I actually do this with all sorts of things? I can blast music really loud for a period of time, but then suddenly it's all way too overstimulating and I have to turn it off to thibk straight

Is this normal??? Is this a neurodivergent trait?? Am I overthinking this to avoid thinking about other stuff???

ik poor internal temperature regulation is an autism thing

is it really
genuine question, as a person with autism yourself, do you think I'm autistic? Like, I'm not asking you to diagnose me ofc, but yk

And more so is it even worth getting diagnosed?

first question: it would not surprise me if you were but if you feel more akin to allistic folks that is also a viewpoint I could see where you'd come from on
if that makes sense

in terms of Getting Diagnosed
for me no
It really comes down to What Would You Gain By A Diagnosis
if you seek validation, self-diagnosis is valid in my opinion and I have been misdiagnosed with stuff in the past. A medical diagnosis does not necessarily mean You Are Autistic, in the same way, a lack of a diagnosis does not necessarily mean You Aren't

Psychology and Psychiatry is a science and therefore is extremely fallible.

And on top of that, weigh what you have to lose by a diagnosis
there are many countries (especially the ones famous for being super progressive ironically) where it is illegal to move to if you are diagnosed with autism and therefore much harder to travel casually to

if you, as an adult, ever dip below a certain level of "functioning" as someone diagnosed with autism, you run the risk of becoming a ward of the state, which is
not a good situation to find yourself in

not to mention it often takes a lot of time and money and mental energy to get the diagnosis in the first place
I've heard folks talk about getting a traffic citation and the autism diagnosis blowing it up into a legal quarrel of Is This Person Unfit To Drive???

if you're looking for the beloved reasonable accommodations in the workplace or potential future school, your employer and teachers are legally not allowed to require documentation when you ask for that, unless they deem it "unreasonable" and try to take it to court in which case you can just drop it and never have to prove it

if you're looking for an excuse to unmask
I give that to you right now go ahead and unmask if you feel like it

the autistic experience is not about A Doctor Saying You Are An Autism Creature
the Doctor says you are an autism creature if you display symptoms of autism
if you think you display symptoms of autism then you can call yourself autistic
you're not hurting anyone by calling yourself autistic

there's no "resources that you're taking away from Real Autistic Ppl"
It's not offensive to Real Autistic Ppl

when you take an autism assessment, same with the ADHD, I know this because I've taken both, they will ask you point blank if you experience autism symptoms
and if You Say Yes
I (for example) experience sensory stimulation issues, poor emotional regulation, difficulty reading social cues, and pattern-seeking behavior,

the Doctor will say Yeah You're Autistic
despite all the gatekeeping around the autism community, it really comes down to Your Personal Experience
if the doctor believes you that These Things Are Autism, then you've got smth on your medical record forever and Nothing Changes. You don't walk out of that room More Autistic

And tbh most of the gatekeeping around the autism community comes from allistic ppl
Autistic Ppl tend to recognize that the only way to get a diagnosis as an adult is to assess your lived experience and think to yourself "wow, sounds like I'm probably autistic, maybe that's smth I should pursue"

Autism or no, your lived experience is valuable and the words you use to describe that lived experience is valuable
if you just see yourself as A Little Strange, Quirky perhaps, that is a real world experience that real ppl go through. It's normal and healthy. and if you see yourself as Autistic, that is no less real

when it comes down to it, in terms of functionality, mental disorders and disabilities can be smth you identify with
much like being queer there are no rules
worst case scenario You Learn You Were Wrong
many of my issues I associated with autism actually stem from c-ptsd and I've been miscategorizing them for years
oh well 🤷‍♂️ who cares?

not me that's for sure
If I told someone it was an autism thing I can just be like "Hey remember when I said I hate abrupt noises as a sensory issue? It's actually because I startle really easily due to the complex trauma I'm learning new things Abt myself "
that's ultimately a good thing

and if anyone says you aren't autistic (if you see yourself as autistic) because you don't have a diagnosis, the correct response is "what are you, a cop?"

I deeply appreciate your well thought out response, it's definitely something I'm going to keep thinking and doing research on. 💜💜

my pleasure 💜💜