Published on 12, July, 2020
I’ve yet to have my diagnosis so lurk around the internet trying to persuade myself I am not a fraud, or a non autistic person that can’t get her s**t together.
I Wish there was a clearer definition and a name for this condition / disorder that doesn’t include autism. It’s not that I don’t want the autism label but I feel that, without a definition of the fundamentals that put us all on the spectrum in varying degrees, trying to explain myself to anyone (and fundamentally to myself) is difficult. Throughout the course of a month I can appear very normal and handle things (people, noise, stress etc) , to escaping my work at 5 with as little interaction as possible and saying random things to myself in my flat to vent what I haven’t said heoughout the day. If I discuss this with anyone close to me they say ‘aw I do that’ or ‘everyone has their little idiosyncrasies’. More doubt...
I would prefer it if this part of the spectrum could be better defined and named. The part of the spectrum that includes the females who don’t have special interests, can make eye contact and don’t stim. No great intelligence / IQ. Those that, although they can’t, would like to communicate better.
Wouldn’t directing people to the help they specifically need be easier if ASD was better defined? Or disorders named. And taken off the spectrum?
I find the fact that it’s so difficult for practitioners to identify (in women) disheartening and it doesn’t fill my confidence. Surely better definitions would make research and identifying support much easier too?
I've only been autistic for a fortnight.
I wonder if 'mild' means 'not that noticeable to others.'
My life has been, and still is, a disaster area, but most people would think I was just a bit quirky.
However, I'm mild compared with people who can't care for themselves at all.
Two ways of looking at it, I suppose.
You haven’t only been autistic for a fortnight, you’ve been autistic all your life, but you’ve recently become aware of it.
I’m 15 months post diagnosis and getting a good grip on it but it’s been very up and down indeed. I feel like I’m beginning to integrate all I’ve learned and I’ve got specialist autism support now.
To me, high and low functioning is based on the idea that there’s some level of functioning by which we can all measure ourselves by. And there simply isn’t. So to me, it’s obsolete.
What would you call me? High intelligence, highly self aware, good communicator, earns good money, travels the world, but can’t (yet) do the basics of everyday living such as eating, washing and dressing etc? And not sticking to anything for more than 5 minutes! Lol!
You are making some really good points here. The other issue for me is that I don't want to use any descriptions that imply a value judgement i.e. that some people are 'better' than others. I believe that we are all of equal value - regardless of how many challenges we face, how we feel or how others perceive us.
I couldn't give a s**t if someone wants to judge me, it doesn't bother me and says more about them than me. I know we're all equal and I don't need anybody to tell me so or to treat me as equal. Most people don't see themselves as equal, therefore, they can't treat other people as equal, which of course includes me. But that doesn't mean anything other than they don't think they're equal. But it doesn't mean they're not. Everybody faces challenges, every day, and not just autistic people. But autistic people are luckier than most because we are not naturally affected by social norms etc, I know I definitely am not and never have been, so therefore, we already have a head start in the race for freedom.
If you don't believe that one person is better than another, then it doesn't matter what terminology you use, because it's the intention behind it that carries most weight. No spoken language is ever perfect but it serves a purpose.