Do Aspies generally accept the self-diagnosed?

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It just depends. Sometimes I wonder when people are really popular and have no problems socializing why they would want to say they have AS? Why not just blend in with everyone else? If you are well liked and have no problems in the social sphere, it doesn't seem like you would want a diagnosis of AS which basically says you have trouble with social interactions.
Same goes for people who do well in their careers and have no problems with workplace politics and dealing with people pressures. It just seems easier in such circumstances to live ones life without any kind of diagnosis.

I think it's a misconception to believe that there is one, singular, "Aspie Community."

The reality is that even in small groups we are a diverse group of people who are linked through a common connection that lies on a spectrum. Each of us has different experiences navigating various ways to find support for our needs: some have been obliged to go through medical/psychiatric services, others through psychological counsellors, still others have worked on their own.

Each of us brings these experiences and our individual circumstances to the assessment of who belongs and who does not. Personally, I am a, "big open tent," type of person. But I do not suppose for a moment that my perspective is the only one, nor that mine is even necessarily the best one.

Doubtless there are people masquerading as Aspies for reasons of their own. I would be upset if these people were taking resources from people who actually needed them, but I am not aware of that being the case. So, if you come up to me and tell me that you are an Aspie, I will accept that at face value.

As for being welcoming, I welcome those who enrich my experience here. I try to ignore those who diminish my experience. The question of whether those people have professional diagnoses is irrelevant to that criterion.

I am holding out for another paranoid reason I have never told anyone. The times before when I was dx'd with whatever I really hated the whole process. I felt degraded and dehumanized. I knew if I said certain things about certain ways I felt the person I was seeing could legally lock me up. That isn't as true with this but that is my worst fear, being institutionalized. I feel like if it is ever on paper somewhere, if it is ever 'official'...well, that can't be taken back. The world will 'have something' on me. For instance, I never went to drug and alcohol treatment, therefore on apps when I am asked 'have you ever been treated for a drug / alcohol addiction' I can truthfully answer no. I like it this way. There is a question on applications, 'do you have any mental or physical disability that could prevent you from doing this job'. I don't want to get into a gray area with that. I am not sure I will ever go for the pro diagnosis, no matter how much I want to go 'so there' to the naysayers, mainly my family, since I am the pathologized child of a malignant narcissist and his screamingly codependent wife. I would love to put it in their face. Maybe one day I will. For now I just feel like, every time I approach getting a formal dx, just like I did back when I was trying to get help in the pschology field. Less than human, at the mercy of others, and their judgements, and ignorance. It feels like giving some of my power and control away, and that causes too much anxiety to go forward. So I appreciate all of you 'tolerating' those of us who are self-dx'ed.

Here is my opinion on the self-diagnosed. I believe a self-diagnosis can be as in-depth as on official diagnosis. But you have to be somewhat careful. And the professional has to be careful too. If you are self-diagnosed, here are is a quick check list I believe you should do:

*Check yourself objectively against the DSM-IV and possibly the Gillberg too. See if the numbers add up.

*Check your traits/symptoms against things that can be confused with AS such as Giftedness (though you can be twice-gifted---AS plus giftedness)---and other things sometimes confused with AS. You can research this easy enough off of the internet.

*Take the empathy and systemizing quotient tests online and then plot yourself on the Baron-Cohen chart. This is a theoretical analysis---but seems to be accurate in most cases.

*Take the autism quotient spectrum test (I think this is also Baron-Cohen).

*Look at other things like theory of mind, reading of faces tests, etc.

This type of analyzing can be incredibly enriching and educational. I didn't do all this stuff until after my official diagnosis of AS. My professional diagnosis was quite in-depth and analyzed me on two diagnostic criteria (DSM-IV and Gillberg). My diagnosis was AS with the possibility of HFA. But as I was told, AS and HFA would probably merge anyway and so a diagnosis of AS was given to me officially.

So, with this in mind, I have no problem with people doing a self-diagnosis as long as they are careful and objective. For me, I had to know from a professional---I just needed that for me. But, not everyone needs a professional diagnosis.

I have "self-diagnosed" partly based on the results of various tests and partly based on my life experiences. After sharing my self-diagnosis with my family, my brother told me that his shrink suggested to him that he is "mildly" autistic. My whole family seems to be somewhere high on the spectrum.

However, after reading about some of the really bad experiences of aspies on this forum and seeing the frustrations of some officially diagnosed members with the self-diagnosed, I decided to not call myself an aspie. I don't have a problem with anyone self-diagnosing, but I understand why it may bother someone else.

Maybe adding a "BAP" option to the WP user profiles would be a good idea.

I'm a walking talking contradiction.

One one hand, I believe that people who've ediagnosed themselves over the internet need to get further evaluation as internet tests are not always accurate and they should take them with a pinch of salt.

On the other hand, I can tell if people have Aspergers or another autistic spectrum disorder, and frequently diagnose fictional characters. I'm obviously not a doctor, but I have first-hand experience of autism- I LIVE an autistic life.

Self-diagnosed and wife-diagnosed, My wife did some of the self tests, answering questions on my behalf based on 15 years of observing me. According to her I'm more Aspie-rated than I admit.

I'm skeptical of both self-diagnosed and official diagnosed. Does that mean I judge them for either? No, what reason would I have?

If somebody had told me they had an ASD, either self-diagnosed or not, I would pay attention to their behavior and assess for myself whether they have an accurate diagnosis or not. Certainly, I am not a "professional", but I believe my opinion matters more than most when I have an adaquate amount of experience in said field. Why? Because while I am prone to error, so are the ones who gave the diagnosis. I trust myself more than I trust people I don't know.

-edit- note that while I assess for myself, that doesn't mean I'm judging them. Whether or not they have a problem doesn't matter to me. I am just curious in the accuracy.

self dxed people anger me. OKAY to say you identify with autism symptoms. NOT OKAY to claim you have autism without a diagnosis. It´s as simple as that. Simply put, considering I did not know such social rules even EXISTED to know I was lacking them or to even identify with something like autism before was aware of the diagnosis, I find it very hard to believe someone could diagnose themselves accurately with something like autism.

You've pretty much hit the nail on the head there

I can claim I have autism, as I was officially DX'd, but I think all people who think they have autistic traits should see a specialist.

There are some people at Yahoo Answers asking if they are autistic just because they are shy or they don't want to socialize or they feel nervous around people.


Seesh people these days think they are autistic or think they must be over these reasons.

*double facepalm*

I accept the self-diagnosed. They must know that they have it. Besides if they didn't know, they wouldn't be self-diagnosing themselves. Some people can't find the time, or the money to get a proper diagnosis.

Back in 2006 when I self DXed myself, I recall the burning question of why I was so different and what made me function. After a couple of days of searching online and reading articles, it dawned upon me that I may have AS. I was not at all happy with the suspicions tbh. I did my best to ignore it until around 2009, when I decided to start reading up even more on it. And right as of this month when I go to the Veteran's Hospital for my orientation, I will definitely get my official status because I don't want to depend on just my word and beliefs concerning me and AS. And I sure as heck do not want to use AS as an excuse to be a jerk.

In fact, I have purchased and have read/still reading up on books that concern problems that I face like anger management, emotional intelligence, social skills, patience, and empathy. And come the day that I officially get screened for AS, I'll be better for it because if I do have it I can feel good knowing that I took the initiative to help myself. And if I don't have it all the better because I have a newfound respect for the real aspies and will donate to their cause the rest of my life. Not to mention that some of the AS books that I have read have helped me in my life, so it's a win-win situation for me...

I have been misdiagnosed at least twice with mood disorders, once in particular when the lion's share of my moods were chemically induced. It never even occurred to me to look at people's profiles to see if they are officially diagnosed, because, given my own experience, a percentage of people here who are officially diagnosed are likely misdiagnosed. The other reason is because this is the internet, nothing is confirmed, all you have to do is check diagnosed, and no one can say otherwise. Unless people declare it openly in a thread, or have it under their picture, every one is on a level playing field in my mind and I'm not at all curious what their 'credentials' are. And yet another reason is because I find it hard to believe that anyone would want to claim this if they didn't have it.

I tend to take this on an individual basis. Some people who self-diagnose do not seem to have AS, but seem to be confusing misanthropy, shyness, or social anxiety with AS. I also tend to believe females less than males, because females tend to be more likely to look for an answer. We have a great deal of pressure on us to be social, and a woman who is not terribly social, may more likely to believe there is something wrong with her.

On the other hand, I have met people who are self-diagnosed, or haven't even identified themselves, who are quite obviously on the spectrum. I tend to accept those who have done a great deal of research, and haven't just spent a few minutes googling.

That being said, my acceptance does not matter at all. What matters is that that person finds out what is going on with them, and strives to live the best and happiest life possible.