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.

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.*

In which case I some what agree with you, no I'm not sure, in fact defnately don't want all the probably not actually autistic, let's all think being autistic is trendy and quirky, well everyone's a bit autistic ain't they proclaiming that their suddenly #actuallyautistic.

But there is a place for those of that are actually autistic, not people with autism , to have our voice heard.

judder you got a CAMHS appointment with in weeks? Where the hell do you live, the moon? Sorry just that alone normally has awaitinglust of months if not years.

Diagnosis after one afternoon? I'm not sure that's even possiably, even as an adult I had at least two 3 hour meetings with psychologist and SLT to diagnose me, with my father.

My daughter has autistic traits which cause her some difficulties but don’t ‘qualify’ her for a diagnosis, at least not in the NHS. Sometimes, when it’s relevant, I explain that she is mildly autistic, just to shorthand it (with new teachers, or new friends’ parents).

She doesn’t identify as autistic, I don’t identify her as autistic. But I think I am going to change the language I use.

bishopbrennan love that picture that's exactly what I've been saying I don't Cary my autism wth me like a bag it is me I am autistic

Me too, @NaughtToThreeSadOnions

OvaHere Thanks - I can see we might have just been lucky - like you say, postcode lottery. I'm also wondering if some authorities are more rigorous in their assessment and maybe my authority gets through people quicker because the assessment only takes a couple of hours.

Naught - that's what I mean. It didn't seem very rigorous. I wonder why it was so quick.

So when people actually realise that bloody hell, they ARE autistic and thats been the bloody issue all along, are they supposed to then pretend they arent, or keep it a secret until the years down the line when they might actually get a diagnosis?
For instance, my doctor told me years and years ago, that while she agreed with me that I was probably on the spectrum, going by what i described, and by the fact that my children with different dads, all have autism (diagnosed) that it wasnt worth me pursuing a dx, because there was no support out there for adults anyway.
Its actually only in the last couple of years that ive decided that actually I do want a diagnosis because this is very real.

This is what I personally mean by I identify as autistic. I mean that I think I am, but dont have a dx yet.

Whats the problem?? It isnt a badge of honour. Its a pain. Its very difficult.

Judder I can't really fault how rigorous they were in the diagnostic procedure, they certainly did their due diligence going as far back as preschool and primary to speak to professionals involved with him.

One of the reasons it was lengthy was because of the time it took for all the reports to come in. They also couldn't use much of the traditional diagnostic testing because he wouldn't cooperate with them, he retreats into selective mutism in overwhelming situations. I was very concerned he wouldn't get the diagnosis at one point because of his refusal to cooperate.

Not everyone is happy with the process though because they do refuse diagnosis to quite a number of children who are assessed. Some who have gone on to get a second opinion elsewhere.

My local authority area doesn’t even assess for autism anymore, unless it’s the extreme kanners type. Same with adhd. Camhs have been specially trained to fob parents off and the entire process is confusing and problematic.

As an autistic woman, it seems that I will soon be totally invisible if others are taking over womaning and autisming

It's not about self-ID. It's about a movement organised by autistic people to be recognised as autistic rather than as people with autism. The reason is that using 'people with autism' makes autism sound like an illness, and autistic people want to be recognised as equally valid and acceptable as neurotypical people. (I'm speaking in general terms - obviously not all autistic people agree).

It's not about whether or not you have been diagnosed, it's about autistic people taking control of the narratives around autism and being recognised in ways that are empowering rather than pathologising.

This is an easy subject for you to research - perhaps don't let your feelings about transgenderism cloud every view you have, it wouldn't take much to think a bit more critically and do the basic research required to further your understanding.

"This is what I personally mean by I identify as autistic. I mean that I think I am, but dont have a dx yet.

Whats the problem?? It isnt a badge of honour. Its a pain. Its very difficult."

Lily Madigan 'identifies' as a lesbian. He definitely 100% is not a lesbian. Yet that is his 'identity'.

You BELIEVE you are autistic, and you are probably right.

'Identify' can be used to make assertions that are obviously completely false.

I struggle to take this account seriously when they say things like this.

Yes it's great that there's a voice for autistic people, but I just don't think that 'identify' is a good choice of words when it's thrown around so easily.

And LM saying 'You can't identify as something you aren't' is just hypocritical.

Am I being cynical, having seen those screenshots, to think that there may be a possibility that LM and pals are going to use autism as their next Thing because they're assuming there'll be no pushback if their focus is on the autism part of their identity, when no one buys the trans stuff?

Right, so it's actually the people/person running this account who is mixing this all with the trans self-ID stuff?

That's really unfortunate.

Er ok, thats erm very unprofessional of the LAN to bring the trans debate up. Thats wrong

I hope these campaigns don't force this identification upon everyone with ASD. Just because you hate "with autism" doesn't mean others don't get upset or hate being defined as Autistic.

Whoever is running the LAN social media account should not be using it as propaganda for their transgender activism.

Ovahere It sounds like your authority is far stricter about it than mine, which in some (but certainly not all) ways is a good thing. Sometimes I still wonder if DS is really on the spectrum and then he will go through an episode and I wonder why I doubt it. He just finds coping so much harder when he gets overwhelmed and anxious - but I guess that's AS for you.

Person with autism is preferred by many who say they are not defined by their autism - they are a person first. Different people have different preferences.

My two biggest problems with all this is many people actually have little idea what it actually means to be to have ASD/C so may adopt it as an identity from illinformed position. Secondly, and more importantly, it ignores a significant proportion of autistic individuals; those who are non verbal or minimally verbal, low functioning, limited language skills, highly disabled maybe needing 24 hour care of a 3:1 ratio of carers to go out. It pushes these folk and their high level of needs under the carpet and those of their families and carers.

I wonder if that is partly because parents and professional's deal with a broader range of presentation? They are fighting for their child to be 'seen' and support personalised? So often where there is support in education it is presented as the 'autism package' which may not fit the child at all. I find some autists with what used to be called Aspergers dismiss parents as not being an authentic voice. However for many parents are their only voice/advocate.

I hope these campaigns don't force this identification upon everyone with ASD. Just because you hate "with autism" doesn't mean others don't get upset or hate being defined as Autistic.*

Equally prettypaws those of us that hate the patronising, pc 'with autism' shouldn't be forced to define ourselves by implying something we regard as a massive part of us, and imply it's something we can either pick up or put down or can be cured. I've been told off/bullied on here for calling myself AUTISTIC, I've been told I'm not autistic, the proper term is I'm a person with autism. NO I AM NOT I AM AUTISTIC, OR AN AUTISTC PERSON.

Naught do you call autism sprectum a condition or disorder? This is another area of disagreement with the split seeming to fall depending on level of disability with some vehemently anti disorder (general those HFA/less disabled). And also anti ABA. I see both perspectives. This is also something that applies to Trans/dysphoria in that tug between 'this is just how it is' and 'this is something that needs treatment/intervention/support' with the risk that by moving to the former you are making it harder for people who need the latter.

No im not making it harder for people to get support.

Im objecting to being told what i call myself. If you want to call yourself person with autism you can but what gives yoy the right to tell me what i call myself.

That surely makes you a hypocrite

As for ABA, you realise that the whole purpose of AbA is to cure autism as you would cancer?

Ok shall we cure down syndrome, williams syndrome and other gentic and neurological disablities too.