Is autism a psychological or medical condition or both?

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I see it as a brain type that just happens to have various disabilities that vary by person but also can have some above normal abilities as well. Often times these above normal abilities can however be rendered fairly useless because of lack of supporting abilities required to make them useful. Such is the case with me.

I can also see it as a contributing factor in psychological problem's as well as perceptual problems. I suffer from major depression, disthymic disorder & genralized anxiety disorder. I also have perceptual problems such as reduced depth perception caused by strabismus which though the strabismus is largely corrected the underlying reduction of depth perception remains largely intact though better than it was before correcting the strabismus at which time was totally nonexistent.

I also at times have problems with auditory processing where I can't seem to understand a word someone says but for the most part it's not an issue, it just happens to me on rare occasions. What happens more frequently is taking extra time to process what is being said.

By above normal abilities for me I have been tested to have a very high mechanical comprehension in the top 1% in the country yet lack the supporting abilities to make it useful as a mechanic. It could be useful as an inventor but I would still have to rely on others to make up for my other shortcomings

Thomas Edison probably had a similar situation to yours.

That depends on the situation. I do not disclose unless its relevant. So, for a job, no. When I signed up for a retreat (basically camp for grown-ups) I did not put it down as a medical problem. They don't need to know. When I see doctors, yes. I do let them know. When I see a shrink, yes, absolutely.

When people ask me to fill out those wavers, they are looking for things like heart conditions or allergies - things that could potentially present a danger. They don't need to know that I often miss social cues. They don't need to know that I use a weighted blanket at home. Its none of their business. I can honestly look them in the eye and feel like I'm not lying because autsim really isn't a medical condition, in the strictest use of the word. I do sometimes put that I have shoulder instability, or that I'm allergic to chemical odurs, which cause me migraines. That's relevant.

Disclosing to employers is a hard one. Yes, they are going to notice something is different about me at some point. But I've found that disclosing my disability status is disastrous. There are so many misconceptions out there! I've learned the hard way to let people get to know me a little before disclosing. Then I do it face to face if at all.

If there was no stigma attacked to autism? Well, I might just disclose every time. It really wouldn't matter so much, would it? Under those circumstances, I would just tell them. But that's about as present as traveling to Mars for a vacation. Could it happen? Yes. Is it a reality today? No.

When the school tells you that you are too smart for an IEP, they aren't being very precise. In order to qualify for an IEP, you need to demonstrate that you are at least two grade levels below expected in at least one skill. It has nothing to do with IQ. My IQ was recorded in the 130s and I had an IEP because my spelling skills were that of an average fourth grader when I was in high school.

If you have a disabling condition, but you don't have evidence that your accademic skills are that week (two grade levels below) you can still quality for a 504 plan. This 504 plan should still include most of the adaptions that you would have gotten in an IEP, including extra counseling and social skills support.

BTW, you can get a regular diploma if you have an IEP. You can also get a special ed certificate if your disability is such that you simply aren't going to be able to pass the classes you need to graduate. But a lot of people on IEPs get real diplomas. Having a 504 plan shouldn't affect your diploma status at all.

^^ If your spelling was like an average fourth-grader in high school, you've made amazing progress since then!

Please don't think I'm being sarcastic---how did you become so erudite? I understand erudition doesn't have much to do with spelling--but I would think that there were other writing "problems" which produced the need for an IEP.

I was quite erudite as a younger person, actually. Overall, I'm probably LESS erudite than I was in high school LOL

I shall take that as a great compliment. And praise you back for the use of the word erudite and erudition, in the same sentence none the less!

You can have all sorts of problems produce a need for an IEP. I was, and this shouldn't be surprising around here, a mystery in elementary school. I cried all the time and I couldn't tell them why I was upset. I fought with everyone - teachers, students, the lunch ladies. I was always a mess. I never got the point of lessons, but if you took me aside and taught me one-on-one, I got it right away. I couldn't pronounce words out of a book correctly, but if you asked me to summarize a story I was way above grade level. They put me on an IEP for poor math skills, but I improved so quickly once I was in the special education room I ended up above grade level and they had to remove me. Spelling was the only thing that fit into the boxes they needed to check. I was an obvious case of aspergers, but that diagnosis didn't exist back then.

I had a developmental leap when I was in collage. My brain just became ready to use expressive language in a way it hadn't been before. It really helped that I was a special education major at the time. I just applied the lessons from class to myself. I had note cards posted all around my desk with my most commonly used words on them. Also, this was the early 90's. I used one of those word processor machines that were popular when computers were still too expensive and mysterious for most people. It beeped every time I made a mistake. And on that thing, you corrected it then or not at all. To this day, I often spell so poorly that the computer's spell check can't help me. I have to trick it into using the word by looking up a phrase on google.

I remember clearly coming home from collage and writing my parents a note to let them know I was going out. (This was before cell phones, too.) And every word on that note was spelled correctly. My parents pointed that out to me. They were thrilled. Apparently, it had never happened before.

Its a good story. We all need to remember that there is no limit to learning. There's no rule that says that if you don't have a basic skill by 18, you never will.

Would you mind if I sent you a Personal Message?

You run some clinic, I believe. Which is great---since I used to be able to run marathons.

I like the word Erudite Thanks, learn something new every day

I would never regard autism as a medical condition; I locate myself in the second group discussed in this piece from StrangerInGodzone:

http://strangeringodzone.blogspot.co.nz ... itive.html