I've been wondering for quite a while if I have autism or not as I seem to hit a lot of the commonly reported symptoms and experiences. I recently tried some of the self-tests out there, including the ones on Embrace Autism, and yeah, I hit every single one I tried for mild to even moderate autism. Scored 49 on the rbq-2a for example.
Now, I know that none of those tests are conclusive and I could easily be a false positive, so I'm not directly claiming I have autism. But I'm thinking the next step is probably to talk to my primary care doctor, but to be honest I'm really hesitant to/don't completely trust the mental health system in Canada. Genuinely asking because I don't really have anyone in my personal life who has similar experiences or I think would understand: what do people here think about getting a formal diagnosis? Is it always something one should pursue if they suspect they're on the spectrum? Are there any major drawbacks? I'm especially concerned about it affecting my career prospects (which already aren't great tbh, my fault for getting a science degree in an already niche field which I deeply regret but that's a different story) or my ability to take out loans or rent an apartment by myself. I don't personally see my autism (if I have it) as a disability, but unfortunately in Canada it is still very much seen as such. Who am I required to disclose an autism diagnosis if I am diagnosed?
I'm really sorry if any of this comes off as insensitive. I have never really participated in the autism online community and I am in no way trying to put down people with autism, I'm honestly just kind of scared about what this means for me. Anyone else in a similar situation, or were in a similar situation? Care to share your experiences or have any advice?
in practical terms (and im not sure how this works in canada but we both live in western neo-liberal countries so I cant imagine there will be much nuance to this)
you can likely expect with a formal diagnosis;
I'd say go for it, just dont tell people you have it if you're applying to work in a casual setting like a bar ect.
Science fields and more professional settings wont discriminate against you for being autistic, at least when it comes to giving you a job, they will want to hire you to inflate statistics that make them look good.
Preface to say self diagnosed currently.
Dumb question but is there any research about people with autism getting fired more frequently?
E: I totes didn't mean to stear this convo away from OP. Homie get a diag if you are able to. My first therapy session is today and I'm gonna talk to her about doing just that. Solidarity.
not a dumb question, mostly just vibes on my end but yeah id wager if looked at that people with autism tend to be fired more frequently.
https://www.autism.org.uk/what-we-do/news/new-data-on-the-autism-employment-gap
according to this study only 22% of autistic people are in employment, so I would say at a glance yes.
So I have a tendency of not holding a job for more than 2 years and then will often have gaps in between. I never considered this as part of the equation.