Experts in the spectrum vs. NT experts

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Who do you prefer?
I prefer NT experts 4%  4%  [ 2 ]
I prefer experts with AS 59%  59%  [ 29 ]
Doesn't matter either way 37%  37%  [ 18 ]
Total votes : 49

WhatAGal
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17 May 2014, 2:54 am

Who do you prefer or feel is more helpful personally? Autism experts with AS traits or those who don't have any (NT)?
Explain.



paxfilosoof
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17 May 2014, 7:42 am

Without sounding to arrogant, I think I know much more about ASS than many "experts" who are studying ASS.



aspiemike
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17 May 2014, 8:37 am

I will have to make a point similar to the previous poster. Many so called experts get things wrong all the time. Every time I learn something about the spectrum, I end up being fascinated. How? Because a previous view on the subject could change, or I could uncover something else entirely that I never even thought of before.

I've learned self-defeat is common among Aspergers, and I have also learned that many people that called me intolerant were the ones that were in fact intolerant.


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linatet
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17 May 2014, 9:58 am

I agree. Many members here in WP know more about autism than average expert.



Angnix
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17 May 2014, 11:47 am

linatet wrote:
I agree. Many members here in WP know more about autism than average expert.


This is true in other areas too, in college I sometimes knew more than the professors about something discussed in class because that is the area I'm interested in.


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17 May 2014, 12:18 pm

people cant have 'AS traits',they either have aspergers or they dont as its a clinical diagnostic label, if people show HFA traits without being diagnoseable then they are labeled by specialists as having autistic traits or ASD traits,am aware of this as a cousin of mine was originaly diagnosed that way when he was little but then he ended up being labeled under HF mild autistic disorder [classic autism].

as for the original title,personaly prefer to have specialists who have some form of autism themselves whether diagnosed or self diagnosed, the pyschologist have had for many years is a HFA and we get on great
and have had many aspie support staff on the spectrum;one of whom is also a member on here and she is one of the best staff have ever known even though she hadnt worked in care before now.

its good to have people being able to understand from their own experience,instead of just knowing everything from a text book, they dont quite get it like someone whose living it.


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linatet
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17 May 2014, 12:51 pm

KingdomOfRats wrote:
people cant have 'AS traits',they either have aspergers or they dont as its a clinical diagnostic label, if people show HFA traits without being diagnoseable then they are labeled by specialists as having autistic traits or ASD traits,am aware of this as a cousin of mine was originaly diagnosed that way when he was little but then he ended up being labeled under HF mild autistic disorder [classic autism].

as for the original title,personaly prefer to have specialists who have some form of autism themselves whether diagnosed or self diagnosed, the pyschologist have had for many years is a HFA and we get on great
and have had many aspie support staff on the spectrum;one of whom is also a member on here and she is one of the best staff have ever known even though she hadnt worked in care before now.

its good to have people being able to understand from their own experience,instead of just knowing everything from a text book, they dont quite get it like someone whose living it.

a little off topic, but what kinds of characteristics in care professionals do you prefer? what makes you like the ones you like the best? what do they have specially?



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17 May 2014, 3:34 pm

I don't make difference (as long as they have proper training and are objective)

It has been mentioned that groups of people with ASD differ more than groups of allistic people.

People can't naturally be objective about themselves.

Some aspies think that all aspies are like them.

Many people here is not able to distinguish autism from other conditions.

Psychiatrists and psychologists have to know a lot of informations about a lot of other conditions.

NT people can have their own view about autism. And so autistic people.


Request: define "expert"



ASDHD
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17 May 2014, 4:51 pm

At least when I'm talking to an AS "expert" I can relax about coming off as awkward, and even better, I can count on the fact that they are not leaving too much to be inferred. And if they are, I can ask them to expand on the topic, which oftentimes will get them even more into the conversation (or monologue as it may turn out by now).

KingdomOfRats wrote:
its good to have people being able to understand from their own experience,instead of just knowing everything from a text book, they dont quite get it like someone whose living it.


I know quite a few experts who are without a doubt diagnosable, but don't see it in themselves. Just go to a highly reputable ASD research department and you'll encounter as many on the team as participants in the building at any given moment. That being said, whether or not their are actively drawing on their experience for understanding is preferable to them just thinking they are just naturally good at what they do (and they likely are) is probably of little importance in most cases. However, I have personal experience enlightening one such expert about just how much she had in common with the participants she was studying. One thing led to another... now we're engaged.



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18 May 2014, 2:11 am

Being a insider has advantages and disadvantages, an outsider has the opposite advantages and disadvantages. The best case scenario would be an even mixture of both by open minded people. This is true for many situations.

Out problem is that neurotypical's dominate, especially the specialists in position to effect our lives


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18 May 2014, 6:52 pm

WhatAGal wrote:
Who do you prefer or feel is more helpful personally? Autism experts with AS traits or those who don't have any (NT)?
Explain.
Helpful about what? About Autism in particular or about any random subject that someone might be an expert in? If it's about Autism I would listen to the Autistic person before listening to the NT expert. I certainly would not dismiss the NT expert but I would go with whatever the Autistic person said and if there was a conflict.


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18 May 2014, 7:03 pm

I was talking to someone the other day who has a program for disabled people and has many students who are on the Spectrum. She asked me if I worked and I said "No." She told me that she thought I would make a great receptionist because of my personality. I told her that I have a lot of executive function challenges that makes that sort of work extremely difficult for me. She did not know what the words "executive function" meant and so I had to explain it to her. That was no big deal because I did not know what they meant either until I asked here. I said, it had to do with my Autism and she said, "Oh, that must be rare." I said, "No, it's actually quite common with Autism. " And she said that she had never heard that before so she did not know that it was common with Autism.

A lot of NT's even though they work with Autistic people know very very little about what is it like to be on the Spectrum and many NT experts are only considered experts because they managed to get a specific degree or certificate saying that they passed the required courses to get that certificate. It does not mean they actually know as much as they think they know. One lady I had mentioned in another thread has a daughter who is a teacher at a school for Autistic children. It's amazing how she is aware of Autistic behaviors and even works with the kids to change the behaviors to make them more socially acceptable, like teaching them eye contact for example, but even though she is teaching them to change how they function she has absolutely no idea why they don't make eye contact. She was blown away when I explained to her some of the reasons why Autistic people don't make eye contact. We have talked about this on another thread and I used those examples.

I would consider a true expert to be one who has surrounded himself with a huge variety of Autistic people getting to know them with the aid or textbooks and classes rather than just just getting to know about them only through textbooks and classes.


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ricker
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08 May 2016, 6:37 pm

My experience of my fellow Aspies is that they all love hearing advice, but rarely if ever act on it. So bottom line, doesn't matter the neurology of the adviser, because the underlying problems of the advisee are, almost invariably, seriously pathological and need addressing first.

Old school Aspie here, diagnosed long after the rush. We we told from square one that we had to pick ourselves up by the bootstraps and get our s..t together. And so most of us did.



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08 May 2016, 9:58 pm

It's been 76 days 5 hours and 24 minutes since the diagnosis
Since then I find it interesting to hear professionals that happen to be NT talk on the subject.
I'm listening with different ears, even though my ears and brain really haven't changed.

I think this is similar to
Do treatment providers give better service if they are recovering addicts. That is usually / sometimes followed by men make great Obstetricians.


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09 May 2016, 12:06 pm

The only person who can be an expert on autism is an autistic person them self. The NT experts can't hold a candle next to us.


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09 May 2016, 4:50 pm

I have a therapist (the one who diagnosed me) who is very good and empathetic of autistic people such as myself. As far as I know, she is NT, but it doesn't matter.

However, as far as the NT "experts" who write books and are in academia, many of them haven't a clue about autism. They come out with idiotic broad statements about autistic people such as "autistic people lack empathy" or "autistic people have no imagination." As for describing the true autistic experience, autistic people know a heck of a lot more than most academic NT "experts" do.