Do you need an OFFICIAL Autism diagnosis? 🤔 #disability #awareness #actuallyautistic

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autism self diagnosis is really supported in this community!! 🧡

this is because formal diagnosis isnt accessible! and self diagnosis isnt “quick” or sudden, its months & years of detailed research and knowing your own experiences/patterns/mind better than anyone else 🧠

#autistic #autismawareness #autisticadult #neurodivergent #selfdiagnosis #autismdiagnosis

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✰ FAQs ✰
1.What conditions do I have?
‣ I have Tourette's Syndrome, FND and orthostatic hypotension along with being autistic and queer! I also advocate for mental health.
2. What is FND? 🧠
3. What is Tourette's?
4. What do I use to edit videos? 🖥️
‣ Final Cut Pro X
5. What filming equipment do I use? 📸

(*af links mean i make a small cut from any purchases, but this doesn't cost or affect you! 💕)

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✰ About Me ✰
My name is Zara Beth (zeezee25 on tiktok) and I post videos about disability, neurodiversity and living with Tourette's Syndrome, Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) and Orthostatic Hypotension. Tourette's syndrome is a neurological condition causing involuntary movements called tics.
I use my social media (TikTok, YouTube & Instagram) to advocate and raise awareness for my conditions and share what it's like living as a neurodivergent and disabled person. I am autistic, sharing my sensory struggles along with my experiences with mental health disorders.
I share the accommodations I use to help my daily life, and I'm an ambulatory wheelchair user documenting my life using mobility aids and how chronic illness symptoms vary from day to day!
I'm a musician with a song called "She's Mine" available on all streaming platforms, and I'm an artist with a small business and website selling my artwork, disability merch. I also love reading, writing, and I'm currently writing a novel and a book/memoir about my life!

[apl.and.banna]

I’ve personally dealt with being told that I “can’t be autistic because…” a lot and having a professional tell me “you’re not crazy or self-centered” means everything to me :D

[DanielBranigan-cnnz]

The validation of knowing wtf was up with me was so important. Love your content btw.
Tysm for speaking and educating people. 💜

[sheepyhead]

I like to think of it as when you're disabled, you're playing life on hard mode while everyone else is on easy mode, but you don't know. You wonder why the hell you're struggling to play so much, why everyone else seems to be so much better at the game than you. Diagnosis is being *told* that you're playing on hard mode. It doesn't fix the hard mode, but it just informs you. This enables you to:
- Realise it's not about how 'good' at the game you are compared to others, but what game you're playing
- Validate and forgive yourself for struggling so much
- Come up with a whole new outlook and *strategy* for playing the game, keeping in mind that it's in hard mode
It's so much easier to play a game on hard mode when you *know* it's on hard mode

[chiliwithonel]

I was diagnosed as a child, and after researching symptoms, my father recognized the same traits in himself. He's never felt the need to pursue a formal diagnosis, but we're both confident he's correct. It's led to a lot of bonding moments between us.

[CheekieCharlie]

Also everyone will always say like "okay but you havent been DIAGNOSED" until you are

[moonyfruit]

Exactly! I've already been implementing tips from autistic and ADHD creators (I suspect I have both) and in just a few short months I've noticed a difference in myself.

Some people just can't get a formal diagnosis, either. Even if they want to. In my area, I've looked. Not a single provider within a reasonable distance sees adults with autism. It's like they don't realize that children grow up. So far, trying to find a provider that is up to my high standards that also does in-depth assessments over video call (or something similar), I'm looking at a minimum of 2000$ not covered by health insurance. I really, REALLY want and (especially since I have doubters in my life that have narrow views of autism and ADHD), feel like I need a formal assessment. It's just too much right now.

[AlfrescosEmporium]

I started picking up on my ADHD symptoms when I was about 29! I went my whole life thinking that everyone had restless legs, a constant internal monologue and noises in your head. For me, my medical diagnosis was more of a like, okay I'm not losing it, I have a reason why I forget and can't focus and why I have full blown scenarios and conversations in my head. I could have gone on with my self diagnosis but I felt like I needed that level of grounding

[sampo]

Having the diagnosis with autism doesn't change the daily struggles but it changes my view on myself: i can now be more patient with myself, i can " proudly" wear noise canceling headset.

[HobbitBroad]

Knowing I have AuADHD means now I know which coping techniques might work better for me. It helps me to narrow down what symptoms I have and why I have them. It also help to navigate my world better, why I act the way I do and being able to tell when I'm overloaded and why I'm overstimulated so I can know "hay, I better not do that" or "maybe I should do that instead" so as not to have a meltdown or to know when I need to rest and recharge.

[mrsubtlemouth]

I have no diagnosis but know in my head i can relate to alot of the traits associated with autism. I hope some day i will know officially one way or the other but i also realise i dont strictly need a diagnosis. Through my own research and learning i have found ways to manage my stressers and triggers.
Thanks as always for the great content zara

[Atuchy]

Getting a diagnosis enabled me to start going to occupational therapy - so now I don’t fall down and injure myself all the time!

[TimMutterer]

Whether or not you want or need a formal diagnosis or medical diagnosis, what really matters is that YOU matter! You are important! You have value! Just like being told by your family and friends that you are needed! You are wanted! You are loved! You do have a voice in what goes on in your life!

[JonBrase]

I think the fact that autists tend to be truth-seekers is what drives lot of us to formal diagnosis. Do we strictly need it? No. Do we want it anyways? Yes.

And yeah the longer you go undiagnosed, the more you want to be able to help raise awareness among the undiagnosed, and advocacy is easier if you can say "it says here that I'm 100% certified grade A autistic".

As far as accommodations, in my case it's kind of a joke: the biggest accommodation recommended with my diagnosis was actually for my (already known) ADHD. "Extra time on exams".

Problem A: I'm over a decade out of university with no plans to return. Exams are irrelevant.

Problem B: During my education, my ADHD struggles (at the time undiagnosed, but suspected by at least some teachers) were with homework, not exams. I always finished exams early because I knew the material and had nothing better to do, but homework was an imposition on my free time, so I tended to procrastinate on it and often leave it half done (if that).

[resourceress]

I love how you phrased it self-actualization. I hadn't heard it put that way before. Cool.

[archgirl]

For me, I found it extremely hard to properly start implementing changes on the basis of self-diagnosis. My formal diagnosis took away the doubt that was holding me back x

[MoonlitWaterLillies]

"Either way, you are valid." Thank you, dear! 🥺💖

[cblazerc]

My parents had an official diagnosis that I was autistic since I was 3. They never told me, and I found out on my own while in middle school when I was looking through some documents that turned out to be my medical records. I was pissed that they never told me, as I was very suicidal for a while at that point, with me believing that I was 'wrong' in some way and hating myself, so knowing I was autistic would've been a very good thing for me to know. I've still never forgiven them, but I can say that I'm in a much better place now and still have a good relationship with them regardless.

[sootycat]

Thanks for making this. :) I just today got my autism and adhd diagnoses :D

[virginiebrochu]

For me i had my adhd diagnostic at 28 i was such a relieved. Finally i had Word to put on my difference and i knew i was not just stupid!
I needed that to start implementing things it was my green light to help myself

[leannewith]

My husband and I are both self diagnosed, following our son being diagnosed when he was 6. We have always told our daughter that she is probably Autistic too, she didn’t need assistance that would require the official diagnosis, so we didn’t do it. She has decided at 18 that she would like it to validate how she relates to herself and just got an official diagnosis herself. Cost can also be a factor, not everyone has a few thousand dollars to do it.