To understand that Autism is NOT a mental illness?

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Just that really, someone posted that autism is a mental illness.
I understand autism to be a different way of thinking/perceiving etc. Not an illness that one may or may not recover from

(My daughter is waiting for an assessment for autism & I would hate her to feel that she 'has a mental illness' & actually find that statement so disempowering. The world needs people to think differently, to challenge ideas that maybe set in stone & blur the idea that one size fits all.)

Battleax would you make a common cause with my DD who chooses to use the term disorder and who says that her autism directly effects the way her mind works? She has no problem describing herself in terms of both neurodiversity and mental functioning. She sees these inherent aspects of herself as different from mental illness (which she also happens to have i.e. PTSD, anxiety and depression).

I have to say that I would tend to avoid using either condition or disorder when talking to others for fear of offending. DD hates the term condition. It has connotations for her that she finds offensive. She relates the term 'condition' to medical diseases e.g. a nasty skin condition, a fungal nail condition etc.

Battleax would you make a common cause with my DD who chooses to use the term disorder and who says that her autism directly effects the way her mind works?

Yes I would. She’s autistic. She has every right to come to a different conclusion to mine.

She relates the term 'condition' to medical diseases e.g. a nasty skin condition, a fungal nail condition etc.

Oh don’t plant that in my brain when ASC is the only alternative to ASD in regular use

Battleax, can you not see that your use of person first language would be seen in the same light by many autistic activists?

You choose your language, I'll choose mine, zzzzz and her son can choose theirs, no big deal.

Thanks battleax and soddingunicorns It is really useful to know as I'm moving from child to teen, and that teen is then going to become a young adult etc.

Forget the ASD/ASC, just use autism. It's just a couple of extra keystrokes and saves all this palaver.

I hope she feels more mositve as she gets older Teg.

School really is the peak of wanting to conform, bring required to observe many petty regulations, having absolutely no control over your environment, and so on.

IME, a lot of the pressure eases once you can discard various extraneous pressures one by one.

Anyway, must go, I have a batch cook session to do and a the garden to water.

Sorry Battleax

@ThinkingTed, I think you're doing well.

My autism wasn't diagnosed until I was in my 30s, but my mother was an excellent advocate for my 'otherness', and it would appear you're doing your best, too.

I can only speak from my own experience, but the teenage years are difficult for NTs, never mind NDs - your daughter will be glad of your support and your open-mindedness.

I'm with you on that HardAsSnails

And thanks Battleax. DD hasn't been in school for 4 years (source of the PTSD) Getting older and not being part of the school system has definietly helped!

I’m very glad if you found it helpful Ted.

Teg

I am autistic and I prefer identity first language. @Iceweasel

Great! Then I would respect that and refer to you as you like. But in general I will not go around saying "that autistic child". It's rude, in my opinion, until that person tells me otherwise.

Completely haven't read the whole thread - my view is that autistic aspects (that we all have some of) represent our differences; it becomes autism where the differences are so much it outweighs the norms.

Parallel and a contributory factor to this is that, in my view, general life has become so bland that any 'differences' have become more evident.

Autism as a mental illness in reality, No. However, some of the categorizations that are needed to help the Autistic Person get on fall under the heading "Mental Illness"

@HateIsNotGood - I kind of understand what you're saying, but when NTs say 'oh, we're all a bit autistic!', it's a bit, I dunno, rude, TBH.

It would be like me talking to a cancer sufferer and saying 'oh well, we all carry the genetic possibility to develop potentially fatal mutations in our cells!'.

Do you see what I mean? My neurodivergence is my reality: I live with it every day, and in a world of neurotypicals, it affects my life on a base level.

Having somebody tell me that they're 'a bit autistic' because they don't like wool against their skin or arrange their CDs in alphabetical order is, to say the least, mildly insulting.

Also, please don't cap up 'Autistic Person': I'm not a zoological exhibit.

Just 'person' is fine, thanks.

my view is that autistic aspects (that we all have some of)
No we don't. Please don't marginalise my autism by trying to claim what others see as positive or interesting traits. It's rude and insulting.

I like the line from X Men : We don't need a cure, we ARE the cure

www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/abcs-child-psychiatry/201510/is-autism-mental-illness

'The motivation behind the push to label autism as something other than a psychiatric disorder, in my view, comes much more from fears of stigma than any scientific principle. Unfortunately, however, one unintended consequence of the push to move certain conditions out of the mental illness category is increased stigmatization for those that remain there. “We are not you,” is the not so subtle message being sent.'

'I guess my main point here is that if someone wants to label more extreme and less typical behavior as psychological or neurological or developmental (or as no disorder at all) then that's their interpretation. However, what is neither scientifically supported nor constructive is to parse out us versus them or you’re ill and I’m not groups that promote further division and stigma. We need to appreciate fully how words like psychiatric, neurological, and developmental are really our own arbitrary creations that the human brain doesn’t recognize or respect. From there, I wonder if it might be best just to leave terms like “mental illness” behind for everyone in favor of more encompassing labels that don’t carry the same history or baggage. Maybe something like “complex brain disorders” would work? That way, we can move beyond this weary debate and work to speak in a unified voice for adequate resources and rights for all people who struggle with cognitive-emotional-behavioral challenges, whatever we decide to call them'

I'm not shouting anyone down

You are, you have been all thread. I don’t think you’re intending to, but literally every time anyone who is autistic says anything you rebut it with “yes but you’re articulate, what about the non verbal people” without acknowledging or even attempting to understand what is being said.

I went to bed very angry last night, so I’ve reread in an attempt to explain what I mean and I suggest, zzzzz that you reread all your contributions, because that is what you do. Shout down anyone who tries to speak as (your words) an articulate autistic because you’re fed up of non verbal people being marginalised.

Which is enormously ironic since I’m pretty fed up of being marginalised by NTs who are unwilling to listen.

Battleax and others are far more articulate than I, and have made many calm, well thought out, eloquent posts. And then you blunder in again saying “yes but....” which utterly dismisses anything they have to say.

You seem to think you are just advocating for your child and not silencing or demanding anyone else’s right to speak or hold an opinion. I’m afraid to say you are wrong, and you have an absolute cheek to tell anyone they are silencing “the autistic community” when that seems to be your sole aim unless you deem their needs worthy.