WE ROAR Magazine issue 04 - Magazine - Page 26
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On Neurodivergent SelfLabelling and Identity
By Charlie Hart also known as 8Ausome Charlie9,
Discovering the Actually Autistic Online Community
After my autism epiphany in 2018, I set up the Twitter
account @AusomeCharlie and discovered a plethora of
relatable tweets bearing the hashtags #ActuallyAutistic
and #Neurodiversity. This online community of (mostly)
mutually supportive people on my wavelength helped me
to realise I was not alone in my struggles.
Then learning about the 8Neurodiversity Paradigm9 helped
me to realise that I was not broken, just different, and that I
needed a different approach, helped me to rebuild my
tattered self-esteem. Discovering this concept was a
turning point for me. I started to develop self-compassion
and to self-advocate for my needs.
Self-Identification of Neuro-Differences
For many adults who have an epiphany like mine, realising
that neurodevelopmental difference(s) could explain their
challenges, self-diagnosis usually comes first.
Despite what cynics and gatekeepers may insist, selfdiagnosis is not some snap decision based on relatable
social media posts; yes, social media may lead to the
epiphany, but self-diagnosis comes from extensive
research, introspection and retrospection.
An official diagnosis can rubber stamp what we have
already found out about ourselves, and in any case is a
privilege denied to many marginalised people. There are
many barriers to diagnosis, and not just interminable
waiting lists. Screenings may be biased and discriminatory,
diagnostic criteria too rigid and stereotypical, excluding
marginalised genders, Black and minority ethnic people,
and more.
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