Autism becoming a social media “trend”
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - A 'trend' with people self-diagnosing autism has been swirling around social media lately.
Stephanie Westover, a licensed clinical social worker, says she is sort of seeing the trend locally and it can affect mental health.
"Some people say, well, autism is way more common now. I don't know how true that is," she said.
Autism has been trending on social media with people implying that the viewer may have the disorder because of certain traits or habits.
"To be politically correct, we also need to remember that not everybody isn't a little bit autistic. That's unkind. It's dismissive. One book said, and i love it, 'you can have swollen ankles. Doesn't mean you're pregnant.' So making sure that we're being sensitive that it is a legitimate diagnosis and it's not all bad," Westover said.
People have many different quirks, and she says it's okay to embrace them whether it is autism or not.
The autism diagnosis is actually very specific, according to Dr. Leo Kanner, the first to describe infantile autism.
"It's really interesting to note that Dr. Kanner turned away 90% of the referrals to his clinic. So he only saw one in ten, which means his criteria was pretty limited," Westover said.
These 'trending' posts can be harmful and make people with autism feel unvalidated.
It can also leave people without the diagnosis feeling insecure about their quirks.
But there is another side to the online 'autism movement:' Spreading awareness.
"There's also the positive neurodiversity movement of saying, is autism a bad thing or is it just a difference?" Westover says, "And I prefer to go with the concept that autism is a difference. Are there struggles? Absolutely. But there are some real strengths."
Westover encourages people to ditch social media when it comes to health and instead talk with reputable specialists and physicians when trying to find a diagnosis that way it will minimize confusion, stress and self-consciousness.
