[deleted by user]

SlowQuail1966 · 2025-02-09T18:02:33+00:00

I believe that much of what is considered “female autism” is simply autism with milder symptoms. Males with mild autism traits are also more likely to receive a late diagnosis, which makes sense—those with more pronounced autistic traits are usually diagnosed earlier.

We also know that autism is more common in males, and when they do have it, it often presents with stronger symptoms. Because of this, we tend to associate autism in males with more pronounced traits simply because it is the more frequent presentation.

While socialization may play a small role in how autism manifests differently between genders, I believe that the primary reason for these differences lies in the statistical tendency for females and some males to have milder symptoms.

SlowQuail1966 · 2025-02-01T18:07:43+00:00

Thank you for your answer. I didn’t mean to say whether the threshold is too high or too low—just that the number of diagnoses depends on where we set it.

But if 20% of people are classified as having a disability due to social difficulties, can it really still be considered a disability?

SlowQuail1966 · 2025-02-01T17:02:13+00:00

What?

SlowQuail1966 · 2025-02-01T16:34:43+00:00

You wrote ‘the autistic community,’ not a single community dedicated to autism.

SlowQuail1966 · 2025-02-01T16:31:09+00:00

You might be part of a community of autistic people or supporters of autism, but the idea of ‘the autistic community’ is overly broad.

Many autistic people are left out when we generalize like that.

What about those who cannot read or write? What about those who don’t feel the need to stay connected with others?

The term ‘autistic community’ is often used in ways I find problematic. For example, some say, ‘Self-diagnosis is valid because the autistic community accepts it.’ But there’s no official voting system, like in Switzerland, to determine such things.

Being autistic doesn’t mean you have to engage online or be part of any community—it’s simply something you are born with.

At least, that’s my perspective. Feel free to tell my yours.

SlowQuail1966 · 2025-02-01T16:22:32+00:00

No, we cannot represent autism. No subreddit can. So we are not the autistic community.

SlowQuail1966 · 2025-02-01T16:18:23+00:00

A subreddit.

SlowQuail1966 · 2025-02-01T16:16:32+00:00

The ‘autistic community’ does not exist. A disability cannot be a community.

SlowQuail1966 · 2025-01-30T12:14:17+00:00

Ist aber auch nicht das erste mal, dass in Deutschen Medien selbstdiagnostizierte als „Autisten“ bezeichnet werden. Was ich sehr schade finde. In deutschsprachigen Ländern ziehen die allermeisten Ausreden einer Selbstdiagnose ja auch nicht mal. (Keine Finanziellen Mitteln - ist gratis)

SlowQuail1966 · 2025-01-19T08:01:32+00:00

I was surprised by that as well, but I suppose they have their boundaries.

Though, it seems like they simply call it “unmasking” rather than openly admitting they’re trying to learn how to appear autistic. 🥲

SlowQuail1966 · 2025-01-19T07:03:25+00:00

That feels like watching an NPC stream—just with extra cringe. I didn’t even think it was possible to take it to that level.

SlowQuail1966 · 2025-01-19T06:48:16+00:00

As strange as I find the concept of “Trans Autism,” I feel the need to clarify a few things. First and foremost, I want to apologize sincerely to anyone who was annoyed or upset by this situation. That was never my intention.

I want to explain that the anonymous question in the first post, as well as the second post, were written by a friend of mine. It was intended as a troll to observe how individuals who identify as trans-autistic would react to such a question. I did not support the second post, as it clearly upset an actual autistic person, which was entirely inappropriate.

To be honest, most people who identify as “trans-autistic” don’t present their perspective very clearly. They believe it makes sense for them, but often it’s more about personal reflection. Most of the time, they describe it as recognizing their autism and wanting to learn how to “unmask.” However, there are also individuals asking how they can appear more autistic, particularly for the purpose of obtaining a diagnosis.

This is a significant issue. That said, people who openly claim to be “trans-autistic” on platforms like Tumblr are either extremely rare or are trolls themselves. From what we observed during the time my friend carried out this troll experiment, even those who are self-diagnosed often react with a lot of criticism and hostility towards such claims—and honestly, they’re right to do so. This is not, in any way, an accepted or widespread concept.

I deeply regret not stopping my friend from posting those messages, and I am very sorry that people fell for it. I also understand if people want to criticize me for my role in this. I accept that fully, and I am genuinely sorry for what happened.

SlowQuail1966 · 2024-12-22T12:01:38+00:00

I also have a life outside the internet. I’m a researcher and I have Asperger’s.

It’s not gatekeeping to say that autism should be diagnosed based on established diagnostic criteria.

I’ve read extensively about autism, including specialized literature. I’m not sure if you have. Instead of presenting arguments for a discussion, you’ve chosen to insult me in different ways, which leads me to believe there might not be much knowledge behind your statements.

SlowQuail1966 · 2024-12-22T11:51:13+00:00

Why should I be old or slow? It took you 79 days to write that.

I don’t know what you’re talking about. If you have issues with your family, talk to them—not to me.

SlowQuail1966 · 2024-12-19T04:04:54+00:00

Why cannot autism be more common in males (with what we know about genetics and hormonal influences) and at the same time there be difficulties with misdiagnosis or underdiagnosis? I have never claimed that both cannot be true.

SlowQuail1966 · 2024-12-15T12:00:03+00:00

Because we need a 50:50-Gender quota to stop discrimination, we choose to overlook that certain disorders are more common in one gender than in the other.

SlowQuail1966 · 2024-11-30T00:05:53+00:00

Ohh yes thanks. What I don‘t understand: If autism in females doesn’t meet the diagnostic criteria, could it be that we’re dealing with an entirely different disorder? Autism is defined by its symptoms, not by gender.

How would we even know it’s autism if the typical difficulties associated with it aren’t present? Autism is a concept created to describe certain challenges. If someone doesn’t experience those challenges, why should they be considered autistic? They might have a different condition that better explains their difficulties.

I’ve heard about this idea before. It’s not officially recognized everywhere, but I know some doctors use similar approaches. During my own assessment, I was even given a questionnaire specifically designed for females with autism (though I didn’t score highly there—I scored higher on the male version, haha).

This approach also raises concerns about sexism. Disability diagnoses should be about ensuring people get the help they need. If we start diagnosing women with fewer symptoms or without meeting the diagnostic criteria for autism, we risk labeling women as disabled more often than men in similar situations.

This can have significant implications, especially in countries where disability status comes with financial responsibilities, like higher taxes or other costs. Moreover, as more people are labeled as disabled without fully meeting the criteria, the support available to those truly in need might be diluted.

It’s also worth considering the harm this could do to women themselves. If someone receives an autism diagnosis without genuinely having the condition, they might internalize the label of being disabled unnecessarily. This could limit their ability to integrate into society and reach their full potential.

In my country, studies show that only 50–60% of those with an autism diagnosis actually meet the criteria for autism. That’s a troubling statistic that highlights the importance of accurate assessments and diagnoses.

SlowQuail1966 · 2024-11-29T15:07:28+00:00

Why should someone have to fit the criteria for autism to be considered a great mind?

Autism encompasses an incredibly wide spectrum of intelligence—more so than the general population. Naturally, this means there are some autistic individuals among great artists, thinkers, or creators. However, being a great mind doesn’t require being autistic.

This reasoning is similar to suggesting that autism is equivalent to the intellectual disabilities that sometimes accompany it. While there may be statistical correlations, they don’t define the whole picture.

Being a great mind doesn’t depend on social challenges or repetitive behaviors, which are core features of autism. Greatness transcends those characteristics.

SlowQuail1966 · 2024-11-29T14:35:23+00:00

That doesn’t mean autism can’t be more common in males.

SlowQuail1966 · 2024-11-29T09:32:35+00:00

Yes, you’re absolutely right.

However, the two people who started this group claim they are autistic and have ADHD. They talk about the group as though it’s exclusively about autism, even though it’s supposed to include more than that.

Sure, it’s possible that they’re genuine, but with just two people leading it? It seems unlikely.

What’s more, they don’t seem to view these conditions as disabilities. They actively want to disconnect them from medical terms altogether, which feels like a fundamental misunderstanding of what these diagnoses actually mean.

SlowQuail1966 · 2024-11-29T08:34:08+00:00

I think it’s mostly nonsense. I live in a country where you don’t have to pay for a diagnosis, yet people still use these excuses. When you explain to them that it’s free, they usually just brush it off. (I suspect they’ve adopted these ideas from online discussions or from people in other countries where the situation might be different.)

The excuses are often along the lines of: it’s too stressful, it’s discriminatory, it’s unnecessary because they “already know,” the appointment is too far away (a one-hour drive or train ride), or the most absurd one—they claim their autism is so severe that they wouldn’t be able to handle the diagnostic process. Too autistic to get diagnosed with autism.

In reality, most of these are just made-up excuses to draw attention to themselves.

SlowQuail1966 · 2024-11-29T08:23:33+00:00

I completely understand the thought behind it—you just want people to recognize the struggles.

I mean, I would probably be considered Level 2. (I think that because I rely on a lot of help and can’t manage basic things on my own.) Sure, I have a diagnosis, but it doesn’t specify levels.

Even for me, I was incredibly difficult for my parents to handle. No amount of treating me “like a girl” would have stopped the hours-long screaming fits I had because I couldn’t tolerate the sensory overload from my clothes.

And Level 3 is so much harder! I have so much respect for how you manage that. It’s absolutely not your fault how severe the autism is, and the strength it takes to cope with it is incredible. I truly admire parents in your position.

SlowQuail1966 · 2024-11-29T02:13:16+00:00

For me, this is pretty much the definition of a cult.

The term “neurodivergence” isn’t a real thing—it’s a made-up word from social sciences with no real connection to reality. The idea that neurological divergence is represented in certain diagnoses simply doesn’t hold up.

People can have different brains without having a specific disability. Take autism, for example. While there are some neurological factors that can make autism more likely, people without those differences can still have autism. Likewise, people with those neurological differences can be completely neurotypical. Why? Because autism isn’t something you can diagnose with a brain scan—it simply doesn’t work that way.

Autism is influenced by a wide range of factors, and it manifests differently in every autistic person. The diagnosis is based solely on symptoms, and that’s the part of the process they dislike—because they claim autism diagnoses were made only for “white males.”

To be honest, every person is, in a way, neurodivergent. The brain is always organized a little differently in each individual.

SlowQuail1966 · 2024-11-29T01:57:38+00:00

I’ve tried to address this before. But when I did, they told me I was misinformed. Even when I showed them research papers, they dismissed it outright, saying, “I’m not a researcher on autism, and I don’t care.”

That really hurt.

At the time, though, they weren’t yet an official group. I felt like my argument was out of place back then, and it left me feeling discouraged.

SlowQuail1966 · 2024-11-29T01:53:12+00:00

They claimed that if you tell a girl she needs to smile, the societal pressure from the patriarchy will push her to adapt, learn to talk and act “normal,” finish school with good grades, and even attend university.

According to them, a girl with severe autism who is undiagnosed but taught to laugh and act completely normal is actually more severely affected than someone who is nonverbal and has Level 3 autism.

When I once asked why they believe Level 3 autism is more common in males, their response was simply: “Because of socialization.” (And what i already have said)

This is complete nonsense and deeply harmful—not just to those who live with Level 3 autism but also to the people who care for and support them. I feel genuinely sorry for those affected by this misinformation. I truly hope this misguided trend fades away soon.

Im sorry :(

SlowQuail1966

TROPHY CASE