EDIT: please, if you don’t agree with the arguments in the video, come in and discuss, don’t just downvote the thread.
I found this video with many arguments supporting self-diagnosis validity and wanted to share.
Main point may be that there is no valid reason to look for a self-diangosis than the fact of being autistic, and needing support for that. At least until there will be equitable access to medical care, self-diagnosis is the only way for people to understand themself and understand the support they may need in their life.
But, there is much more in the video, take a look at it by yourself!
Professional expertise is not something that is locked up and can only be accessed by a professional. You’re suggesting something equivalent to no lay person should be allowed to change their own brakes on their car because of the professional expertise involved.
In the course of self-diagnosis, one has access to a ton of professional expertise and assessment without ever having a face to face with a professional.
I tend not to trust myself on subjects I am not an expert. It feels strange to me to give more credit to a few hours of research / reading books than a professional who likely studied the subject in much more details, and also encountered other autistic people.
Besides, we have so many biais about that. Finding an answer to your « uniqueness » is so convenient, that you will likely reject anything that does not fit the story, and put emphasis on things that fit the story. Even if you were an expert, you shouldn’t be the one to evaluate your own case.
I don’t say professionals are perfect and make no mistake, but trusting yourself on subjects as complex as this one will likely lead to the wrong conclusions.
Anyway, my message was not really about that. You are free to consider yourself as autistic if it helps you. I personally won’t do it for myself because I do not consider myself to be competent on the subject, and I don’t think it’s that important for me (I understand that it can be very important for others).
I prefer to focus on my issues and the solutions I can find, and if those solutions are coming from autistic people, it just makes it easier for me to find resources about it.