Autism Speaks

they just know my username on the interwebs is helen keller so i keep everything on the dl.

Oh, ****! OK, in love in the platonic way, then helenkeller! My bad!!!

You mentioned "handsome" so I just assumed ^^; Sorry about that!!!

oliversacnl said:

Oh, ****! OK, in love in the platonic way, then helenkeller! My bad!!!

You mentioned "handsome" so I just assumed ^^; Sorry about that!!!

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it is more than okay you seem awesome! keep on keeping on!

Aha, thank you, likewise ^^;

Some people with autism can actually succeed like a normal human being. Look at me. I may be mentally disabled, but I made it near the half-way mark in college. I even finished a summer class with a good grade. So there's no need for a cure anyway.

Not only do the symptoms overlap, but the comorbidity rates are pretty high between autism and the other conditions that you said you have. Basically, you're more likely to be autistic than someone without those things.

I always feel awkward confessing that I have a self-diagnosed mental condition, because I feel like no one takes it seriously. There's this freaky "you don't have it unless/until it's diagnosed" mentality that a lot of people have.

I think that autism was overlooked in me when I was little because I never had any delayed developments; I was always unusually ahead. Which is also a sign of autism, lol.

oliversacnl said:

Not only do the symptoms overlap, but the comorbidity rates are pretty high between autism and the other conditions that you said you have. Basically, you're more likely to be autistic than someone without those things.

I always feel awkward confessing that I have a self-diagnosed mental condition, because I feel like no one takes it seriously. There's this freaky "you don't have it unless/until it's diagnosed" mentality that a lot of people have.

I think that autism was overlooked in me when I was little because I never had any delayed developments; I was always unusually ahead. Which is also a sign of autism, lol.

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huh, i didn't know that. i guess it does make sense. and makes me feel a little bit better that maybe i'm not just overthinking things like i always do aha

true, a lot of people do have that mentality. i personally don't mind if someone else's mental condition is self-diagnosed, i just don't feel entirely comfortable doing it for myself. personal thing. but at the end of the day if someone else says that they have something, then it's not my place to say otherwise as they certainly know more about themselves than i do (especially when they're a stranger on the internet).

it is unfortunately true that if autism isn't diagnosed as a child, diagnoses later in life are much more difficult to obtain. like adhd, a lot of people view it as something that only affects children, especially male children. even though everybody develops differently and a child should not be overlooked for being ahead in school. especially since, as you said, that can also be a sign in some cases.

Hulaette said:

"You think that because some of our children cannot speak, we cannot hear them? That is autisms weakness.

Weakness? They sound like they are trying to brainwash the world into believing autistic people should be weeded out of the human population. This is exactly what the X-Men movie plots was about, to kill all mutants and force them to be human,
to force mutants to conform and be normal with humans.

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yeah they are separating autistic kids from autism which is so stupid. it's not love if you have to remove a core part of someone in order to be able to love them. autism speaks parents claim they love their children but not the autism ... which means they dont love their children.

oliversacnl said:

Though I've not been diagnosed (I'm too nervous to bring it up), I'm certain that I have it after reading up so much. Of course I've gotta be supportive.

Out of curiosity, are most of the people in this thread autistic? Or are you all supporters?

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lol i was self diagnosed/Really Suspecting i was autistic like 5 years before i got it on paper. really it doesnt matter if you get the diagnose on paper unless you need the help and whatever that can be provided for u if u are diagnosed with ASD. tho professionals will probably be like :000 if you ever mention that u suspect or are pretty sure youre autisic because for some stupid reaaon most i've met seem o think autistic people cant notice theyre autisic or whatever lmao

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Alolan_Apples said:

Some people with autism can actually succeed like a normal human being. Look at me. I may be mentally disabled, but I made it near the half-way mark in college. I even finished a summer class with a good grade. So there's no need for a cure anyway.

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maybe u should consider not having "autistic people arent as good as allistic people" as a starting point, like i get that you dont mean to hate on other autistic people probably but that attitude/thought can really hurt ppl.
what ppl on the spectrum have trouble with is varied and very individual. and, like, implying that bc someone's autistic they are probably goong to b a Failure isnt great, like i get what u mean (it's often way morep difficult for autistic ppl to function in a way that makes it work smoothly to be a Normal Part Of Society) but also no thx.

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oliversacnl said:

"you don't have it unless/until it's diagnosed"

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it's tru i turned autistic at age 16 because a group of psychiatrists and psychologists were like "Hmmm U R Autistic", before that i was a Normal Neurotypical :')

dhdjshdkdksjsia when will people Die

cloudmask said:

i think i'm autistic but i'm always too scared to bring it up with professionals, and i'm not even seeing a therapist or psychiatrist right now bc they're too expensive so i don't really have the option anyway. it can just be hard for me to tell if some of the stuff that i do is autism or if it's my ocd, anxiety, or depression (all things i've been diagnosed with). i know that they can show some of the same symptoms. like when i stim by rocking back and forth or walking in circles, or when i get overwhelmed and shut down/experience sensory overload. difficulty making eye contact. developing hyperfixations and having that be all i can think/fantasize about for who knows how long. just to name a few things. it could all be autism but i know that a lot of it could also be the ocd & others...

i just don't know lmao!! all i know is that i'm Trying

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I showed all the symptoms as a child, but the doctors always said I was just abused and axnious. I had anxiety, but nobody was abusing me. Doctors didn't understand females with autism, so misdiagnosis after misdiagnosis lead me to finding out on my own. I was self diagnosed for years until I went to this place to help me get a job (I struggle with sensory overload and communication at work) and told them what I thought my problem was. I got referred to get a professional diagnosis for free. I took the neuropsych tests, I talked to a behavioral psychologist about my symptoms, my parents answered questions about my childhood, I was diagnosed. Even still, with my diagnosis on paper, I can't find a therapist who believes me because of the negative stigma and stereotypes about autism. It's not easy to get a diagnosis, but if you feel like you have it don't let anybody else tell you otherwise. It's more common than people realize and it's not a horrible disease. You know better than anybody else, just keep doing research. Make a checklist of symptoms to give to any doctors. Educate yourself more than they've been educated is the key.

P.S. - As far as the overlapping symptoms oliversacnl mentioned, I have all of the things you have (ocd, anxiety, depression), plus autism. They are all commonly comorbid with autism.

Yup, I'm right there with you guys. Anxiety, depression, OCD, autism. Seems to be somewhat common to have all four.

They're like the four horsemen of the apocalypse.