What does it mean to be neurodiversity affirmative?

Thanks for sharing Autonomistic!

In the article there is a section on the value of disabled lives, however I don’t think that being autistic means I or any other autistic person is disabled. I prefer to use the term neurodivergent as being autistic is actually very enabling. By the way neurodivergent is a neutral term just meaning having a mind that significantly diverges from the neuromajority.

 I am aware that many of us in this autistic community have co-occurring needs/experiences and therefore may identify as disabled. What do you think about this?

Do you identify as disabled? I don’t think it is helpful to automatically assume that our autistic community identifies this way as we are literally neurologically different which naturally comes with so many benefits and to be autistic is my natural way of being.

I consider myself disabled under the medical model of disability for other conditions, but under the social model for my autism- I will always experience chronic pain regardless of the accommodations made for me, but I would be far less disadvantaged as an autistic person if the world was a more understanding (and quieter!) place. There are specific aspects that would always be disabling, e.g. I often don't realise I'm thirsty, but most things wouldn't be.

I think it's up to the individual to decide whether being autistic makes them disabled; there's no one answer to that question that applies to us all because our needs and experiences are so varied. I see both pros and cons to being autistic myself, but someone whose autistic traits are very different to my own might disagree.

Thank you for sharing your experience! Many members of our autistic community prefer the social model.

It's interesting to learn about the complexities of other conditions and chronic pain and how this intersects.

Have you read the book All Tangled Up in Autism and Chronic Illness? It's brilliant!

Thank you for sharing your experience! Many members of our autistic community prefer the social model.

It's interesting to learn about the complexities of other conditions and chronic pain and how this intersects.

Have you read the book All Tangled Up in Autism and Chronic Illness? It's brilliant!

You are welcome! I hope the book is ideal for you as the whole purpose of it is about managing intersecting autistic and chronic illness needs.

The author of the book is autistic/ADHD and also has Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome as well as Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, so all the content and suggestions are based on lived experience.

Here is a link to the book:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-Tangled-Autism-Chronic-Illness/dp/1839975245/ref=asc_df_1839975245?nodl=1&tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=658844159684&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3750999649158961930&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007193&hvtargid=pla-2193608646849&psc=1&mcid=ff2123bfd43a35cb858ea8f0f60c7c0d&th=1&psc=1&dplnkId=479897d2-6b7c-4f88-a09b-3e1c07f84552

Ausomely Autistic said:

Have you read the book All Tangled Up in Autism and Chronic Illness? It's brilliant!

I haven't- thanks for the recommendation, it sounds like it'd be ideal for me!