NT people don’t exist

[Montea]

I don’t think that neurotypical people exist. I think we are all on the spectrum somewhere

So you mean everyone is neurodiverse?

I believe that everyone may share a few traits with people who are on the spectrum. That does not mean we are all autistic. HTH!

If everyone is neurodiverse - then that becomes the baseline for neurotypical. Therefore we are all NT!

By definition not everyone is neuro diverse. Otherwise 'diverse' is meaningless. Over 50 percent are neuro 'normal' in the statistical sense of the term.
But yes overall it is one big spectrum i guess.

Like unicorns?

You can have some traits and not be ND. It's similar to saying "I'm a bit OCD" because you like a tidy home, the two aren't mutually exclusive.

Think what you like. You're still wrong.

There was a research study in the USA 20+ years ago when brain imaging was very new. They wanted to find 100 ‘normal’ people and get images of their brains to compare them to different clinical conditions. So they gave lots of people questionnaires and medical interviews and excluded everyone with a medical or psychiatric condition or possible developmental delay etc. they found only 1 in 10 of the people they screened could be classified as “normal”.

but if the label “normal” only applies to 10% of people, is that really normal at all?

Are you neurodivergent OP? Because I am and I can assure you that I don't feel like NT people are anywhere near the same spectrum as me. If you think you share some traits with autistic people then great, we might also have the same eye colour or be the same height, but it's irrelevant. NT people fundamentally do not communicate on the same channels as me. We are not the same.

A lot of ND traits are common on NT people just to a different extent but otherwise, you're wrong

But how do you know that? How do you know what a 'neutotypical' person thinks and feels like.

Well, yes. Each one of us is neurologically diverse from the next, of course.

Ultimately, except at the far end of the spectrum where it manifests in profound intellectual and developmental disability, I think at some level it becomes a bit like the trans / gender identity debate: how do we know other people’s experiences and realities. Nobody really knows how “typical” people think and feel, whether they all think and feel the same way, and therefore nobody can ever really know that the way they think and feel is “divergent”, or to what extent on the spectrum they diverge from typical, or whether their divergent is in fact what somebody else thinks is typical or vice versa.

Well for a start I know they won’t have -

• persistent deficits in initiating and sustaining social communication and reciprocal social interactions that are outside the range of typical functioning given the person’s age and level of intellectual development

• persistent restricted, repetitive and inflexible patterns of behaviour, interests, or activities that are clearly atypical or excessive for the person’s age and sociocultural context

and these symptoms won’t cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

This is completely untrue and abelist

“But I do think that absolutely everyone could pick up an ASC, ADHD or other neuro diverse label these days if they wanted too. I definitely could, so could my husband and both my kids and my siblings and everyone I know.”

They really couldn’t.

And it’s massively under diagnosed not over diagnosed as many professionals and ND people stuck on waiting lists will tell you.

Most people could tick those boxes if they chose to reflect on their life that way or see themself that way.

They really couldn’t and it needs to have been persistent from early develppment. It’s a thorough assessment lengthy assessment involving a developmental history, ADOS, lengthy assessment sessions, evidence from clinicians and school where appropriate.

And re your other ignorant post only 1 in 100 children have a diagnosis and the wait lists are far too long with children waiting far too long for the diagnosis they need. For those like my children that is catastrophic and ruins lives

I just disagree. That's all. I get that you are in favour of these diagnoses and find it helpful for your children, particularly in trying to access them the support they need. I understand that. I just don't agree with these labels for the most part.

I personally just don't think diagnosing everyone is the answer. I think support should be given based on need not labels/diagnoses.what happens to kids in school who aren't diagnosed with anything but are still expressing needs? Eventually someone will get them a diagnosis, or they won't get the support they need. In reality neither of those outcomes may be most beneficial for the child.

I would disagree with these definitions based on my experience of my own personality and those of others around me.

You don’t get anything extra with a diagnosis.

Uour posts are hugely ableist. Are you this dismissive of all disabilities?

No. I just don't agree with diagnoses on the whole and particularly the large numbers of people being diagnosed with neuro diverse conditions. I just don't think they really exist for many people. We are all neurodiverse.

I just disagree with the explosion of diagnoses and the medicalisation of diversity (and trauma) in the modern world. I think it's all bonkers and nonsense and one day a few hundred years from now the world will.wake up to this strange era in time.

Why cant we all just accept each other and support each other as we are. Why do we need to medicalise and label everyone's differences? Nonsense

Do you know how offensive your posts aee? Do you know what it’s like to have lives blighted and what living with this disability is like?