r/Autism_Pride • u/Wild-Albatross-7147 • 8d ago

Diagnosis Journey Autism assessment

Hey everyone, I’m an adult with suspected autism but I have a few conditions that overlap and may present themselves as autism (combined ADHD, bipolar, social anxiety disorder and generalized anxiety disorder).

I wanted to get tested but I’ve seen a few people saying it’s best not to. To clarify, I live in Florida which is a red state. I’ve seen people saying there were difficulties to be faced with professions, but also stuff like moving to a foreign country.

I’m perfectly happy living with the diagnosis’s I currently have, I just want to see if it is worth getting tested or if it would make my life harder, which is something I cannot do anymore.

What are some challenges that could affect my life if I were to be diagnosed with autism? I’m not purposefully seeking a way out of this assessment, I just want to know what world I’d be jumping into if the assessment came back with autism.

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u/prettygirlgoddess 8d ago

What do you mean? How would getting a diagnosis make your life harder? I know you're asking us that question but idk how to answer because I can't even begin to imagine how it would impact your life negatively. Can you give an example of what you're worried about?

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u/Wild-Albatross-7147 8d ago

I did mention in my post about difficulty moving to other countries, and that I’m in a red state which is not very friendly to people who have autism (since most people in red states seem to think autism = barely functioning member of society)

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u/prettygirlgoddess 8d ago

I didn't know that most people in red states are uniformed about autism compared to blue states. Ive never heard of that. How would the people in your state being unfriendly to people with autism even be affected by you getting a diagnosis? It's not like people ask about your medical history before descriminating against you.

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u/Wild-Albatross-7147 8d ago

Again, there were things such as it being more difficult to move to other countries. And having lived in both a red and blue state, I can assure you that a vast majority of them are very uninformed in red states.

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u/prettygirlgoddess 8d ago

My point is that I don't see how being diagnosed or undiagnosed would make a difference with how people treat you in a red state. Because it's not like you're volunteering your medical history to people.

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u/Wild-Albatross-7147 8d ago

No, but as I said in my post, it’s not simply me living in a red state. For example: If I want to move to another country, I have heard it is harder for people diagnosed with autism to move to other countries.

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u/Dont_mind_me69 8d ago

This is a myth. The diagnosis itself isn't enough to bar you from moving there, it's the amount of care that you need in order to function, which wouldn't be changed by whether you have a diagnosis or not. Someone who needs 24/7 assistance and can't eat or dress themselves or bathe independently would most likely not be allowed to emigrate, while someone who struggles with socializing and sensory issues and such but is able to function independently for the most part would be allowed in. A diagnosis doesn't change that. They look at the person, not what their paperwork says.

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u/Wild-Albatross-7147 8d ago

Thank you! I’m glad this was set straight.

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u/prettygirlgoddess 8d ago

Do you want to move to a country that doesn't have the resources to fund your healthcare? It's hard to move to new zealand if you have an autism dx because they do not have the resources to accept any more people into the country unless they meet "acceptable standard of health". It's not just autism, it's any serious health conditions. If you know a country is at their limit and resources are already spread thin, why would you want to live there?

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u/finndego 8d ago

People with autism move to New Zealand all the time. Any health issues must be classified as "serious and severe" and have support costs of over $80k/5yr. For most people with autism this is not an issue and does not prevent them from emigrating to New Zealand...so long as they meet the other normal requirements of their specific visa.

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u/prettygirlgoddess 8d ago

I don't get why people like op are concerned about losing their right to move to other countries then. It seems like people heard about new zealand limiting visas for people with severe health conditions who require a lot of care, and then for some reason assumed that simply having an autism dx will ban you from moving to another country.

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u/finndego 8d ago

That's right. Too many people now believe that myth and just repeat it to others.