The Truth About Autism | Dispelling Myths and Understanding Neurodiversity

[dakunskye]

I didn't become autistic. I remained undetected for nearly 30 years.

[ritarevell]

Also, there are more of us who are realizing we are actually on the spectrum. It explains the struggles we have wrestled with our whole lives.

[my-chemical-romance]

It's similar to how there "so many more left handed people now", no they're just not being forced to hide it and people are acknowledging the existence

[mamawvondak]

I saw a study that showed that more than 25% of the world’s population is on the spectrum. So far. And, the authors of the study think the reason there are so many is: Mankind NEEDS this type of thinker in order to survive. Otherwise, the neurotype would have been weeded out. I really wish I could find that study again…I’d love to share it here.

[TheLexikitty]

Also, getting diagnosed with ADHD used to kick you out of any autism evaluations. Wheeee

[allisonharranmua]

Autism research has been around since ww2 but we haven't been talking about it. The early 2000's were when it became a buzz word and people started being aware of it. I was diagnosed with so many learning disabilities that I didn't have until I went to get evaluated in college because I aged out of my iep and needed a 504 plan, the evaluator told me I am autistic. It's like a light bulb went on. My life made sense for the first time.

[scottmoot]

I'm 59 always single, read as college sophomore in 2nd grade. UNHAPPY. Neurological disabled. 3 therapists asked "what difference would diagnosis make, you're trying to compare yourself..." I am struggling. Asking for help, sharing emotions is Devastating to me. I'm trying to cope. Meltdowns as adults isn't an issue to ignore. It's taken years to be gatekept out. ' Better luck next life' attitude, is a trigger for me

[monkeytrainer]

Right! Maybe we aren’t even very rare. Maybe we’ve been internalizing the neurotypical hegemony for so long, masking so much, that there are far more of us than anyone imagined. We’ve all just been suffering politely under the other regime.

[charlesgreen]

I’m 43…only recently though therapy and testing have I discovered that I’m on the spectrum…and the one thing that annoys me most is when I tell people is when I get the “oh, there’s nothing wrong with that!”… basically minimizing how I feel…like it’s not a big deal…I don’t get offended easily, but even to me it hurts that people don’t understand!

[kathleenmoore]

Well. Put.

My middlest daughter didn’t become autistic. She was autistic for -Seventeen- years before she was diagnosed. I’ve been told that my younger (who happens to currently be 17) isn’t autistic. She’s been tested and the results were “she’s not autistic”. She is SO Much Like her sister who is autistic. She does so many things that are different. (They’re not wrong. This is who she is!) I plan on having her retested and This time she will be tested by a female psychologist. (vs a male one, who said “she just doesn’t meet the criteria”.)

[tudormiller]

100% More awareness of Autism & individuals on the Autism Spectrum is why neurotypicals should have a better understanding, but unfortunately they really don't.

[zigzagperson]

Definitely have family members who are undiagnosed, unsurprisingly they are older

[yaboisaamik]

Oh no! There's a correlation between advances in medicine and the rate of diagnosing people with

Edit: I got diagnosed with Autism at 23 years.

[gebak]

Many people are walking around with mental health problems. It should be celebrated anytime our understanding of each other’s experience is expanded. People who talk about autism, are themselves not perfect specimens. Our brains are like our bodies and each person has issues with both.

[ckdraws]

Off topic, but your earrings are really pretty and the color brings your eyes out

[kikijewell]

We all knew other people thought we were odd.

[elisabethmontegna]

I think the number of late diagnosed people may mess with the way the average person sees the statistics. For instance, there’s several decades of data in which I wasn’t being counted because I didn’t get diagnosed until a few years ago. I’d love to see what the data would look like if they went back and added all of the late diagnosed people into the statistics for their birth year.

[ashtonskyegorlewski]

I love awareness because people also forget that it's a spectrum and how some people have it in very different ways than others.

[stephaniebarrows]

I think there are also a lot more stimulating experiences, in our society them before. Where I was raised, there were farms across the street - and a schoolyard - from our house in a suburban neighborhood in Kansas City north. Yes, they were streetlights, but they weren’t in my face every night like they are now so my sleep was so much better. Also, there weren’t blue screens and bright LED lights all over the place. No joke, I live across the street now from a recreational facility, and the city has installed a lot of lights in the parking lots… And the lights come on even while it’s sunny outside or while it’s raining, at my apartment complex as well as the recreational complex across the street. Plus the music that is popular now, with lots of thumping bass, is very distracting and stressful, especially when played from the loud speakers at the stadium. If I had the money, I’d probably move. I’ve also noticed that people don’t even bother to use headphones or earbuds on the bus, and when I was commuting on the bus around four hours a day when I went back to school in 2021, it was very stressful for me. Starting my second year in the program, I started experiencing burnout a month earlier each semester, until it became clear that I needed to graduate. Overall, I’m a lot less stressed now that I don’t have to do that commute every week.

[cammie]

It’s like how NH has a higher percentage of women with cancer than any other state. Makes it sound like we live in a toxic place. Actually, we have more old people here and more rich people here (because we have no income tax which rich old people like. ) Add to that, women live longer than men so old people tend to be female. Bottom line is we have a bunch of rich old ladies here who can afford to go to a doctor…and they get diagnosed with cancer (and due to Boston Hospitals they tend to survive the cancer longer). So, like autism, not more of it…just more people getting diagnosed.