• Replies 37 replies
  • Subscribers 88 subscribers
  • Views 10257 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

Should autistic people campaign for recognition as a distinct part of humanity rather than be labelled as disabled?

NAS71674

I have stories previously of other groups of people such as Irish gypsies successfully campaigning to be recognised as a distinct subgroup of humanity. Irish gypsies do have a distinct culture (they are wonderful people if you knew them) but they are quite a bit closer to most other people than autistic people are. So rather than be classified as a disability (excluding comorbidity like learning disability, depression etc) should autistic people, who generally have a unique way of approaching life (that is common across most autistic people) campaign for the same thing? In my opinion I don't consider us to have a disability, I think we are really just a very different type of human being with a common identity among all of us who share the so called disability. What are your thoughts?

Parents

  • No, I think that it should be classed as life long disability but saying that i also believe that more needs to be done to separate both mental health services and neurodevelopmental services into two completely separate services on the basis that current mental health services in the UK doesn't accommodate mental health intervention or treatment for individuals with neurodevelopmental disorder such as autism and ADHD.Autism is disabling because the majority of humanity have created society, infrastructure, employment model design specifically for neurotypical people.

    From a logical standpoint dividing and separating individuals in to a sub groups is not an ideal solution to this problems and promotes segregation of individuals with autism and promotes non inclusion in a variety of things that the majority of people like myself would like to have equal opportunities to pursue and access.

    From an autistic individuals standpoint the term "it a different way of thinking" doesn't help the majority of us and enables non autistics to not take any disabling situations from autistic individuals non serious manner that leads to mental and physical health issues with autistic individuals.   

    The world's population is majority filled with neurotypicals, Individuals with autism is very few and among the individual with autism less than a 1/3 of them have autism with no comorbidities and there is a very small proportion of those who are able to successful integrate in to society with very little to no help and support. Among those individuals who have autism and are able to successfully integrated and succeed into society less than one in hundred understands and recognise that compounding factors including access to opportunities and among other environmental and economic avantages.  

    it benefits everyone with neurodevelopmental disorder such as Autism, ADHD and other learning disabilities to band under one banner because more people means power to promote change the majority of the neurodiverse population needs to succeed in neurotypical world.      

  • in reply to Blue

    I have to disagree with you. If autistic people live life in a way that suits them there are no issues. The issues come from trying to fit a triangle into a circle. The world is designed for NT people not for autistic people. If you took someone from a tribe in south american jungles never seen a thing from the outside world then force them to live in London say would you say they are disabled? I don't think so. 

Reply
  • in reply to Blue

    I have to disagree with you. If autistic people live life in a way that suits them there are no issues. The issues come from trying to fit a triangle into a circle. The world is designed for NT people not for autistic people. If you took someone from a tribe in south american jungles never seen a thing from the outside world then force them to live in London say would you say they are disabled? I don't think so. 

Children
  • in reply to NAS71674

    No, Because the language and social understanding can be taught someone from a tribe in south american and be understanded in a typical manor. In autism the way of thinking is not down to cultural exposure but a biological difference that disables an individual's ability to understand communication in a typical manor, we can learn how to mimic behaviours, learn how to respond to certain behaviours but will still cannot understand how a neurotypical thinks getting from one idea to another. without understanding how the majority of neurotypical think we struggles to understand interpret their verbal language and non verbal language.people on the autism spectrum do have the capability and that is why we are given a diagnosis.