Last updated on November 26, 2023
“Did you know Bill Gates and Tim Burton are probably on the spectrum?”
Only a mental health professional has the right to “diagnose” somebody else — and only when that person is a patient. Of course, a doctor would have to adhere to confidentiality standards.
Can we please stop such nonsense, claiming to know who is or isn’t autistic? I wouldn’t want anyone to claim to know my various mental and physical conditions, much less publicize such assumptions. We have no right to try to associate someone else with an advocacy position, as if having some celebrity with a medical condition is essential to “the cause” (meaning fundraising, usually).
The more people try to associate famous people with autism, ADHD, seizure disorders, and a host of other conditions, the more I hope I’m just an intellectual oddity with some creativity — no disorders, injuries, or special conditions involved. I think attempts to find indicators for various conditions is getting so ridiculous that every geek, techie, goth, cyberpunk, loner, poet will be classified as disabled. Not that I’m currently all of the preceding, but the checklists presented for “the spectrum” are getting absurd.
Simplifying autism spectrum disorders to the point anyone and everyone can be classified as autistic works against what I consider legitimate research and social advocacy. This same problem occurred with ADHD.
Not everyone with a high IQ is disabled.
Not every entrepreneur is disabled.
Not every celebrity is disabled.
Stop it. Nobody should be labeling someone else without consent.
Having different motivations and interests than the majority of Americans is not a disability. We need to appreciate that. And we need to stop trying to find “role models” as if those with official diagnoses aren’t impressive enough. A lot of successful people with autism should be role models.
Remote diagnoses are probably flawed. They certainly shouldn’t be taken seriously.