Misinformation about AS

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I have a story to tell about the misinformation about AS in the boarder world. A few years ago, I was taking a education class where the subject came to Special Education. I should mention for years, I have better myself and become more socially aware to the point were I do not tell anyone I have AS or don't have a need too. Well, back to the topic, the classroom discussion came to AS. Now no one in the class knew I had it. What heard horrified me alittle. One kid that was going to become a teacher, said that you could not a kid with AS and would not amount anything. Another girl said how her brother had it and was obsessed with silly things and was dumb. At this point, I became a little anger because my own personal battle with it and trying to become more NT.

So I raised my hand and told them about a friend which was my cover for myself that had it and was able to lead a successful life. I went into further detail to describe how many successful people in history had it and did great things for the human race. Why I am horrified by this because I had teachers that thought the same thing about me. I had a teacher say to my parents I would never go to College. I lucked out I had awesome parents that pushed me and forced me to interact with people. I just think there is a lot of misinformation about AS in the media, that make us with it are special cases. I do agree people with it need help and but to have us written off in education as useless does not help with AS that do not have a good support network.

I do not hate this people either, because it goes against my Christian faith. What I feel the most is pity for these people because the cannot see their own ignorance.

Misinformation about autism is rampant.

The "autistic children can't learn" and "there is no point in educating autistic children" ones are common.

As a result, many autistic children don't get a chance to learn. In school, they are put into special education classrooms where they do nothing all day. They are not eggspected to do anything with their lives.

This happens to autistic children all over the spectrum.

It seems to be eggspecially bad in California, probably because the school districts here are overloaded as it is.

Wow, I did not know that. I was a lucky one because I had parents and a few good teachers that pushed me for success. The sad part of it was I was forced to educate myself, prefered spending my study halls in the library to expand my mind than do the water down readings for classes. I always think there should be tailored classes for the AS and similar conditions, where they help them develop their social skills but challenge them mentally.

Of course, you should only be in those classes if your sensory issues prevent you from being mainstreamed. Otherwise, students should be respectfully (!) taught in mainstream classes, with appropriately trained teachers, and strictly enforced anti-harassment policies. To do anything else would risk kids with autism not realizing that they're in a minority.

I had those, and they did not work. I forced myself to learn social language of non-verbal signs, because I did not want to be that kid that got special treatment. I would like to be viewed as human than special case because of a condition. I mean no offense, but with that special treatment you are also viewed as lesser than a normal student. The only class, I have found true equality was in a martial arts class. There are no IEP or special treatment. You bring just yourself and willingness to learn.

I had special education too and the best child psychiatrist in Pittsburgh told me that really should have been in a mental hospital. Also told me that "I could not have used quality education" and "people in mental hospitals don't need careers". It was decades before I had a job at all and don't have a professional career. With that, I am no Temple Grandin.

I was mainstreamed in high school, when mainstreaming first started in 1976. Unfortunately, our high school was (and is) so overcrowded that its a chaos bin and ripe for bullies. Also, teachers and adminstrators are always breaking up fights so don't teach much and show a lot of movies. Also, I live in a place where "who needs college when you can work in a mill and sell real estate" so not many go anyway. So, no, I don't know the higher math I need for a lot interesting careers and when I later tried to learn, I failed.

I was talking about an ideal situation. I think I should've been more clear about that. Of course, I know mainstreaming often isn't an ideal situation.

I know. People think we're all 'ret*d' or something.

It sounds like that psychiatrist belonged in therapy himself for his lack of empathy! To say that to an impressionable and fragile child is monstrous.

It certainly is monstrous and did it mess me up? Hell yeah! I am trying to possibly move out of the area and I avoid his part of town but the last time I relocated I was having panic attacks and came back. I was about 14 at the time, but I'm still messed up.

One reason I was upset when I recieved my diagnosis: I always thought people with autism, I did not think of them as adults, I thought it was all the screaming kids who smeared ssh!t all over the walls, as I sometimes read in "Parents Discussion". The fact that someone can be an adult and functioning is really rather new to me. I thought I was just an emotional wreck and neurotic.

I fought to stay in a regular school, I didn't want to go to a special school, because I felt at the time I would then mimic them instead of mimicking the real world. I was told that I wouldn't finish High School, or go further than Tertiary school or finding a job would be difficult. The problem with my parents was, that they thought I out grew my autism and that they knew what was best for me. We had an argument over my subjects and I knew what I wanted to study but they insisted it was best for me. Every time they insist on what is best for me, I would always lose, give up on life and let everything go, because it feels like I have no control over the outcome of my life. When they see me flunking the subjects they left me alone. It was the only way (self sabotage) to get to where I wanted to be. This of course did set me back, but I was doing what I wanted to do.

Now the only part that was true was finding a job even if I had the skill, I always lacked this mimicking of confidence in interviews. Sometimes I would get the job just because I dressed well. It is weird how they hire people.

I found that the key to success is cannot be provided by some doctor or psychologist, rather it is a journey that we can only make and it cannot be forced upon us. I think part of the problem too, is that people want a quick solution or a cure. I lucked out since I had a family of really intelligence people, so they understood what I was going through and they kept pushing me to do my best. As to those horror stories, it was that reason I could not go to most private schools and had to hide my diagnosis, because a majority of people base their opinions on AS based on those horror stories.

You know, I think that's how my parents still see people with autism: they're not high-functioning, or even mid-functioning. They smear feces, self-injure, scream, etc.

I might be exaggerating, but I think my parents' perception of autistic people interfered with me getting a proper diagnosis.

"They". Don'tcha love that little word? It's like, not-us. Those children-with-autism who aren't completely human. Because, of course, anybody who ever self-injures, screams, or smears feces cannot possibly be human and cannot possibly have any potential for either a productive or a happy life. Because disability is a tragedy and we can't ever see disabled people as equals; because Those People are not-us and so we must close our eyes to all the things we have in common...

I hate that. I really do. When somebody is non-verbal and/or severely disabled, that's when they need protection the most. People encourage us to leave "Those People" behind and say we're not like them because we're independent, smart, high-functioning, whatever--to ask for acceptance for Us but not Them. We should be questioning that. Instead of dividing into us-and-them, we should all protect each other. Nobody gets left behind and nobody has to validate their existence by being a savant or a performing monkey or the next Stephen Hawking. Who's to say that those of us who can talk and/or take care of ourselves might not get hit on the head or have one of those random-but-rare regressions, and lose one or both of those skills? Would that change our value and our right to be respected? No. So we don't leave anybody behind.