Autistic Not Alien | How DARE you un-diagnose me! 

I hate people who claim to be "experts" on autism especially if they are not autistic. 👍👍👍

You video brought up an issue I have been dealing with for the past 3 months. I also have the problem of having a late LATE diagnosis (almost 50) and all that goes with that as well as children that are now in their 20’s who are absolutely definitively neurodivergent- who also don’t understand autism and what that means so cannot recognize it in themselves or me. I’ve been diagnosed for 6 years but haven’t seen my oldest, who lives in another state for many years and I recently saw him again the day my father died. After I had watched my definitely undiagnosed but very autistic father die in the hospital over 3 days, and had sat with his body for hours with my also undiagnosed (but who absolutely agrees with me that she is also Audhd ) mother. I drove from the hospital that day to visit my son for the first time in 6 years. The the entire visit he argued with me that I couldn’t possibly be autistic. Somehow, he accepted my adhd diagnosis for me but not the 2 doctors who diagnosed him with adhd as a child (at 4 by his pediatrician and a psychiatrist at 8). No, they were quacks and the doctor who diagnosed my autism was also mistaken. He claimed I was “NORMAL”. And he asked me why I “WANTED” to be autistic.? 7 years of a special interest in Audhd and hundreds of hours of reflection of my life before and after diagnosis I feel like I’m somewhat knowledgeable, and I feel like he only knows my mask- now I don’t know how to act around him at all anymore. I don’t know what to say to him. The last few years I’ve worked so hard and dropped so much of my mask (and my desire to do so), only to be told that now I’m just acting like this, for what, exactly? What does it benefit me? We were so close until he moved out at 24, and I can’t seem to come to grips with how to handle this. It’s devastating, frankly, to have him think that I’m what, imitating an autistic person because I want attention? From whom, exactly, all my friends? My internet followers? I don’t have those! My doctors? They believe me, and it’s not like I’m getting any treatment or medications from them anyway. What is it I have to gain from saying this? I have guilt because I did not know about autism earlier in his life, I think it’s breaking my heart he would think this about me. Sorry for the oversharing, I couldn’t possibly be autistic with the way those statements that were said to you inflamed me and sparked this rant! 😉 I’m wondering what does this “Institute” think meltdowns are? 😂 I’m certain this idiot also doesn’t understand the double empathy problem, either! 😂

‘JENNt brought me here. cheers brother, d 🤙🏻

The Rowland Institute of Autism needs to do actual research on autism. EDIT: A simple search really illustrated how dubious this 'institution' actually is. How do individuals have audacity to present themselves as experts when they are so obviously not when put under scrutiny?

Absolute ignorance and cruelty from the Rowland Institute of Autism

So True. I know very few people, yet I've heard these words. Ironically those who I know the least (online support groups for another condition), have suggested that I might be Autistic - several of them (5 on my last count).

OMG, that reply makes me so angry!!! 😡

I should probably tell the clinical psychologist who gave me my diagnosis last month that she was wrong, because I also felt rage when I listened to you talking about that horrible person on linkedin 🤬. (I left linkedin a couple of years ago in disgust for all the 💩 & I haven't missed it!! It was never useful for any of the professions I've been in anyway.)

David Rowland likely is likely a rare person with actual full mind blindness, He is redefining ASC to fit himself. Neglecting the fact that full mind-blindness is a very rare condition. That is my interpretation of events in his case.

I’m going to be so angry tomorrow!

Hey brother. 45 and diagnosed last year. You are 💯 right. I have a difficult time with the “just try harder” attitude that seems to be pervasive. BTW, I saw your channel from Neurodiverjenn’s channel. Great video. Just subscribed.

The idea that autistic people don't experience emotions sounds like the same logic as "non-speaking autistic people are incapable of thinking". If someone has no experience of our internal world, they shouldn't speak for us. Some of us do experience alexithymia. Alexithymia is struggling to identify and express our emotions, it is not "not experiencing emotions".

Well said neil another great point made and video, treat yourself to a glass or two of red🍷🙋‍♂️

LMAO. Watch Jo's channel. She has an incredible video on "faith healing". Amputee :) Lots of her content is good for anyone in the disability community regardless of how we got there. It's good to know how others get treated by the "temporally walking or allistic" crowd. < --- diagnosed at 53, 60 next year. Autism/ADHD/PTSD plus some other related crap we all end up with and hEDS or HSD (hypermobility disorders). The more hidden disorders we have, the more normal people think it is BS. The more intelligent we are, the more they believe intelligence fixes everything.

I disagree too, sometimes I have delayed emotions (why 24h ? It can be 2 hours or 10 years...), sometimes I have anticipated emotions, and sometimes, they come at the right time. I'd say the difference is intensity, and difficulty to communicate this intensity. 70%??????? He probably meant undiagnosed, didn't he ? Well, he shouldn't say such things just because somebody disagrees with him. He should try to remember every autistic individual is unique and different from other autistic individuals. He doesn't posess the only truth. Thank you for sharing this story, I can imagine how upset you were !

Clever, humorous and insightful. Another great video. Thanks!!

Great video!😁

Another great video!🎉 I loved your presentation and proper call-outs! 🙏

You are very witty. Loving the first 2 minutes so far

Neurotypical myopathy

That comment you got made me furious too! That makes the person who's writing it really stupid. Obviously they don't have any knowledge about Autism. I don't relate at all to not having spontaneous emotions in the moment because I have intense emotions and I'm also an empath. They don't understand that every Autistic person is different and that it's a spectrum. Thank you for talking about it!

Great video!

Thank you!

Here's the problem. Some people DO fake mental illness such as autism. Its going to be impossible to deal with this kind of criticism without also acknowledging and dealing with the people using disability as cover or an excuse to take resources. I myself have been accused of not being autistic, so I get it. I really don't look it and had to question myself if thats what I really had. So long as we have people that commonly abuse the labels that can give people extra attention or access to something they otherwise would not have an don't deserve, this is going to continue to be a problem. Im personally tired of people pretending like NO ONE pretends to be autistic or have multiple personality disorder or whatever so that they can benefit themselves. We also need to understand why people do this, and it is often because in general people are not being afforded the attention and support they need which is leading to real disorders that they otherwise wouldn't have. Have you heard about the rise in Tic disorders? Part of it is caused by people acting out the Tics day in and day out on places like TikTok (ironic) until they actually develop the disorder they are pretending to have.