We exist in a society where the same people who believe a man built a boat big enough for two of every animal in the world don't believe in climate science because it’s “unproven.”
During the filming of The Lord of the Rings, someone asked why the night scenes were being lit. "It's supposed to be dark," they said. "Where is all this light coming from?"
The cinematographer replied, "The same place the music in that scene comes from."
One of the loneliest neurodivergent experiences is being intellectually capable of understanding almost everything that’s happening around you… while simultaneously struggling to participate in it the way other people seem to.
This Is Exactly Why So Many AUTISTIC PEOPLE SELF-DIAGNOSE.
Person: I’m autistic. I don’t have an official diagnosis.
Neurotypical person: You CAN’T do that!!! Only doctors can diagnose autism!!!
Okay but…
- Most doctors only learned what autism looks like in one group: nonverbal, white, little boys.
- Most doctors still recommend therapies that a lot of autistic people have called traumatic.
- Most doctors who do diagnose autism won’t even take adult patients.
- If you’re a teenager and want an evaluation, you need parents who believe autism isn’t a tragedy and who understand it looks different for everyone.
- If you’re an adult in the US, an eval costs thousands and insurance usually won’t touch it. In places like France it’s basically impossible to get.
- And having an official diagnosis on paper can be used against you. People have lost custody. People have been institutionalized because of it.
Meanwhile, AUTISTIC-LED organizations like ASAN, AWN, AANE actually say this:
"Getting diagnosed is a personal choice. You don’t need a paper to be one of us. If you relate, you’re welcome here."
A sincere self-diagnosis doesn’t hurt anyone.
Even if you’re wrong, the worst case is you learned more about yourself.
Best case? You find community, you understand yourself, you stop feeling broken. For so many of us, that’s where self-acceptance starts.
The problem isn’t people "faking it."
The problem is the system made getting help impossible, expensive, and sometimes dangerous.
Self-diagnosis isn’t the finish line. But for a lot of us, it’s the only door that was open.
so glad destin and co., especially the art direction team went with the hand over the inner demons for brand new day. every single shot of spider-man fighting the hand in this set design makes the colors and the characters completely stand out.