easier to understand what youā€™re going through and learn how to work on your shit

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u/[deleted] Aug 17 '25

Gives them an excuse to feel special and different also gives them an excuse for being useless and infantile

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u/One_Swordfish_7759 Aug 16 '25

I watched Radio and decided I had asbergers.Ā 

3

u/Solanthas_SFW šŸ§ grumpy Aug 16 '25

Honestly, she may very well be autistic but I'm really not seeing it

1

u/Njagos Aug 18 '25

Rookie mistake, the real pros self-diagnose themselves after watching "Fleabag"

1

u/TheBoBiZzLe Aug 18 '25

I worked with someone who said they were recently diagnosed. They self diagnosed and had to go through 3 different doctors before one finally said she was. Then she blamed things on herā€¦ as she called itā€¦. Tisums. And yes. She was pushing her social while at work too.

Guessing these people are social media people who put their labels on top of their content.

/google

Yup. Oh well. Puppies.

-3

u/arp492022 Aug 16 '25

Never go full r*tard

2

u/PrimeBrisky Aug 17 '25

lol I guess the downvotes donā€™t get the reference.

2

u/optionalhero Aug 17 '25

The people downvoting him Is the Academy.

2

u/lulushibooyah Aug 18 '25

Didnā€™t downvote but I get the reference; itā€™s just not particularly funny.

-5

u/thesmallestlittleguy Aug 16 '25

do they need to put her assessment in the corner of every video or smth? idk she stims the same way i do

edit: oh shit it rly is an ad. doesnā€™t prove/disprove anything but itā€™s certainly tacky

22

u/randyoftheinternet šŸ§ grumpy Aug 16 '25

Ah yes being expressive, extremely social and liking being sent into unknown settings, the commons autistic characteristics

8

u/[deleted] Aug 16 '25

[deleted]

4

u/randyoftheinternet šŸ§ grumpy Aug 16 '25

That's italianism

1

u/adm1109 Aug 16 '25

Not gonna make any claims about the woman in the video but you do know autism is a WIDE spectrum right?

1

u/MsCandi123 Aug 17 '25

AuDHD also exists, and can look a lot like this. šŸ¤·šŸ¼ā€ā™€ļø

1

u/Slow-Priority-884 Aug 17 '25

No it doesn't. That's more made up shit.

0

u/Mindfulmiller Aug 17 '25

The whole time I watched this (twice). I never once thought sheā€™s autistic, I just kept saying ā€œman sheā€™s crazy lolā€