Autism society

I think there are strong parallels between these two groups, and I really think the discussions and experience of people with asd are a few years ahead and have been mirrored by trans/gender dialogue. My own opinion is that the merging of Asperger and Autism into ASD has lead to the most appalling enveloping and sidelining of those with an autism diagnosis (by which I mean those who previously would have been diagnosed as autistic not aspie). It is presented as a natural result of the merging of two parts of the whole and has meant there is really no representation for classically autistic people (almost like I’m having to use the dreaded “cis” terminology to discuss the core members of the group eh?) no support groups and very little funding, and yet “classic” autistics make up the majority of this group. Of course the longer people are able to swell the numbers of autistic people the smaller part “classic” autistics will make of the whole. In fact they are fairly irrelevant in any discussion of autism now.
I’m not sure if the path of the autistic experience of including more people in their descriptions is a mirror of what is happening with gender identity or we are more like canaries down the coal mine. If it’s the latter I’d say it’s not looking good down here.

Thanks for that article - she's a really good writer, and it's great to see pieces like this that show people are thinking all this purity-spiralling through and coming out of the other side.

”To ward off the ever-present threat of reason, I hid behind an ever-growing sense of defiant helplessness. I continued to extend my repertoire of victimhood, learning to soak up other people’s indignation and to nurture borrowed resentment. I had built my identity on the paradoxical symbiosis of empowerment and inability. My victimhood absolved me of agency and therefore, blame. Everything was someone else’s fault.“

This could have been written about someone I know. I find it so frustrating - the way they act as if having special victimhood means you never have to make an effort or change anything about yourself, or take responsibility in any way. And you can't say anything because then you're the Oppressor.

It’s a great article
”To ward off the ever-present threat of reason, I hid behind an ever-growing sense of defiant helplessness. I continued to extend my repertoire of victimhood, learning to soak up other people’s indignation and to nurture borrowed resentment. I had built my identity on the paradoxical symbiosis of empowerment and inability. My victimhood absolved me of agency and therefore, blame. Everything was someone else’s fault.“

I’d not come across New Discourses either.
newdiscourses.com/

We had a training session on disability inclusion last month and they talked about ‘identity based language’ ie disabled person vs person with a disability. I think the point they were making was about using what was preferred by the individual but I did wince at identity.

I'm too tired to read this now but it's been recommended to me and I think is relevant to the conversation.

quillette.com/2020/10/14/my-brief-spell-as-an-activist/?fbclid=IwAR1qfhrJ8Mx7Yf72_U30n3TPR73MbrPbNdnPT4MnTdRX8rCJ7J66I4bODH4

Reminds me of a mum when mine were at primary who said "you know, the great thing about having average kids is you don't have to spend every weekend trailing round the country going to competitions. You can do other stuff"

Yes Tibtom it's okay to be someone with no superpower my daughter is just a special and amazing just being average at everything or even below average.

It must make some people really anxious is they don't have any particular strong talent.

Totally agree about the superpowers. I hate that. Like you are not ok unless you have some special power. Books about autism for children often fall into this too. Most of them ended with [but those difficulties are ok/worth it because] they win prizes for writing stories/playing the drums amazingly well.

It's alarming as a parent of an autistic girl who has just started main stream secondary school, I'm constantly thinking of ways to reinforce that she's not "born in the wrong body"

Thanks for the heads up OP I'll stay away from the NAS.

I said on the other thread I experienced this ^superpowers, and puritanical policing of how you're allowed to phrase/refer to people. It mirrors the trans ID situation in some ways and of course as we know can often affect the same people.

Some people who have relatives with severe autism have raised objections that it ignores and sidelines the negative aspects of that,^

I posted my first ever comment about my daughter on a FB site it was something about all autistics have hidden supper powers, which I think is so dismissive and I basically said my daughter is extremely vunerable to abuse, manipulation and is negatively affected daily by her autism.
I got piled on by a couple of people who just kept going, even when I clarified that I 100% support her and push her forward to achieve her full potential. A few parents supported me but in the end after about 200 comments I deleted my comment as it was starting to stress me.

Most were from these two telling me my daughter was probably better off without me that stung even though I knew they were being nasty and them trying to re-educate me that I must never talk/advocate for my daughter whose a fucking child therefore that is my role as her parent or say "my daughter" as she's not a possession...it did think FFS that is normal language of course I know she's not a fucking possession the my denotes that I am her mother 🤦‍♀️ oh and I'm holding her back by saying she doesn't have a super power, she's absolutely amazing and I'm a better person because of her. But she's doesn't need to have a superpower to be special or important to others.

Anyway I'm angrily rambling now!

Thanks for that cabinfever10

Don't need a dysphoria diagnosis, just self identify, transexuals are scorned, women told their oppression is a privilege and anyone who disagrees is a Nazi?

Sounds very familiar.

ICD = International Classification of Diseases (World Health Organisation)

This shit really pisses me off both my ds and I are autistic and have co-morbidities.
I'm lucky enough to be classed as high functioning which just means my asd doesn't effect others very much it didn't make school or life any easier infact it made it worse because it wasn't recognised (was told it couldn't be asd as I was a girl🤬) and I was labelled as a "difficult problem child who must have BPD" I didn't get an official diagnosis until after my ds got his (couldn't miss it in him) and that was only because the team assessing my ds picked it up in me and referred me to the adult team.
The fact that people are now self identifying as autistic doesn't help us any but infact makes it more difficult for us.
It would seem that the same tras who have co-opted dsd (intersex ) are trying to do the same with ASD only its much more dangerous for us as a group because we are particularly vulnerable to the gender bs as teenagers due to our asd and its common for us to be gender non conforming which often leads to all types of body dismorphia but with watchful waiting and therapy and coming out the other side of puberty normally goes away. But now you have people telling you that all your problems are caused by being trans and if you transition everything including your asd will go away
Whilst doing and saying all of the above they are taking actual science about the visible difference between a neuro-typical brain and an ASD brain such as the underdevelopment of structures in the brain that controls your emotions and overdevelopment of areas that deal with sensory input all of which can be seen on an FMRI and are trying to use this to bolster the lady/man brain claims of the gender identity cult, because if autism is just another identity it's the same as being trans and if you can see asd on a FMRI then they will be able to see being trans too. It also allows TRAs to claim that being trans is just another neuro diversity.
@Franca123 I know that this is a bit difficult to follow (as is anything to do with queer theory) bit I hope it helps explain what is going on

That official text is immensely ablist of course.

Officially...

ICD 11
6A02 Autism Spectrum Disorder
Autism spectrum disorder is characterised by persistent deficits in the ability to initiate and to sustain reciprocal social interaction and social communication, and by a range of restricted, repetitive, and inflexible patterns of behaviour, interests or activities that are clearly atypical or excessive for the individual’s age and sociocultural context. The onset of the disorder occurs during the developmental period, typically in early childhood, but symptoms may not become fully manifest until later, when social demands exceed limited capacities. Deficits are sufficiently severe to cause impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas of functioning and are usually a pervasive feature of the individual’s functioning observable in all settings, although they may vary according to social, educational, or other context. Individuals along the spectrum exhibit a full range of intellectual functioning and language abilities.

Yes I appreciate that I didn't make it very clear, sorry.

I'm fuming that the NAS is clearly being guided by this individual

www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/stories/stories-from-the-spectrum-wenn-lawson

Ok ok I just felt your huge text read as something it wasn't.

It's not opinion.
Autism is defined as differences in social interaction, social communication, flexible thinking and sensory differences. This is called the Triad or dyad of impairments. All I have done is extrapolated some examples of how this manifests.

Cross posted.

It's not my own opinion. It's based on 20 years in the field, the diagnostic criteria for autism, and the dyad of impairments.

I was meaning another poster.

But the huge text of not a quote or official information that can be linked is absolutely opinion, even if the person who posted it does work with autistic people.

Ah, changed names there sorry. I am AvaCallanach.

I always feel this is a brilliant way to autism with regards to the concept of a "spectrum" that's frequently misconstrued as a linear progressive idea. Which is ableist in itself.

the-art-of-autism.com/understanding-the-spectrum-a-comic-strip-explanation/