In Which I Explain Why Autistics Would Want a Diagnosis

Autism Pride week blurb #2: Why Do Autistic People Need/Want a Diagnosis?
 

There are lots of people, mostly government and academic people, but also people in our personal lives, who refuse to accept you have any reason to do things differently and to deviate from their "systems" unless you have a diagnosis- a stupid piece of paper or whatever from a professional "proving" something. 

Autistic People don't need our diagnoses for anything more than some self-validation, the knowledge that yes, we are simply a bit different- but *other people* so often HAVE to have that Official Diagnosis or they'll accuse us of all manner of things when we're just being ourselves. 

People are scared of Different and will attack it as a character flaw unless it's "validated" by someone with a PhD. It sounds cynical, I know, but that's been what I have seen so far. Without a Diagnosis for an explanation, some people will get really upset with you for being the way you are.

 Edit: On the point of calling a Diagnosis a "stupid piece of paper"- It isn't always. Let me explain: 

A qualified psych doing a good thorough evaluation will be able to tell you things about yourself that you didn't realize, and maybe help you to make your life more streamlined and comfortable.

 I think it's only a "stupid Piece of paper" in the awkward sense that while it's obvious we are different, some people just refuse to listen to anything about you being different, not *negative adjective here* until you have that Stamp of Officialdom. It's just frustrating how we are obviously not like other people in significant ways, but sometimes other people won't believe it until it's signed off by the right authorities- even when we're melting down in front of them.

In Which I debunk Theory Of Mind and Pass the Voight Kampf test.

 It's the common "knowledge' that autistics have no feelings or lack empathy largely because Baron-Cohen, a guy with a Doctorate, has proved, by studying children as if they were mice, that autistics lack empathy or imagination and that we are all little robots. (/snark)
I just do not approve of his methods. It's extremely unscientific to study undeveloped humans (toddlers) and then assume that one's assumptions about their behavior must be true, and then that their emotional development is true of most people with the same condition. He didn't bother to so much as Voight-Kampf test a single Aspie. Showing my nerdity with that Literary/film reference to a fictional test supposed to be used to check for empathy, as humaniform robots lack that human quality... but seriously, all it would take is to ASK an Aspie, "If someone accidentally hurts their hand and is crying, how do you feel about it?" Most of us will tell you we'd be extremely concerned for the person who is hurt, and probably awkwardly offer help.

The assumption that Autism= lack of empathy and inability to intuit what others are thinking is because of Baron-Cohen's famous Theory Of Mind ...er, theory. It's true to a certain extent, but not the way everyone thinks, and we [autistics] certainly do not lack empathy (generally speaking, and as far as I have ever experienced. Being autistic, I consider that some distance). He assumed the lack of "correct" expression of empathy means the lack of empathy. If I had no idea how other people think I would not be a fiction writer known to my friends for "great characterization" nor would my friends seek me out for interpersonal advice because of my "perceptive abilities with people". I just have a blind spot if I'm the one doing the interacting. 

 Appearing to Lack Empathy is hardly ever what it looks like, in the case of autism:
People seem to just not Get how overly logical an autistic mind can be. I helped a friend once by explaining to her that her autistic kid brother doesn't ignore her when she enters the room because he doesn't care if she's there- it's because he knows she's there but it would never in a million years occur to him that she might have an emotional need to have her presence pointed out, when both parties are already aware of it.  She's there, he's there, as far as he knows this is time spent together so that's nice, and he enjoys spending time in the same room as her, because he loves her- that's together time. 

So she gets left with the impression she is being "ignored", when he has no idea people have an emotional need to be hailed as they enter a room as a form of affection by greeting ritual. The idea of needing to tell someone in the same room as you where they are and that you know they are present, when you could not possibly miss those facts, is *ridiculous* to him, but it's an important social ritual to her. Knowing the difference between an autistic person's logic and a typical person's logic can make all the difference.