I Do That Too, And I'm Not Autistic: A Response

Photo by Milan De Clercq on Unsplash

When others hear about your diagnosis of autism, they may say, "Well, I do those things too, and I'm not autistic." Although meant to be comforting, the comment dismisses any real concerns or struggles you may have.

Neurologic characteristics do occur across all humans. In the case of diagnosis, multiple neurologic features hang together in the same person. One-two percent of people experience qualities of autism with enough severity to meet the criteria for diagnosis.

My response to the comment is~

"That's like suggesting that because we all forget things, Alzheimer's isn't a real and challenging reality for many people."