One thing I have noticed is a common theme of horror, disappointment, and other negative feelings associated with finally being officially told that you, or your child, has an autistic spectrum disorder.
Why is it a bad thing?
It's only a bad thing if YOU THINK it's a bad thing. It's all a matter of perspective.
It doesn't matter if you get the diagnosis or not, it's not going to change who or what you are. You don't suddenly become autistic just because a doctor said so. You were always that way right from the start. Getting a diagnosis is nothing more than a way for OTHER people to understand why you're not quite like they are. You were always different and you always will be. You got used to that, you live with yourself all the time. You are you. Sadly, other people need something to comfort themselves with. They need to be able to assure themselves that everything is okay, you're not dangerous, you're not contagious, you're just autistic and that's okay.
Getting a diagnosis benefits other people in this self-assuring way. It also can benefit you/your children as a result. No one is interested in helping you overcome hurdles, give you access to services and equipment and information about autism, unless you can prove you do indeed need it. Get the diagnosis and that door gets opened for you.
The label autism only exists because neurotypical people like everyone to be a carbon copy of themselves, and anyone that isn't neurotypical is potentially scary to them. They want everything and everyone to be normal, and if something isn't, it must be explained. Long individual explanations are tedious, especially when they'd rather get back to their mundane gossiping. Group it together, give it a name, apply name when it fits and all is understood - well, understood enough in so far as they are concerned anyway.
Being labeled autistic is no different to being labeled American, or male, or heterosexual, or causasian, or brunette, or tall... or human... so long as you actually fit that label it's okay to wear it, because that's what you are and there's nothing anyone else can do about it. It's only when you're mislabled, or misdiagnosed, that it becomes a problem.
Being diagnosed with autism won't change your life in any way, except for some people who will find it starts to become a little bit socially easier to deal with neurotypical people, because all of a sudden, neurotypical people will then at least try to or think they understand rather than brush you off as some crazy weirdo they don't want to know.
There isn't anything bad about that, so let's stop the negativity firstly by not grinding it out ourselves. Look at the reality of why the label exists in the first place, and show it to others so they can see it as well.
I''m not weird. I''m uniquely normal.
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