Autism Disability or difference: my opinion and concerns

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Okay first of all I'm new here and I wanted to post on the disability or difference debate. Well I personal believe it is both a difference and a disability certain aspects of condition are differences such as special interest and lack eye contact to name a few. I however some severe disabilities associated with my ASD such as horrible executive dysfunction (could also be part of my ADHD), sensory processing problems, meltdowns, shut downs and significantly limitations in Adaptive function/Daily Living Skills they scored in the very low range on my Adaptive behivour assessment (my IQ is in the average range btw) . As a results I have a support worker to help me with social skills and live more independently my concern is if ASD is label as solely a difference and removed from the DSM I'd most like lose the services I have been receiving. So I am curious to hear your thought on this and I apologize for any spelling mistakes or grammar errors my proof reading skills suck

I believe being on the autism spectrum is a lot like being really short,really tall,or really overweight,you have to find ways to adapt to a world that wasn't designed for you.It can be a disability if there are co-morbid conditions such as anxiety and depression.Some people have more severe cases than others so I can't speak for everyone.

Everyone is different. As far as the disability goes, it is important to know what your strengths and weaknesses are. Everyone has those too. Some can do more, some less. there are debatable qualitive issues that almost everyone has.

None of us can be alone.

In my opinion, it's a difference and a disability.

I disagree that a medical diagnosis can only be a difference, and find sayings such as 'close the door and the disability is gone' to fill too much of a niche, as you could argue the same for just about anything. For example:

. ADHD is only a disability in modern society
. A person born with one leg is only disabled if they have to move frequently
. A deaf person is only disabled should they need to hear

To me it's very much like a diagnosis, where a person may be autistic without a diagnosis, but are only confirmed (not guaranteed) autistic once they have a label placed upon them - they have always been autistic, and in a similar sense, the disability is always there regardless of context.

Besides, if the disability is not there behind closed doors, is the difference? How can one exist without the other?

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Unapologetically, Norny.
-chronically drunk

I see it as a disability, but that's only for my autism. I function at the level of a child to a teenager at times. I can't do most daily living skills, and I also have a hard time with executive functioning. I can't hold down a job, and I can't even go to college either. It's a disability for me because it impairs me from doing things most people with autism can do quite well at.