I have heard many a backlash against self-diagnosis and post-hoc diagnoses of deceased people on the autistic spectrum; claiming that we have no right to identify with those on the spectrum and that our struggles are not as warranted as those with a piece of paper or a record.
Firstly: autism, particularly the high functioning types, are often misdiagnosed and underdiagnosed in women; on top of that, it can take months to years for an adult seeking an autism diagnosis to find someone willing to evaluate them. Even if an evaluation is given, they are often not properly reported or officially documentation is not given.
Secondly, autism is often vilified in the media and in the general public as an awful disease and autistic people as these awful subhumans who are out of control, will never hope live a normal life and need to be locked away and marginalized. This picture of autism may lead parents, and caregivers to hold back on a diagnose on a relatively smart, verbal child with behavioral issues as a result of the backlash they will receive from mentors and peers.
Self diagnosis is good because it brings awareness to a variety of people whom do live normal lives and their experiences with autism. Even if there are people out there not on the spectrum claiming diagnosis they will be snuffed out by the autistic community because they simply do not match
Embrace who you are!
