slate "journalist" diagnoses herself as autistic

[Anonymous]

If the journalist were claiming her functioning was unimpaired, there would have been no basis for the article.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PS: Here's the Pearson link
https://images.pearsonclinical.com/images/assets/basc-3/basc3resources/DSM5_DiagnosticCriteria_AutismSpectrumDisorder.pdf

Table I states that "Without supports in place, deficits in social communication cause noticeable impairments. … For example, a person who is able to speak in full sentences and engages in communication but whose to-and-fro conversation with others fails, and whose attempts to make friends are odd and typically unsuccessful."

That's exactly what everyone who has been disagreeing with OP has been stating, no?

Note that it does not say someone with Level 1 autism cannot survive or function at all without supports, but that doing so comes with impairments. Isn't that what the author of the article was noting about her own life?

people with that level of impairment are at Harvard? Highly suspect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PS: Here's the Pearson link
https://images.pearsonclinical.com/images/assets/basc-3/basc3resources/DSM5_DiagnosticCriteria_AutismSpectrumDisorder.pdf

Table I states that "Without supports in place, deficits in social communication cause noticeable impairments. … For example, a person who is able to speak in full sentences and engages in communication but whose to-and-fro conversation with others fails, and whose attempts to make friends are odd and typically unsuccessful."

That's exactly what everyone who has been disagreeing with OP has been stating, no?

Note that it does not say someone with Level 1 autism cannot survive or function at all without supports, but that doing so comes with impairments. Isn't that what the author of the article was noting about her own life?

people with that level of impairment are at Harvard? Highly suspect.

I take it you're not a professional academic.

Harvard, MIT, CalTech, Yale -- "highly suspect" that there may be some academically successful people on the spectrum there? Ahahaha.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PS: Here's the Pearson link
https://images.pearsonclinical.com/images/assets/basc-3/basc3resources/DSM5_DiagnosticCriteria_AutismSpectrumDisorder.pdf

Table I states that "Without supports in place, deficits in social communication cause noticeable impairments. … For example, a person who is able to speak in full sentences and engages in communication but whose to-and-fro conversation with others fails, and whose attempts to make friends are odd and typically unsuccessful."

That's exactly what everyone who has been disagreeing with OP has been stating, no?

Note that it does not say someone with Level 1 autism cannot survive or function at all without supports, but that doing so comes with impairments. Isn't that what the author of the article was noting about her own life?

people with that level of impairment are at Harvard? Highly suspect.

You didn't read her article, did you?

She said: "I came unglued. I still got good grades, but I had to have friends and be normal with them and I had to have romantic relationships because I had so much desire and I was bad both at being normal enough to get friends and romantic relationships (finally, memorizing Monty Python and Blackadder paid off, nerds unite!) but not to keep them, in either case. And then I was about to graduate, white-knuckling through to the end, and didn’t know what came after. I got a job and was good at it. I still struggled to be with other people correctly."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PS: Here's the Pearson link
https://images.pearsonclinical.com/images/assets/basc-3/basc3resources/DSM5_DiagnosticCriteria_AutismSpectrumDisorder.pdf

Table I states that "Without supports in place, deficits in social communication cause noticeable impairments. … For example, a person who is able to speak in full sentences and engages in communication but whose to-and-fro conversation with others fails, and whose attempts to make friends are odd and typically unsuccessful."

That's exactly what everyone who has been disagreeing with OP has been stating, no?

Note that it does not say someone with Level 1 autism cannot survive or function at all without supports, but that doing so comes with impairments. Isn't that what the author of the article was noting about her own life?

people with that level of impairment are at Harvard? Highly suspect.

It says impairments are "noticeable" not debilitating. You've never met a smart person with noticeably poor social skills?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If the journalist were claiming her functioning was unimpaired, there would have been no basis for the article.

OP is saying is that if you are socially impaired enough to notice your own social impairments, but not so impaired that you are immediately moved to get a diagnosis, it is socially improper to call yourself autistic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the journalist were claiming her functioning was unimpaired, there would have been no basis for the article.

OP is saying is that if you are socially impaired enough to notice your own social impairments, but not so impaired that you are immediately moved to get a diagnosis, it is socially improper to call yourself autistic.

Are you and OP aware that Asperger Syndrome was explicitly folded into the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder for the DSM-V?

"Note: Individuals with a well-established DSM-IV diagnosis of autistic disorder, Asperger’s disorder, or pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified should be given the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder."
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/hcp-dsm.html

Someone who qualified as having Asperger Syndrome ten years ago is now properly described as being on the autistic spectrum. That's just the nature of the definitions we currently have.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the journalist were claiming her functioning was unimpaired, there would have been no basis for the article.

OP is saying is that if you are socially impaired enough to notice your own social impairments, but not so impaired that you are immediately moved to get a diagnosis, it is socially improper to call yourself autistic.

Are you and OP aware that Asperger Syndrome was explicitly folded into the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder for the DSM-V?

"Note: Individuals with a well-established DSM-IV diagnosis of autistic disorder, Asperger’s disorder, or pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified should be given the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder."
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/hcp-dsm.html

Someone who qualified as having Asperger Syndrome ten years ago is now properly described as being on the autistic spectrum. That's just the nature of the definitions we currently have.

OP is almost certainly aware of that, but that isn't really relevant to his point. My post was an ironic restatement of OP's point.

[Anonymous]

Ahhh. Got it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I admit this gave me a bit of an eye-roll. This lady went to Harvard on a full ride, writes and advice column for Slate and various publications, has 3 kids and a husband. And has just self-diagnose herself with autism..

https://nicole.substack.com/p/a-little-bit-autistic-a-little-bit

Ah, Nicole Cliffe. She is a piece of work (although her parenting advice is usually pretty good).

I used to follow her on Twitter (until she inexplicably blocked me). She is incredibly self-absorbed, loves drama, married a rich guy (which she talks about all the time). She's basically a queen bee type for the digital age.

Just coming in here to say basically the same thing. I've enjoyed a lot of her profiles of people, but Nicole Cliffe is mostly just really into Nicole Cliffe. A few years ago she converted to Christianity and wrote a huge article in Christianity Today about it. Not questioning her religion or her self-diagnosis, but whatever label she's identifying with--she's going to publicize the h*ll out of it.

An autistic person is self absorbed?? You don't say!

You understand autism means self-ism

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I admit this gave me a bit of an eye-roll. This lady went to Harvard on a full ride, writes and advice column for Slate and various publications, has 3 kids and a husband. And has just self-diagnose herself with autism..

https://nicole.substack.com/p/a-little-bit-autistic-a-little-bit

Ah, Nicole Cliffe. She is a piece of work (although her parenting advice is usually pretty good).

I used to follow her on Twitter (until she inexplicably blocked me). She is incredibly self-absorbed, loves drama, married a rich guy (which she talks about all the time). She's basically a queen bee type for the digital age.

Just coming in here to say basically the same thing. I've enjoyed a lot of her profiles of people, but Nicole Cliffe is mostly just really into Nicole Cliffe. A few years ago she converted to Christianity and wrote a huge article in Christianity Today about it. Not questioning her religion or her self-diagnosis, but whatever label she's identifying with--she's going to publicize the h*ll out of it.

An autistic person is self absorbed?? You don't say!

You understand autism means self-ism

You think autistic people are dramatic self-promoters? Yet another reason why we should try to stick to more concrete, clinical definitions and diagnoses when it comes to autism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I admit this gave me a bit of an eye-roll. This lady went to Harvard on a full ride, writes and advice column for Slate and various publications, has 3 kids and a husband. And has just self-diagnose herself with autism..

https://nicole.substack.com/p/a-little-bit-autistic-a-little-bit

Ah, Nicole Cliffe. She is a piece of work (although her parenting advice is usually pretty good).

I used to follow her on Twitter (until she inexplicably blocked me). She is incredibly self-absorbed, loves drama, married a rich guy (which she talks about all the time). She's basically a queen bee type for the digital age.

Just coming in here to say basically the same thing. I've enjoyed a lot of her profiles of people, but Nicole Cliffe is mostly just really into Nicole Cliffe. A few years ago she converted to Christianity and wrote a huge article in Christianity Today about it. Not questioning her religion or her self-diagnosis, but whatever label she's identifying with--she's going to publicize the h*ll out of it.

An autistic person is self absorbed?? You don't say!

You understand autism means self-ism

You think autistic people are dramatic self-promoters? Yet another reason why we should try to stick to more concrete, clinical definitions and diagnoses when it comes to autism.

Unless she was lying about the hyperlexia, sensory issues and social impairment, there's no reason to disbelieve her self diagnosis. I'm not sure why you do disbelieve it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I admit this gave me a bit of an eye-roll. This lady went to Harvard on a full ride, writes and advice column for Slate and various publications, has 3 kids and a husband. And has just self-diagnose herself with autism..

https://nicole.substack.com/p/a-little-bit-autistic-a-little-bit

Ah, Nicole Cliffe. She is a piece of work (although her parenting advice is usually pretty good).

I used to follow her on Twitter (until she inexplicably blocked me). She is incredibly self-absorbed, loves drama, married a rich guy (which she talks about all the time). She's basically a queen bee type for the digital age.

Just coming in here to say basically the same thing. I've enjoyed a lot of her profiles of people, but Nicole Cliffe is mostly just really into Nicole Cliffe. A few years ago she converted to Christianity and wrote a huge article in Christianity Today about it. Not questioning her religion or her self-diagnosis, but whatever label she's identifying with--she's going to publicize the h*ll out of it.

An autistic person is self absorbed?? You don't say!

You understand autism means self-ism

You think autistic people are dramatic self-promoters? Yet another reason why we should try to stick to more concrete, clinical definitions and diagnoses when it comes to autism.

Unless she was lying about the hyperlexia, sensory issues and social impairment, there's no reason to disbelieve her self diagnosis. I'm not sure why you do disbelieve it.

she's not describing hyperlexia as in an intense interest in letters or words -- she's describing reading quickly and and liking to read, something that many smart kids remember from childhood. Hyperlexia in autistic kids is often disconnected to comprehension and language use.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I admit this gave me a bit of an eye-roll. This lady went to Harvard on a full ride, writes and advice column for Slate and various publications, has 3 kids and a husband. And has just self-diagnose herself with autism..

https://nicole.substack.com/p/a-little-bit-autistic-a-little-bit

Ah, Nicole Cliffe. She is a piece of work (although her parenting advice is usually pretty good).

I used to follow her on Twitter (until she inexplicably blocked me). She is incredibly self-absorbed, loves drama, married a rich guy (which she talks about all the time). She's basically a queen bee type for the digital age.

Just coming in here to say basically the same thing. I've enjoyed a lot of her profiles of people, but Nicole Cliffe is mostly just really into Nicole Cliffe. A few years ago she converted to Christianity and wrote a huge article in Christianity Today about it. Not questioning her religion or her self-diagnosis, but whatever label she's identifying with--she's going to publicize the h*ll out of it.

An autistic person is self absorbed?? You don't say!

You understand autism means self-ism

You think autistic people are dramatic self-promoters? Yet another reason why we should try to stick to more concrete, clinical definitions and diagnoses when it comes to autism.

Unless she was lying about the hyperlexia, sensory issues and social impairment, there's no reason to disbelieve her self diagnosis. I'm not sure why you do disbelieve it.

she's not describing hyperlexia as in an intense interest in letters or words -- she's describing reading quickly and and liking to read, something that many smart kids remember from childhood. Hyperlexia in autistic kids is often disconnected to comprehension and language use.

and I disbelieve it because she's made zero effort to get herself professionally assessed (that she's mentioned), despite having all the resources at her fingertips to do so. That, coupled with the dramatic self-reveal, suggests that she's getting secondary gains from claiming autism as an identity, which I think is harmful and annoying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I admit this gave me a bit of an eye-roll. This lady went to Harvard on a full ride, writes and advice column for Slate and various publications, has 3 kids and a husband. And has just self-diagnose herself with autism..

https://nicole.substack.com/p/a-little-bit-autistic-a-little-bit

Ah, Nicole Cliffe. She is a piece of work (although her parenting advice is usually pretty good).

I used to follow her on Twitter (until she inexplicably blocked me). She is incredibly self-absorbed, loves drama, married a rich guy (which she talks about all the time). She's basically a queen bee type for the digital age.

Just coming in here to say basically the same thing. I've enjoyed a lot of her profiles of people, but Nicole Cliffe is mostly just really into Nicole Cliffe. A few years ago she converted to Christianity and wrote a huge article in Christianity Today about it. Not questioning her religion or her self-diagnosis, but whatever label she's identifying with--she's going to publicize the h*ll out of it.

An autistic person is self absorbed?? You don't say!

You understand autism means self-ism

You think autistic people are dramatic self-promoters? Yet another reason why we should try to stick to more concrete, clinical definitions and diagnoses when it comes to autism.

You think autistic people can't appear self absorbed in inappropriate ways? Yet another reason we should not be policing potential autism cases on the Internet.