Dan Aykroyd was NOT officially diagnoaed

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Aykroyd has something going on upstairs, of that I'm sure. Whether it's autism or something else I'm not sure. From what I've heard his family is a bit odd too, and autism is often genetic.

It very well could be Autism. That is why it's important that the public does not try to decide for him. Trial/diagnosis by public does not always end well.

What’s the likelihood that Ellon musk is self diagnosed as well?

NT Celebs jumping onto the autism bandwagon because they googled their problems and up popped “autism” and it’s subjective diagnostic criteria giving the answer to all their failures in life.

Then another person told them it’s not even their autism that held them back but society and how it reacts to people with different behaviours.

So they are relieved of all responsibility, victim status and get to blame everyone else for their their failures.

You get to see the attraction and motivation for these people.

I think what you are describing happens more with non celebrities who identify with famous “Autistic” celebrities and historical figures then with NT celebrities claiming they are autistic. A lot of people are very interested in celebrities personal lives. So their publicists make up stories and embolden reality to feed the public demand. The celebrities themselves are constantly doing interviews, so they always need new stories to keep the public interested. I was bullied until I found out I was autistic is a story that pulls at heartstrings.

That all said a lot creative people are atypical, so they probably were bullied in school. And outside of political incorrectness being different is tolerated and expected. They call it “Hollyweird” for a reason. So it is very likely a higher percentage of creative people are autistic then in the general population.

People accept Ackroyd’s claim because they like him. Musk is a controversial figure so his claim gets questioned more. If you don’t like a person you often find reasons to claim they are lying. Musk gave them two. He just claimed it without the usual elaboration and he claimed to have “Nazi” Aspergers.

There is no way of knowing of if a celeb claiming to be autistic actually is. But what is often forgotten is the opposite is true, there is no way of knowing if the Autism claim is false.

Last edited by ASPartOfMe on 28 Jul 2023, 10:05 am, edited 1 time in total.

I think it's incredibly unfair to just assume that celebrities just jump on bandwagons because they googled their problems and up popped Autism and it's subjective diagnostic criteria gave the answer to all their failures in life. I think we need to give people much more credit than that especially people who have the financial means to have access to things like adult diagnoses and expert opinions. Not every celebrity is honest and some celebrities will do publicity stunts like that which is wrong and completely unacceptable, but we can't blanketly say that any celebrity who comes out as possibly Autistic has done what you described. What you have said is actually quite discriminatory and frankly, I find it offensive. Just because they have high profile jobs, does not mean that they are not people just like we are. My young cousin who is a successful movie actor, and whom I know very well has his own issues just like any other human being. If you had said what you said about him, I would not have forgiven you.

I don't believe that you meant to imply that every nt single celeb does that. But it's not fair to make a statement like that. Unless we know people personally, we have no idea what their personal struggles are and what efforts they have made to figure them out.

I don't think most eccentric/weird artist/theater/musician types are autistic.

Probably above average number of ADHD and bipolar.

But mostly I think they have personality disorders and/or emotional trauma which they process and express through their art, often descending into a spiral of substance abuse that further fuels their creativity even as they self-destruct.

As autistics are a very small percentage of the population we are a small percentage of those who are “different”. If creative people tend to be different than even as a small percentage of creative people it stands to reason that a higher percentage of creative people are autistic then the general population.

The main issue for autistics would be interviews and sensory sensitivties with the TV lights etc. That can be mitigated to a degree by acceptance of “quirks”, people who teach autistic celebrities, what to say, body language etc.

I actually think that many Autistics are represented in those arts and professions/ probably a lot more than we realize. I am extremely drawn to those professions and I know a lot of Autistic people who were in them. In fact, I was a musician and a music major and I also had a minor in acting when I was in college.

For many Autistic people, it is these professions and types of pursuits that allow us to express ourselves freely and in a uninhibited way. I have also heard a lot of Autistic actors say that it is in acting that they find a kind of way to have social interactions that are not awkward because everything is scripted. The world of arts and theatre and film is actually full of Autistic people and has been since the beginning of time. And it's not just performers but many Autistic people are involved in every aspect of the arts. One most famous example is John Elder Robison. And even production companies like The Kentucky Fried Movie Production Company, I have been told are Autistic. There are so many more that the list would be too long to list.

Even if a high percentage of celebs that say they are autistic are claiming to be autistic to be trendy it does not mean most older non celebs are doing it for that reason. The problem is too many people believe that about us older non celebs.

Those of us who were here during the toxic 2014-2016 period when as a group it was constantly assumed that we were not autistic because we were faking it to be trendy or deluding ourselves to explain away character flaws were scarred. So it is understandable that this is still a sensitive subject.

On the surface carlos55 can seem like a toxic poster from back then. Against the ND movement, pro cure, emphasis on “profound” autistics etc. But he is not. He has always said that those of us who are able to post here are autistic and our issues are real, do or call yourself whatever works for you.

Like I said earlier, overall celebs coming out is a good thing. Without being naive I don’t question celebs coming out unless there are good reasons to. They seem extroverted, with good social skills are not good reasons. Plenty of autistics can do that for limited periods of time. What is the worst that can happen? I get fooled. That has happened and will happen. Them being NT does not mean I somehow faked out my clinician and have been living out a lie for the last 10 years.

Thank you for explaining about Carlos

I did say NT celebs NOT diagnosed people or waiting to be diagnosed

Obviously this isn't the same as those on here waiting to be diagnosed or feel they may be autistic

Unlike most he had the money to go to a private clinic, paying a fraction of the fortune he`d earned as a movie star , to get diagnosed within a week or so, but unlike most of us, his so called "autism" was such an obvious minor problem for him he just couldn't be bothered.

Rather he just went round saying he was autistic for years for some sort of perceived personal benefit.

When these undiagnosed celebs claim they are autistic and know what its like to be autistic then claim they were never diagnosed in the first place it just causes a lot of misinformation and general harm.

How do you know what he did or did not do? What gives you the right to decide if he wasn't bothered to do something or not? What gives you the right to decide that his "so called Autism" was such an obvious minor problem to him? What kind of personal relationship do you have with him that entitles you to know anything like that about his personal life? He doesn't owe the public anything when it comes to his personal life. The public doesn't own him. He is allowed to, just like anyone else, disclose or not disclose anything about his personal life that he chooses. What you are doing is incredibly cruel and arrogant. Saying that he just went around saying he was autistic for some sort of perceived personal benefit??? Who do you think you are saying that about anyone? You have no idea what his personal life and what his personal struggles are. You really do have a lot of nerve.

If his mental health was so important to him and he was suffering or had problems with his mental health as he said he did, or he was in pain and distress maybe suicidal that many autistic people are why didn’t he take it further?

He could he was rich had come out as "autistic" & had instant access to services most can only dream about but he didn’t

Why not?

Because he probably wasn’t suffering or had any significant problems because if he had he would, as anyone in his position would

It was important enough to mention to the world but not enough to follow through with a miniscule financial or time investment

What can I say low on his agenda? maybe he had golf that week? or something better to do over … YEARS

Rather he just carried on the claim for years trivialising other real autistic people’s problems as a fake.

Carlos, the only actual question is why do you feel like you have the right to make decisions for him? He is allowed to deal with his personal issues any way he wants. They are personal to him and none of your business. You need to be to able to respect that.

I don’t own his life, but since he is a public figure who by his own decision claimed he had a condition that causes serious negative problems and hardship for some people. Then claims he was never diagnosed in other words fooling people for some sort of personal gain I’m allowed to judge their behaviour.

Just like I’m allowed to judge someone negatively who’s rich but pushes their healthy kid in a wheelchair pretending they have a disability for sympathy or money when there’s nothing wrong with them.

I cannot for the life of me imagine why it matters whether a celebrity or anyone else claims or believes that they are on the spectrum. I can scarcely imagine anything that matters less.

I get that you think he is trivializing what it means to have ASD. But he's not. That's an implication that you are reading into it. It's one person's experience and one person's perception, which might not even be constant. He could be wrong or delusional or he could be right but not feel the need to investigate it further. Why do you care so much?

And why would he be benefiting from it? Most of us do not benefit from telling people we have ASD. Neither does anyone else who has a disability. Usually it's more advantageous to hide it to avoid being discriminated against, or accused of malingering.