The 'middle' = not in need of 24/7/365 care & not a high flier at the other end
In just over a month I become a pensioner. I wonder though how people with a profile similar to mine will cope in the future.
Dxes: ASD(Asperger's ) and schizophrenia/schizoaffective.
Cognitive: Significant gap re adaptive functioning < IQ . EF difficulties re organising and planning. My daughter and granddaughters provide help with daily practical tasks. My daughter is officially recognised as a carer by social services. On the other hand I have an IQ based on psychometrician created and/or normed tests that falls within a 148-157 range.
Where verbal skills are to the fore it serves me well, but in situations requiring manual/practical skills a person like me can really struggle. In a mental health system where it's expected/demanded that if you're good at x you should also be good at y - I have for most of my time as a psych patient been seen in a very negative way because of it .
It took 42 years and my daughter's input with MH services, before I moved here, to set the picture straight. She has worked for over 25 years in the caring profession covering ASD,mental illness,physical disability and dementia.
While I'm fully in support of those with 'profound autism' being at the front of the queue re help and support- I also hope that in the future people like me get a much better level of help and support . That they're not treated as nuisances. That they can get the help and support they need to fulfil their potential.
