Why Happy Autistic People Often Can't Get a Diagnosis

Currently, we only seem to diagnose autistic people who are unhappy, burnt out and traumatized. I believe this is partly because society is often traumatic to autistic people as part of living in a neurotypical world, a world that is not built for us. For example, even social interactions which may seem simple to neurotypical people can be really tough for autistic people, as it is like everyone else has a rule book of how to interact but we do not have this inbuilt understanding. When each and every day, we have to face sensory overload as well as numerous social interactions which can often end in rejection, it can be really tough.

But not all autistic people are struggling with the effects of trauma. Some autistic people are not getting a diagnosis because they are not traumatized — they are relatively happy and stable. Often at this point, people say that autistic people should not be given an unnecessary label, but I think this viewpoint misses really vital perspectives. Being diagnosed can be a lifeline to understanding ourselves and meeting like-minded people. Some people argue that giving someone a label is harmful, however, I would argue that autistic people are often given much worse labels. We are told that we are misbehaving, manipulative, lazy or messed up in the head. I don’t know about you, but I would much prefer to just be autistic. All autistic people deserve to understand their own identity, feel like they belong and learn how to cope. Having a diagnosis could help prevent unhappiness and burnout later in life too.

The reasons why happy and content autistic people are not being diagnosed are complex and multifaceted. At the moment, there are not enough resources to even diagnose the traumatized autistic people. Often, where I am, the waiting lists are years long or they cost thousands of pounds. It is worse elsewhere. This is for autistic people who are in absolute crisis. Accessing a diagnosis is even more difficult for marginalized folks too. As a result, autistic people who are relatively happy are unlikely to even access an assessment.

The diagnostic criteria don’t describe happy autistic people. They describe burnt-out, terrified and distressed autistic people. It describes autistic deficits. It describes autistic people from the outside in rather than from the inside out. This can be hard enough at the best of times but especially hard when you are a relatively happy and content autistic person. Before the demands of the world exceed the ability of the autistic person to cope or before autistic people are taught by society that how they exist is not OK, an autistic person may see what the diagnostic criteria calls “restricted interests” as their passion, hobby or interest. They may see “deficits in communication” as direct and clear communication. The diagnostic criteria do not allow for this.

The medical model treats autism as something wrong and regards it as an impairment. This often prevents happy autistic people from getting diagnosed as the medical model would not necessarily see something “wrong” with them. It would therefore not recognize someone as autistic. This is just one of the reasons why we need to change the way we view autism.