What is the most hopeful solution to autism? This website suggests mostly problems. There is no sense of personal connection; just written words by people in isolation. Twelve step fellowships, br comparison, involve real people in meetings with real people with a common solution. No money or outside interests are trying to get in on the action.
Could that altruistic model of non-professionals work?
When someone is diagnosed with Autism, especially as an adult, a fundamental legal requirement must be that a proper and in-depth post-diagnostic assessment by autism-specific professionals must take place, covering every aspect of a persons life right down to the smallest details (similar to how a police forensic investigation takes place) to both (properly) assess level of autism and to (properly) identify support needs in every aspect of that persons life going forward - obtaining that information would enable a proper support action plan to be drawn up, which must become a legal requirement for all official state bodies and others like employers in providing appropriate support in the correct timescales
We need to realise that we're on the road less traveled.
Jesus needed to isolate, whenever he dealt with the people. Disciples are lone wolves, by nature. We're not meant to be in this world.
The greater our expectations, the more resentful we become.
Let the babies have their bottles. We have weaned ourselves off dependency.
*humans
I see lots of humans but little humanity.
THIS needs a debut on the ENTIRE web. x
Hi, I really don't like the word 'solution'. It makes us sound like 'a problem'. I think what would help is better education on autism, thereby leading to a better understanding and hopefully more acceptance. But sadly I think one issue with society is that people that are 'different' no matter what that difference is (could be a difference in how you look, talk, being autistic, different beliefs) will always face challenges and exclusion. I think humans are hypertuned to picking up differences and sadly people that are perceived to be different often get excluded. I don't know if this can be changed. Sometimes I think that by picking on / excluding / labelling people that are different, those that 'fit' into a group feel more included. It's sad.
There are some putative answers to the apparent genetic conundrums. Some genetic changes linked to autism involve large DNA variants, stretches of DNA that is excised, duplicated or transposed. These large changes tend to be spontaneous, they are not found in either parent, so are not hereditary. These large changes tend to be associated with intellectual disability and other comorbidities. Other genetic variants linked to autism are very small, such as point mutations or are epigenic (no change in coding of DNA), and very numerous, and are found throughout the population at large. People who are autistic as a result of the small DNA variations are so because they have a higher number of them than is average. This origin of autism is hereditary. There is a further complication and that is that women, as well as masking more efficiently than men, seem to have a biological buffer to exhibiting autistic traits. This means that a woman not being diagnosable as autistic, might have autistic children, especially boys (this is also dependent on the autism-related genetic input from the father).
"Solution" is not the right word.... a synonym for... self-acceptance/understanding, maybe? That's the greatest "solution" to autism, to me.
Besides, I don't know about you all, but this website has helped me to realise when I am right and wrong through the personal experiences of others. I guess "normal" people (I hate that word) struggle as much as we do. And as for association... I mean, I am certain there are many, especially in the UK. Maybe you are not looking in the right places?
Yes, it's an executive function task to find ways to improve executive function! Even trying to get help, having realised I might not be able to solve it on my own, is proving too hard. But I have booked my assessment, so that is a start!
Yes, I definitely agree with you on that one- if there was a way to make it easier to clean my house or learn to drive that would be great. Of course there are solutions to lots of little parts of executibe dysfunction that can help, but I wish even that was easier than it is!
In practical terms, it depends what you are trying to solve, I guess. Amazing strengths for some of us are tricky obstacles for others.
However, I think just about any autistic problem can be significantly improved by more acceptance and resource behind the supports.
I agree, I think there are positives as well as negatives to autistic brain wiring. I could do with a solution to the problems caused by poor executive functioning though, it is so frustrating to struggle so hard, get so stressed and have worse results, or just give up, on things which seem to be simple tasks to the majority of people.
Well, what type of solution are we looking for?
A solution to autism in general, i.e., a cure? That seems unrealistic, and to be honest I'm not sure I'd want a cure for the whole thing, since it's so fundamental to who I am.
A solution to things like sensory issues, misunderstandings in communication, and so on? That would be lovely. A more accessible and understanding world would benefit us and so many others.
Ok, slight tangents here from the topic, but do you actually believe that will happen? As the growing percentage can be put down to greater awareness and likelihood of diagnosis in childhood then there was 30 years ago rather then an actual increase, as we’re seeing a lot of older people right now getting diagnosed. We vaguely know that there is a hereditary element to autism, but I don’t think the link is clear, in the same way that neurotypical can have autistic children, autistic people can have neurotypical children, so predictive growth is hard in that regard. Also only a limited number of us will have children anyway. Then we touch upon that autistic people are more likely to have other conditions, lower life expectancy etc. I personally find it difficult to see the autistic community actually growing to a size where there is enough of us to reaching that tipping point, though I could easily be wrong.
Massive and almost impossible changes to society? An actual working support system? Better education about autism?
It’s not about us changing, it’s about everyone else.
A lot people have talked about less talk of a cure, which I agree with, we don’t need a cure and frankly, there probably isn’t one beyond lobotomising us. I think autism is too fundamental to be cured, we’re built this way from the ground up. It’s turtles all the way down. Though I’d be lying if sometimes I didn’t wish for a pill that could turn off all the sensory stuff just for a little bit.
For myself, prayer and the hope of a cure, along with help and support in practical ways is perhaps the only solution that I can think of - many Catholic religious organisations and religious congregations of priests friars and nuns could discern that there is clearly a need, as they once did in the past, as help from the state simply does not cut it and leaves adults out in the cold, as their focus is too much on children - these have been the subjects of prayer petitions that I’ve left on the Lourdes website to Our Lady of Lourdes (Saint Bernadette) - many autism charities are also too focused on children and not adults and even expensive private sources of support aside from the expense, put too many barriers for accessing adult support, such as GP referrals - even accessing a GP or a social worker on the NHS and the councils since Covid has become much more difficult, as has accessing adult mental health services and this is simply going to get worse going forward
