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When AS is not "significant impairment"

longman

I would like to introduce a thread that deals with AS/ASD with lesser impairment - when those diagnosed do not strictly meet the requirement of "significant impairment". These are the people with ASD/AS who are able to manage their lives or who have not been successful in claiming support or whose access to support is being challenged under the new constraints.

From other dialogue here, there is clearly some concern amongst those with significant impairment that too many people are being diagnosed who are perceived as not fitting the "significant impairment" criteria.  That includes people who have improved/ "been cured" since original diagnosis.

Some of this may otherwise belong under "Living on the Spectrum", but I feel there are a lot of concerns under diagnosis and assessment that need addressing where people are managing to cope with impairment and have some degree of fulfilment. This includes socialising, relationships, travel, work etc. However the reason I bring this up is that there are maybe significant issues for those who do not meet the "significantly impoaired" criteria that differ from the latter. I don'r feel these get a fair hearing.

If the moderators want to move this to "Living on the Spectrum" fair enough, but can you please do it so that there is an opportunity to discuss issues affecting those with "lesser impairment"

Parents

  • What often gets lost in the research is the manifold different ways that AS can present itself: the individual  gets lost in the category. AS  as a medical condition is overlaid by a unique personality which could determine how the person copes with their AS and how obvious their symptoms are. For example, I am naturally quite an extrovert person, although this was not obvious when I was at school - I was mislabeled 'shy'.  But I do enjoy social contact, the caveat being that it is on my terms and that I remain in control. I cannot deal with spontaneous, informal social interactions which is why making friends is so difficult despite the fact that I can assume a social persona when I am in a formal and/or one to one social situation.  It is the hidden dynamics of social discourse, the way in whch most people automatically move with the flow, whereas the hidden meanings in the social situation evade my grasp.

    On the other hand, I am very confident and sure of myself whenever I am centre stage delivering a lecture, so long as I have planned what I am going to say. This part of me hardly deserves to be called 'shy', but when I was at school,  I was never given any opportunity to deliver speeches to the class, and my confidence was dashed. It is only recently that I have learnt what gives me enjoyment and what is best left alone.

    I think that my out-going personality, which is camouflaged beneath a surface exterior of chronic anxiety, has motivated me to learn as best I can the social rules and to gain insight into my condition. I have intellectually grasped how to pass as NT, but people don't see the hard work that has gone into this and I seldom get credit. Instead I am often told that my AS is 'mild', which it is not really because  my need for routine and my anxiety prevents me from always doing what I want to do. It is simply that my personality and perseverence - and perhaps my late diagnosis - have made me keen to ape normality, but at a sizeable emotional cost.

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  • What often gets lost in the research is the manifold different ways that AS can present itself: the individual  gets lost in the category. AS  as a medical condition is overlaid by a unique personality which could determine how the person copes with their AS and how obvious their symptoms are. For example, I am naturally quite an extrovert person, although this was not obvious when I was at school - I was mislabeled 'shy'.  But I do enjoy social contact, the caveat being that it is on my terms and that I remain in control. I cannot deal with spontaneous, informal social interactions which is why making friends is so difficult despite the fact that I can assume a social persona when I am in a formal and/or one to one social situation.  It is the hidden dynamics of social discourse, the way in whch most people automatically move with the flow, whereas the hidden meanings in the social situation evade my grasp.

    On the other hand, I am very confident and sure of myself whenever I am centre stage delivering a lecture, so long as I have planned what I am going to say. This part of me hardly deserves to be called 'shy', but when I was at school,  I was never given any opportunity to deliver speeches to the class, and my confidence was dashed. It is only recently that I have learnt what gives me enjoyment and what is best left alone.

    I think that my out-going personality, which is camouflaged beneath a surface exterior of chronic anxiety, has motivated me to learn as best I can the social rules and to gain insight into my condition. I have intellectually grasped how to pass as NT, but people don't see the hard work that has gone into this and I seldom get credit. Instead I am often told that my AS is 'mild', which it is not really because  my need for routine and my anxiety prevents me from always doing what I want to do. It is simply that my personality and perseverence - and perhaps my late diagnosis - have made me keen to ape normality, but at a sizeable emotional cost.

Children
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