Nation of Brilliant Outcasts on Welfare?

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Physical disabilities are easier to understand, and they are farther ahead in disability rights than mental disabilities are. They have wheelchair ramps because they fought hard for them. We're fighting equally hard. Just wait twenty years.

I hope my reply doesn't offend anyone because I certainly don't mean to. I am certainly in support of same-sex marriage, I don't mean partnerships or unions or whatever they want to call it, I mean marriage just like anyone else. But I have to say this, that the issue is ' fashionable' for lack of a better word. One of the most obvious differences between LGBT and ASD is that unemployment in the ASD group runs between 60 to 80%. Of course, the LGBT community has to deal with employment gaps also, but people with ASD have the most dismal employment figures, even compared to other disability groups. We have even had people posting on WP telling us what leeches we are a society. People view us as getting welfare in mass numbers. They don't realize how hard it is to get assistance for ASD, especially as an adult. If you are over 25 there's nothing yet people have this perception and were living 'high on the hog'.

Furthermore, our social and other challenges affect our ability to interact with the public on a macro level, as well as on an individual level. You don't see a bunch of autistic people marching in Washington or San Francisco or New York etc. etc. with picket signs. You don't see autistic people coming together as groups and speaking at City Hall in front of Congress. The fact is that the general public can relate to the LGBT community much more than the ASD community. The LGBT community has groups like the ACLU supporting them. The ASD community has autism speaks, as are most vocal "supporters" telling the public that we are a scourge on mankind and should be eradicated. I'm glad that that LGBT community has made large strides towards equality and justice. But there is that huge gulf of difference between our two groups. Even though the population percentages may not be all that different, same-sex marriage has the support of 70% of Americans. The notice that we get from Americans- we are called psychopaths every time there's a shooting, whether the shooter was on the spectrum or not. We had Temple Grandin's mother portraying us as pedophiles to the public. Do you see why we are so marginalized and powerless?

I think that everyone agrees that Autism Speaks does not speak for autistic's but rather for the parents of autistic's. That's why they are gonna put more of there R&D money into finding a cure then they are at helping autistic's. I think it's gonna be more eugenics then a cure. I think they are more interested in finding a method of being able to detect autism in the fetus and recommending (or requring.) an abortion if it tests positive.

I highly doubt it would be 'required' you can't force a woman to have an abortion if she doesn't want to.

Because you just stated a contradiction without realizing it.
Cultures are built on complex interplays of social interactions in which even maligned groups, if they are socially adpet, can eventually overcome most stigmas and gain acceptance.
See the problem?
We're not socially adept enough to get them to accept us.
They'll never adapt to us as a part of their culture precisely because we, to some large extent, aren't able to actually participate in it.

am i brilliant?

You'd be surprised. Or actually you shouldn't be. One of the most populous countries on the planet have in fact done this for quite some time. China DID force women to have abortions. And in the not too distant past, eugenics in most all countries including the US had a sterilization campaign for anyone deemed mentally deficient. So it is NOT beyond the realm of possibility. It could even be required in the future by the governments to do prenatal testing and terminate any pregnancies that were deemed "defective" by society. Genetics has progressed to nearly that point now. The cost of sequencing genes has fallen dramatically and probably before the end of the decade will be as inexpensive as any other blood test. With the socialized healthcare and trying to whittle down the cost of healthcare, I can see this happening. It's commonly called "Preventative Medicine" and has been the push for the last decade or more. I could see this issue falling under that premise.

I think so.

If they where able to find a cause and be able to detect it before birth. Then yes they would. But it may not be so much a law that does it, but the fact that they may pressure the parents by holding them financially responsible and denying government support of any kind.

Some autistics don't need welfare.

I think you have misunderstood my post. Rascal said people could not influence society unless they made up at least 10% of the population, or had economic power. LGB people have influenced society quite a lot recently, homosexuality is no longer illegal in the West and gay marriage is even legal. Hopefully in our lifetimes the same will be true in Uganda and Iran...


This is a very good response

However, it's important to remember how far the LGB community has come (leaving the T out of it for now because there's still a very long way to go for them). 50 years ago, they were much worse off than we are today. It has never been illegal to be autistic, thank goodness. We would both be seen as mentally ill and institutionalised. The "gulf" is not because homosexuality is inherently seen as acceptable and autism is inherently seen as repugnant.

Two facts:
1) Homosexuality was only removed from the DSM in 1974.
2) Autism was only added to the DSM in 1980 (and then in limited form)

(The ICD properly recognised both "conditions" in 1991)

Our "condition" has only just begun to be recognised. Homosexuality has a bit of a head start, particularly because it didn't need proper recognition to get started.

The best point you made, IMO, is that autism advocacy and activism could be harder than for other minorities because of our social impairment. If we can't communicate our message, if we can't cope with the crowds involved in rallying, then how do we win people over? But I'm optimistic that we can do it. Much LGBT activism is done by straight, cis people. If autism advocates can really convince some passionate NTs of the issues we face, they'll start converting other NTs. The internet can make things a lot easier. 30 years ago, someone like KingdomOfRats would probably be permanently institutionalised. Today, people can read her disability advocacy on her blog! People invite Alex Plank to speak about autism on their internet radio show! People download The Reason I Jump on their Kindle! We're making big strides, and I bet one day we'll be able to achieve the things the LGB movement have achieved.

So your implying that asperger being removed from the DSM-V is considered progress? RIGHT?

I suppose I more meant now in the U.S.A specifically a woman cannot legally be forced to have an abortion...but its not out of the realm of possibility. I just think currently it wouldn't happen since it would be too controversial and I have not seen any evidence suggesting there are any kinds of plans to force abortions in the near future.

No (although I agree with the decision, no need for two diagnoses that mean the same thing).

Homosexuality and autism are not the same thing (big surprise, I know!). Removing homosexuality from the DSM was a positive step because it stopped it from being a condition that needed diagnosis, treatment, and often sectioning.

Adding autism to the DSM has stopped us being diagnosed with "childhood schizophrenia" and similar and then being sectioned.

Autism belongs in the DSM because it is something to be diagnosed with. Homosexuality is not.

Autism no longer being classified as a psychosis is progress. Autism not being recognised at all would harm our cause.

1 in 68 number based on records of autistic-like behaviors that may or may not be caused by autism.
>50% have average or above average IQ > 85.