Most annoying myth about your condition?

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Nope. Provide cites, please. Otherwise, it's just your unfounded opinion and not a statement of fact.

And if it's "written throughout the literature" as you claim, you will find it easy to provide information from government statistics or peer-reviewed journals. It's not my responsibility to find information that backs up your assertions.

I have a very good memory for these things, so it's right what I said (it's an ASD thing). I don't care enough to look for the papers though, as it has nothing to do with my interest at this time.

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Last edited by Quixotic on 07 Dec 2011, 2:57 am, edited 1 time in total.

Think this thread is a great reason to try and hide your AS from as many NTs as you can. I admit to having a difficulty doing this as, well, surely it is a massive part of who I am? But in reality I think most NTs would simply make their own false assumptions about the condition if they were told, whereas, if you kept them from it, they'd just take you as you.

^ This is my main reason for not getting a formal diagnosis.

[edit:]WHOOPS! Oh myths! I misread the title.

My roommate doesn't know anything about my condition, but she is studying abnormal psychology as a side class in a medical school, and she randomly came to me talking about autism so I loaned her some books.

Well, the next day she comes back after her class and the conversation went like this:

R.M. - "People with autism have a terrible life. They must just hate living!"
ME - "um... what?"
R.M. - "Do you know that they can't live independently and can't speak and constantly throw fits all the time? They basically need someone to care for them for their whole lives!"
ME - "Well, I know many people on the spectrum deal with those issues, but each case is unique. Besides, I know a few autistic kids and they are some of the most vivacious-"
R.M. - "Sorry? I'm the one studying this. I don't know why you're talking down to me about it."
ME - "..."

Stupid.

That last word really is appropriate for a situation like that. The Autism Spectrum is exactly what it is (tautology intended). Some will be more severe, but others may become unnoticeable.

Read 2001, A Space Odessy, and it will make sense.

While I'm not as old as you, I also get annoyed when people who don't know s**t about autism make these kinds of statements. Learning is a lifelong process. As a kid, I didn't use hand gestures, I never used contractions in my speech or writng (making everything sound robotic), I walked extremely stiff and had poor motor skills, etc. It hasn't been easy, but when I look back at how hard it was to suceed at relationships and social interactions as a kid/teen, and how much better I've gotten at relating to others than I used to be, when people tell me, "you can't possibly be autistic because you can do X", I want to spit "f**k you" in their face.

"Your thinking is black and white."

1. We don't have any feelings or feel pain.

2. We have no empathy for anybody else.

3. That we don't understand the things that people are telling us, just because of the autism label.

That's an awful myth, but I'm glad that most of the others on the spectrum are capable of resolving or lacking it. Maybe I really should have stuck to the natural human thought pattern relying almost exclusively on fuzzy logic.

I should think that we are able to, "absorb," strong emotions by simply observing the actions and expressions of others. Unfortunately for me (and others, no doubt), there is a delay between observing and feeling. About pain, I still wonder how anyone could survive the music at the school dance without intense pain in the foyer or deafness.

I think this one is getting too common and is based on some confused people jumping to conclusions over, "autistic psychopathy," and the book about the low (in certain areas) empathy in individuals on the spectrum.

This one gets destroyed quickly when I recall something no one thought I heard. I recall an anecdote about some MP saying Churchill had become senile. The response, from Churchill himself, of course, is that they say that he has become deaf.

I am not sure what "black and white thinking" means, I've just been involved in conversations where "You're thinking in black and white" has become a sort of rebuttal.

If it's "incapable of nuanced thoughts and perceptions," then of course that's demonstrably wrong.

I have heard so many. Which one should I chooooooose???

I was referring to my personal problem with thinking in something other than some kind of null-and-one thought. I doubt most on the spectrum think even close to this way. Relating to the post, I have been accused of being unrealistic (too idealistic, too quick to separate right and wrong) at times, which has earned me a few choice nicknames concerning that trait.

Let's hear one just to start.

The most recent one from last week was that we are incapable of learning things.

I think that person was projecting.