Having an Adult Conversation About Autism

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Saw this article on the news, and thought to post.

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/03/2 ... on-autism/

Thank you for posting this. It's a little bit hopeful toward the end (maybe). But generally this is one of the stereotypes we need to address.

" . . . Anticipating their child’s need for almost constant support, parents are under growing pressure and are making the heart-wrenching decision to place their children in a residential facility once they reached adulthood. . . "
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/03/2 ... on-autism/
[then the article moves to the more hopeful thing of direct funding to parents so parents can pay the salaries of in-home support workers]

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But, but a whole spectrum, of course it is! And a lot of people on the spectrum need just a little bit of help, just a little bit of support.
I recommend the film "Dad's in Heaven with Nixon"
http://www.inheavenmovie.com/

Here's what I'd really like to see:

A show that talked about the lives of seven different people would start to give people an idea of the range of the autism spectrum. For example . . .

Okay, one woman who works in "customer service" and it's hellacious for her, in large part because her co-workers swing back and forth between ostracizing her and actively persecuting merely because she is different. But, she completes her coursework and gets her degree in architecture and some of the very traits, such as intellectual and emotional intensity, which used to work against her now work in her favor.

Second example, a guy on the spectrum who works in professional sales (multiple products or services, and can negotiate price) and because the social side is less vague than usual, he does quite well.

A nonspeaking young man on the spectrum, who has a decent and reasonable care attendant, and this young man has some positives in his life.

A woman who's a doctor, who is super nerdy and wonders aloud whether she's on the spectrum. She's thought about pursuing a potential diagnosis, but doesn't really think it necessary because the important thing is that she accepts herself perhaps better than she ever has before in her entire life.

A woman who works in supported employment who has a job coach and who has a family behind her. And who does okay. She likes to shoot a basketball, she likes to stim by playing with water with spoons, and she likes to talk walks in new areas as well as in familiar areas.

A guy who's an entrepreneur who's made a ton of money (it happens, even though 8 out of 10 new businesses do go out of business), but who has social difficulties, and is still growing as a human being.

A young man on the spectrum who is making it as a professional surfer.

I am very happy with the article. I feel it was protective. Then the stereotype mentality came into play here. Some thought I needed just a little help when I needed more. Then I was not able to get to the grocery store, doctors and was very much isolated but had some help from an aunt. How about those that feel they need only a little help go ahead and say them for themselves and no one assume otherwise unless an individual states it. It's easy to ignore reality and sugar coat it for the image of autism for the use of individuals that want to just be seen as the gifted ones or something like that.

I think real statistics and not biased assumption will work thank you.

intresting, I'll have to check out that article and can't believe I am becoming of age.

The first story is a real story and the stories requested in the next post are all potential stories showing the difficulties and coping strategies that people across the spectrum might experience and use.

The first story addresses concerns of parents and the needs of those people that experience autism as a severely disabling condition. The concerns and coping strategies illustrated in the other potential stories are significant for the people that experience issues that cause less impairment, and also illustrate how diverse the problems of Autism are in society.

That kind of awareness is important, because it can allow a fuller awareness and understanding for people in the mainstream world that may be associated with people that have Autism in the workplace and school. Some movies have accomplished this. Better awareness and understanding of Autism is important throughout the spectrum.

The awareness and understanding of the diversity of issues in the potential stories does nothing to sugarcoat the first story. These are illustrations of different individuals with different problems across the spectrum. There is a different story behind each unique individual that has Autism across the Spectrum.

I don't see anything potentially harmful about the suggestion of those seven other stories. They would only would lead to a greater awareness and understanding of issues that people across the spectrum might deal with.

Actually, I think ci brings up a very good point. I was kind of sugar coating it, didn't intend to, but kind of slid into it. Whereas in fact, some people need a little help, some people need a medium amount of help, and some people need a lot of help. And it's all good. Each person is a worthwhile member of the group (and by that I mean whatever smaller social group he or she find themselves in) and a worthwhile member of broader society.

I agree, there are needs across the spectrum that need to be met. For some it is considerable assistance with caregiving and financial assistance, for others only financial assistance, and for others it may be something already available like protection from discrimination with the ADA. Understanding and awareness of the whole spectrum is valuable to all; for those that have Autism and the population at large.

I like this. Yes, we should have help available all across the spectrum. And to nondiscrimination, I would also add that if more of society's educational and job opportunities were multi-path rather than single-path, that would be a very good thing.

That includes Asperger's, right? There's no reliable data on the HFA-LFA ratio, but based on what I've read from different sources, HFA's (autistics with normal or high IQ) vastly outnumber LFA's (autistics with intellectual disability).


Most Aspies don't need to be placed in institutions.


They should've said "with diagnosed ASDs". There's no evidence to suggest that the actual occurrence has increased.

The only reason this could become a problem is that parents and society enable Aspies by giving them an unlimited amount of Get Out of Jail Free cards. I think some parents even feel "special" having a "special" child with a trendy disease, so they don't even want to help them cope. I got none of that. And I'm thankful for it. I would choose an encouraging environment over a harsh one any day, but the only real choices for most are being raised to be a functioning member of society the hard way or being raised to be a vegetable the easy way.

From my own individual perspective, I'm glad I didn't realize I had a neurological condition that was causing my issues when I was young. My obsessions were associated with finding ways to make it in life. Knowing myself the way I do, I might have seen my issues, as ones that could not be overcome, if I saw them as a disability.

However, there is danger, also, in not seeing one's limitations in life. I operated on adrenaline almost my entire life. People kept telling me to slow down and save some of that energy until you are old from the time I was a teenager on until my mid 40's. Well, I finally slowed down; suddenly stopped or crashed might be a better description.

A do or die attitude can lead to success in life, but it can end up wearing a person out by miles rather than longevity. But, I guess, from a historical and evolutionary point of view, an energetic life into the late 40's, is plenty of time to reproduce.

Mixed. One should be made aware of the label but perhaps compelled to think beyond it. It's a right to know thing but at the same time does knowing hinder emotionally. Not knowing may hinder even more.

Given the state of information and the internet today; it would be hard for someone not to figure it out that was looking for answers. Doctors understand it much better today, than they did when I was growing up.

Hindsight is 20/20, really can't say for sure how different my life would have been with a diagnosis at a young age; but with a speech delay until age four, it would have raised a flag now that wasn't raised back in 1964.

For me, my whole life, it was very easy to be consumed by special interests. They weren't always productive ones. And, not ones easily abandoned, sometimes to the detriment of what should have been more important in my life.

I'd just like a routine of productivity by means of inclusion. I do not believe in non-productive non-sufficiency. Other then that I can be consumed by any interests.

Inclusion is vital to our wellbeing as humans. The importantce of the inclusion that your program provides, can't be underestimated. In general, people like, want, and need to be engaged in a purpose that leads to their livelyhood. It is part of our nature as humans.

Good this is the good war, inclusion that is.