Autism? Do you consider it a curse?

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Hi, everyone, I am the Autistic Malcontent. I am 21 years old and I have P.D.D-NOS. I was wondering if any of you consider autism a curse or if you're proud to be autistic, and why?


Personally I consider it a curse. A piece of the human puzzle has been taken away from me, and I'm not completely whole without it. That piece is my ability to understand other's emotions/body language, and my inability to feel the emotions that neurotypical people can fully understand and feel, like anger, happiness, sadness etc, my emotions occur in weird places. I feel that if I didn't have autism, I would be much stronger, mentally and emotionally speaking, and that I could do things that I could never do when I had autism, such as compete in boxing tournaments, being able to be confident, to be assertive, to understand why things occur and why I'm afraid of them.

I won't deny that I've become angry at God before because I've felt like I've been screwed over, that I will NEVER be like other peers, and I get furious because I know this. Sure, I may be better off than schizoprenics, people who have more severe mental disorders or physical handicaps, but because of autism, I am alienated from my peers.

That's my own personal belief, what do you guys believe?

I miss a lot of human interaction, sometimes I would like to be able to participate in the full extent. Life would also be easier without the (danger of) meltdowns.

But it gives some things back, like the ability to understand some children on the spectrum, I understand sometimes why they are angry or happy. Understanding people, that most people do not understand gives a good feeling.

Also my unique perspective on things, I look differently at things, and in some situations not hindered by emotions.

blah, you have triggered the t.v. show Monk in my head, which will now mutter, "it's a gift, and a curse. it's a gift, and a curse" for like, at least a billion times. lol.

yes, i feel somewhat the way you describe. i am angry i can't do the things i want to do. i like myself in many ways, but i hate my limitations. especially my inability to remain stable and meltdown-free, because i cannot keep a job and take care of myself, and i hate depending on others.

Gift? Curse? Gift? Curse?

I finally decided it was simply a reality and I deal with it.

How could you possibly think you're not a whole person? You might as well accuse the whole world of not being whole. Everyone has weaknesses.

This is who I am. That's all.

The real problem isn't autism; it's prejudice and fear--and sometimes we direct those things at ourselves.

No

i had a psychic tell my mother once how i was meant to have autism and how i will do great things despite how much it hinders me. I dont believe at all that it is a curse, i may have tons of problems with autism and how it affects me, but in no way do i ever think it is, or was a curse.

_________________
Being Normal Is Vastly Overrated

I'm proud to be who I am: a high-functioning autistic. Why? for one thing, NTs don't have a powerful photographic memory like I do. There are some drawbacks to be sure. The whole socializing thing for one. Another would be face blindness, but that doesn't become a problem if I see someone enough times. I also can mistake teasing for an insult. Those drawbacks can be troubling at times, but even if I could be cured, I wouldn't do it. I've accepted who I am. In fact, I wouldn't trade my autism for ANYTHING.

Only those that have it can deal with it properly. Others were never meant to have it because they never would be able to deal with it, of course mistakes are made and some one is given it and they're actions remind us what it takes to be human

I consider it a hindrance in some respects (I hate having meltdowns, for example. At 29, I feel like I shouldn't be getting absurdly frantic and/or volcanically angry when my triggers are hit), but not in others - I managed to make it to America on my own (and under my own steam) twice in the past two years, which is something I would never have considered doing a few years ago.

Would life be easier if I was NT? Probably. But then I wouldn't be me...

It's not useful to think of it as either. On the one hand, if you tell yourself you're cursed, it tends to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. On the other hand, it just doesn't fit to consider myself blessed. It would seem a bit unrealistic, not to mention pompous.

Consider it as a fact, like being short or tall or having light or dark hair.

Life would be easier if I were a cat. Cats don't have to go to school; they don't have to worry about what to do with their life; they don't have to deal with wondering whether God exists. Their lives are made of hunting, eating, fighting, mating, sleeping. Cats, on the whole, seem a lot happier than me. Give them a decent owner, and it's possible to go through life with no more trauma than a visit to the vet's.

That doesn't mean I want to be a cat. I wasn't meant to be a cat. If I were a cat, I wouldn't be me.

I wasn't meant to be NT, either.

personally, i imagine that my quality of life would be far better had i not had AS, schizotypal disorder or whatever physiological or chemical imbalance is responsible for my social malfunctioning, mathematical incompetence, neurotic personality and physical weakness and clumsiness.

Autistic Malcontent,

I also experience it as a curse. Add other environmental factors on, as in my case, and it's a living hell. I have also been angry with "God", not that I really believe in one at this point, but I did as a child and used to pray all the time to be rescued. I'd have to think that I was a mighty bad person to have been punished as much as I have been, but I know better. I couldn't have explained it any better than you already did. I am more of the scientific mind anyway when it comes ideas about god.

Thanks...

I consider my basic personality and general reaction to life a curse. Whether or not that has anything to do with aspergers or it is simply the person that I am regardless, I haven't decided.

The great thing about the human spirit is its ability to triumph in the face of adversity.

If you look at it from the relativistic perspective of fairness, you'll never be happy.

Nature endows few humans with everything required for a happy and successful life.

And just as you are worse off than a lot of people, many others are still worse off than you.

It's not about what you start with - but what you gain along the way.

For those of us at this end of the spectrum, we need to strive as Churchill said, for success, success at all costs.

Use your anger, Luke.