Now it's "No ND without the T"

[BinturongsSmellOfPopcorn]

The forced teaming is becoming increasingly ridiculous and offensive.

twitter.com/NeurodIreland/status/1670688196290658305?

they would say that being autistic and being trans are on the same side of the line: they are using this correlation to prove that being trans isa neurodiversity, and an intrinsic part of being autistic.

And if all those autistic girls really are trans then maybe they'd be right.
But I don't think they are...I think the girls are confused, and searching for an identity and somewhere to fit in and a reason why they're struggling...and being trans is in vogue right now so that's what they're latching on to. There is a lot of slowing down and unravelling that needs to be done.

Most are hidden now sadly

How very sinister of them, if so.

Oh that's a shame, they were read the riot act!

Some NHS trusts have recently been running a trial whereby adults who present to the GP with symptoms of autism are not assessed and diagnosed. They are merely directed to an online self-assessment tool which identifies the person’s difficulties and support needs, and signposts them to charities and other non-NHS services.

The idea behind this is that there is no NHS support available for adults with autism anyway, so what’s the point of spending money on diagnosing them? Particularly because NHS waiting lists for autism assessment are growing out of control (mostly due to increased awareness of autism among adult women who weren’t diagnosed as children). In most areas the waiting list for diagnosis is up to five years.

Under this trial the only people who are eligible for a professional assessment are those who are at risk or have a legal need for a diagnosis. The lack of formal diagnosis is not only making it more difficult for disabled people to access support such as benefits to which they are entitled, but it’s also creating a culture of self-diagnosis. Autism is being framed as an identity that you self-identify with, not a disability that you’re formally diagnosed with. Which basically means it’s not going to be taken seriously.

@Archeron this makes me so mangry. It's really undermining neurodiverse children, adults & families. It is not an identity it's a disability & needs to be treated as such.

Hmm
So being staunchly gender critical and diagnosed ADHD what would the trans community make of me? I'm not a prime candidate for the new forced teaming.

@BluebellBlueballs I think they would identify you as liability 😉

FFS the whole reason for me going on that waiting list was to get a diagnosis to unlock help at work. I neither want nor need NHS support for it, but I do need workplace support.

mostly due to increased awareness of autism among adult women who weren’t diagnosed as children

As usual, women being fobbed off. It's another day ending in Y.

https://ydrf.org.uk/2023/03/26/autism-and-adhd-assessments-to-be-refused/

Further info see link.

Adults in North Yorkshire who approach their GP seeking an autism and/or ADHD diagnosis will be refused access to assessment unless they meet one or more of the following criteria:

1. Immediate self-harm or harm to others. A mental health assessment must have been undertaken and a crisis management plan in place.
2. Risk of being unable to have planned life-saving hospital treatment, operations, or care placement.
3. Imminent risk of family court decisions determined on diagnosis eg family breakdown, custody hearing.

Commissioners stated they need to “stem the flow” of referrals. Patients presenting in need of assessment will instead be directed to online self-diagnosis quizzes. But a self-diagnosis provides neither sufficient evidence for disability benefits nor access to medication in the case of ADHD.

It’s clear that the NHS is positioning ASD and ADHD as something you self-identify and manage on your own, not disabilities you’re formally diagnosed with. It’s certainly much cheaper for the NHS and DWP if they don’t have to diagnose, treat or pay benefits to these patients. And it opens up these disabilities as “identities” that anyone can claim, and which can therefore be aligned with other self-identified “identities” as seen in the OP.

For gender identity, which is self-defined the NHS is rolling out a network of national centres. Why do autistic people not get help?

This is a scandal, there are clinical diagnostic criteria for autism conditions. It’s just not a self diagnosis situation. What are the autistic patient organisations saying about this?

What.

what in the holy hell.🐲🐲

These people have fucking lost their own and Merlin’s marbles down the drain.

You don’t identify as nd you fuckers.
Have been waiting for this bullshit to rear its ugly head, and here it is.
Will now read all the thread.

The National Autistic Society is captured and has been for ages.

We autistic people are inconvenient. That's all.

Autism self-diagnosis has been around for ages. If someone said "I've taken an online test and I've just diagnosed myself with cancer" people would, quite rightly, challenge that.

But autism? Sure! People know what the 'symptoms' are so it's very easy to pathologise normal behaviour and claim a complex disability.

This a thousand times.
nightmare nightmare nightmare

i do get how patient organisations of all kinds are prone to being sexist and homophobic and supporting the TRA agenda . But I don’t understand them being pro self-‘diagnosis’.
How can patient organisations possibly keep up with demand, if anyone can demand anything without any medical involvement?

Part of the problem is, unlike gender ideology, autistic people are less able to advocate for their own interests, as are their often exhausted carers if they need them. And also because it’s an actual
Neurological disability and not a super sexy special identity which makes men’s penises go up, autism charities are not particularly well funded. I do wonder if part of the eagerness for some autism charities to glom on to the identity politics is a way to have access to the fund raising from LGBT.

There has been an absolute explosion in private ADHD diagnoses amongst the middle class people in their 40s i know. All of them self diagnosed online before paying a private GP for confirmation. It really smacks of the gender clinic stuff where you’ll be immediately affirmed.

Yes, I know. And personally it has been really useful actually, because I could then find literature and use strategies that mean I can (barely) cope in everyday life.

But for me it is about my kids who do have formal diagnosis. And all of you who do have a formal diagnosis, and sadly have full experience of how debilitating it can be.

There are already people advocating that only autistic adults should educate and look after autistic children.
If the T is attached, I think we can guess why that is.
«autistic» Trans nutters (pretend trans with odd fetishes) looking after extremely vulnerable and non-verbal/mute children. What can possibly go wrong?

*It’s clear that the NHS is positioning ASD and ADHD as something you self-identify and manage on your own, not disabilities you’re formally diagnosed with. It’s certainly much cheaper for the NHS and DWP if they don’t have to diagnose, treat or pay benefits to these patients. And it opens up these disabilities as “identities” that anyone can claim, and which can therefore be aligned with other self-identified “identities” as seen in the OP"

That's what it is, isn't it?
I have close family in one of the two trusts this 'trials' are running. They were just about to request a diagnosis for them (one adult for possible ASC, and one child already diagnosed with ASC for possible ADHD). It took them a long time to gather the strength to even speak to the GP because they knew they'd have a fight in their hands and their specific needs. They now missed the boat and are now in limbo (in the case of the child they'd wanted to have the option of meds for ADHD before their exams). They don't want to self-id but can't afford a private assessment. Plus they're beginning to have doubts about how seriously private diagnoses are taken, like a pp has pointed out.

Sorry, bold fail of Archeron 's post!

If the T is attached, I think we can guess why that is
«autistic» Trans nutters (pretend trans with odd fetishes) looking after extremely vulnerable and non-verbal/mute children. What can possibly go wrong?

Indeed 🙁

But many patient orgnaisations don't see their job as being 'keeping up with demand'.

Some - usually small ones - provide a direct service, and if they want to do that well they need numbers to stay at or below capacity.

But a lot - often the larger ones - provide less in the way of direct help and see their primary job as raising awareness and lobbying for the NHS/social services to keep up with demand. And to do that, and argue for more funding for those services (and for themselves) they want to be able to say the numbers are as big as possible - higher than capacity.

Oh god..OK yes I see what you mean
The (aspiring) bigger ones might have seen the enormous financial and publicity success of Stonewall and Mermaids and want to emulate that model by encouraging self ID as ND.
Both those charities overreached and lost their original remit but the model did work for them for years.

@Slothtoes that was very much during the "be kind" & "no debate" movement. The tide is turning rapidly & ND people & parents won't accept it, judging by the comments people are appauled.

I have a gluten allergy. Several years ago people used to take that seriously because it’s a medical diagnosis. But now loads of people are self-diagnosing with gluten allergy. “Oh I don’t eat gluten, it makes me feel so bloated and tired”, “Gluten is crap and it’s so unhealthy”, “I eat gluten free to lose weight”. They eat gluten free food sometimes but other times when they feel like it they have a pizza and nothing happens to them.

Meanwhile I’m over here going into anaphylactic shock if someone touches gluten then touches my food without washing their hands. But people no longer take it seriously because so many are eating gluten free for non-medical reasons. They tell me “a little bit won’t hurt you” and “Sandra is gluten free but she’s eating cake today because it’s a special occasion so why can’t you?” Because there’s a difference between my medically diagnosed allergy and Sandra cutting down on gluten because she thinks it makes her fat!

This is where autism is headed. Loads of people self-identifying with autism will swamp the needs of the people who actually do have autism and need support and reasonable adjustments. Nobody will take autism seriously any more. I can see it now: “Sandra identifies as autistic but she doesn’t have a problem with noise and bright lights so why do you?” Because Sandra isn’t fucking autistic, thats why.