Realization

Recently I have realized that I exhibit almost all symptoms of ASD, and through TikTok, I have come across people who are like me. I have found people who share similar experiences growing up that I do, and I have found out that it is common to go undiagnosed especially as an AFAB person. This is where self-diagnosing comes into play, now many people believe that self-diagnosing is invalid because it is not done by a professional, but this is an idea rooted in privilege. Many people do not have the privilege to get diagnosed with mental illnesses such as ASD, this is due to many things like the prices of getting diagnosed, sexism, and racism among other things. So, for someone who does not have these privileges, it can be very difficult to get a professional diagnosis for ASD, or any other mental illness. So while I do not have a formal diagnosis yet there is no doubt in my mind that I have ASD, and through realizing this I have been able to live a bit more comfortably learning how to help certain feelings I have. One way I want to help lessen the effects of my symptoms is by writing about them which is why I am creating this blog, and I hope to reach people who experience the same things I do.