NeonNights

Autism & Me

Autism is a part of me. It is integral to who I am, and how I grew up. So, here's some info about me and autism.

My Spectrum

"The autism spectrum encompasses a range of neurodevelopmental conditions, all pointing to the presence of disorders such as classic autism, Asperger's syndrome, or Rett's syndrome. However, there is considerable variation in the type and severity of the symptoms.
This test combines the insights of several prior efforts to research the autism spectrum to bring you a single, composite test measuring autism spectrum occurrences across 10 different domains."

Take the Test!

My Diagnosis

At this point in time, I am not formally diagnosed. However, there is strong evidence that I have ASD and would qualify for a diagnosis.

I plan to pursue a diagnosis in the future, but right now my family is not in the financial state to be able to do that. Which is honestly really depressing.

I mean, I live in Australia. A country meant to be very progressive with healthcare. But mental healthcare doesn't count, apparently. My therapy costs $200 AUD a session, and a diagnosis is a few thousand down the drain for a fancy paper.

But, because this is the internet, I feel inclined to defend myself. Because of the negative stigma around self-DX'ing, I think I kind of have to give some evidence to support my claim.

So here's a list of my evidence:

My parents both believe me to be autistic, and have since I was young.
My mother believes my father and his mother to be autistic.
My dad admits that he is autistic and has ADHD, but he is not diagnosed either.
This is important because there is a genetic component to autism.
My therapist believes that I have enough traits to be considered on the autism spectrum.
Consistently, the healthiest and closest relationships I develop are all with other autistic people.
On the RAADS-R and CAT-Q autism diagnostics I scored well above the criteria for autism.

That's just some of the evidence I have. There's also more specific moments in my childhood, my intense fixations on certain things, and other weird instances of ASD traits popping up now and then.