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working on change in core features of autism - is it worth the effort?

Phased

Hi all :-)

I'm two years into being ASD type 1 diagnosed and 60 years old.  I am slowly getting to understand what that means and the implications of it.

I am now wondering just how much autistic people can change in the expression of core features that define the condition.  Is it worth the effort to try or should one instead work on being "authentic" to one's true autistic self?

I suspect the reality will be a bit of both and finding one right answer might be impossible for now, nonetheless...

I've started a bit of analysis on this so far I've got this:

Just be your authentic autistic self – let your autism be free? 

 Advantages – less hard work cognitively, socially aligns oneself to other autistic people, be “true to yourself” and recognise self better has it's own reward

Disadvantages – problems with survival and thriving in neurotypical world

Potentially missing out on experiences and insights that would enhance and make life more meaningful

 

Change by adapting  Work hard and smart at learning to understand it – perhaps get the brain and behaviour to  both consciously or subconsciously do things to “fit in” to more neurotypical society and life.

Advantages less social conflict and increased potential for social “advancement”

Disadvantages This is in itself potentially “masking” behaviour so the risk of “losing oneself” might be higher

Relies upon “knowing oneself” and recognising other things that might be impossible for autistic people so really a waste of time and effort...

 

I would like to ask what is the knowledge and experience of other members in the community please - can you help with this analysis?

Parents

  • Thank you for this post, it's exactly the sort of thing we ought to be evaluating. 

    When it comes to being your "true Autistic self" it's a bit of a "seeing the wood for the trees" problem I found...

    One thing that is worth bearing in mind when comparing our "Value" to the Allistic majority, is to consider how well we do in life. Are we, in short an advantage to the human race or a disadvantage? 

    Since I've been on this forum I have learned a lot about Autisms basic nature and come to understand what I & my autism really does "bring to the party". A clue can be found in the fact that I very very rarely get invited to parties, and even less often will actually attend one. 

    Otoh, although it's faded a lot over the last few years, I've always been keen to participate, and if possible "help" partly becuse at an early age I decided to trade for what I need, rather than steal it. Seeing teh Harrison Ford film "witness" in my youth cemented the idea in my head that although I am clearly a social misfit by nature, it takes co-operation between multiple individuals to do teh really useful buig things, like "putting up a barn" as the Amish do in that film, a REALITY that puts my basic isolationist nature in teh DISADVANTAGE pile. 

    As a consequence I've lightly studied boks like "Games People Play" so I could learn the rules and participate better from a more informed perspective.

    This begs the question of how much of me is "mask", and how much of me is real "personality"?

    After forty years of acting in ways that were perhaps initially very much not in my basic nature, but learned behaviour from multiple sources I am in some situations very socially adept and smart, as much as my NT colleagues yet in a second I can give myself away as "not quite right"

    At the end of the day one can use the "status" to keep the bullying and sarky comments down to a more manageable level.   

     

  • in reply to I Sperg

      been meaning to ask please.... did reading " games people play" help you in any way?

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