We're all on the Spectrum

Most non autistic men score an average of 17 and non autistic women an average of 15 on the AQ50 test. As most of you will know, autistic people usually score at least 32 on this test.

https://embrace-autism.com/autism-spectrum-quotient/

So if the average for non autistic people is around 16, there will of course be some who score lower - the "extreme" end of NT as you call it.

There is a likelihood that the majority in the HOL are NT, and that is why there is a need to hear from ND people, to give their perspective. Perhaps everyone involved in the reporting should be tested with the AQ50?

I certainly get the need to have ND people on commitee looking at ND services and everyone on the group doing the AQ50 would be an excellent idea.

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I like the pick and mix idea better, I'm stating to wonder if I have tourettes? Or if I'm just frustrated and swearing at things to relieve pressure?

If someone only picked 5 sweets from the pick and mix and were a bit meh about 3 or 4 more would that make the high or low functioning NT? We get classed as high and low functioning, but NT's manage to escape this, what ould make them high or low functioning, is this a missed opportunity to help those who might struggle with thier neurotypicality?

We rely upon those upon the committee to be fair and impartial - I regret that the sample of people that I have encountered in life (including myself in this) makes me doubt whether anyone can be so all the time.  Therefore a committee needs to have a balance of people on it.  However this means that the committee decision will always be, at best, a compromise.

Most often a decision that "someone else" must do something about something - as they themselves are not those doing that thing there exists a separation between those who advise and decide and those who are tasked with acting out decisions.  This disconnection inevitably causes all sorts of human problems.

In practice we see humanity as being fundamentally competitive.  Even when the evidence is that only through collaboration and co-operation can humanity survive and progress.

We as autistic people are shown images of successful autistic people ostensibly to show us we can be too.

The reality is that only 1/4 of autistic people are in work.

All my life I have experienced stigmatism and bullying because I am autistic.

My family when I was a child who loved me did so and still do.

Through school this continued with fellow pupils and teachers,

In the workplace and in public.

This doesn’t make me feel good about myself.

I learned to push myself physically mentally and emotionally  further than I ever thought possible, defend myself physically and to a certain extent psychologically as well.

I went back to study and did well at that – drawing on what I could do to make me “superhuman” by the standards of capability that I had evidenced before.

Luckily I found support along the way because I was useful, I was cared for and some people saw something in me worthy of it.

From this position I have spent an awful lot of time and effort doing my utmost to be successful, fair to others and do good for others in order to feel good about myself and foster some sense of belonging.

Still as far, as how I experience being treated by wider society personally, this is not good enough for them. 

Personally i feel like I am being made to hate myself by society.

Evidence shows minority groups experience the most hatred by larger groups.

Evidence also shows that significant hatred exists within minority groups.

This all paints a rough picture for the future of autistic people unless by luck and hard work they can make themselves into one of those "elite" autists that we are shown as role models.

I am very, very worried, for myself yes, but also for future generations of autistic people.

We autistic people need to get together, get organised, support one another with care and love and if necessary develop separate communities with enough power to protect us and allow us to thrive. 

"good enough for who and why does it matter?"

Maybe when one is able to put aside society, or even be able to have society put one aside and still be able to live (this mainly an economic thing if friendships and relationships don't matter to one)  However having basic human levels of respect and understanding for one from other people are critical to mental well being.  (Elon Musk please, please eat your own heart out, I mean it - literally...)

Why should we autistic people get on? (I completely agree not all the time of course...) because we are all on the autistic spectrum.  We are all definitively "other" to neurotypical society which steadfastly refuses to make efforts to understand and integrate with us on our terms rather than theirs.  We know what it is like to be autistic, ok to varying degrees and with our own different pattern of the spectrum.  We know how damn hard it can be and we owe it to one another and to future autistic people to because only together are we going to stand a cat in hell's chance of getting representation, recognition and a sniff at fairness in what is fundamentally a neurotypically biased society.

And also because evidence suggests that autistic people may have a significantly out of proportion role in invention and discoveries that feed neurotypical society - we should self-police the likes of some of the less salubrious autists and be more careful about what neurotypical society does with the progress that comes with those "special interests"... 

I guess we do get a lot of hatred, I guess that being diagnosed so late in life, I've sort of learned to ignore it and them, but then I'm quite self contained and self sufficient.

I think growing up was all about learning to defend myself, bth physically, mentally and spiritually, mostly though I just carry on doing what I want to do, I guess its one advantage of having been an only child, I learnt not to need other people to amuse myself, I'm often surprised at how many people need others for validation. Validations nice, its certainly an advantage, but I dont' need it anymore, I spend years feeling like my own ghost that I was haunting my life, but never really a part of it. Then I realised that most of it was feeling that I needed out side input and I really don't. I don't others to make me feel like a real human being.

I don't think I've ever had a role model, autistic or not, I've never felt the need for one or have never found somebody I admire enough to want to emulate. To me role models are an NT thing, a stick to beat others into competing to be "good enough", but good enough for who and why does it matter?

Would I want to be like Elon Musk, no, most definately not, the mans a menace! He's the only person I can think of who's been radicalised by his own social media platform! I suspect we don't see many successful ND people as they don't advertise themselves, they just do what they do and get on with life.

I think there can be a lot of hatred and negativity within groups and ND people are no different to NT's in this. There's always somebody playing the burning martyr, smouldering away in the middle fo a room, shouting 'look at me, none of you care', some people like hierarchies of suffering, thats not a game I want to play. But then why shoud we all get on, no one would expect any other random group of strangers to get on all the time, so why should we?

Hehe

"The Autist's Flag's a deepest Spectrum,

died with the rainbow of dum de dum.."

Hehe

"The Autist's Flag's a deepest Spectrum,

died with the rainbow of dum de dum.."