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Autism is a real disability to some,,,,,,, are you such a person ?

aidie

sayings like , "autism is a superpower" or "autism isn't a disability, it is a different ability" worry me sometimes

I feel like this invalidates people who aren't quite comfortable with being Autistic or Autistic people who feel as though their ASD has more negative than positive impacts or those who feel as though their diagnosis has an equal amount of positive and negative effects. 

I understand these sayings have positive intentions and are meant to empower Autistic people, but it just kinda comes off as inspirational stuff to me. Again this is good. 

But two thirds of autistic people are in the mid and severe ends of the spectrum and so will probably never/rarely be in this forum or have their voice/opinions heard.

I am lucky to be the way I am.  But there are days I wish I could swallow a pill and my autism would be gone.

I am equal amounts of positive and negative with shrinking negatives.

But I always think about those who are really suffering on the spectrum.

Do you feel Autism is a real downer for you  ?  how bad is it ? and most importantly ,,,,,,,,,What can be done to help or change things for you?

Parents

  • I'm disabled by people who insist on treating everyone the same and not recognising that sometimes people need different support to excel. 

    I dont have qualifications that fully reflect my ability and intelligence because I struggled with education post-primary school. I now see that if education systems had been set up to cater for my needs then I'd have excelled and my qualifications would be different. I'm still doing well, I think a lot of us are very resilient and adaptable, but I could have done more and I find that frustrating. 

    This is still continuing in my professional life. I just don't like to admit it  

  • in reply to M

    isnt that what equality is,,,,,,  treat everyone the same ?

  • in reply to aidie

    No, equality is treating people however they need to be treated as individuals to have equal opportunities. That can be by treating people very differently to be fair. 

  • in reply to Peter

    I like the desert island test.

  • in reply to aidie

    Yes and no. under the social model of disability I'd say yes I'm disabled ... under the medical model of disability I'd argue I'm not or at least not very seriously. 

    I call this the desert island test of disability. If you strand some one alone with out society, in a remote place, but with all the basics needed for life can they survive, how does their disability effect their survival chances?

    For people who's ability to survive on their own is seriously effected I'd argue the better way to meet their needs is not societal adaptation (eg carers, ramps etc) but either medical therapy to improve the their bodies function or mechanical supplementation to augment their bodies function.

    (eg better to have a wheel chair that goes up stairs than put in more ramps, better to do experimental eye surgery than give someone a white stick)

    Don't get me wrong in the absence of functional improvement societal adaptation is right and necessary but functional improvement is better.

    But autistic thinking is not less functional, it's differently functional. It's better functioning in some areas than neurotypical functioning. The relative value of the two different ways of thinking is subjective. In the absence of society high functioning autism doesn't really cause any serious problems. So I'd say it only counts as a disability in the social model. It fails the desert island test.

    This is why autism, at least high functioning autism, doesn't need a 'cure.'

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  • in reply to aidie

    Yes and no. under the social model of disability I'd say yes I'm disabled ... under the medical model of disability I'd argue I'm not or at least not very seriously. 

    I call this the desert island test of disability. If you strand some one alone with out society, in a remote place, but with all the basics needed for life can they survive, how does their disability effect their survival chances?

    For people who's ability to survive on their own is seriously effected I'd argue the better way to meet their needs is not societal adaptation (eg carers, ramps etc) but either medical therapy to improve the their bodies function or mechanical supplementation to augment their bodies function.

    (eg better to have a wheel chair that goes up stairs than put in more ramps, better to do experimental eye surgery than give someone a white stick)

    Don't get me wrong in the absence of functional improvement societal adaptation is right and necessary but functional improvement is better.

    But autistic thinking is not less functional, it's differently functional. It's better functioning in some areas than neurotypical functioning. The relative value of the two different ways of thinking is subjective. In the absence of society high functioning autism doesn't really cause any serious problems. So I'd say it only counts as a disability in the social model. It fails the desert island test.

    This is why autism, at least high functioning autism, doesn't need a 'cure.'

Children