Self-diagnosed autistic

sunny00

Hi !
It's been a while now but after long hours of research and self-reflection, I'm pretty sure that I am autistic. I'm not sure if it's okay to self-diagnose though...?

rubin16

Hi Welcome to the community, Its okay to self-diagnose however you will never know for 100% certainity that you may have autism without an official diagnosis. Also you won't be able to access most support available until you have a true diagnosis of autism.

However I know a few people who class themselves as autistic and never had a diagnosis, some get by fine without officially being diagnosed and don't like the label assosiciated with it. And some others like the diagnosis as it puts their mind at rest and gives them the answers they needed. Its whatever works for you.

If you do decide you want a diagnosis please note that there is considerable wait times for an Autism and ADHD assessments at the moment with most waiting roughly a year and up for one.

All the best.

Jimm_Scope

Hi @sunny00, welcome to our community As @rubin16 explains, it's okay to self-diagnose, but you'll never really know the answer until you've had a good assessment. While things like PIP do not require a diagnosis, a lot of support out there can require an actual diagnosis and self-diagnosing won't be accepted.

I would always recommend asking for a referral for an assessment if you are sure. Also, with the waiting lists as they are now the earlier the better.

poppy123456

My daughter was diagnosed with ASD at 17/18 years old. I had to fight for 14 years to get answers. The older she became the more obvious it was and I was certain she was Autistic but I never labeled her until we were certain. 

Some people said to me why is a diagnosis important because it doesn't change anything. Yes, they are correct, it doesn't but it gave us answers to all our questions and what if's. An answer to all those years where I was constantly told I was an over protective mother. I was even told that her school teacher knew her better than I did and that she was just a "shy little girl" 

Having a diagnosis can also help with some support. Before she was diagnosed she had no support and as soon as she was diagnosed, that changed. Though we lost that support during the pandemic and it never returned. 

Colin_33

Being diagnosed with any form of Autism is hard. I was diagnosed late in life as the physical symptoms   kicked in.

Bottom line, there is hope through family / friends.

Jimm_Scope

At @poppy123456, I actually got asked that specific question "What do you think it will change?" by a nurse when I began my ADHD assessment journey at 29. 

I'm now nearing 31 and I have a stable job, my mental health is SO much better, my social life has improved. Most of all though, I understand myself so much more. 

Sort of wish I could see the nurse who asked that again to let her know what it changed.

Albus_Scope

I'm just echoing what others have said here, but it's fine to self diagnose, but getting a proper answer can really help in life.  I wasn't officially diagnosed until 2 years ago and it's been a huge help finally having a definitive answer.