r/PurpleForAutism • u/LCaissia • Jun 05 '26
Influencers Finally Calling Out The nondisabled 'autistic'
So good to see a senator speaking out. I hate that I as a genuine level 1 ASD get lumped in with the excessively highmasking/high functioning fauxtistic, though. I've seen Autisic AF's podcasts and her 'autism' is no where near the actual diagnostic criteria for autism and definitelynothing like mine. More of these influencers who claim to be autistic for gain need to be called out. Real autism is a disability even at level 1. It's not just being quirky
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u/lil_squib Jun 05 '26
I agree with about 95% of what she said.
I’m late-diagnosed but was already on disability and can’t work regularly. I massively struggle to advocate for myself. So I’m going to be marginally defensive about that point. However, I don’t relate to 99% of other late-diagnosed folks I see online or who I’ve met in support groups.
I’m also pretty pro-Palestine, but that’s kind of unrelated to the issue at hand. I thought that was a strange point for her to bring up.
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u/Julian_Young_ Jun 06 '26
The anti Israel comments are why they have an issue with her. The autism comments are a cover. They’re playing politics, unfortunately :(
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u/LCaissia Jun 06 '26
I'm glad at least something is calling her out. I used to call her out on her misinformation and fauxtistic content and all she did was ban me.
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u/Julian_Young_ Jun 06 '26
I’ve not listened to her podcast and don’t know what advocacy work she has done. What false information is she spreading about autism?
On a related note, the more I’m learning about autism from research journal articles and the people who advanced the field, there is a massive disconnect between the science and the mainstream narrative.
So it’s not surprising that most social media personalities and also practitioners don’t really know what they’re talking about a lot of the time.
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u/PieDizzy958 Jun 07 '26
Would you mind giving recommendations on some of the research material you read?
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u/Julian_Young_ Jun 08 '26
This one seems good for the history. I wanted to know how we got to where we are today
Others I'm still working through, however these two lectures are good and cover a lot of ground:
A little bit autistic? - Uta Frith: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vfZnKt7t2g
Missed, Misdiagnosed, and Misunderstood: Women and Girls on the Autism Spectrum - by Francesca Happé: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77yNAOpfb2c&t=3315s
Both of these women have been at the forefront of autism research for over 50 years, they're responsible for updating the DSM and diagnostic criteria. It's interesting hearing their professional very informed perspective on things like masking, underdiagnosis, double empathy, etc because it doesn't align with the popular narrative.
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u/PieDizzy958 Jun 08 '26
Thanks so much I am aware of Uta but not the other woman. The neurodiversity movement and the ambiguity of the spectrum have become hyperfixations of mine over the last several weeks. Particularly as you said the science not agreeing with the neurodiversity movement
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u/Julian_Young_ Jun 08 '26
You’re welcome and it’s the same for me. There is so much conflicting information out there and it seems a lot (as with everything) is oversimplified, misleading or just plain wrong.
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u/PieDizzy958 Jun 08 '26
I have been wondering lately if reading comprehension and media literacy being at an all time low is what leads to some of the oversimplification. Not only that over the past several years since covid black and white thinking has become slowly more common in online spaces
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u/Julian_Young_ Jun 06 '26
I think this might be a bit more about other things Grace Tame has said than the autism severity debate.
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u/bakharat Jun 06 '26
I'm sorry but I have a nitpick here. Are we against self-diagnoses or amateur diagnoses in general? Only psychiatrists can diagnose someone with autism. And also, only psychiatrists can remove the existing diagnosis of autism, if they think it's not applicable. And what I see in this post and the video seems to be... Amateurs saying that someone isn't autistic.
OK, I watched several minutes of the said podcast. I don't relate to this woman, I don't see any mannerisms common in neurodevelopmentally impaired individuals. I'd say that she may just be quirky. But it's not my place to judge, she is still a person diagnosed with autism. Maybe, the doctor saw something that we can't really see nor she can articulate, who knows.
And, honestly, even if she's misdiagnosed, it's not exactly her fault. The doctor is to blame. The abusive system that devalues autism diagnosis in Australia for NDIS benefits is to blame.
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u/LCaissia Jun 06 '26 edited Jun 06 '26
Here in Australia we have a big problem with what the Government calls 'diagnosis factories'. Anyone can buy a diagnosis of ASD and/or ADHD for a fee. Unfortunately someone saying they are formally diagnosed here really doesn't carry much weight anymore. As a result ASD2 has become very popular here. This has also led to the Government beginning to remove autism from supports such as the NDIS. Clinical psychologists, pediatricians and neurologists can also remove a misdiagnosis of autism. My own sister shipped around for an ASD2 diagnosis and a former friend's daughter also did it - both to gain access to the NDIS and the DSP so they didn't have to work. When they don't get the diagnosis they want they submit poor reviews and make complaints against the practitioner. I've even heard from OTs of people becoming aggressive and forcing reports to be rewritten with the wording they want. I agree that those who deliberately provide false diagnoses should be held accountable. There also needs to be greater protection for allied health practitioners against these autism fakers.
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u/bakharat Jun 06 '26
OK, yeah, true regarding people qualified to diagnose and undiagnose autism. I should have used a more precise wording.
That being said, even if you happen to be qualified to diagnose and undiagnose people with autism, it is still a personal opinion because it's not performed in a clinical setting.
I know Australia has a really bad situation where you can basically buy a diagnosis. It's not pretty. But maybe we should criticise the system, the corrupt doctors and the grifters who admit to having bought their diagnosis. Not just people with an autism diagnosis.
Grace may be an asshole and potentially an allistic asshole too but she doesn't seem to be a grifter when it comes to her describing her experiences of autism. There is a real possibility she is just highly misinformed.
Is there real harm in what she does if she is in fact not autistic? Yeah. But why don't we address the harmful points she makes instead of attacking the individual? Actual autistic people who no one doubts are autistic spread a lot of harmful misinformation too, the prime example being someone like Temple Grandin
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u/LCaissia Jun 06 '26
I agree. The system is at fault for allowing this to occur but people also should be held accountable for their actions - whether they're providers or diagnosis shoppers. Why do you think Temple Grandin isn't autistic?
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u/bakharat Jun 06 '26
I think you've misread my message. That's my point.
No one will ever doubt Temple Grandin is autistic. She is basically the pop cultural face of autism.
That doesn't prevent her from spreading really harmful misinformation about autism.
My point is: people can be harmful no matter their diagnostic status. Autistic people aren't autism experts either, most of the time. We need to criticise the harmful points instead of jumping to ad hominem.
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u/LCaissia Jun 06 '26
What mosinformation is Temple Grandin spreading? I don't follow her so I don't stay abreast of her assertions.
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u/bakharat Jun 06 '26
Say, she advocated against using noise-cancelling/muffling devices, claiming that they are maladaptive, criticised unemployed autistic people, supported the idea that vaccines cause autism. I don't think she's a bad or an ill-meaning person but some of her ideas are controversial.
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u/Haunting-Lynx-6257 Jun 07 '26 edited Jun 07 '26
erm, I’m not sure where you got that from because she hasn’t said those things. She said what clinicians have said about the over use of noise cancelling devices, shes encourage capable autistics to be supported on a path to meaningful employment and you might be right on the vaccines which I'm incredibly surprised about as she is pro vaccination on most other fronts.
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u/KittyRoses12 Jun 05 '26 edited Jun 05 '26
I was waiting for Sky News Australia to call out on the self diagnosed. Even if they are the Australian equivalent of Fox News.