Published on 12, July, 2020
I keep seeing posts here, that say that it is hard to "come out" because there are people who think that aspergers is not real.
Someone has just posted that people think aspergers "did not exist in my day". Someone else said that it was thought to be almost trendy to claim you have it, so formal diagnosis is vital. Misconceptions abound.
I am no good at sharp responses to this kind of dismissive remark. We do not think on our feet. Perhaps we should pool our ideas of what to say, when those around us are dismissive.
Sadly, the only thing I can think of sounds a little rude.
We used to be labeled geeks and wierdos. Now we are recognised as being on the autism specrum.
Can any one else do better please?
A retired primary school teacher told me that the local council refused to believe autism existed for years. It got them out of the obligation to pay extra to deal with it. As a result this council was behind others in its autism provision for year. It is now much better, but still a lot to do.
I have had people ignore my autism. My problem is that I am so high functioning that nobody can understand why I struggle so much with the "simple" things. This is a huge barrier to acceptance and understanding.
I think the problem is simply lack of understanding of a hidden disability/difference. Most people assume that everyone else is like them. It can be quite scary to realise that your perception of the world is not "real" but just one of many.
I think another problem is that Autism is hard to pin down: it manifests itself in so many different forms and has so many variations that people find it difficult to get their heads round it. People find it hard to look behind what appears as inappropriate behaviour to what might be causing it. [And parents get blamed for bad behaviour caused by the stress of external factors - which may include the person blaming the parents.]
I was in hospital for a week in february. Autism was denied on the ward because apparently it is only something that affects children. It did not stop autism causing problems. But the problems did ensure that they kept me in an extra night until appropriate support could be in place at home - and I was better able to fend for myself. There is a severe lack of awareness generally in the medical profession. If they don't know, how can we expect the general public to understand?
I take heart in the fact that children with autism become adults with autism. Children now have more support throughout their education (yes, I know you have to fight for it but at least it now exists), but there is virtually nothing once they leave education. I am expecting an outcry from parents in the next few years because of this.
Yes it is somewhat neglected by the NAS because of the focus on children, but you have to admit that they have significantly increased their focus on adults over the last few years - and this focus is still increasing. [By the way I do not work for the NAS.]
It is already the case that some parents are setting up their own businesses in order to ensure employment for their autistic child - because there is little available.