Because the diagnostic process is highly flawed
Dear fellow self-diagnosed adult autistics who are struggling with imposter syndrome, gate-seeking, and other barriers to formal diagnosis:
You are not alone.
The DSM-V criteria for autism was written with little white boys in mind, and nearly all autism-related research is still being done by neurotypical researchers, and is still focused on little white boys.
Researchers seem to forget that autistic children grow into adults, there are autistic people who happen to not be male, and there exist autistic people who happen to not be white.
The entire premise of a formal autism diagnosis is that a neurotypical brain is ideal and preferred, and neurodivergent brains are diseased.
“Neurotypicals are not healthier or more “right” than the rest of us, just more common… ‘Normal’ is just something a bunch of people made up.”
— Dr. Nick Walker
Read my article in Neurodiversified.
When you join medium, as a member you’ll have access to unlimited reads for only $5 per month. If you use my referral link, I’ll earn a small commission, and you’ll earn my undying gratitude.
