Different view on autism/AS

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I was talking to my neighbors and both her sons and I can very easily be diagnosed with AS...anyway, my newspaper reported about autism being an "epidemic" and we were talking about that. Right, so we were thinking that perhaps autism is just a different way of thinking. Not a disease but just a different method. Because I think if most people were autistic, our society would have accommodated that. So, it isn't that it's an epidemic but rather that more people are noticing that they are in a minority in the way that they think. I mean, even such disabilities in this world such as having problems with language development would have been compensated for, if autistic thinking was in the majority. So, while many autistics are extremely rational, there are also neurotypical people who are extremely emotional. Yet, since most people tend to be more on the emotional side rather than the rational side of the bell curve, our society is more understanding towards them. Not really sure I'm going with this...but, basically that autism isn't something that would ever need to be cured because the problem is that most parents simply don't understand the autistics, not that the autistics are misbehaving. Also, if autistics were 'cured' or murdered then that entire way of thinking would be dead and then a lot of innovations wouldn't be happening. In a way, this is almost what happened to gay people throughout time where the majority didn't understand them and thought it was 'bad' behavior and labeled those feelings and thoughts as a mental disorder. I dunno...most people have learned to at least tolerate gay people, maybe that's something that could be expected in the future for the way autistic people think, instead of trying to 'cure' or keep us down and quiet.

Sorry this was kind of long - I'm extremely bad at summarizing and being concise sometimes. This was mostly an unformed-idea-dump...

Ideas?

I think depending on how mild someone is on the spectrum, I can easily see why it be seen as a different way of thinking. When I think of the severe end of the spectrum, those people are very disabled by their condition and I can't see how that be a different way of thinking.

Along the same lines as LeagueGirl, I think people on the far ends of the autistic spectrum truly would still need special accommodations even in an AS-dominated world. That being said, people at the other far end of the spectrum i.e. overly emotional people still need special accommodations in this NT-dominant world. So yes, we could be considered as people that think a bit differently.

I believe Autism, Symptoms of Autism and Aspergers are caused by a virus and the continual replication of a virus in a person's body causing cell damaging effects. I believe and have researched and I can go by my own experience that to decrease the viral load (decrease the replication of the virus) in myself, I can eat healthy, a specific eating plan and diet I have found to be the SCD, which is the Specific Carbohydrate diet. Along with following this diet, I take a good probiotic daily and an herbal anti-viral supplement along with amino acids and Omega 3 fish oil. What is also really important is keeping positive thoughts and a positive attitude and exercise by walking or doing some type of Cardio at least three times per week. That's what has been helping me to keep my viral load down.

I don't really get what you mean by thinking differently - outside the box?

I don't know about "thinking differently". I don't think that thinking differently is causing my stimming, which is involuntary. Or my sensory issues, and the anxiety. Rigid and ritualistic behaviours and so on...

Honestly, I don't think I'm that rational. I think the whole aspie-nerd thing is a bit of a generalization. I'm calm and seemingly unemotional on the surface, but just like everyone else I have those irrational and emotional tendencies. But they are expressed differently.

So instead of behaving like my NT sister and being histrionic and throwing tantrums, I become really avoidant. I avoid things that I dislike or can't handle, i.e. social interaction and interaction in certain contexts.


But I do agree that the way high-functioning Autistics are, conflicts with I guess you can say, NT society.

I agree with League Girl.

I think about one of my nephews. No way can his autism be called a difference, not a disability. It's a disability, most definitely.

I also think that idea expressed in the quote above has too black and white a view of autism. If we got rid of everyone with diagnosable autism, we'd still have a lot of people with autistic traits, though not to a diagnosable level.

The idea of curing autism (for those who think that way) isn't about getting rid of people who think differently. It's about people like my nephew, who has very little self-care abilities, being able to have productive semi-independent lives. Curing autism can mean someone being an aspie instead of severely autistic. Curing autism can mean a person becoming one of those people who think differently and in doing so contribute to society. (Though I personally don't like the word "cure" because I see it as too black and white.)

I thought you were being sarcastic but saw that you posted something similar in a different topic.

It is a different brain wiring than neurotypicals have, but there is not really one specific way people with autism or AS think...its just a different way of the brain processing things and such. I find there are some things I like about it, but then some things are difficult due to the AS symptoms or whatever.

Also personally it kinda bothers me how people think we should all be trying to suppress our true selves all in the name of becoming a productive member of society. What if you don't like this society and want to avoid it as much as possible? Not saying there's anything wrong with doing something good for the people in it or something good for people in general....but why the assumption all of us want to fit into the norm as much as possible?

The social model of disability doesn't mean I'm not disabled.

Sure, everything would be be different in a world where everyone had the same sorts of issues I do. That doesn't mean I'm not disabled in this world. That doesn't reduce my difficulties so rmake it so I don't need help.

Also, just because I'm aware that I'm disabled doesn't mean I want cured. I don't want to be forced into a different way of thinking and living than I am. I'd greatly enjoy not needing to worry about migraine triggers constantly, being able to work a job I'd like, and such, but I'd be giving up myself in the process.

So, yes. I'm disabled. And no, its not just a difference. "Just a difference" drastically undermines the challenges in peoples lives even with the diagnosis of Asperger's.

Maybe you don't need help to live in this world and do primarily have a "social difference". That does not mean that autism, including AS, is only that. I have to deal regularly with people telling me I should be more capable than I am, because of my uneven self care skills and the chosen label for my diagnosis.

A different world, and a different society, might change how disabled I am, but we don't live in a different world. Disability is defined against our society.

(Really, I recommend you looking up the social model of disability.)

I'm pro-neurodiversity, but anti-suffering. While the people at the high functioning end of the Autism Spectrum troubles seem to be with dealing with the majority Neurotypical culture, there are those on the other end of the spectrum who are truly disabled. Aspies would benefit from a more tolerant majority culture, Autistics who can't communicate with the outside world need some sort of intervention.

And how many cannot communicate with the outside world, this is autism we are talking about not a permanent catatonic state or coma which are the only two ways I can see anyone not being able to communicate in any way at all with the outside world. I kind of feel sorry for those on the more severe end of the spectrum because of how its just assumed they can't do anything at all and have no awareness of anything at all.....I mean maybe there are some like that but I would think there would have to be something else going on as well.

that said I think its kind of inaccurate to say people on the higher functioning end aren't truly disabled....I know some of my AS symptoms do actually interfere with my ability to function and I've already described that in other threads so I won't bother here. But yeah a chance of society would not eliminate any of that.

It all depends on what you can do and what you want to do. Different ways of thinking and a different world view predestine people for different careers and lifestyles.

An AS person can be highly successful in certain areas, but this applies for anybody else as well.

The main difference i've experienced was less on the level of thinking than on the emotional. My younger NT sister was born with an ability to interact with people on an emotional level, and watching her taught me a lot about the differences and the simple fact that i'm blind and deaf on this level.

Hmm...I didn't mean to express that those who can't function independently (or are otherwise severely disabled) wouldn't have those same problems if our society was skewed in favor of thinking rationally. However, a lot of people see us as being severely handicapped even when we might not be if autistic thinking was accommodated or tolerated at least. As in, I would probably be able to easily find a job as a teenager in a world where my type of social interaction was considered normal or understood. However, now I can't because most jobs for teenagers or focused for the 'uneducated', however it implies that you have to be well educated in social interaction, which, comparatively, I am not. So, in that way, I am disabled in the way our society functions today. I'm not saying it's just a difference in thinking style, but rather that our thinking style needn't be considered a disability in all aspects right off the bat just because it's a minority. Also, I always associated stimming as simply a way of expressing yourself differently. In the way that a lot of NTs hysterically scream when they see each other again, stimming is a different form of expression. Also, re: curing. I did express in quite a black-and-white way which was probably not well done, but at the same time, I know most parents would even want to 'cure' their children of AS because it's frustrating for a lot of them because they can't understand them. I'm actually much more concerned about the genetic testing because you can't tell how something like autism will be expressed and so it risks so much more than simply "getting rid" of the severely autistic people. Anyway, what I was trying to get at in a roundabout way I think, is that instead of trying to act as NT as possible and spending money on genetic research, it might make more sense to try and make the majority of the thinkers understand and accept the way we think instead of labeling it as wrong right away. Also, I couldn't think of a better way to describe it except as emotional vs. rational thinking that would still be easily understandable. I realize that need not apply to all, the gist was that often autistic people are seen by society as cold and rational people, while they see themselves as warm and emotional people.

I made a diagram to explain myself better.


[img][800:497]http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb435/Lukas64/AS.jpg[/img]

I don't really buy this idea is the problem aspies have is all down to unaccepting NTs. You can be as accepting of autistic thinking as you like, but if the aspie doesn't show up for work then he is unemployable.

Jason.

Well apparently sometimes even when you do show up for work they still determine you unemployable because you can't function the way they expect.

Most likely, this so-called epidemic is due to an increase in the awareness of high-functioning forms of autism, leading to more diagnoses.