Portrayal of autistic people in films/TV

A totally insulting post and incorrect. It’s impossible to split or compartmentalise autism. It’s nigh on impossible to get a diagnosis as it is on the NHS, hours of wrangling back and forth amongst professionals with challenges by families to incorrect categorisation is never going to happen.

Yet it's you that keeps raising the dsm not me? I put the visual up to show the change in the dx and the descriptors of levels.

Communication is a huge part of autism being able to speak, read and write are some pretty useful skills.

I've been clear about why I want the dx splitting. It's you that won't answer the above questions. I don't need anyone to validate my son's dx, needs or anything else. I want the dx splitting to bring clarity to his dx which at the moment represents so many presentations it's meaningless and for the most part doesn't communicate his presentation when it's used.

I haven't said those that dont have severe autism don't have needs, I've said they do. They're just not comparable to people with profound autism.

Everybody with an autism diagnosis has a severe impact on their life, every second of every day. It never leaves and is impossible to quantify as everybody has a bespoke diagnosis across several traits.

Which is completely at odds with DSM who you keep quoting. The ability to read and write has nothing to do with autism and you can’t dictate or lecture on needs you know zilch about. Support needs that stop death are pretty substantial .

It isn't my dsm? I wish it was, I'd love to make a few changes.

Some people's don't change, they just have severe or profound autism every second of every minute of everyday of their life. No fluctuating no hope of removing some of those support needs.

Substantial support needs. These are clearly different to the substantial support needs I'm talking about.

I'm not sorry for saying this but yes there are people with profoud/ severe autism and yes their needs are more so than someone who is able to speak, read and write.

Right back at you.

Just quoting your DSM. It is they who make it clear that the support needs they list can change. Also that diagnosis is not based on intellectual disability.

“criterion E: these disturbances are not better explained by intellectual disability or global developmental delay”

Why do you need validating by others.

I ask this in ernest. Why is it so offensive that there are people who are severly impacted by autism? Why is it distasteful or invalidating?

Your lack of compassion for that 'subset' speaks volumes.

Nope not at all when there are many substantial support needs. As we’ve established the ability to read and write has nothing to do with the autism diagnosis criteria.

Perhaps consider where it comes from.

Consider how many times I (and many others) have encountered people who give the "two ends of the spectrum" crap in order to not-so-subtly insinuate that if we're able to put ourselves under enormous strain to live without supervision 90% of the time we're somehow not really autistic by some nebulous completely-unscientific metric that they've cooked up entirely by themselves.

Even when we manage to get a discussion going about autism that has nothing to do with any of that argument, there's always at least one of them that comes along and shit on it by starting it all over again.

It's sickening and rage-inducing in equal measure.

So...yeah. I've lived with the judgement and lack of compassion of the majority of the human race I've encountered prior to my diagnosis, and now I get this invalidating, offensive rubbish from a much smaller subset everywhere I go. It's absolutely astonishing that I don't have all that much compassion left for the people doing it.

You really can't see that someone with the basics of being able to speak/ communicate (reading and writing helps with aac) in any form would have less severe needs than someone who can't?

Just to add as I've reread that youve said you cant possible tell the amount of autism someone has just support needs they have due to ld (and I would add mh needs). You do realise that some people's support needs dont fluctuate and are high constantly because of their severe needs (non mh related).

You did you said my kids’ Autism was less severe because they can read and write . The ability to read and write has nothing to do with the diagnostic process so you can quit lowering the Autism severity of those who are literate. It has zilch to do with their autism severity.

You can’t be quantify impact accurately
so no there is no common ground.

So are you really saying that everyone has the same 'amount of autism'? With the only difference be comorbids? I know you mentioned ld but if you're going down this road do you include mh as a comorbid?

I'd love to see the research on this or even where youve read this. It is really interesting.

Which has nothing to do with intellectual disability.

It’s impossible to quantify how much autism somebody has.

All DSM can do is highlight support needs and that isn’t reliable, there are different types of support in each severity, it can fluctuate and some will have higher support due to intellectual disabilities running alongside side NOT autism.

" You just said the ability to read and write has nothing to do with the autism diagnosis criteria."

I haven't said that at all, you're misrepresenting what I wrote.

Yes the autism dx is based on autism. Some are more severly impacted than others. I'm glad we've found some common ground especially in excluding comorbids like mental health needs and learning disability.

Yes I'm aware but not everyone has an equal amount (for want of a different word) of autism.

And my views are as valid about anybody else’s. You just said the ability to read and write has nothing to do with the autism diagnosis criteria.

The autism diagnosis is based on autism NOT additional learning disabilities that run alongside.

Your post indicates exactly why we have it exactly right. You can’t split it. It’s a spectrum across several traits .

It's mumsnet. My feelings and thoughts are as valid as anybody else's and likewise.

It's pretty common sense that if your child can speak, read and write he will have less needs (related to his autism) than somebody who can't.

Knowing that there are other children with worse presentations doesn't change your children's needs it's just factual.

Your post is a great example of why the dx needs splitting.

You are making no sense.

And also some might say the ability to read and write is based on intellectual ability not autism.

Some have an intellectual disability alongside autism.

Your post makes no sense. Your children being able to speak, read and write has nothing to do with the dsm?

Nope it isn’t. Your DSM levels are based on support needs( which can fluctuate). 2 of my kids have the highest support needs.