Clearing Up Some Misconceptions about Neurodiversity

Page 3 of 3 [ 47 posts ] Go to page Previous 1, 2, 3

Joined: 11 Sep 2018
Gender: Female
Posts: 8,453
Location: New York City (Queens)

25 Dec 2019, 9:49 pm

cyberdad wrote:

By ourselves, rejected three times. The reason I am furious is the first time the NDIS government officer contacted us and had all my daughter's paperwork and said everything was fine. Then without a reason the person we liaised with vanished and we were told to apply again. After the third occaision I gave up.

our school has advised that we pay a disability consultant to put the paperwork in but it doesn't make sense as other parents have had no such obstacles so I want to get to the bottom of this.

You'll need a disability consultant to help you get to the bottom of this, I guess.

_________________
- Autistic in NYC - Resources and new ideas for the autistic adult community in the New York City metro area.
- Autistic peer-led groups (via text-based chat, currently) led or facilitated by members of the Autistic Peer Leadership Group.

cyberdad
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 21 Feb 2011
Age: 57
Gender: Male
Posts: 36,036

25 Dec 2019, 9:51 pm

Mona Pereth wrote:

cyberdad wrote:

You'll need a disability consultant to help you get to the bottom of this, I guess.

I made some irate phone calls initially so I hope I haven't been blacklisted? maybe I do need to pay a consultant.

kraftiekortie
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 4 Feb 2014
Gender: Male
Posts: 87,510
Location: Queens, NYC

25 Dec 2019, 10:04 pm

Probably a good idea....

CarlM
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 21 Oct 2019
Age: 67
Gender: Male
Posts: 846
Location: Long Island, NY

25 Dec 2019, 11:02 pm

cyberdad wrote:

I think there is always going to be schism between the needs of NT parents of moderate-severe autistic kids and the self-advocates who are high functioning. The former group will always seek a cure (nothing of course on the horizon) and the latter group are always going to claim they are not disabled. Never the Twain shall meet.

I think the article explains how we aspies can claim to be disabled by ASD and still embrace it's positive aspects. I haven't seen any aspies making the claim their ASD is only positive and they never suffered any disability. Please link me to them, if you have found this. It's like the answer to the question "Isn't almost everyone a little autistic". No, if you haven't suffered significant disability from the traits, you're not on the spectrum.

I do feel a obligation to consider the entire spectrum when adopting the ND explanation of ASD. Everyone on the spectrum needs the same things: acceptance, support, and to understand why we are different. Support defines the spectrum (according to the DSM) and we all want appropriate support for the entire spectrum. No, we don't think the search for a "cure" is a appropriate use of funds.

_________________
ND: 123/200, NT: 93/200, Aspie/NT results, AQ: 34
-------------------------------------------------------------
Fight Climate Change Now - Think Globally, Act locally.

Mona Pereth
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 11 Sep 2018
Gender: Female
Posts: 8,453
Location: New York City (Queens)

25 Dec 2019, 11:22 pm

cyberdad wrote:

With only very rare exceptions, "self-advocates who are high functioning" don't claim to be "not disabled." The whole point of "self-advocacy," after all, is to seek accommodations for one's disability.

Our wariness toward the idea of a total, radical "cure" is not motivated by denial of disability. It's motivated by a wariness of having our brains radically rearranged, plus questioning the ethics (and various possible consequences) of radically rearranging other people's brains too.

ASPartOfMe
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 25 Aug 2013
Age: 67
Gender: Male
Posts: 36,490
Location: Long Island, New York

26 Dec 2019, 5:28 am

cyberdad wrote:

Mona Pereth wrote:

It can be argued that the risk is worth it for the most severely disabled autistic people. But, for the less severely disabled (and not just highly successful folks like John Elder Robison), there are good reasons to be wary of the idea of a radical "cure."

EDIT: Even for the more severely disabled people, the principle of "First do no harm" should still be a key consideration. IMO there needs to be more research on ways to help them communicate. Major breakthroughs in that area might render more radical brain rearrangements unnecessary.

If you tell a lie often enough people will believe it.
ASAN position statements

Quote:

Autism is a Disability

Pretty much all of the leading self advocates describe autism this way. There is significant difference of opinion in what disables autistics and how much the autism disabilities is something that needs to be corrected. Those autistic supremacists internet warriors that think their autism makes the next step in evolution or whatever are only as influential as we let them be.

Not all parents of non “high functioning” autistics want a cure either anymore. Autism Speaks took cure out of their mission statement three years ago. Too many of them now describe their kids a having as having superpowers while problematic means they are not “curabees”.

The task for the greater autism community for the 2020s is to get our heads out of our asses and realize it is not 2010 anymore. While there will aways be significant differences among people most neurodiversity advocates and opponents want better treatments, opportunities, and better representation of the spectrum. That represents significant opportunity.

_________________
Professionally Identified and joined WP August 26, 2013
DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity

“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman

Last edited by ASPartOfMe on 26 Dec 2019, 5:32 am, edited 1 time in total.

cyberdad
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 21 Feb 2011
Age: 57
Gender: Male
Posts: 36,036

26 Dec 2019, 5:30 am

CarlM wrote:

I haven't seen any aspies making the claim their ASD is only positive and they never suffered any disability. Please link me to them, if you have found this. It's like the answer to the question "Isn't almost everyone a little autistic". No, if you haven't suffered significant disability from the traits, you're not on the spectrum.

I think those pushing the ND agenda ask NTs to look beyond the disability in a bid to help integration. Conversely show me one Aspie who wants to lock themselves away in a cave and live like a monk?

CarlM wrote:

No, we don't think the search for a "cure" is a appropriate use of funds.

Many of us who can read know that there is no such thing as a cure for neurological difference.

cyberdad
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 21 Feb 2011
Age: 57
Gender: Male
Posts: 36,036

26 Dec 2019, 5:32 am

Mona Pereth wrote:

I am not disputing the need for self-advocacy, I am slightly cynical about this ND movement.

cyberdad
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 21 Feb 2011
Age: 57
Gender: Male
Posts: 36,036

26 Dec 2019, 5:35 am

ASPartOfMe wrote:

cyberdad wrote:

Mona Pereth wrote:

If you tell a lie often enough people will believe it.
ASAN position statements

Quote:

Autism is a Disability

Yep I understand. And cure is not a word that appears in my vocabluary much anymore...for me I am not sure its worth the effort but always encourage autistic people building bridges....the door is always open

ASPartOfMe
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 25 Aug 2013
Age: 67
Gender: Male
Posts: 36,490
Location: Long Island, New York

26 Dec 2019, 6:00 am

I just realized something. In my last post I used the pejorative “curabee”. I don’t remember the last time I used it or seen the term used here. I used to use it fairly often and would see it used to attack “warrior moms” another term going out of use (not only among autistics but among autism parents) on a seemingly daily basis here. I have not seen a corresponding decrease in the amount of discussion about a future cure.

JustFoundHere
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 13 Jan 2018
Age: 61
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,152
Location: California

26 Dec 2019, 3:28 pm

Scientific American (SA) is an excellent publication; that is SA's June 6th, 2019 story 'Clearing Up Some Misconceptions about Neurodiversity - Just because you value neurological differences doesn’t mean you’re denying the reality of disabilities' offers thoughtful insights on neurodiversity.

In a nutshell, after digesting many thoughtful insights on the Autism spectrum, one common thread stands-out - the yearning to apply day-by-day proactive, concrete approaches in dealing with (and possibly mitigating - however slightly) the Autism spectrum - approaches receiving way-too little mentions, hence even less in the way of specifics!

It can be helpful to be versed in both the sciences, and the social sentiments e.g.,debates on neurodiversity - After all, it's been said "to debate one side over the other, sooner or later we find-out that we are unable to grasp and gain from the benefits in which both sides offer!"

* RELATED: Not to interrupt this discussion thread discussing potential specifics: Personally, I advocated approaches of reassessing personal strengths in order to reassess our weaknesses e.g., most common with the Autism Spectrum - social skills.

I have mentioned here on WP approaches which seem novel, and "out of the box" on the surface - yet going below the surface, such approaches quickly become both plausible, and quite familiar and (again, might possibly mitigate) the Autism spectrum.

In short, these approaches involve social participation in the arts e.g, painting, drawing, sculpture. Enlisting a third party understanding of HFA (which may be described as a platonic version of a matchmaker) might also "break the ice" so to speak in encouraging social interaction!

ASPartOfMe
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 25 Aug 2013
Age: 67
Gender: Male
Posts: 36,490
Location: Long Island, New York

26 Dec 2019, 3:45 pm

JustFoundHere wrote:

Rant:
Some of us have been trying to clear up these misconceptions for years. It is similar to trying to break down the wall of China with ones fists. A significant portion of the autistic population define the movement by its supremacists, elitists, next phase in evolution types of people, autism is on a gift never disability type of people, NT autistic wannabees, or just too high functioning to get it.

If or until somebody finds a way to break through this phenomena it will remain a significant impediment to further progress that can only be and has to be ameliorated by coping measures and workarounds.

Mona Pereth
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 11 Sep 2018
Gender: Female
Posts: 8,453
Location: New York City (Queens)

26 Dec 2019, 5:03 pm

cyberdad wrote:

Many of us who can read know that there is no such thing as a cure for neurological difference.

So, then, what are we arguing about, exactly?

cyberdad
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 21 Feb 2011
Age: 57
Gender: Male
Posts: 36,036

26 Dec 2019, 8:11 pm

Not so much arguing but refining/fine tuning

ASPartOfMe
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 25 Aug 2013
Age: 67
Gender: Male
Posts: 36,490
Location: Long Island, New York

13 Jan 2020, 1:59 am

Mona Pereth wrote:

ASPartOfMe wrote:

That for whatever reason the ND movement has become so loathed by so many autistics is the most disappointing, sad, and frustrating thing that has happened autism related since I became aware over six years ago.

Not sure it's really "so many autistics." There does seem to be a fairly well-organized online movement of anti-ND-paradigm folks. I suspect (though I'm not yet sure) that it's driven primarily by folks with ties to the alt-right.

Anti ND advocate Yuval Leventhal wrote an article for the online British magazine Sp!ked which is in part funded by the Charles Koch foundation. I will leave it up to you label this magazine

Page 3 of 3 [ 47 posts ] Go to page Previous 1, 2, 3

Jump to:

Clearing Up Some Misconceptions about Neurodiversity Post Reply New Topic

Clearing Up Some Misconceptions about Neurodiversity