The cultural bias that is baked into the pathologising framing of the diagnostic process compounds the trauma and perpetuates internalised ableism. We urgently need to educate healthcare professionals and the wider public about the neurodiversity paradigm, the neurodiversity movement, and Autistic culture.
This article by Annie Kotowicz of Neurobeautiful explores Brontë’s Jane Eyre as autistic. By interpreting Jane as an autistic character, readers can gain insight into the complex thinking that drives autistic actions.
Autistic elder David Chin spent life dealing with depression and masking. At age 55, life’s difficult mysteries came into focus when he was diagnosed with autism, giving him the tools to arrange his life to suit his neurology.
Following the trail of where Hans Asperger picked up the term autism I ended up reading a fascinating 1919 German book by Eugen Bleuler titled ‘Autistic and undisciplined thinking in medicine, and how to overcome it’. The content is not at all what you would think. The sands of pathologisation have shifted significantly.
Understanding about autism in adults is sparse. Many psychologists and psychiatrists receive only a single paragraph of education about autism in all of grad school, creating a human rights crisis for undiagnosed adults.
The most frequently-used screening measurement for autistic adults is the Autism Spectrum Quotient, or the AQ. But can it be reliable?
I just now remembered a dinner I had 5 months ago with an acquaintance, and realize I monologued almost the entire time in response to a question asked to me. I feel really bad about this now. She was probably too polite to say anything.
I was diagnosed as autistic by a psychologist, and yet I don’t fully believe it. Am I actually autistic? Is my doubt a cover up for my shame?
The degree of my social awareness makes me feel “too good” to be autistic. I now recognize this as a prejudice against the neurodivergent, a prejudice that unconsciously imposes shame on myself, but which I am making an effort to change.
This experience of late diagnosis for one man who, at nearly 50 years old, finally had an answer. This piece will make you laugh, and maybe cry, and ultimately want to cheer for this unforgettable journey to self-knowledge.
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