Proposal for the Community (helping ourselves)

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i realised a day or so ago, guess what..

That Silence we try to maintain both in terms of what we reveal verbally(by never speaking up) and none verbally(by conforming behaviourly) when in NT society, that we learned from the times of our -probably bullied/picked on/demanded upon- early life, That "personal" silence that protects us and has probably protected Aspies for as long as we've been around, is what's let society develop WITHOUT us.

Society Learned how to assist and deal with wheelchair users, everyone knows not to stare, not to mention and to get the doors etc, it "helped" to be very visible and have very visible advocates and mostly today its "bad" too bully someone in a wheelchair.

We are (as has been said) Not visible, and that's by intent for many of us, are our advocates focusing on society accepting us and our PRESENT needs like wheelchair bound peoples did? No they're focused on a more "home care"/"privately done care" method of assistance and research/curing, the middle bit that other visibly "impaired" people get NOW is being overlooked because day in day out we maintain our Protective personal silence.

Those "before" us likely "kept silent", but today due to those with physical disabilities we have in most places the protective laws in place, in schools and in the workplace and most people (not all but most) have learned HOW to learn how to treat those "differently abled", Our silence which IS acceptable, has, it seems protected us -too- well.

"They" dont know about us interpersonally on an individual level and even if they did they wouldn't know how to deal with us, that level of blindness and ignorance is a recipe for disaster.

ESSENTIAL Please:
Ask then allow your employee/student to leave while you read if that is too their preference.
Then Read the rest of this document First.

The symbol ("A psi S" symbol) indicates its bearer has been diagnosed with an Autistic spectrum disorder,
NOTHING has infact changed about them or their relationship with you/your organisation aside from you now know one new thing about them, Autistic spectrum disorders(ASDs) are clinically recognised and is in a majority of cases a "None Visible" disability (unlike many mobility related disabilities) with a wide range of severities.

What To Know:
ASDs have two broad categories, Higher and Lower functioning.
As General guidelines the following applies to both (though may not have been revealed, or applicable in all cases)

"Touch" Sensitivity:
Within the ASDs the degree of touch sensitivity can vary from individual to individual, for some there is none, for most however, Human to human contact (even handshaking/pat on the shoulder) or contact with certain textures can range from uncomfortable, to quite emotionally unsettling to physically painful, wearing gloves (please permit where possible) can reduce or mitigate the damage/discomfort from none-consented physical contact, this is dependant on the individuals degree of physical sensitivity.

Social Skill difficulties/differences:
Within the ASDs the degree of Social Skill difficulties can vary from individual to individual, eyecontact may be avoided (as this can evoke a similar response to physical contact sensitivity)
Speech may contain oddities or repetitions (or may not, this can be a stress coping mechanism)
It may even appear that sometimes the individuals lack of verbal response or absence of "Attention Indicators" usually present in a persons Body language is deliberate ignorance, Aloofness or rudeness on their part. (it is not, read on please).

Alternate Primary Perception Mechanism:
Recent research has demonstrated that individuals on the autistic spectrum have Hearing/Aural perception as their Primary perception mechanism (as opposed to Visual perception being primary), this can lead to minimal development and use of the "Attention Indicators" individuals NOT on the Autistic Spectrum demonstrate in Body-language and directing of the eyes, And at times minimal development in "reading" Body-language (Specific to Individual), Individuals on the Higher Functioning end of the spectrum often make attempts to demonstrate common social behaviours so as not to upset or offend others, however success is variable.

It can also mean that loud noisy environments can become as stressful or upsetting to someone on the autistic spectrum as being put into a dark silent room with fast moving, random and intense flashes of neon spotlights would become stressful for someone not "on the spectrum", In many cases (where possible) Individuals with Higher Functioning ASD will cope or find discreet sensible ways to "get a break" from noisy environments where appropriate.

Final Important notes:
ASDs are covered by the same Anti-Discrimination Laws and Policies and are viewed as requiring the same basic equal rights and respect as any person with a physical mobility disability.
It is likely the Individual who gave you this to read will not "change" from how you know them, you have merely been entrusted with one more piece of personal information about them as a person to assist you and your organisation in meeting standards and maintaining a pleasant effective facility.

PLEASE RETURN THIS CARD TO ITS OWNER.

. . .The reason I say it's a good idea is that some of us can't put into better words of how to explain ourselves. It's not like we want to explain ourselves to get off easy, but we want to explain ourselves so people know what's right and wrong. A part of growing up in such a diverse culture such as we have for ourselves as human beings is learning how others are like. . .