Is there such a thing as "Fake Autistic People"?

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PuzzlePieces1
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30 Aug 2016, 12:32 pm

I've been struggling with autism for my entire life and I very rarely come across another person who has it. Yet the media is telling everyone that 1 out of every 60 people is autistic. If that was true, then there would be a lot more of us around. It feels like autism has become the popular excuse for people with other disorders like BPD or NPD. All these celebrities are coming out now saying they are autistic, when we all know there's no way they could be autistic and be so successful in the limelight all the time.

What do you guys think about this? I don't want to be insensitive and question other people's diagnosis but it's really bothering me that there seem to be so many fake autistic people around.



YippySkippy
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30 Aug 2016, 12:41 pm

Quote:
I've been struggling with autism for my entire life and I very rarely come across another person who has it.


Do you poll every person you pass in public, asking whether they are autistic?

Quote:
All these celebrities are coming out now saying they are autistic, when we all know there's no way they could be autistic and be so successful in the limelight all the time.


Autism is a spectrum disorder, and affects people differently......wait, why am I having to explain this to an autistic person? Aha, you must be a "fake autistic"! :roll:



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30 Aug 2016, 12:45 pm

PuzzlePieces1 wrote:
All these celebrities are coming out now saying they are autistic, when we all know there's no way they could be autistic and be so successful in the limelight all the time.

Why not?

I have met several people who are autistic, but don't seem to struggle socially as I do. But that doesn't mean they're not autistic. Really, you shouldn't just assume someone doesn't have autism without proof.



mikeman7918
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30 Aug 2016, 12:47 pm

In general the more severe autistics don't get out much and the more mild autistics are better at hiding it. There are no doubt at least a few people who fake being autistic because the world is just that big of a place, but I doubt it's common.


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30 Aug 2016, 12:56 pm

I think the spectrum has been stretched to include quirky people who also don't quite fit in because they are a little different. They have narrowed it again so I have yet still need to see the numbers drop.


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30 Aug 2016, 1:06 pm

PuzzlePieces1 wrote:
I've been struggling with autism for my entire life and I very rarely come across another person who has it. Yet the media is telling everyone that 1 out of every 60 people is autistic. If that was true, then there would be a lot more of us around. It feels like autism has become the popular excuse for people with other disorders like BPD or NPD. All these celebrities are coming out now saying they are autistic, when we all know there's no way they could be autistic and be so successful in the limelight all the time.

What do you guys think about this? I don't want to be insensitive and question other people's diagnosis but it's really bothering me that there seem to be so many fake autistic people around.

I worked in the 1980s for Robert Redford as one of his Sundance Institute / Film Festival tech staffers for some years. Because of this professional access, I worked and became friends with a LOT of celebrities including a royal heir who wanted to be a filmmaker.

While I won’t name names here, I can say that I saw these celebrities in private moments which made it abundantly clear to me that they were every bit as neurologically and psychologically diverse as autists can be. I no longer presume that celebrities are so typical that they can coast easily through their lives with hundreds of friends opening doors and making them happy. I saw abject anxiety, obsessive compulsions, shyness and a variety of other deficits. Would autism be so far behind for some of them? After all, they very often have autistic children. They aren’t immune to the condition.

It is true that celebrities can mask their behaviors and mimic other characters very, very well -- for brief times. But, during their “off” times, well, we should remember Robin Williams and others who died instead of admitting that their conditions and circumstances made them often very isolated. It is a sad truism that even celebrities have a social pecking order where one who earned $1 million last year wouldn’t dream of calling another who made $10 million.

Now, to answer the question of the apparent frequency of autism among celebrities: They often choose to disclose certain facts about themselves publicly so that they can “spin” the news favorably rather than wait for the news to be disclosed unfavorably by others. And, yes, those who are autistic probably see it, like we do, as something that is quirky and explains some of the public doubts and wonderments about them.


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30 Aug 2016, 1:08 pm

I'm not really sure if there's such a thing as a fake autistic person. If you've met one autistic person, you've met one autistic person.


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kraftiekortie
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30 Aug 2016, 1:32 pm

I honestly don't think there is much incentive, really, for a person to want to "fake" autism.

Why not just fake ADHD? That would be easier! LOL



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30 Aug 2016, 1:47 pm

There are way more celebrities these days than when I was a kid.



DancingCorpse
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30 Aug 2016, 9:05 pm

I have came across an individual who blamed every single negative quality of himself on being autistic, he said that professionals didn't understand him and most likely would not believe him so he wasn't going to pursue a diagnosis from one since he knew why he was the way he was and didn't need their input. I don't believe he is actually autistic, he has problems but I don't think they are as severe as autism and it is insulting how he has autism stuffed in his back pocket as his failsafe card to excuse his behaviour. It's not as bad as him believing it's a 'hip' problem to possess but it's still quite peculiar, I hope he gets the right help but I doubt he'll look farther than where his dim throne is currently planted.



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30 Aug 2016, 9:12 pm

I knew this one autistic kid who was very out-going and that doesn't mean he isn't fake, He just means he is able not to be quiet



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30 Aug 2016, 10:00 pm

kraftiekortie wrote:
I honestly don't think there is much incentive, really, for a person to want to "fake" autism.

Why not just fake ADHD? That would be easier! LOL
Incentive could be to have something to blame for thier own mistakes, others could fake it for other personal gains.

While others could be more sinister, financial gain, gain state benefits that they arnt entitled to, goes for any disorder thats not simply proven with evidence.


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30 Aug 2016, 10:16 pm

The one thing I have learned in life is never diagnose anyone. You dont know them and unless you're thier doctor just leave it to the professionals. However, I think the discrepancy in the high autistic rates now is mostly do to the fact that diagnosing it has improved dramatically. Its not really that there are more Autistic people walking around


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aloofdeer
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30 Aug 2016, 10:20 pm

I feel like most autistic people try to mask their autism so no one notices they have it. You mentioned celebrities coming out as autistic but I have never heard of a single one do that. What celebrities are you referring to? Autistic people have the ability to be successful.

I guess it's possible that someone could fake being autistic but I don't think it's very likely because they don't really have anything to gain from it in my opinion? There's not much you can do but trust that they are being honest about having autism. If you feel like someone is "fake" maybe you don't know their full story? Such as what goes on inside their head.



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31 Aug 2016, 3:19 am

There are at least several million identified self or otherwise. Some of them are not autistic.

When Seinfeld said he might be Autistic he was bitterly criticized then he said he was not autistic. This was 2014, since then Jim Jeffries is the only one I know of the has come out. So no massive wave of celebs.

Yes you can be a celeb and autistic. If you are a musician your stage moves can be your stims. As for acting as an autistic we have lifelong practice at pretending to be normal. Unlike most of us they are proffessionals at it. Celebs are expected to be eccentric, strange. They call it "Hollywierd" for a number of reasons.

I think the number of people who think there are hordes of fake autistics far outnumber the number of fake autistics.


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31 Aug 2016, 4:47 am

It seems like autism is becoming more and more of a commonplace thing. 1 in 60 supposedly have it. Probably 1 in 30 think they have it. There's a long list of famous celebrity type people who supposedly have it. It would not surprise me if there's speculation about either or both Trump and Clinton having it.

I think there is a good reason why the school I go to has specific criteria regarding autism that has to be met to gain admittance.