As a person living with Autism to be fed up of all the weird and negative autism threads in the last few days?

[PipinwasAuntieMabelsdog]

Apparently, we are: stalkers, rapists (SW article thread), weirdos who pose threats to children (playing in street thread) non adults. I just don't get it and it makes me

I don't have autism, but I agree! I'm also amazed how many people suggest someone 'might have autism' because they behave in an unacceptable way.

It’s really ramped up lately.

There is a negative autism thread at least once a day on here. It's the reason we asked for our own board, so we can get away from it.

I haven’t read any of the threads you mention but I am constantly staggered at the level of abject fucking ignorance surrounding neurodiversity - everyone from GPs to teachers to random people on the street who think my autistic DC is having a highly distressing meltdown due to poor parenting, and feel the need to voice their ignorance in front of him. YANBU!

My GP told me my son couldn't have autism because he doesn't have learning difficulties 🙈

@ofwarren it is outrageous isn’t it? Sadly I’m not surprised to hear this - ours said my DS couldn’t be autistic bc he made good eye contact 🤦🏾‍♀️

@ofwarren it's shocking. My cousin was told he doesn't have adhd because he has a Job, partner and Child it's madness.

I'm diagnosed autistic and I have a husband, kids, my own business. The whole lot. In fact, no one would know im autistic unless I told them. - or rather most people.

People have literally no clue about autism.

Excuse the poor grammar and punctuation. It's late and I'm not bothering to correct on my phone

I guess we moved from the savant stereotype to the naughty child stereotype.

A lot of people's exposure comes from SM or on here, either from parents struggling, so of course the behaviour will be challenging, or someone saying x did y and 100 posters suggesting they might be autistic. On and on it goes in a toxic cycle.

It's very two dimensional and reductive. It's also... easy. It takes time, interest and a will to understand to learn about all the different presentations, the quirks,the struggles, the strengths . It's even harder to acknowledge and truly notice the "average" child/adult behaviours. You know, just a bog standard human being doing bog standard things. Those either get drowned in the negatives or used to whip out "well he/she can't have autism because...".

I can't get my head around the fact that people don't seem to realise it's an actual disability and that autistic people cannot always be expected to behave and act like neurotypical people.

But it's mumsnet, so of course, saying that means you are condoning harassment and sexual assault, no matter how often you repeat that sexual predators are in a category of their own, autistic or not. It's tiring.

Also, severely autistic people who are violent during a meltdown apparently should not be allowed out in society. Best lock em up.

100% agree with you OP. Some of the recent threads have been shocking.

Could you direct me to that board please.

I've found it!

It's horrible isn't it.

Pisses me off when anyone on here talks about any negative behaviour and people instantly say that they probably have autism.

No.

Some people are just twats.

I hate the way that autism, poor mental health or other neurodiverse behaviour is used far too often to excuse bad behaviour when it is quite possible that bad behaviour is just that.

Autistic people can also behave like twats. Just like the rest of the world. The autism can be completely irrelevant

Yes. But that doesn't mean all twats are autistic. Or that if someone is behaving like a twat, you should jump to suggesting autism as the cause.

MN as a collective has very strong views about what behaviour is deemed "normal" and anything outside of that has to be labelled or degraded.

You only have to look at any thread here, from relationships to housekeeping to style and beauty. What make up is "dated", how often you wash your towels, buzz words like controlling and narcisstic thrown around all the time. If you don't do what the masses here do, you're an outsider.

It must be difficult to read as any shitty behaviour is normally just put down to being "on the spectrum" in an offhand way without consideration that it tars everyone else with ASD with the same brush. Most aspies I know try so hard to fit in and it sounds really exhausting

Unbelievable.

Pete Wharmby on Twitter posts really good stuff about what it's like to be autistic (in his lived experience). As a special needs educator, I find them really helpful. He's also publishing a book next year.

I nearly lost my children after being judged by a set of ‘professionals’ and the fact they didn’t understand autism plus one who just disliked me and made things up. Had to endure a CP investigation and had done absolutely nothing wrong thank god for the common sense of the social worker.

Things need to change

Awful that currently 38% voted YABU.

Such outstanding levels of ignorance in society regarding autism.

We may have the same GP! Mine said she thought my DD did not have autism as she read ‘normal’ books 🙄

'I didn't talk much at school either, maybe I'm autistic too?!'
Me, thinking 'No doctor, you're just a patronising bitch' though to be fair, on Mumsnet these days she'd be self-diagnosing for attention and I'd still be struggling.
Mumsnet is crap place to be autistic. Person is an asshole = must be autistic. Child is a mini asshole = better get them diagnosed. Person is obviously struggling with certain things and may well be autistic = controlling, can't diagnose them with autism just off the internet, had we mentioned the red flags. Person wants attention = claims to be neurodiverse. Person can't be bothered to make an effort with the boring stuff in life = you must have ADHD.
And meanwhile those of us who genuinely have issues still get to feel shit about ourselves and struggle on in a world that preaches #bekind while not giving a flying fuck about anyone else.
Thank goodness for the Lego thread!

My point entirely.

Random diagnoses by randoms aren't helpful to anyone.

Yes I feel the same , awful reading such negativity. The sad thing is these people no doubt have child/grandchildren of their own and will be influencing their minds too. No wonder my asd son doesn't have friends at school.