Will NT's' ever undstand us?

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I would like everyones opinion, including the opinions of NT's. Will NT's as a whole ever undstand what it is like to have aspegers,bipolar disorder,Tourettes, Schizophrenia,or just any severe or mild mental condition?

Too broad a question to warrant a Yes/No answer. I would say the NT's closest to an Aspie who are willing to take the time to get to know the in and outs of the spectrum will. There will always be those who will never understand. As for the general public, I believe they will, but it might take a few generations.

Not a black and white answer because there are some out there who do understand us. They may not really know what it's really like but they still understand even if they don't get it or can't relate. They just accept it's the way it is for us.

As the saying goes "to understand another man you have to have walked a mile in his shoes first" (or words to that effect). So as they can never try out being autistic how can they ever know what it's like. I also doubt they will ever accommodate us (unless we become the majority but then that will be other autistics accommodating us and overruling NT ways).

I am pretty positive. NT's hardly understand us at this time, but I think they will face the reality about autistics and they will very probably finally understand. I am pretty optimistic and therefore voted YES.

... I don't care.

I can't understand other people, not only NTs but people in general, and I do not expect other people to understand me.

While they may not understand what it is like for us who have ASDs, they can understand the limitations and benefits that ASDs provide.

For example, they may not understand what it is like our sensitivities to light, sound, and physical contact, but they can understand that too much sensory stimulation is painful ... and some of the more compassionate of the NTs will accommodate our needs.

I have to believe that one day they'll understand us enough to integrate us into the community as just another sub-catagory of person, the same way society has done with blacks and gays (for the most part). I'm working very hard to spread awareness wherever I can, giving lectures to my psych and speech classmates, drawing attention to it where I can on forums other than this one. I don't want to spend the rest of my life as part of a minority population that gets lesser treatment and respect just because the people around us don't understand what it means to be autistic.

Only when they figure out, scientifically, why the brain is different in people on the spectrum. At which point they'll go about changing it.

The general public probably could if they wanted to, but will never care enough to try.

I don't even understand myself half the time so I don't think anyone else has got much chance

Most people are only interested in themselves and if it's too hard to understand and communicate with another person they won't bother

They will "understand" us only when and if it is to their advantage. Generally, people don't like to change their minds. And supposedly we are the ones with the ToM "problem."

They don’t need to understand us. It’s our problem, not theirs.

There will always be people who don't get it, and there will always be people who get it more than others. I think there's an entire spectrum of being able to understanding AS. Education/awareness and acceptance of people on the spectrum is key for understanding.

I don't agree with this. What about NT parents who have AS/autie children? What about NT teachers who have ASC children that are melting down at school and disrupting the class for the others? What about the laws which have been made but (in the UK anyway) no-one is enforcing, meaning campaigners fighting for the rights of people with ASCs? What about companies that employ a large amount of Aspies, such as technical ones? What are they going to do if they don't make it their problem to allow reasonable adjustments for their Aspie employees and they are going off sick with stress? Why should other groups get accepted and not us? You have a defeatist attitude that is entirely unhelpful.

...and it wouldn't be such a problem for us in the first place if we had the right accommodations in society...

Its a tough question as some NT's do and some don't.