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Sweet Spot

JT

Following on from a comment in another thread...

I do wonder, before 'high-functioning autism' was recognised, if those who were able to sustain their quirkiness without too much difficulty were just seen as creative types or colorful characters. Were they better off without a label, stigma, or endless questions about fitting in, their place in society, or the barriers to work or support?

Because society are way behind pschological diagnosis (which is obviously way behind demand), are we actually in a very difficult sweet spot in history for a highly misunderstood neurodifferences and little to no understanding or real-world accommodations for us?

What do you think?

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  • JT said:
    I do wonder, before 'high-functioning autism' was recognised, if those who were able to sustain their quirkiness without too much difficulty were just seen as creative types or colorful characters.

    I certainly found myself stigmatised at work for letting my team know I was autistic and I'm sure it led to the end of my contract.

    I certainly masked and scripted extensively and could pass as a slightly quirky neurotypical with a lot of effort and indeed did for decades.

    Things like reasonable adjustments were not needed as I had developed the mental discipline to endure all the pains of the workplace and people long ago, and the impact of asking for changes would have been worse than the energy saved by having them.

    Until there is a wider understanding and acceptance of the label of autism then I think it will remain a net negative in the workplace in almost every environment I have ever worked in. I do hope this changes as the newer generations seem much less capable of enduring the discomfort (and ideally they should not have to).

    As to how we get there, I suspect more positive "out" autistic role models in the public eye are needed to subliminally educate the masses.

  • in reply to Iain

    I hear you. Sorry you experienced that. I agree, feel sad that we fall in that lovely grey area of history in generations missed that now have to endure the transition to acceptance. It's not nice

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