In a recent internet frenzy, users have crowned autism as the new “trendy thing to have.” Followers of this trend have flooded social media sites with how-to posts explaining the best ways to have autism and the reasons why people should identify as autistic.
“ADHD is literally sooooo out. If you want to be a manic pixie dream girl, these days you have to call yourself autistic!” an anonymous BlueSky user commented. “If you have ever suffered any social miscommunication or can’t read the mind of others 100%, you are definitely autistic.”
Despite the popularity of the trend, experts have found “no significant increase” in diagnoses obtained through appointments. As one Instagram influencer explained, “Getting a diagnosis, like, restricts your ability to get jobs, and like, changes the way the people around you treat you. Which is like, not worth it for all the benefits I get from, like, calling myself autistic.”
The autistic community has significantly criticized this movement, with one representative stating, “Our disabilities are life-long and can be debilitating. It’s disheartening to see people reduce our struggles to a set of quirks. I would’ve hoped people would take time to actually research what we go through and how to be a better ally instead of just passing around misinformation and not doing any meaningful selfintrospection on the topic.”
This representative was quickly cancelled for being “cringe” and “not getting the vibes.”
The premier satire publication at UC San Diego.
