I’m not picky about “official diagnosis” for this question; I know there are a variety of reasons not to have one either intentionally and/or willingly or otherwise.
Do you folks consider your autism a disability? I have seen online a number of people say they don’t think it is, and it may not be so much for them, but someone with higher support needs might think it is. But also I don’t know those posters’ support needs, so I can’t really judge on that basis either. I figured the easiest way to find out would be to directly ask you all. So if you feel comfortable answering, I would appreciate your feedback.
EDIT: Sorry I can’t respond to everyone’s comments; there got to be a whole lot of them! But thank you all for your input!
I have a lot of very separate symptoms, some of which are disabling, some are just who I am. I like obsessively playing Victoria 3. I don’t like freaking out because of the sound of the dog licking itself. Etc.
I will say, of my mental disorders, autism is the only one that has parts I consider core to who I am and wouldn’t want to change. The rest of them can go entirely. Depression can fuck off, the anxiety can also fuck off, and people like to say ADHD has upsides but I don’t see them and I’d like to be able to remember to do simple tasks.
As a small note, these thoughts do change how I talk about them. I usually say I have depression, anxiety, and ADHD, but I am autistic. Even though parts of it are definitely disabling it is a core part of my identity
That makes sense. Thank you for your experience. I will be collecting all experiences into my experience pouch so I can level up later. But seriously, thank you for answering.