"Sorry, dude, you're not Autistic." It's a sentiment I've heard a few times since identifying myself as such.
For the sake of sharing and providing more illumination to the puzzle assembly table, I intend on posting my self diagnosis “coming out” story, including a tidy list of Autisticky things about myself. Not because I need to prove it to anyone, only because everyone benefits when humanity understands Autism better, and because collaborative computation is how we're going to get there.
Stay tuned for that.
In the meantime, I'd like to take this opportunity to clear up some misconceptions that readers might have about Autism.
Did you know that, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Autism is a “spectrum” disorder? [source] Folks in the Autism community are quick to note that the spectrum is nonlinear, more like a color wheel than a slider on a measuring stick.
Did you know that, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approx. 1 in 36 children in the U.S. was identified as having Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in 2020? [source]
Did you know self diagnosis is widely recognized in the Autistic community? Here’s one of my favorite Autistic thought leaders, Louise Chandler, explaining why they support it.
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