The ASD Experience in Australia

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I was interested in seeing what folks on this forum have to say about Australia's stance on ASD, and other topics of Neurodiversity?

Does Australia handle this well?

Is Australia a place that International ASD folk might be happier living in?

Hidden Histories in this country?

Lend me your thoughts!

I'm a bit confused by the blanket term "Australia's stance on ASD". Do you mean government policy? Or media depictions? Or therapeutic/support idea and trends? Or the education/schooling system? Or health care for atypical populations?

Possibly the Australian stance on ASD is the same as that in New Zealand: it is dominated by false stereotypes and ignorance. But that is probably true of every country, more or less.

It seems to me that it would not occur to the average "person in the street" here that a person on the spectrum might be teaching them at university and writing the textbooks they are learning from. Instead the stereotype is one of a destructive intellectually challenged person with no behavioural control nor any hope of anything resembling a normal life. When autistic people are killed, the courts indulge the parental killers. Much has to change.

All of them at once!

As an Australian Aspie with a strong invested interest in seeing this country get better, I was hoping to be able to get peoples experiences of various aspects of Australian ASD Culture

Perhaps some specification of topics for different Forums would be in order?

I was unsure how to start in such a way that would attract the attention of other Aussie Aspies

Hi Gaukudix,

I think B19 may be right that your question is a little too general. I think that you might get more informative answers if you asked what its like being on the spectrum for different groups of people. I'd say that teen's dealing with the school system would have really different views and experiences to parents of kids on the spectrum, or adults (like me) who were diagnosed late because the categories just didn't exist when we ere children. That's just naming a few categories for example.

That said, my impression is that in the media in Australia you still mostly see autism presented as an issue for children. Its not often you see nearly enough of the diversity of people who are on the spectrum and that's by age as well as levels of challenge experienced in life. I think when you see adults on the spectrum in the media here its usually adults who require supported living.

This page on the Australian Autism Alliance might give you a fair overview: A Snapshot of Autism in Australia

Generally speaking, I think our autism politics is a lot less polarized than it is in the US. We don't have a clear cut equivalent to Autism Speaks, although Nicole Rogerson's Aspect is probably the closest. I don't think we're as scapegoated and as hated as autistics in the US, people just forget that autistic adults exist. Recently Pauline Hanson has been running around claiming that vaccinations cause autism, and while all the media personalities and journalists have been condemning her comments no one has asked what autistics think of the situation.

Personally, I doubt I'll feel safe being public about my diagnosis anytime soon. There are still too myths and misunderstandings around to make that a good idea. Especially when you're looking for work.

It would never seem to occur the media here to ask AS people for comment on autism issues. Possibly that kind of paternalism is due to the ignorant idea (which I suspect may be widespread in the general NZ public) that AS people are not capable of articulate thought and expression of it.