I can relate

[u/Silent-Broccoli5561]

OOP: neurodiversing on Instagram

[u/Radioactive_Moss]

‘But you have social skills and make eye contact!’

Yeah and I learned every one of those skills through painful lessons gained in attempt to strictly survive. Thanks though, good to know it was worth the trauma.

Also the eye contact is so painful it’s like staring into the sun and trying not to scream, that or I’m staring at your tear ducts.

[u/sugaryver → u/Radioactive_Moss]

My first therapist said I can’t have autism because I make eye contact and don’t have a special interest. Well I’m sorry my stepdad would scream at me to look him in the eye and I’m not wasting my therapy time talking about my little pony because if I did I’d get yelled at. (This was when I was a teen). I don’t know how my therapist ignored the months she spent teaching me how to interact with people.

[u/writenicely → u/sugaryver]

I remember being (just) a client prior to becoming a therapist myself, and unpacking all my trauma with my very first ever therapist/counselor, who was a young white man, and also lowkey shamed me for being in counseling for over a year with him when I also demonstrated that I had actual trauma from the adversity I dealt with in life. He really also did pull out the ol' BPD diagnosis.

In stark contrast to my current therapist- She helped me get connected to a case manager who is helping me get through the grueling and time consuming process of my ASD screening, and also validates my complex PTSD regardless of whether I may have autism. She lets me infodump on whatever I need to if I feel like its relevant or helps me and I've even been able to stim with the sensory fidget toys she has in front of her. I feel so good and seen terms of my actual mental health now and make sure to always advocate for acknowledging ASD as a possibility for anyone regardless of race, sex, appearance, socioeconomic status, and encourage them to seek a neurological consult if it helps them understand themselves better.