Autism a Disability Poll

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Select one answer to the question. Please leave a post explaining your position.

Autism is a spectrum.

There are some who are severely affected by it.

There are some who are only mildly affected by it, to the point where it is not a disability for them.

It’s probably a disability, to some degree, to most.

But if there's no impairment, any diagnosis would only be historical.

If it wasn't a disability, it would be in the results for a personality test. Not the dsm-5

What a stupid question.

Of course its a disability.

One of the required diagnostic criteria to qualify for an autism diagnosis under the DSM: "Symptoms cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of current functioning."

The definition of a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act: "a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities."

The definitions are the same. To qualify for a diagnosis, a person qualifies as disabled.

_________________
31st of July, 2013
Diagnosed: Autism Spectrum Disorder, Auditory-Verbal Processing Speed Disorder, and Visual-Motor Processing Speed Disorder.

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"I am silently correcting your grammar."

Sometimes

A lot of difficulties autistics have in life is not the result of lack of abilities per se but that we think, do, and express things differently than 95+ percent of the population especially in the social/communications areas people care about most.

But there are some real impairments involved. In the most mellow autistic friendly society executive dysfunction is going to inhibit you, severe sensory sensitivities probably fall into this category also. I think a lot of times the term "co-occurring condition" is actually describing inhibiting autistic traits. The thinking is that it is the co-occurring mental illness that is the problem not the gift of Autism.

I have seen the above described as the social-relational model of disability

Its a disability for me. I have communication and social challenges.
I have severe sensory issues. I also have developmental delays. I get really bad meltdowns. I also stim to the point where people stare. Lastly I am very trusting and naive according to people who know me.

I dont like to consider myself disabled all the time though. I have my own personality. I think I am disabled sometimes. I want to flap my hands.

Either it is, or I have some poor coping issues.

According to the Diagnostic statistical manual, autism is a disability

However, there are advantages of autism

A disproportionate number of autistics are programmers

Having said that, I also feel like it is necessary to point out, that autism is a disability in a neurotypical world


If autistics were in the majority, autism would not be a disability

Of course it is.


What? Just because it's "not much of an impairment" to me, it wouldn't mean the same to other else's cases. I'm not ignoring other cases over my own when it comes to questions like this.

Just because I can, that doesn't mean others do.
And heck, as I resolved almost all of my external issues, I haven't resolved my internal issues well.
Sure, I have no 'triggers' and any of those common complaints like people being bullies and the chaotic environment, or the world itself vs self.
That doesn't mean myself -- that is my body, my mind, my own inner workings and everything -- is excluded to the equation of my own issues related to autism. After all, autism IS a part of me.

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Definitely, it makes life harder in a lot of ways, and accommodation is necessary for success. That doesn't, however, make it a bad thing.

Yes of course it's a "disability" by its very definition. People with autism are impaired in three key abilities according to the DSM, and they are all forms of functional deficit. Whether or not a person is affected so greatly that they would be unable to support themselves and need government assistance (disability "payments") is a different issue, but autistic people do qualify for such assistance if they require it.

ASD is regarded as a disability as suffering from ASD does incapacitate a persons ability to function in the "normal" Add neuro typical world.

Some may say that it is similar (but in my opinion a lot worse) to being left handed in a right handed world.
Or extremely short or extremely tall.

However, the difference in our terms is in terms of brain biology (how the brain is wired) rather than physical.

The damage is on the inside not the outside.
Like a tin of beans that looks perfect from the outside, but the contents are damaged.

At least for higher-functiong people, it is a disability only in context of the expectations and (often arbitrary and illogical) rules of the society in which we find ourselves.