How to Spot a Fake Autistic

This post is a collaboration with an advocate in the UK who goes by Shell Spectrum. Shell has a diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome (same as my son's childhood diagnosis) and has been advocating online about autism as an autistic woman for over 20 years. She started a list with this title and I have modified it slightly and extended it with her permission. Shell and I are the 'bad autistics' neurodiversity 'autistics' warned you about. Although I would rather see myself as a 'number 1 badass' (after all 'BAD1' was written in my medical records for 'bipolar affective disorder type 1).

I am on the autism spectrum myself, with a diagnosis of pervasive developmental disorder, not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) but I choose to no longer call myself autistic, nor an autist. (Although neurodiversity advocates insist on calling me both). I had more prominent autism spectrum features in childhood (as did my son) than as an adult.

Shell and I am both critical of the neurodiversity movement, an identity politics ideology, that has ripped off medical conditions and watered them down into common traits. Then evangelised, recruited and indoctrinated people who have no clinically significant impairments since childhood. Many have profitted from this racket. Anyone who criticises this cult will be abused by extremists.

fraudtistics

I call the neurodiversity version of 'autistics', mostly 'self-diagnosed': 'noughtistics/nautistics' (for zero in common with medical criteria, evangelising neurodiversity ideology. I call the charlatans profiting from this racket: 'fraudtistics.' (They make up words, so why can't I?). You may credit me with 'coining' the words 'Nautistic' and 'Fraudtistic' (since such as big deal is made over coining words). 

Please note that diagnostic criteria require clinically significant features since the early developmental period in childhood and cause clinicially significant impairment in social, occupational or other important areas of current functioning. Nautistics twist the criteria to skip these, using a 'masking' excuse.

This list may read like parody but it's from observations of online neurodiversity and 'actually autistic' communities.

It has come to light that some advocates centred on drama have made the allegation that Shell is Connie. Shell is not Connie, I am not Shell, I am not Connie. We are three different people who live in three different countries. This collaboration has nothing to do with the drama between Connie and the neurodiversity movement (NDM).

Shell would also like it updated that she is nearly 60, not an adolescent, like in some public gossip. I am 50. Between us, we have over a century of lived experience that is being rubbished by what some opposed to NDM call 'fauxism' and some pro-NDM call 'the -tism'. Excuse my poor grammar - blame it on my cognitive impairment with my actually diagnosed disabilities (with actual impairments).
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A nautistic and/or fraudtistic will:

1. Claim late onset autism with 'masking' fulltime without realising it, as the reason no one noticed anything, including themselves, for decades.
2. Say 'passed as neurotypical', with no issue with eye contact, able to blend in, able to do advanced degrees, able to hold stressful careers.
3. Times and predicts 'meltdowns' to film and upload to social media. With no idea what a meltdown actually is. Somehow managed to hide claimed meltdowns from parents and spouse & never have them in a long, high-stress career.
4. Performs 'big stims' eg handflapping, despite admitting never did it previously. Encourages followers to 'unlock their stims' and do the same performative stimming as an 'art form.'
5. Charges extortionate amounts of money for a 10 minute chat that does not help in any way.
6. Has a GoFundMe, Patreon and Wishlist. Will e-beg for makeup, travel, expensive Lego sets and car repairs (the popular fraudtistics will raise the funds in a few hours). Even electric wheelchairs that will soon be traded in for rollerskates (I am not kidding). I even saw fundraising for a car.
7. Makes up traits that are the exact opposite of what autism actually is, creating a polar opposite stereotype, claiming this is 'true' and 'authentic representation'. Like to dance? Actually autistic! Listen to a song twice? Autistic!
8. Claims burnout from high stress career and having kids as reason for late onset autism (no such thing).
9. Can't articulate what autism is other than gleaned from online echo chambers.
10. Starts punting products regardless of safety (paid sponsorships of fancy earplugs and stim toys are the latest).
11. Says self-diagnosis is valid. Also self-diagnoses ADHD and identifies as an 'AuDHDer' and med-seeks stimulants. Some are have sponsorships for dodgy teleheath assessments doing hasty diagnoses, which result in hasty prescribing restricted medications (yes, that's why there was a meds shortage in the US).
12. Some will admit no clinicially significant features since childhood and/or that they exaggerated during assessment. This includes practising with friends before assessment to 'turn off intellect to unmask' (ie a performance to trick the assessor).
13. Uses claimed autism diagnosis for clout, yet complain about clinicial language being 'negative', 'deficits'. Gets offended over words like 'disorder' and even 'diagnosis.' I am diagnosed with several disorders. They're called disorders for a reason. I am not offended by the word 'disorder'.
14. Uses children stim toys as props and will sponsor for profit.
15. Will mob bully and make drama on behalf of a larger account. (This is to try get recognition to build one's own following).
16. Some claim they are diagnosed ('provisional diagnosis', like a clinician said 'probably' without assessment). Yet won't get formally assessed, in case it 'takes away their identity' if they are 'misdiagnosed as normal.' Admit wouldn't meet clinical criteria.
17. Claim disability with no impairment. Or get offended about the words 'disability'.
18. Has exceptional communication skills, social skills, executive functioning skills, making flashy marketing materials for their brand.
19. Will get a book deal before even start writing a book, merely on following size and trendy topic (neurodiversity, identity politics).
20. Will not have enough material from one's own story (presented as 'neurotypical' for decades), so regurgitates what was learned from the online community, with the royal 'we'.
21. Validated by follower counts. Will complain if lose followers. Will complain when algorthims  are changed so less reach (so less book sales, coaching, speaking engagements etc).
22. Becomes a social media influencer with the usual fake social media influencer things - posed videos, posed backgrounds, special lighting, filters, editing out anything that doesn't look 'polished' (like autism features).
23. Polices language. Tells others they are not allowed to use certain words (like Asperger's Syndrome) otherwise they will be a 'literal Nazi'.
24. Will force language onto others, labelling others to identify as targets to mob bully. Demand special pronouns. While not committing to anything permanent. Any changes like bright hair dye are temporary.
25. Will claim can change gender in seconds with props such as sunglasses (to hide makeup) and a hat (to hide hair).
26. Will promote female profile or autism in girls/women profiles. All based on stereotypes (eg 'may line up dolls and collect makeup.) I didn't even like dolls and I usually don't wear makeup.
27. Makes a big profit selling pricey webinars, pitching them as friendship groups. Runs a business under the guise of advocacy. Business are out to make a profit. Boast how much money they make.
28. Claims 'can't unmask' as the excuse for no clinically significant features as an adult (after saying 'masked' for no clinicially significant features since childhood.)
29. Spreads misinformation, such as claiming that shutdowns are meltdowns.
30. Denies that severe presentations of autism and disability exist. Only those who 'pass as neurotypical' are 'valid'.
31. Has always been popular, is still popular (previously as a teacher, a homecoming queen, in a band, now as a social medial influencer, author, actor, public speaker, life coach, consultant etc). Stomped on and shafted others to get popular. Popular doesn't mean one is not a bully.
32. Feigns victimhood for pity donations and sales. This includes 'how dare someone question my diagnosis?!' 
33. Says 'listen to autistics', except if those autistics have an opinion which goes against the current fad narratives. Will scare followers into submission by blocking research by shouting 'eugenics!' and we might never have existed (these are people who 'passed as neurotypical' without realising, remember).
34. Says anxiety, highly sensitive personality (HSP) trait, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder (BPD) are misdiagnoses and are all really autism.
35. Is plagued by imposter syndrome but is validated that 'we can't all be wrong' (mostly self-diagnosed, many dodgey diagnoses eg when burnt out from careers that have high burnout rates eg teaching).
36. Contradictions and inconsistencies with holes big enough to drive a truck through. Eg, complain that missed for diagnosis for decades. Yet also admitted that presented as 'neurotypical' and didn't even notice themselves. So there was nothing to miss.
37. Claim a whole bunch of other identity labels, including 'plural' appropriated from a medical diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder (DID). Will suddenly come out with multiple alters, each with different ages, genders, personalities, pronouns and hobbies.
38. Will tell anyone diagnosed with bipolar disorder (like myself) that they are 'misdiagnosed' and encourage them to go off their medications.
39. Will review bomb with fake malicious reviews self-published books as punishment by those who don't follow the doctrines (yes, they did this to me and the main reason was because they were mad at me because I stopped calling myself autistic and because I said self-diagnosis is unwise).
40. Will blame the wicked 'neurotypicals' for minding their own business (when there is no logical way of telling who is 'neurotypical' or 'neurodivergent' if people can 'mask' for decades without realising it).
41. ​Will deny that they are indoctrinated by a political cult that exploits the vulnerable so the most manipulative fraudtistics can milk it for profit.
42. Will tell their followers to try get any previous 'misdiagnoses' scrubbed from their medical records.
43. Will wonder why their followers got booted from therapy programs when they followed this advice in the previous point.
44. Will do speeches for paid audiences. Yet never 'go non-verbal' (their words). Confuse 'non-verbal' and 'mutism'. Had neither in childhood.
45. Will never admit that perhaps their autism and/or ADHD (self-)diagnoses are misdiagnoses. Have religious-like conviction about it. Some will only go to affirmation-only outfits for 'discovery/confirmation (avoiding clinical language like 'diagnosis' now).
46. Identifying as autistic is becoming too competitive in the social media influencer world, so influencers have moved onto ADHD and DID. I look forward to their cringe efforts at trying to fake bipolar mania (even professional actors struggle with this).
47. Will preach to 'be nice' and 'be inclusive' yet belong to the most exclusive fake online cliques. Will be an utter hypocrite. I am told I am 'rude' for being 'too honest.'
48. Will slap labels on people. 'Cis white woman' is what I have been called, making assumptions about my appearance. Then when they find out I'm not 'white' and don't care for the word 'cis' (cis is for molecules) they say 'but you are white-passing'. Then, also mad at me because I don't want to call myself 'BIPOC' or 'queer'. Then they also complain I didn't usually bother putting on makeup and a dress to be the cringe stereotype they thought a woman should be when I vlogged. Stop making assumptions.
49. Will accuse disabled people who don't make a diagnosis their entire identity of being 'abelist' and having 'internalised ableism' (yes, I got called those).
50. Will accuse people of being a bigot and 'racist', 'transphobic', 'ableist' and a heap of other '-ist' and '-phobic' names. Rendering these terms practically useless from misuse while attempting to control by fear. Labelling those who tell the truth as 'haters' and 'oppressors'.
51. Will threaten lawsuits over petty things, accusing 'libel' and 'hate speech' (for telling the truth). Such as mentioning something someone forgot they wrote about publicly, then denied. Then somehow remembered after the forced delete on social media.
52. Will have a PhD and be a professor but 'go overboard' with the 'unmasking' (performing) to 'turn off intellect' so get an ASD2 diagnosis. Then realise this is not realistic and believable with also living independently, so get it changed to ASD1 and make up an elaborate story about the assessor having a breakdown during the assessment.
53. Will claim masked fulltime for spouse of 20-odd years. Before 'discovered' that was (N)autistic. Then gained fickle fame as a popular (yet now lonely) social media influencer in a cut-throat market. Expect a divorce shortly after dragging a spouse onto public platforms for extra clout, while complaining 'can't unmask' around the 'neurotypical' spouse.
54. Will parade their minor child(ren) like child stars on social media, with no protecting of their privacy and identities. Will not see that this is exploitation of their children and also taking away their children's choice whether to disclose a diagnosis or whether to see a diagnosis as identity.
55. May falsely represent their qualifications to come across as a medical doctor when really have a PhD in an unrelated area or are a 'doctor of naturopathy or oesteopathy'. Will use the title 'Dr' when not a clinician to claim that can assess autism (for fee, which may be labelled a 'donation' to not pay tax as a 'non-profit'). 
56. May put out marketing materials promoting other 'actually autistics' (which anyone can opt into with self-identification, whether diagnosed or not). Will ask for donations repeatedly for the 'free' resource. Will admit that someone else did a lot of the work preparing the 'free' resource. When really it's an age-old online marketing tactic  as a business under the guise of advocacy to get email addresses to further market to.
57. Completely throws ethics out the window when running advocacy as a business, appropriating a medical condition as an identity, profits from vulnerable people.
58. Will make "parody" accounts of other people to mob bully and "cancel" them, yet will complain and threaten to sue when parody accounts are made of themselves and their pals. Will even threaten to sue for 'hate speech' (all hot air of course). Pot calling kettle black.
59. Will make their minor children 'public figures' to evangelised political ideology (yes, neurodiversity with the hashtag #actuallyautistic is political ideology). No consideration for their children's privacy, safety and mental wellbeing.
60. Will tell their followers to avoid and block those who have a different opinion and experience. With labels such as 'ableist' (if don't agree with self-diagnosis) and 'transphobic' (if don't believe in bunnygender).
61. Will make conspiracy theories about advocates being one and the same person. This blog post is a collaboration by Shell (in UK) and myself (in NZ). No other parties. I am discontinuing public advocacy. I have been an advocate since 2008. Shell has been an advocate even longer. Neither of us have been paid donations etc.
62. Will try to get others with different views fired. (Tip: If you ever do advocacy, for anything, don't make your employer and sensitive information public, as unfortunately, you will be at risk for attack by angry activists aka mob bullies. Also, take care whom you confide in - I was doxxed this past week by a former 'friend').
63. Will deny involvement in any drama and scapegoat someone else. Will say that someone is lying about suicidal ideation that they deliberately triggered with their mob bullying.
64. Rip into others for using the 'wrong' words/labels/grammar. 
65. Will project like projectile vomit. (Projection is when someone places their own unwanted traits, emotions and behavours onto others. Can involve accusing and blaming others).
66. Will call jigsaw puzzle pieces 'hate symbols' and insist on infinity loop symbols. Fight over trivial stuff like that, rather than more important issues.
67. Will insist others call themselves autistic (diagnosed or not). Will say not to talk to autistics unless identify as autistic. Will scold anyone who prefers to say 'with autism' or 'has autism' or 'is on the autism spectrum' or 'with Asperger's Syndrome'. (I prefer to say clinicially significant autism spectrum features since childhood, to be specific).
68. Will repeatedly announce that not involved with online drama (as worried that will get fired from job). Yet will kick off drama.
69. Will argue over 'correct' use of words/grammar eg 'neurodiverse' vs 'neurodivergent' (you know, the critically important things in life).
70. Will claim finding the 'actually autistic' (mostly not actually autistic) community saved their life. Yet still clearly have mental illness that needs addressing, not relabelled as autistic.
71. Will feel welcomed into an online community, only to be kicked to the curb if they do or say anything that goes against the narratives. Then ostracised and exclused.
72. Is extremely offended (to the point of suicide threats) if anyone says or suggests they are not autistic or if autism doesn't explain all their issues. 
73. Yet, have no problem armchair diagnosing and undiagnosing strangers (and former friends) on the internet.
74. Will tell those who have clinically significant features and lived experience, who don't buy into neurodiversity ideology to 'educate themselves'.
75. Will screenshot and spread rumours and directly lie about others. Then complain that they have been screenshot, lied about and are the only proclaimers of the truth. Will deleted any comments correcting them (including screenshots of their own lies).
76. Will accuse an autistic advocate who doesn't subscribe to neurodiversity ideology of being someone else. I quote: 'a lowlife, evil and doesn't deserve to be breathing the same air as humans...not human...pure evil scum...bullies...deserve to be locked up.' (yes, I have screenshot this BS from an account that ironically has 'truth' in the name. Calling out this hypocrite resulted in police called on me).
77. Will dox anyone who is a threat to flimsy ideology. I was doxxed along with someone else since this blog post. Doxxing is making someone else's private information public, with malicious intent. It's a form of abuse.
78. Will make false reports to the police on behalf of those who bully then lie that being bullied. Yes, this happened to me since this blog post.
79. Will call anyone who disagrees with the extremism of neurodiversity ideology, a 'troll', 'bigot' etc. To mark as a target who to mob bully.
80. Will make up excuses for lack of clinicially significant impairment and autism spectrum features since childhood. Including that autism has late-onset from hormones, career burnout, is 'invisible' and varies (from being superproductive to hardly being able to string a sentence together, while still competently stringing sentences together).
81. Will preach that just because someone is not struggling anymore, that does not mean they are not autistic. Typically said by those who admit never realising they were any different to 'neurotypicals' until career burnout.
82. Will say that autism is spectrum, yet only focus on those who managed to juggle busy careers (typically also with children, those who managed to have corporate careers, those who can do international speeches, those who can handle busy careers as public figures, all while living completely independently.
83. Will not give up 'autistic' as have made a ripped-off distorted version of (N)autism into identity (with online fame and a money grab).
84. Will do anything to keep their public reputations squeaky clean, meanwhile stomping on others to get to the top of a pedestal. Given there are so many egos now at the 'top', they will fall off their pedestals sooner or later.
85. Will go by multiple pronouns, with no way of telling which gender (there are now apparently infinite genders). Will report for 'hate speech' if someone gets the pronouns 'wrong'. 
86. Will virtue signal with pronouns in bio. The more pronouns, the more extremist with identity politics, I've observed. May I suggest bum/bumself for the frautistics who fleece the vulnerable in online communities to life off donations.
87. Will claim to be accent chameleons, altering accent for each person talked to. One of the reasons my son was bullied (childhood Asperger's diagnosis) is that he couldn't change his accent to 'blend in', when moved overseas.
88. Will say that an official diagnosis is nothing more than 'rubber-stamping' what already knew. Yet, these highly functioning people juggling career, family, advoacy will clog up waiting lists for years for their desperate need for validation.
89. Autism isn't enough validation after a while, so move onto ADHD and meds seeks stimulants to be superproductive as a 'content creator'/'entrepreneur'.
90. Wants med trials for stimulants for ADHD, without a formal diagnosis. This is incredibly dangerous. Stimulants can trigger mania if really have underlying bipolar disorder. Can be an issue with substance abuse.
91. Will repeatedly declare 'autism is NOT mental illness!' Despite the high comorbity of autism and mental illness, autism is now held up as identity by the elite. Don't want to be contaminated by those with mental illnesses, now, do we? (that last sentence was sarcasm).
92. Will refer to oneself as 'neurospicy' and/or a 'spoonie'.
93. Says that an earworm (piece of a song stuck in head, that most people have, at least some of the time, is stimming and echolalia (and therefore must be autistic)
94. have no clinically significant impairments & be opposed to the word 'impairment' (excuse if I repeated myself anywhere. Can attribute it to my actual clinicially significant impairments').
95. Builds a following regurgitating what others said and stealing others words as their own, to become a 'social media influencer' (popularity contest)
96. Rebrands as a 'content creator' (with very little actual creativity, no original ideas) or an entrepreneur, with Buy Me a Coffee or similar for payments for the regurgitated content
97. Focussed on building follower size to get affiliate links and sponsorships under the guise of 'advocacy' or 'activism'.
98. Complains that had a falling out with friends over 'selling out' (yes, was a sell-out). Pity for attention to  promote affiliate links.
99. Says that autism is a spectrum within oneself (admitting not impaired every day and not autism features).
100. Dramatically says the #actuallyaustistic hashtag saved their life, meanwhile bullies others and accuses the target of being the bully.
101. Calls the police on others for writing blog posts (such as this one). Website views since this blog post has exploded (I am not being paid for it and nor is Shell, as we have seen making money from 'advocacy' as corruption).

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Actual hate speech

This is a screenshot of 'Autistic Truth' aka Chloe, lying about Shell and saying hateful things. I called Chloe out and of course, there is a smear campaign with more lies about me also. I wasn't going to post further on here but I think I will show some of the screenshots so you can see some of the drama and manipulation. On a new blog post, called 'Manipulation in autism and disability advocacy.'

I was doxxed and reported to the police over this blog post & calling out the hate speech. Police said I did nothing wrong and to block Chloe. Of course, Chloe's supporters will carry on with the drama (hence I was doxxed and reported to police).

Identity politics not Parody

Have updated this list occassionally when I see something beyond ridiculous (observing how people are captured by cult-like ideologies is one of my 'special interests'). Remember, the above list is not parody. It is the behaviour that Shell and I both observed in the #actuallyautistic #neurodiversity #neurodivergent #AuDHD "self-diagnosis /self-ID is valid" communities. Remember, this is all identity politics, recruiting more followers, whether meet criteria for a diagnosis or not). So some can have a power trip, ego boost, validation and make money from it. Also for bullies to have a field day.
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On Video:

Read some of this list out on video (2 parts). Wrote this blog post after I recorded the video from handwritten notes. The list has been developed and edited since (writing takes time).

falsely diagnosed

"There has been a 20-fold increase in autism cases over the last 30 years. Some believe that this increase is due to better diagnostic ascertainment, but I fear that we have reached a point where some individuals are now being falsely diagnosed. Some might exhibit superficially autistic-like traits without being autistic. Some might suffer from as yet unrecognised and unnamed syndromes. We are in a muddle."
Professor Dame Uta Frith, 2020

hitting nerves

I have updated this blog post multiple times. Mainly to add new points and to correct spelling mistakes/typos. It would have been well over 100 points by now but I merged a few points together.

I have updated the introduction to state that this collaboration is with myself (in New Zealand) and Shell Spectrum (UK) and has nothing to do with anyone else. 

As stated, both Shell and I had autism spectrum features since childhood, unlike all these fraudtistics claiming masking for decades since birth, for their lack of clinically significant features and impairment.

I made a decision in April 2023, to discontinue my public advocacy journey. I have been an advocate, mostly behind the scenes since 2008, well before I started Bipolar Courage. Shell has been an advocate even longer.

My advocacy, mostly mental health but has also included pervasive developmental disorders that I am familiar with plus trauma, plus advocacy recognised by world leaders for massive change about citizenship, is ending. I will advocate still in small ways but not so publicly.

So hold your breath with the empty lawsuits of those who have a different opinion from their own lived experiences. The mob bullying, cancel culture and exploitation within the #actuallyautistic (mostly not actually autistic) and neurodiversity communities needs to stop. It has a detrimental effect on mental health.

Yes, we see the constant drama and in-fighting. That's identity politics for you.

Update May 2023: a police officer visited me today. Said what happened here. What a waste of police time, trying such intimidation tactics. Same week myself and someone else were doxxed by a former 'friend'.
Why I have trust issues. Abuse.

My enemies made me stronger