Can you identify as neurodivergent?

[Thisisunreasonable]

Name changed in case outing. Just curious as to what people think. As far as I know I am NT but DD is diagnosed autistic so I am interested in learning all I can about it. Just had an email from work inviting people who identify as neurodivergent to an informal chat session. Great, I am all for supporting everyone within a work space but I am not sure about the word choice. Surely you don't identify as having a diagnosis whether it is cancer or depression or ADHD. You either have a diagnosis set by medical professionals or not.

I do appreciate that it can be a long wait for some to get a diagnosis but even then would the language not be more like "if you are neurodivergent or believe you may be neurodivergent then feel free to attend". Maybe I am sensitive because I am GC and just hate the word identify in general. I am curious to see what others think, especially adults who are ND who this sort of invite might apply to. Can you identify as ADHD, autistic, dyspraxic etc etc?

Well if a man can identify as a woman...

I agree with you about both the language and about the reasons for it- a lot of health inequalities involved in diagnoses/ lack of.

But yes, something like 'if you are or believe you may be ND' would in my view both include those not yet diagnosed, and uphold the integrity of neurodivergence as a set of 'real conditions' whereas 'identifying as' is a bit doubtful to me when there are stigma and doubts involved. E.g. I have late diagnosed ADHD and my parents themselves do not fully accept it as a 'real' thing, and are very dismissive, when I benefit a lot from support and awareness.

ODFOD. Not everyone who is neurodiverse has a formal diagnosis, so it is squat to do with self ID and a lot to do with opportunities vs self education. DH is almost certainly somewhere on the ND scale, but never needed or got a dx

I think identify as is the wrong term
It is not an identity
You could say I suspect I may be, which is more accurate wording I think

I think it’s quite a complex issue because often a lot of people do so because the waiting list for adult diagnosis is so long.

in the last few years I have started to very strongly suspect I am neurodivergent. According to the GP it’s about a 6 year wait for diagnosis and I can’t afford to even consider going private.

I would never “self identify” but I will say I suspect I am autistic, or that I’m awaiting assessment.

To be honest though through what I have learnt through DS (who is autistic) and my own research and therapy I feel I know myself better and can explain why I am the way I am more so in that sense the diagnosis or not won’t change a lot. If that makes sense.

I agree with your theory @Thisisunreasonable . I would assume they were aiming to included those that are diagnosed or suspect they are but don't have a diagnosis.

Their wording seems wrong though.

I agree with you, OP but I'm afraid "Identify" is becoming/has become shorthand for what you said. I'm sure if you asked them, they'll say yes that's what we mean. Soon it will be seen as pedantic to pick apart the word.

It's the wording they've got wrong here. They've tied themselves in knots trying to use buzzwords, and should have used something straightforward along the lines of what a pp said ('if you are or believe you may be ND').

The issue is the wording, because identify as broadly translates as pretending to be these days.

"Anyone who suspects they may be" would be clearer.

Identity has a slightly different meaning in disability groups. Various groups have preferred wording over how they describe themselves and "identify" is used by many on the social model of disability, rather than the medical model.
Personally I don't identify with my disabilities, they are totally a hindrance, but not everyone feels the same.

No I don’t believe you can self identify as ND. As you say you can believe you have it but you can’t just randomly identify as ND. It’s quite offensive to people who are actually diagnosed as ND. I notice a lot of people are quick to declare that they ‘have undiagnosed ADHD’ as a given. Of course some of them probably do but unless you’re given the diagnosis by a medical professional I don’t think you can claim to have it. You can say you have suspected or probable ADHD or Autism but not just declare you have it. Just like you can’t identify as someone with cancer, bipolar or whatever other professionally diagnosed medical condition

Given that the waits for adult ADHD and autism are 5+ years in some areas, it's actually pretty helpful wording aiming at not excluding those without formal diagnosis yet? I wouldn't get hung up on the loaded thoughts behind "identify" to be honest.

I agree, the use of "identify" feels a bit flippant in this context.

Suggesting that someone can identify as ND implies a person could just as easily identify as NT. If I could just identify as being NT and not have to deal with the struggles of having ADHD, I would in a heartbeat. Obviously I can't, because it's not an identity.

I understand they want to be inclusive of people who are self diagnosed, which I think is great, but as someone who was previously self diagnosed I would've taken offense to the suggestion that I'm merely "identifying" as having ADHD.

In my profession I see a lot of calls for participants for research. These now invariably use the phrase ‘if you identify as autistic then you are eligible to take part,’ and I do worry about the implications of this.

In other words, self-diagnosed people can take part, which I don’t think is a good thing.

So how do you know if someone’s ND if they haven’t been properly assessed? Dr Google?

The problem with terms like ‘identify with/as’ is that it implies that there is an element of choice involved. That the person has chosen to belong to particular group, but could just as easily change their mind later.

There is no ‘choice’ involved with being neurodiverse or any other disability. You are either ND or you’re not. You are blind or you’re not. You have BiPolar or you dont.

You don’t get to choose if you have it or not. And you don’t get to just decide you don’t have it anymore when it stops being fashionable or becomes too inconvenient.

They're not saying 'identity as autistic/ADHD' though, they're saying 'identifying as neurodivergent' which is different.

Neurodivergence is much broader than identifiable/diagnosable conditions.

Thank you. I was hoping for people with more insight than me such as lived experience as obviously I do not have this. I do understand that the term can mean different things in different contexts and it is important to listen to groups themselves as to the terms they wish to use.

Thanks for all the replies, I was wondering if I was being over sensitive to the term "identify" because it is quite a loaded term this day. From a personal perspective my DD does not identify as autistic, she is and it is a real bloody struggle for her every day. I agree with the poster who says identify is dismissive. Like you can chose to live with it or not depending on how you feel that day, and I don't like that.

Also agree that wait lists are long for both children and adults BUT you can say, as pp have mentioned, I suspect I have or strongly believe I have.

To put it in context I work in academia and have previously got annoyed at their use of wording for stuff because of their attempt to be super woke. I am not annoyed enough to put my head above the parapet but I feel like they could have chosen a completely different way of stating it. One of the conditions listed is tourettes, DD is awaiting assessment for OCD and tics and I can tell you that she definitely would not want to identify into them if she can help it.

I am a bit torn on this. I do understand waiting lists are long and people do need help often before the diagnosis is given. However, when DD got her diagnosis I joined a few FB groups for support and I would say 80% of the people in it said they suspected their child was this or that because they behaved like this or like that and it drove me mad. I really wanted a group for parents of children with confirmed diagnosis.

A lot of adults will never get a formal diagnosis anyway, if they're able to identify enough traits then that's generally enough. Also application forms ask you if you consider yourself to have a disability. I am ND, but I'd never go to a group like this or notify my employer, a lot of people with disabilities don't raise it. It's about choice I guess I wouldn't identify myself to NT people in RL.

I suppose people do, so who are we tell them they can't?

I agree with your point and phrasing suggestion though. The person who wrote the email probably doesn't have the insight and experience you do.

Exactly this.

I mean it is a bit annoying. I have formally diagnosed BPD, PTSD and OCD but I don't really mind if people self diagnose most of the time because the diagnosis process is so lengthy (it took years for me!). The whole anxiety thing is a bit irritating - my husband has full on panic attacks (as in sweating, palpitating etc etc) so it's quite annoying when loads of people claim to have anxiety when they're just a bit anxious about doing a work presentation or something. But overall how does it affect me? Or anyone! If you have a formal diagnosis you get the care needed and can just roll your eyes at the people who claim to have an issue they clearly haven't