Self-Diagnosing Autism: Guilt and Validation

i definitely feel guilty about being self diagnosed but i also know that it's who i am so im trying to keep track of the symptoms and information i learn about ASD so that i can show myself when i feel really guilty and to also help others understand too

I feel the same way. I have a new medical appointment coming up and I wrote in a notebook a long running list of all my ASD symptoms. I am very high functioning so its hard to communicate with doctors that I have discovered this about myself. Maybe writing it down for your doctor could help?

Girls tend to get diagnosed later in life with autism. The system made to recognize children with autism was based on the information around little boys. I have autism and I was diagnosed around 12. Girls tend to develop a social habit called masking. We mimic other people's behavior. Try to stay away from self diagnosing tho. It's okay to say you think you have autism instead of just assuming. Im not targeting anyone who does tho, I honestly welcome people who think they have autism and I love talking about similarities. It honestly doesn't affect me but, I know TONS of people do target self diagnosed people. So just be careful with how you word things.

I'm self diagnosed for now because with my anxiety, covid is keeping me out of doctors offices. I've known I was different for a long time and just chalked it up to how I react due to PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Self diagnosis is valid. Especially here in the US where access to healthcare is so horrible. Also, as someone born female there are additional barriers to diagnosis for me. Even getting an ADHD diagnosis took 24 yrs of my life to get.

currently , i am unable to get diagnosed because of parents who don’t really believe in Black people getting therapy and stuff like that , so self diagnosis is really the only option . i can definitely say that i’ve felt extremely guilty , but when i tell my friends about it they say they can tell it’s real . so now i feel much better about being self-diagnosed , but sometimes when i have bad days i tend to doubt myself . i hope your journey is quick !!

I personally have a feeling I am high functioning as of recent. But my current therapist refuses to test me for selfish reasons. So as of now I identify with the label. A part of me does worry I might not have it. But even my parents admitted they thought so too for a while. But I hope to get properly tested in the future.

I was verbally diagnosed, because I had just had life-altering brain surgery. Nothing was ever written down for me, I have identified as on the spectrum for about 11 years now, as I was told by a board of doctors that I am. I’d go to a doctor you can trust, though. I wish you the easiest & smoothest journey with this.