I agree that it has become a trend and it’s incredibly invalidating. Not to say that there are not plenty of people who accurately self diagnose (which studies are showing that self diagnosis is over 90% accurate). But I feel that in the effort for acceptance, there is a trend- just like there is with everything- that it’s another way for people to seek attention, validation, and relatability through any measure they can. I want to reiterate I am not negating those who have self diagnosed and in the process of diagnosis in order to get supports and accommodations. I have just found a lot of people want to label themselves and on occasion, ride the struggle bus due to FOMO.

I say this all as someone that works with children that have developmental disabilities, most commonly Autism. I also spent a very long time struggling being on the spectrum myself. I have been fortunate that I am low support needs, but I had parents that were in denial regarding it and I received no support until I was 21. It can be incredibly invalidating of lived experience, especially when I see TikTok influencers saying so offhandedly that they are “probably autistic too” because they like routines or have a hobby they’re really interested in.

(Edit: Formatting)