Ha! Good question. I recently did some reading, and had a conversation with a doctor in my group of friends, and came to think my teenage son might be on the spectrum.

Assuming that, some of his behavior is much easier to understand and accept, also deal with. So I sort of wish someone would have told me earlier, and I have been thinking about asking our therapist specifically for the diagnosis on the basis of which he is in therapy .

But then again, what’s the point? He is fully functional, only special in some specific ways. With all the difficulties to fit in, there’s no reason to assume he won’t be able to get a job and manage his life.

What remains is, he, like everyone else, has to deal with his specific personality and coinages. Some come from within him, others come from the circumstances he grows up with. We are working on that with or without a diagnosis.

Having a diagnosis might help understand some things happening, but there’s also the risk of using that as an excuse for everything, or letting oneself identify by it.

So, after thinking about this for a few weeks I now think I don’t care about a diagnosis, unless he needs one to get some specific help. For living the live, the named diagnosis is too much of a risk to be a burden.

it would probably be a good idea for you to do some more research yourself on the legal benefits/detriments of a professional diagnosis

one thing to keep in mind about getting a professional diagnosis is that i can be used against you especially if you already fall into other marginalized groups for example in some places trans healthcare may be denied from you because of your autism diagnosis

Late response but don’t do it specifically for autism

Autistic people have less rights such as having a lower minimum wage and many countries will deny you a work visa/residency/citizenship if you have an autism diagnosis

In general getting a diagnosis is good though, just not for autism