Random Public Service Announcement: The #ActuallyAutistic hashtag means the author of the post containing that hashtag is an actually autistic person, as opposed to a relative, caregiver, or practitioner who is not autistic. It came about because autism-adjacent folks kept speaking over us, and we needed a way to identify when an autistic person was speaking for themself. The hashtag says nothing about whether someone has an official diagnosis, only about whether they identify as autistic. It is not correct for an allistic (non-autistic) person to use the #ActuallyAutistic hashtag to describe an autistic person - #autistic is a perfectly cromulent hashtag for that. @actuallyautistic
@joshsusser@actuallyautistic one to add: friends and I have been getting a lot of joy out of #subthreshold as a self-assigned label for those of us with "autistic tendencies" or "sub-threshold #autism" (which is an actual phrase a psychiatrist said to me once).
It can be applied when the impact of neurodivergence on one's life is not disabling but not without challenges; and when autistic traits and management techniques are applicable.
@joshsusser@actuallyautistic To note: it's important to reserve #ActuallyAutistic as a self-descriptor for folks with a diagnosis who are experiencing disabling impacts on their ability to function. A self-diagnosis is valid too, or we're just policing financial privilege and access to medical care.
(To any autistic White men reading who want to claim autism as a right to be abrasive: your mental health is not your fault, but it is your responsibility.)
@pospi@joshsusser@actuallyautistic well, I congratulate you on being "sub-threshold", I'm sure that's very nice for you. But don't you think you should leave it up to those of us who are #ActuallyAutistic to determine how the hashtag #ActuallyAutistic gets used?
Yes, I acknowledge that we do navigate life with differing degrees of difficulty, but we all really do have enough to put up with without being condescended to by folk who don't share our experience.
@simon_brooke@joshsusser@actuallyautistic I get that, the sharing of others in this thread has taught me a lot.
It also shows me that I have some imposter syndrome about my own executive functioning, and reminds me that the things I struggle with are valid struggles too.
Maybe. But I look up words (especially their etymology) all the time. Gives interesting insights and allows more scrumptious word choices. :blobcatgiggle:
@joshsusser@actuallyautistic Ohhhh! Thanks for the info!! I absolutely assumed it was some gatekeepy crap meant for people who have been diagnosed. Thinking back on it now and knowing the general ethos here I probably should have known better 😅
@joshsusser@actuallyautistic As someone with an official diagnosis, this 100% belongs to all us, official piece of paper or not. Diagnosis is valid whether professional or self-made.
@transitory@joshsusser@actuallyautistic I benefited from the autistic community prior to diagnosis and am still benefiting from the ADHD community whilst I await assessment. Their will be costs to having both diagnosis (around rights etc) so if I didn’t need them for access at work, I would have stay unofficial. If you find benefit, feel welcome.
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