To Anyone In The United States Who Is Considering Getting Tested For Autism, There's An Alarming New

To anyone in the United States who is considering getting tested for autism, there's an alarming new factor that you'll need to include in your decision.

If you get a professional diagnosis, your personal medical data may be released to who knows whom and you may even be put in RFK Jr.'s new "disease registry."

It is definitely illegal, but that doesn't guarantee that the courts will put a stop to it.

If you need accommodations at school or in the workplace--my advice is to just ask for them and then see what proof they ask for. Some bosses will just take your word for it, especially in industries that have a high volume of neurodivergent employees such as IT. And if they do require proof, then you can think about getting a professional diagnosis. (Of course you should think of a script in advance for if they do require proof and you don't have an official diagnosis yet).

Alternatively you could try to get diagnosed with something else--maybe you'd also fit the profile for ADHD, or sensory processing disorder? That might be a relatively safer way to get the same accommodations. But RFK Jr. has talked about doing horrible things to people with ADHD too, so... think hard.

If you just want a professional diagnosis for the feeling of certainty you think it'll give you, though... in my opinion, you shouldn't do it right now, even if you can afford it financially. It's not worth it. Other autistic people are a far better judge of whether someone is autistic than many certified professionals, anyway, so trust your autistic friends' judgment if you don't trust your own. And if you don't have any autistic friends yet... make some; you won't regret it.