Enough awareness/ information on AS & Autism?

Post Reply New Topic

Do you think there's enough information on AS and autism and that enough people are aware of it? What are your opinions about what should be done about it?

Personally I don't think there is enough awareness of it. Barely anybody even understands the term Asperger's Syndrome and don't really understand what "autism" means either. Thankfully there is lots more information coming out, but it still seems that everybody is fairly disinterested in these areas. For instance, if there are so many stories and so much information about just about everything else, why not Asperger's? And why do AS and autism have to be so misrepresented to people?

I think that people should try and help others be more aware and find new ways to make the world more friendly for those with AS or autism, if that makes any sense, but that the people who do so should make sure that they understand it to at least some extent.

I selected the fourth one... Unfortunately my memory is so bad I have forgotten what it said

_________________
I have HFA, ADHD, OCD & Tourette syndrome. I love animals, especially my bunnies and hamster. I skate in a roller derby team (but I'll try not to bite )

I need another option that says "There's plenty of awareness, but it's being misused."

Autism awareness is doing little more than telling everybody we are tragic victims. That's no good for us, our families, or anybody else.

I don't believe there is close to enough awareness about any form of autism, even classic autism that is often more "visible" and more well known than both as and pddnos. When people here that I have autism, they almost instantly change right before my eyes (I might be usually oblivious to many things, but I am not so oblivious that I can't tell that one minute you were talking to me like I am your equal, and the next you speak to me like I am mentally ret*d.) I think people have such a great misunderstanding about what autism is at ALL levels of the spectrum. With diagnoses on the rise that one in just over a 100 now (at least in our part of the world) will have as ASD--meaning many school must have at least several students with it--then the classmates (and coworkers) of these people should be educated in school at a young age about WHAT autism really is and how it manifests itself in a variety of ways (from LFA right up to very mild aspergers). Inclusiveness should be taught in the schools, and I highly believe that that would benefit BOTH the child with autism and his or her classmates. Inclusiveness in both classroom and the playground should be highly supported. In kids understood autism more and were taught to include the autistic children in activities outside of the classroom, it would be beneficial in that the other kids would learn how to be accepting and tolerant of differences, and the autistic children would feel more comfortable and at ease that they can be accepted AS austistic children by others. I think incorporating this into the schools is key because parents cannot be trusted to teach this acceptance of neurodiversity, and it is useful for children to learn this at a young age and grow up with this information/attitude before they become misinformed later on in life.

EDIT: I picked on the poll that there is too much misunderstanding.

I think there's a lot of awareness about autism, since most people I meet if I mention autism they'll say they've met someone with that condition at some point. But most have no idea what autism really is, and a lot of the information out there to raise awareness is wrong and/or hurtful.

Personally, I'd rather deal with someone who'd never heard of autism than someone who learnt about it from the Autism Every Day video, for example.

There are some really good replies here and I have to say that I agree with all of them to an extent. There's too much misunderstanding and not enough awareness of certain things and something needs to be done about it ideally There are some really good people out there trying to raise awareness/stop misunderstanding though.

I've also voted for #4. There needs to be more of the positive awareness of ASDs instead of the stuff that the media portrays. The only examples of autism that I see on TV are Autism Speaks and Rain Man. I'm sick and tired of it. It would be nice to be able to go for a walk at 7 in the evening without having teenagers give me a sacrastic cheer, or that same stupid Diva say to her friends, there's that Mick Avory Weirdo. I like the fact that I look the way he did years ago. I don't like the weirdo part that girl adds on, just because I'm not wearing the same stuff, or displaying the same body language that her flakey little clique is. I don't want to be like them or blend in. I want to be the way that I am, now.

I really think that ASAN should have more commercials on TV and WP should have some commercials.

The WP slogan could be, "Some of us don't want a cure and some of us do want a cure. What we all want is to accepted as we are by our communities around the world. WrongPlanet - give us a try. Memberships are free!"