ADS Rights

Christ, just look at the faint, throwaway praise in this quote from a book titled 'The Science of Evil'; and what place has a discussion of Autism in a book with that title and subject-matter?:

'Whilst even adults with Asperger Syndrome may have difficulties figuring out why someone else's remark was considered funny, or why their own remark was considered rude, or may judge others as liars when they simply are inconsistent in not doing what they said they would do, they may nevertheless have a highly developed emotional empathy, caring about how someone feels and not wanting to hurt them. If they do hurt them it is often unintentional and they feel mortified when it is pointed out, and want to rectify this. In this respect, they do have some of the components of empathy.'

Besides, despite all this, some of the quoted sentences unwittingly imply that there's hardly any difference between neurotypicals and autists regarding empathy.

Hi Steven.  Missed you over the w/e.....and I just noted that s.o.b. called Sam feels similar too.

I hope we know each other well enough for me to say this without causing you upset or concern..I just think it is interesting and worth pointing out that I most sincerely don't understand why that extract incenses you so.  I read it and perceive it very benignly personally.  I find this difference in our perception very interesting.

Generally, we seem to share many commonalities.....but I don't take any offence from those words in the context they were presented.

 I hope we can "Vive la difference" and "entente cordiale" on this point......and I only mention it because I find it interesting.

Nice to see you back in the pages.....I won't be around much this week....feel the need to cut my time here!

Well despite being all autistic apart from that we aren't exactly a homogenous group, spectrum is the operative word for us in many ways, a spectrum of experiences, personalities, emotions, thoughts, etc, which is a healthy thing.

TBH Number I think it's my academic and medical knowledge that helps me find the fault in some of these texts, autism is too often looked at through a purely medicalised lens and even among the medical professions there are correct ways to talk about people and recognise the patients humanity otherwise a pateint might as well just be a slab of meat with a bullet point list of symptoms to treat but that isn't the same as receiving actual care. I'm also concerned that the research that goes into autism is still only ever looking at autistic people in snapshots, primarily at singular events only retroactively cobbled together into a big picture, because if the researcher  would spend any great time living with a group of autists on a wide representation of the spectrum they would know we do in fact have all the components of empathy, just in some individuals not all of those components are going to be active simultaneously. And that's the problem NT people often only focus on autism by what is seen as defecits against an artificial NT benchmark. ( A benchmark I've noticed even NTs do not always live up to themselves.)

But that's just me explaining my view. No doubt you have things about your life experiences that may make you feel or think differently about it which is fine. It's just nice to be able to chat and talk about it.

You are right btw, I did wonder where Steven had got to. That's a very good guess.

Well despite being all autistic apart from that we aren't exactly a homogenous group, spectrum is the operative word for us in many ways, a spectrum of experiences, personalities, emotions, thoughts, etc, which is a healthy thing.

TBH Number I think it's my academic and medical knowledge that helps me find the fault in some of these texts, autism is too often looked at through a purely medicalised lens and even among the medical professions there are correct ways to talk about people and recognise the patients humanity otherwise a pateint might as well just be a slab of meat with a bullet point list of symptoms to treat but that isn't the same as receiving actual care. I'm also concerned that the research that goes into autism is still only ever looking at autistic people in snapshots, primarily at singular events only retroactively cobbled together into a big picture, because if the researcher  would spend any great time living with a group of autists on a wide representation of the spectrum they would know we do in fact have all the components of empathy, just in some individuals not all of those components are going to be active simultaneously. And that's the problem NT people often only focus on autism by what is seen as defecits against an artificial NT benchmark. ( A benchmark I've noticed even NTs do not always live up to themselves.)

But that's just me explaining my view. No doubt you have things about your life experiences that may make you feel or think differently about it which is fine. It's just nice to be able to chat and talk about it.

You are right btw, I did wonder where Steven had got to. That's a very good guess.

🐝 Bees 🐝 (they/them) Autism resources in bio #stoptheshock #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs said:

Well despite being all autistic apart from that we aren't exactly a homogenous group, spectrum is the operative word for us in many ways, a spectrum of experiences, personalities, emotions, thoughts, etc, which is a healthy thing.

I've noticed a lot of gravitation to extremes among autistic people ... (I'm not saying its a bad thing). Politically we seem to have more than our fair share of extreme left and rightwing views (sometime held simultaneously by the same person). Amongst autistic people you will find some of the shyest introverted wallflowers and obnoxiously loud extroverts. The most puritanical and proudly degenerate, the most technical and artistic individuals. If normal people are a spectrum, we're more like what you find in the infrared and ultraviolet.

Community.  Good.  Lovely, in fact. x