> 20 years ago (in 2005), did anyone voluntarily, happily label themselves autistic The labels people use follow trends. Labelling (self or others) as autistic

> 20 years ago (in 2005), did anyone voluntarily, happily label themselves autistic The labels people use follow trends. Labelling (self or others) as autistic or on the spectrum is relatively new, but there have been trends for other disorders in the past. Neurotic, depressed, anal retentive, even phrenology - people worrying that the shape of their cheekbones mean they must be genetically stupid, or applying that to others. We have evidence of such trends going back 100 years at least, and probably more. For sure, social media has amplified and homogenized things, as it does. But it's not a new phenomenon.