To think ADHD/ASD labels get used too casually sometimes?

[CuriousNotCruel]

NOT talking about people with genuine diagnoses. But AIBU to think some people casually label basic personality traits - introversion, distractibility, perfectionism, as ADHD/ASD online? It feels dismissive to people with the real conditions.

Yes.

To be clear, having a dd diagnosed with ASD and ADHD and a ds with ADHD, I get sick of people referring to someone as being "a bit on the spectrum"

It’s just people showing their ignorance and lack of understanding. I’m sure some of those people will post shortly and demonstrate this.

It’s the same as people with OCD.

I agree with you @CuriousNotCruel

I'm affected by synaesthesia and a few people have labelled me as autistic simply because I have synaesthesia. Yes it is a neurological condition but I don't consider myself as ND. I've known that I've had syn for 30 odd years, pre-internet era.

This waving around of ASD / autism / spectrum labels left, right and centre is disrespectful towards genuine cases.

But those are all traits, and by describing them as personality traits you're contributing to the opposite problem where many of us beat ourselves up trying to fit in in a world that isn't made for us.

Fully agree. Ds has severe autism, he is severely disabled. I wish i could describe him as a little on the spectrum etc

Every behavioural trait or personality aspect can be seen in relative terms, and therefore as a spectrum of its own (e.g. +/- tidy, +/- organised, +/- content)...
But so many people say (for example) my messy house = my ADHD, or my tidy house = my OCD, or my lateness = my ADHD, that yes, it absolutely undermines the reality for those with genuine and diagnosed conditions.

There was a thread the other day from a man complaining that he did more around the house than his wife does. In one sentence he said that he would like to take on more work (he’s self employed), and in the next he said that he struggles with housework due to his ADHD which means he struggles with organisation and responsibility. So hi how on earth does he think he’s going to manage taking on an extra client?
In his case, I think the so-called ADHD is a cop out for him to do less around the house.

It's the ones who say "I'm a bit neuro spicy" or, even an even worse one I saw on here "I'm pretty sure I'm neuro sparkly".

I've yet to meet someone who is diagnosed use those terms.

Pretty sure my dd who hasn't left the house for months and can't even attend school at the moment wouldn't be saying she's neuro sparkly.

My two circles of friends are the drama folk and the board game geeks - all of us are neurospicy and freely use the term.

For me to start on the official pathway to ADHD diagnosis, I began by exploring the idea through “pretty sure I’m neurospicy.” What might be seen as flippant, could be someone testing the waters to figure out if maybe they are neurodivergent.

You're free to use the term all you like, just as I'm free to think the people who use it are attention seeking and flippant.

Yes, neurospicy can do one.

I work in education, frequently with children and young people whose autism and/ or ADHD are a great source of concern and distress for themselves and their families. I'm not hearing them, their parents or the clinicians and professionals working hard to improve their social, communication and educational outcomes refer to them as neurospicy.

My own autistic teen DC wouldn't in a million years use this term to describe themselves; they perceive literally no advantages or upsides to their autistic lived experience, but see only the ways in which autism is a massive barrier to learning and access to opportunities.

I think we are currently in a wave of neuro diverse awareness, it will settle down and become more "normalised" just as sexuality and gender identity have over the decades.

Current trend within the ASC community is to embrace people who "identify" as autistic, partly due to the long waits for assessment (years) and also because some people (particularly older people who've lived their lives experiencing the world as they do, with all its issues) don't see any benefit to being assessed, but can clearly see that they are ASC / ADHD.

A person centred approach embraces how someone wishes to have their needs met, and as such is an automatic reasonable adjustment irrespective of neuro diversity, instead of attempting to shoe horn people into boxes (diagnoses) there is a shift towards this model of care within healthcare, but it will take much time and resources to get there.

Genuine - do you think I’m attention-seeking?

Yes.

Being 100% honest, if you were standing in front of me telling me you were "neuro spicy", or I was in your friend group and you were all discussing being "neuro spicy" then I would absolutely think you were attention seeking. If you told me you were neurodivergent or have ADHD then I wouldn't.

Autism "can" have enhancements for some (for Eg: those who are academically gifted) but by it's very nature it will be "disabling" in other areas of that person's life.
That person having insight and awareness of how they balance the demands (and environment) placed upon them will help them navigate a world that by it's design will deplete them, so yes, being autistic can be an asset to some, but it's more complicated that that and will have a detriment.

Yes, I do now. For years, I've been convinced I'm either adhd or autistic. I finally had my assessment for adhd and was told I do not have it, that the traits I show are from past trauma. It's quite enlightening actually to know that they're not fixed traits within me and I can change them. I now realise that by labelling myself, I was doing myself a disservice and became stuck in a rut believing it's just the way I am.

That’s interesting. It’s not the word I use to introduce the idea. I’d start with “I have ADHD”, and then use “neurodivergent/neurospicy” later in the conversation.

OCD is one I see a lot and makes me so annoyed. No you do not have OCD because you like the dishwasher stacked a certain bloody way..... Now if you can't get out of the house in the morning and are late for work because you ve had to go back and check it 5 times and redo all of your other morning routines then you might have a point (and obviously it's not as simplistic as that either)

That sounds like the superpower belief for those who are autistic.

I have three autistic children, one who is classed as academically gifted, but the enhancement of being a human calculator with an amazing memory doesn’t get over the fact that he can’t do very simple social interactions.

Yes its akin to autism being a super power

I meant to quote @BeforeSigourneyWeaverTheyWoveTheirOwnSigourneys

People are self diagnosing because waiting lists are so long. They’re often genuinely trying to get help or get others to understand their struggles. All the neuro spicy, neuro sparkly, superpower stuff annoys me, because every person I know with autism really struggles with life due to the traits they have.

I think it’s brilliant people can find a description for how they find themselves in the world. If you think you have adhd you very well might be- you’ve probably read the traits. They’ve read something that resonates with how they are in the world.
dont see how it takes away from people with a diagnosed ADHD, who will understand more about their condition. I think the super power chat is trying to see the silver linings in the situation. Even terrible circumstances such as illness or death in life can often bring something positive to someone’s life. Or at least that’s how people cope with it.