NT people don’t exist

[Montea]

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

I fully empathise with people's life struggles. I just don't see the need to label them. It's just my view. I find the medicalisation of distress and neurodiversity quite offensive to be honest and I find that for some people it places blame on them rather than acknowledge the trauma they've endured, the disrupted attachments they've had, or whatever else might have contributed to their own distinct way of seeing the world and responding to it.

I fully appreciate some people may see my view as offensive. I see others views as offensive. I disagree with diagnoses, and others disagree with me. That's all ok!

Truly, don't be offended by some random on Mumsnet. I'm not worth it!

Do not dismiss my children’s disability as trauma or disrupted attachment!! They were perfectly attached to me as babies.

I think it's fair to say that we all have problems but some people have more problems than others. That's life, sadly.

First of all, everyone isn’t on the spectrum somewhere. It’s the autistic spectrum, so only autistic people are on it. It describes the ‘spiky profiles’ (i.e. strengths and difficulties) of autistic people.

Secondly, there is no ‘far end’ of it; it’s not a scale that goes from ‘a bit autistic’ to ‘very autistic’. It looks more like the attached picture (it might take a minute to load).

Ps. Yes I do understand what it's like for life to be blighted. I have a sibling who hears hellish voices day in day out every single day of his life. He has a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Which is a shame because in reality he has just experienced significant trauma and the voices and his other symptoms are pretty normal reactions to the trauma he has endured. However, society decides he's 'ill' rather than just accepts his differences. Society would rather see him is suffering an illness than reacting to trauma.

We are all products of our experience and biology. Some experi inches are extreme so the result is extreme behaviour and extreme 'symptoms'.

I wish we lived in a world where we didn't need to diagnose everyone with 'illnesses' all the time and could just accept individual difference, acknowledge the impacts of trauma, and support each other

I didn't say anything about your children experiencing trauma.

You forgot this line ....or whatever else might have contributed to their own distinct way of seeing the world and responding to it.

Well you need a diagnosis for adhd meds

Nothing has contributed to the way they see the world. They are autistic and were born with it.

And you often need a diagnosis for treatment and care to be adjusted.

Do you share many random thoughts online?
Can you please back up your post with some evidence that would support your claim/thought?

If someone is born different to someone else, why can't we as a society just accept them for who they are? (I'm not talking about your specific children). Why do we need to label them with an illness? Why can't we just say 'oh that's frank, he doesn't speak, we help him communicate by using maketon/x/y/x'. Or 'oh that's James, he isn't good at picking up social cues, but everyone loves him! He tells great stories'.. etc..

Why diagnose everyone all the time? I just wish we could all accept each other without the need to medicalise everyone's differences.

I think you know zero about autism. What a bloody stupid thing to say.

I assume you are talking to me.

I have a different opinion to you. Why resort to name calling. We are allowed to all think differently.

My son FINALLY got his ADHD diagnosis and started on the lowest dose of meds. It's been completely transformative ..he's only weeks away from his GCSEs now so it's v v late but it may just mean he passes a few. It's a travesty that children have waste their crucial years in education with these wait lists and labyrinthine systems.

This!!!

Im so pleased your son is now getting the support that is helping him. It's a shame he had to wait for a label before getting support for his needs.

It’s not a label it’s a disability.

It's a label for a set of symptoms which some people believe are caused by a disease/illness and others don't.

I have an ADHD diagnosis (got it 15 years ago so not the new bandwagon tik-tok crowd) and I have thought and said exactly the same.

It's absurd to pathologise sections of society in this way. Unless people are profoundly disabled, ie need constant care to survive, what is the point? We all have strengths and weaknesses and these usually dictate in which direction we thrive and succeed.

We are all neurodivergent, one person to the next. Insomuch as there are subtypes of 'brains' there must be many types. People who are creative and become life's writers, artists, poets etc are a recognisable type but so are those who become accountants or medics or engineers or whatever else. These abilities occur because as a society we need them all. It's just daft to label some of them as being 'different'. To what? Other types of existing and being in the world? Of course there's more than one way to live. Surely that's not a newsflash?

OP I'm very glad you posted this. It's time to stop with all the limiting talk that come from the explosion of 'neurodiversity'. And if anyone comes back with the 'it's my superpower' crap, 🤮 that's the worst kind of negative about it. We all just have different talents that are necessary for the fabric of society to function. No more, no less.

I was diagnosed as autistic but I had experienced a number of significant traumas before my diagnoses, I’m not sure if the team were aware of them? I don’t know what goes on during the diagnostic process, it was a long time ago. I know that’s not the case for everyone who is diagnosed.
I don’t agree that not everyone needs a label. I think labels can be helpful. And I think using schizophrenia is a bad example because that is serious and people with that condition have done dangerous things because of it.
Someone posted a photo above of the different areas in the brain that autism can effect but doesn’t everyone have some difficulties in every area? I think if you look for them you could find autistic traits in everyone and to me it looks like it’s a case of some people having more of them than others but I’m not a professional and judging by the votes most people who have voted disagree with me anyway

So you’re allowed a diagnosis but others aren’t.

People can do what they want regarding diagnoses for neurodiversity. I just don't see what purpose it serves. I got a diagnosis years ago and have come to believe it is nonsensical.

1% of children are diagnosed with autism and 3% adhd. That isn’t a section of society.

And to just dismiss the disabilities that ruin lives as a subset of the brain come and akin to creativity is just appalling .

The autism spectrum is not a linear/gradient thing that goes from mild to severe. There is no ‘far end’.

So yours is worthy and ok but the
diagnosis of others isn’t. My children have been able to access medication and adhd therapies that are hugely helpful through diagnosis. . They have also had treatments adjusted for their autism which is crucial. Most importantly they understand themselves more through diagnosis.