The Messy World of Therapy for Autism

There’s no curing autism. It’s not a disorder that needs to be cured.

Autism is a different neurotype that causes autistics like myself to perceive, feel, and think in different ways. This comes with varying challenges and benefits for each of us.

In an ideal world, an undiagnosed autistic individual could go to a therapist, learn they are autistic, and then learn strategies to work with their autistic mind.

Collage by Jackie Schuld

That is NOT how it works in this messy world. Many undiagnosed autistics go to therapists throughout their lives and never receive autism diagnoses. What’s worse is that even more receive “misdiagnoses” such as depression, anxiety, bipolar, and borderline personality disorder. They then receive therapy that is ineffective and counterproductive for their needs.

Even when an autistic person is lucky enough to receive a proper diagnoses, it is incredibly difficult to find an autistic therapist or a therapist with a neurodivergent lens who knows enough about autism to actually help them.

My work as an autistic therapist and writer is to change that. I want to provide a different lived experience for autistics in therapy room. I also want to educate more therapists and other mental health providers so that they can identify autism and provide help (or at least appropriate referrals).

I write MANY essays about therapy and autism. Some focus on what effective, affirming therapy for autistics can look like, while others help autistics find knowledgeable therapists.

You can see all of my therapy and autism essays here:

• Dearest Autistic Client of Mine

• 8 Ways Therapy Can Help With Late Identified Autism

• 12 Ways Therapy Can Enhance Life for Late Identified Autistic Adults

• A Newly Identified Autistic Therapist Working with Newly Identified Autistics

• So You Think You Might Be Autistic

• Gaslighting the Autistic Experience

• Dearest Therapist Who Knows Barely Anything About Autism

• I'm an Autistic Therapist: Sometimes It's Easier Than Everyday Life

• Does Your Therapist Know Enough About Autism to Help You?

• Questions to Ask a Potential Therapist When You're Autistic

• How I Work with Newly Identified Autistic People

• What to Ask When You're Seeking Therapy for Late-Identified Autism

• Therapy is Not for Fixing Autism

• The Harm I Caused When I Didn't Know about Autism

• Common Therapy Advice That is Counterproductive for Autistics

• A Therapist Told Me Treating Autism is Like Treating Depression

• Who Can Diagnose Autism in Adults?

• Autistic Adults Deserve Better from the Mental Health Field

Here’s also more specific essays about identifying autism in undiagnosed people. These essays are helpful for professionals who want to expand their diagnostic skillset and lower the rate of misdiagnosis and missed diagnoses for autism:

Undiagnosed Autism

• The Correlation Between Intelligence and Undiagnosed Autism

• The Gap Between “Diagnosable Autism” and a Lifetime of Unidentified Autism

• Autism Diagnosis Criteria are Limiting for Men Too

• No Autistic Should Receive a Diagnosis Letter Like Mine

• Identifying Autism in Undiagnosed Women Abstract

• How I Identify Autism in Undiagnosed Women

• Autistic Stereotypes Block People From Knowing They're Autistic

---

Thank you for reading. If you’d like to read more, sign up for my FUNletter. If you would like to explore your autistic identity with an autistic therapist, you can learn more about my therapy services here.