Positive people with Autism

I've revisited this thread a couple of times not knowing how to go forward. It relates to a concern I have about the value of diversity.

To survive the human race needs to breakthrough successive barriers and stay ahead of natural adaptations. Innovation comes from particularly perceptive thinkers, or from people with high focus able to make many measurements in pursuit of a new explanation or line of argument.

This is something I regularly pursue with students in respect of valuing diversity and valuing different skills. The standard neurotypical approach may not be sufficient for survival. What I think has happened is that, even with much progress on equal opportunities, we are inclined to allow more different thinkers to have alternative lifestyles.

Einstein (whether Aspergers ADHD or whatever) had he been in the current young generation, he would probably have had some segregation, loads of intervention, and spent more time while well intentioned people tried to resolve his dress sense, untidiness and social odduities. He probably wouldn't get the chance to make scientific breakthroughs.

So I'm apprehensive about the idea people with ASDs don't have to engage in the rat race.

I read something in my teens which has never left me, though I have re-read - Arthur C. Clarke's "Childhood's End".  The unusual thinkers have a purpose.

In some ways not being diagnosed when younger, and somehow surviving an awful lot of bad times, I have ended up in the rat race, both as an R&D scientist in the avionics industry, and latterly as a university lecturer. I may have underachieved promotion wise because I couldn't fit in, and because there were these odd gaps between what I could do, and a tendancy to get horrendously overfocussed and buried in odd lines of pursuit, or pointless anxieties.

However I'm also glad I didn't opt out. If that sounds strange, or un-aspergers, or just doesn't fit anyone else's ideas, I would be interested to read further comments.

I've revisited this thread a couple of times not knowing how to go forward. It relates to a concern I have about the value of diversity.

To survive the human race needs to breakthrough successive barriers and stay ahead of natural adaptations. Innovation comes from particularly perceptive thinkers, or from people with high focus able to make many measurements in pursuit of a new explanation or line of argument.

This is something I regularly pursue with students in respect of valuing diversity and valuing different skills. The standard neurotypical approach may not be sufficient for survival. What I think has happened is that, even with much progress on equal opportunities, we are inclined to allow more different thinkers to have alternative lifestyles.

Einstein (whether Aspergers ADHD or whatever) had he been in the current young generation, he would probably have had some segregation, loads of intervention, and spent more time while well intentioned people tried to resolve his dress sense, untidiness and social odduities. He probably wouldn't get the chance to make scientific breakthroughs.

So I'm apprehensive about the idea people with ASDs don't have to engage in the rat race.

I read something in my teens which has never left me, though I have re-read - Arthur C. Clarke's "Childhood's End".  The unusual thinkers have a purpose.

In some ways not being diagnosed when younger, and somehow surviving an awful lot of bad times, I have ended up in the rat race, both as an R&D scientist in the avionics industry, and latterly as a university lecturer. I may have underachieved promotion wise because I couldn't fit in, and because there were these odd gaps between what I could do, and a tendancy to get horrendously overfocussed and buried in odd lines of pursuit, or pointless anxieties.

However I'm also glad I didn't opt out. If that sounds strange, or un-aspergers, or just doesn't fit anyone else's ideas, I would be interested to read further comments.