Why everything you know about autism is wrong!

I’ve copied this in from a reply to another to another thread, as it’s relevant to this thread - and I’m a lazy git.

Viewed from an ethnographic perspective, autism is too often described as a constellation of medicalised differences and deficits. This erodes and degrades the public perception of autism. Consequently, a positive interpretation that would allow an autistic contribution to human diversity and creativity, is buried beneath an ever increasing mountain of research that separates and divides autism from the general population.

Prevailing biological and psychological descriptions of autism as ‘other’, fail to appreciate the reality of autistic experience, its authenticity, and ignore social context.

The biomedical representation of autism employs similar discourse to that used in the study of cancer and neurodegenerative disease. Social distinctions are mistakenly described as biological. This prevents the emergence of an autistic culture and sociality that could enrich society through its unique perspective and enable autism to play a fulfilling and positive role.

Anyone interested in a study examining transnational and cultural contexts regarding autism, will find an essay here.  http://oro.open.ac.uk/46508/

:-) No worries!

I'm a massive fan of the concept of our social skills being different not wrong! 

I do have to wonder, given the social model of disability, whereby it is our environment that disables us, how much the modern environment of bright lights; busy places; multiple and loud noises, actually disables the autistic person more than the environment of years ago would have done? I mean just because Autism hadn't been discovered a few hundred years ago, doesn't mean that it didn't exist. I wonder whether the peaceful, uncrowded countryside and natural light and places free of excessive noise pollution, would have caused less disability to those with the autistic neurotype?

Thank you for the link!

:-) No worries!

I'm a massive fan of the concept of our social skills being different not wrong! 

I do have to wonder, given the social model of disability, whereby it is our environment that disables us, how much the modern environment of bright lights; busy places; multiple and loud noises, actually disables the autistic person more than the environment of years ago would have done? I mean just because Autism hadn't been discovered a few hundred years ago, doesn't mean that it didn't exist. I wonder whether the peaceful, uncrowded countryside and natural light and places free of excessive noise pollution, would have caused less disability to those with the autistic neurotype?

Thank you for the link!

I've read Daniel Wendler's 'improve your social skills' (in terms of a book outlining 'social rules') and it helped me greatly. Wish I'd had that book 30 years ago!

In addition there were literally books outlining social rules and ettiquette.  I could do with one of those.