Labour #ActuallyAutistic

[Potato25]

Just been shown this by a friend, it's a pinned tweet on the Labour Autistic Network.

Looks like Labour are encouraging people to ID as autistic as well as women. It shouldn't really be a 'do you identify as' question...

I clicked on the link to see this: 'This information sharing agreement has been drawn up under the umbrella of Labour Autistic Network, an organisation of members and supporters of the Labour Party who identify on the autistic spectrum or neurodivergent.

I'm not comfortable with this because it can minimise autism. Some people are so quick to say 'well we're all on the spectrum' or 'I'm a bit OCD.'.

I'm not comfortable with this because it can minimise autism. Some people are so quick to say 'well we're all on the spectrum' or 'I'm a bit OCD.'.*

Thats not what the hashtag is though, its made by and for people who are ACTUALLY autistic - see it does what it says on the can.

Its not for those that are a "little bit autistic' or 'ah im a bit literal i must be autistic' people

Its the voices of actally autistic people.

But as always NTs know better than us, and they dobt like it.

wildduck yes prehaps identfying with is the wrong wording by the labour party. But then if you are just autistic, and i agree with you its just the way i was born its part of me. Its part of who i am its part of my idenity as much as being female is part of my idenity, being a red head is part of my identity, being blue eyed us part of my identity, being irish is. Its who i am and its part of me

"Its the voices of actally autistic people. "

No, it's the voices of anyone who has chosen to use this tag.

"But as always NTs know better than us, and they dobt like it."

I don't see NT people objecting to this.

twitter.com/florence_rattle/status/978550517738729473

wildduckhunt

I have autism and really struggle with the concept of "identifying". My understanding of identifying as a choice is limited to "I identify with the views of x political party" or "Oh I really identified with what Matt Baker has to say about that thing on the One Show.", in a sense of agreeing. I don't identify as autistic, I just am. Just like I "just am" British/Scottish (by virtue of parentage, birthplace, being raised here) - I really, really, struggle with why some people feel they need to perform the things they just are by accident of birth.
This ^
To identify as /something/someone is some Orwellian news speak for putting feelings over biological reality. I don’t identity as a woman I am a woman. My son doesn’t identify as autistic he is autistic, he also doesn’t identify as having an association of birth defects for him it’s a biological reality. You either are or you’re not.

I identified as 'suspected autistic' for quite some time before my diagnosis. I didn't call myself autistic until after my diagnosis.

I identify as autistic not a person with autism. It's a part of me, not something I carry around with me. It is me.

I think that's what the self ID as autistic means, not self ID as person with autism.

Does that make sense?

The problem with the word identifying i understand.

But what the hell is wrong with people feel like autism is part of them saying we're autistic not the fucking annoying and horriably PC a person with autism. Its not with me, i dont bring it places with me, I AM IT IS ME I AM ACTUALLY AUTISTIC.

which by the way is exactly what that tweet youve linked to says agender

And is ideed what your saying wildduck and pixies

Go an piss on some one elses identity

I dont have a diagnosis. Im on the waiting list and have been removed AGAIN and put on a different waiting list now, so back to the beginning. Its a long process, but I consider myself to have so many traits, and genetic links to autism that im likely to be autistic.
Autism will not happen to me at the moment of diagnosis. If people knew anything about the hell that is getting referred, waiting lists, and gatekeepers for getting a diagnosis, they would not be dismissive about people that have realised it for themselves without a formal diagnosis. Not everyone even chases diagnosis.
I cant imagine why on earth anyone would "identify" as having a disability that they didnt truly believe they had.

I prefer to say autistic than person with autism.
Person with autism sounds patronising to me, as if its something shameful

Everything has to be an "identity" nowadays to be considered a valid part of the human experience. I don't blame autistic people for wanting to jump on the bandwagon as well.

ID as autistic is the most stupid thing I've heard
I am ASD and so is my DC. We don't use as asd. Presumably if we did we could also identify out of it
Ridiculous language
Along with Labour opening positions up to those who identify as women. The position would be closed to me as I don't identify as a woman. I am a woman
I hate the Labour party just now. Just when we need a strong opposition we have this bunch of losers

Identify not use

I’m autistic - diagnosed - and society today reads like a Kafka novel. This unreality is extremely disconcerting for me and I now no longer feel as though I can go out to public places. I shall be identifying as a disabled person and using the disabled toilets from now on if I do go out.

I like science, I like logic, I like facts, I don’t like this bizarre unreality based around da feelz that the NT world has embraced.

As per my post on page 1 I have a child with autism. My concern is that the term identify has become inextricably linked with identity politics even if the intention here comes from a different place.

I totally accept and understand that for many reasons some people with autism do not have a diagnosis and perhaps never will. Outside of that specific group of people however it worries me that autism could become something that anyone could start identifying as having.

The reason it worries me is because similar to the situation currently with the dysphoric transsexual vs non dysphoric transgender classifiaction it's the latter group who have gained the loudest voice and dismissed the views of many of the former.

Given that self advocacy and communication are something that people with autism already struggle with it's entirely possible we could end up with a situation where a louder group of self identified people are speaking on behalf of those who are diagnosed.

How problematic that would be would depend on the narrative and what was being said but the possibility that it could happen makes me uncomfortable.

Having said that I do understand the frustration of people who suspect they are on the spectrum but have not been able to easily access support or a diagnostic pathway. I'm fully aware of how many hoops there can be to jump through, often dependant on where in the country you live. I can see in these situations self identifying (something you strongly believe to be true) would be very appealing.

The labour autistic network in the tweet the op posted has actually tweeted that people can 'self diagnose' as autistic and autistic people don't need the validation of diagnosis and should be supported to self identify. So in other words just the sort of fuckwittery that the op thought it was.

Exactly, you 'identify' as black, or 'identify' as a woman. Even if you aren't.

It's shorthand for 'I am talking crap'.

So any links between 'identify' and autism should be resisted.

Autistic people are a matter of concrete reality, not identity politics nonsense.

This is extremely fucking offensive.

I'm absolutely furious.

Autism isn't a badge of honour or a trendy quirk.

My identifying has nothing to do with feelz.

Thas has actually genuinely enraged me. I've signed the petition and am I suppose gender critical but I'm able to push back and fight for my rights. My child who is really truly actually autistic has almost no voice in society as it is. Marginalised and discriminated against in so many ways. And now what little voice he has is to be totally obliterated by people co-opting his difficulties for the feelz.

autistic people don't need the validation of diagnosis and should be supported to self identify.

Unfortunately that's not how the world works. People, particularly children, with autism needs specific supports and have specific needs. Education is completely different. My support needs to be tailored carefully,

My post is in relation to this.

If this is an autism awareness thing as in - are actually autistic - I can understand it.

Mental health support that should say.

I did need the validation though, I didn't feel able to use #actually autistic until I had that diagnosis.

I believe greater provision needs to be made for adult diagnosis, and specialists in diagnosing women need to be more available.

I'm confused. My teen DS's school begged me to take him to CAMHS. He'd always had problems in school since tiny but never sure what it was. They suspected ASD. I went to doctor. Got an appointment within a few weeks. Got a diagnosis after one afternoon. This was 3 years ago. Was I just really really lucky with the speed of this or have things gone downhill recently? Also, do other people have to do more than just one afternoon of tests for an ASD diagnosis?

If you're talking about identifying in the way that people are now with gender identifying as autistic when you aren't doesn't make sense in the same way.

Autism is a difference in brain structure with precise diagnostic criteria.

Are people going to identify as diabetic now?

(If that's what is meant here, I still see it as the autistic person vs person with autism
Debate)

Judder I think it's a bit of a postcode lottery. Here the waiting lists for diagnosis recently reached about 5 years. Our authority have been heavily criticised for it. Some inroads have been made as CAMHS have outsourced a proportion of the waiting list to a private agency.

My son was on the list for 3 years (it took many years to get him put on the list despite him already being under a paediatrician for other disabilities). His assessment process ended up taking 5 months in total although this isn't typical as there were mitigating factors in our case (their aim is to complete all assessments through to diagnosis within 8 weeks)

We waited 4 years for DS to be conclusively diagnosed.