Published on 12, July, 2020
That's been my experience in nearly 50 years as a late diagnosed autistic person with serious mental illness . There's an expectancy/demand even of near uniformity of intellectual performance, among the various areas of cognition, that many autistic people can't satisfy. For me that resulted in many years of being treated as though I was an awkward so and so, with a major character defect. It's also meant never getting help and support for the impaired executive functioning I've always struggled with.
Too many pen-pushers in the system. Plus, front-line staff are also bogged down by bureaucratic duties.
The whole 'Internet of Things' has gone too far. It's all about dotting Is and crossing Ts.
In any profession there will be those that 'phone it in' and those that keep learning and have a great deal of curiosity for their field. some focus on autism. they are often on the spectrum themselves. Seek. The world carries all possibilities as potentialities. They are out there.
It's no different than finding an actually good dentist.
I'm beginning to see different practitioners express themselves as specializing in autism. The way to know if it's simply a word that 'sells' for them is to evaluate how many other "specializations" they list. The more, the more diluted the focus.
I myself, needed more than anything to understand my relation to my body and how to "read" it. I went with 2 therapists who worked with the body to reach well being and wholeness. They were amazing. and they introduced me to "orgone" energy, which is a special interst of mine.
Nt's compliment me on my photographic memory. But other NT's then patronize me, and talk condescendingly, as if i'm not in the 98th percentile
My father was allergic to penicillin.
I think they like you to be compliant and happy to go along with whatever they suggest, I've had many an argument with doctors about being allergic to penecillin, even though it's one of the more common allergies.
I echo that.I have lost count over the Years of how many times i have lost My rag with" Professionals " by telling them not to judge a Person's I.Q based on Their Mental state.They don't like being told,but tough poo poo plops.
I suppose it helps to keep in mind that for the first 19 years of that experience there was no diagnosis of autism as it is now understood - it was only added to the DSM back in 1994 and became a more commonly accepted diagnosis from the early 2000s and it was only in 2013 when Aspergers became part of the ASD diagnosis that it started to get more visibility.
There is a growth curve in the support system to learn aout this subject then to become exposed to it and finally become proficient in understanding / diagnosing it so this explains why it has been so sporadic until more recently.
It doesn't make it any nicer though, but it explains why a behemoth like the health system is taking so long to get up to speed in a subject that is constantly evolving in its understanding,
So very true. I think they like you to be neither too intelligent or too unintelligent.
I think many health professionals all round don't understand or like intellegence in thier patients. I do think there's a sense that people with ASD shouldn't ask questions about our treatment, and that we should be content with being patted on the head.