To find this view re autism frustrating

[Pleasenomorespiders]

Somebody today tried to argue that autism is simply a 'gift' because people like Einstein supposedly had it, I suppose they're talking about people on the spectrum being more gifted and talented in some areas.
This person must surely realise it's a spectrum and has failed to mention how debilitating autism can be, how much people with it can struggle in every aspect of life and may never be able to have a 'normal' life.

Calling it a 'gift' is nice, they're only thinking about high-functioning individuals who as I say have heightened awareness and notice patterns, artistically or mathematically gifted, or whatever it may be. Autism is simply not 'just seeing the world differently'. Many individuals will never have a job or a relationship.

There is zero value in experiencing the world whilst having the 3 traits that bring about a diagnosis to the extent they have a significant impact on life. None.

What is damaging is dressing up a disability that causes significant pain, endless trauma, difficulty, isolation, often abuse and intolerable difficulties as a strength and just a “difference”. My kids would give anything not to have it as would I. The damage it has caused across generations and sectors of my family is beyond hideous.

Of course there is value. There are lots of stories of autistic people who have brought incredible value to the world, because of, not in spite, of their autism and unique talents and ways of understanding the world that derive from that. Have you read neurotribes?

Alain Turing was the same yet he spent his whole life struggling to socialise and make friends. He is believed to have been autistic.

The often trotted out Einstein
didnt doeak untill he was 4 , 5 , 6 etc is a myth he waa slightly delayed but was speaking in short senrences by 2.

I know quite a lot of people with learning disabilities but our relationships are very unequal - I lose them if I talk about anything complex. It relies on me constantly adjusting my conversation to their level. The same must have been true for Einstein in everyday life except with people of normal intellect. Very high IQ alone can make social interaction and social norms frustrating.

What’s wrong with feeling this way though? I do feel lucky not to have autism and certainly very grateful that my daughter doesn’t have autism. Why is that wrong? It’s the same as any other disability - I feel lucky that I am not disabled and that my daughter isn’t disabled. That’s effectively what’s being said.

Why would anyone WANT a disability?

Autism is a box though. A box that is portrayed by unhelpful stereotypes and much too broader a range of presentations to be helpful. Why diagnose it at all under your logic?

There are a minority of adults who seem to want to have autism. They act like their normal human traits are part of having autism or things that have nothing to do with autism are traits

Quite frankly, some people do. The internet is a hot bed of people self-identifying with autism and anything else they fancy makes them seem interesting.

I think there are trends for want of a better word
A few years back there were alot of celebrities opening up about their journey witjBi polar disorder
Now its autism
But im seeing more ADHD too

You are right, of course those with autism matter just as much as those without.

However, you can’t honestly say that if you were given a choice before your child was born that you would have chosen for her to have autism. Of course, now this makes who she is, but, when pregnant and hypothetically given the choice - autism
or no autism, how many would tick the autism box?

Hence ‘autistic person’ rather than ‘person with autism’: it is their whole identity and they them seek to live that identity.

And they tell people it's a difference not a disability and dismiss the experiences of those of us who are diagnosed and disabled by it

I wouldn't have asked to be assessed if it wasn't affecting my life

It’s not a trend it’s being more aware how both present for the other 50% of the be population who were shut out of the diagnosis process before. As were many people of colour and those who had both. We now know you can have both and you aren’t shut out of either if you have one. We also should know that we need to be aware of racial bias and not be more ready to dismiss autism amd adhd as behavioural issues within the black community. It’s so misogynistic and frankly racist dismissing increased awareness in autism and ADHD in women and girls and people of colour as a trend.

I wss replying to a poster about people who self diagnose and are very vocal about it
Despite never even looking into an actual assesment
And you can disagree with me all you want but dont try and close down the discusion by calling me a misogynist and a racist .

But it’s funny isn’t it. It was all great and dandy when it was mostly white boys being diagnosed. Now “trend “gets tossed about with gay abandon by those that can often know little about autism and definitely nothing about the people they’re dismissing. If diagnosis rates increased due to increased awareness for anything that benefitted white males there would be celebration.

Many people have to self diagnose prior to diagnosis because the wait lists are ridiculously long. That is not the fault of the autistic community.

Diagnosis rate has increased in no small
part due to the broadening of diagnostic criteria. It is very often screamed that “no everyone is not on the spectrum!” but in reality the diagnostic criteria are based on spectrums of behaviour we all sit on and as such can shift along it to include more people.

DS is a white boy.
His autism isn’t ‘great and dandy’ and was never something wanted.
Disability rarely is and that’s what his autism is, a disability.
Nobody would want be as tortured by daily life as he is…and he can speak, and is bright, so I know others have it much worse. But his life has been destroyed by this.

It was fine and dandy when mostly only white boys were being diagnosed or the fact women, girls and people of colour were being shut out. It was pretty clear from my post what meant. I have 2 white boys with autism that are pretty much tortured by autism too.

Your accusation of racism and misogyny hold up a mirror to yourself.

No subgroups were merged, sensory sensitivities quite rightly added , masking finally recognised,the rigid cut off that which didn’t recognise that traits can manifest after 3 was thankfully removed and the co morbidity ban with adhd was lifted.

Few people meet diagnosis criteria hence the numbers of autistic people in society being so small.

Don’t be so ridiculous.

I don’t agree with you is all.

Diagnosing people, whoever they are, with a condition that will adversely affect their lives should never be described as fine and dandy. Excluding people isn’t fine and dandy either…nobody thinks it is now.
The diagnostic criteria have changed.

so you agree that the diagnostic criteria have been broadened then? There is no defined cut off for an autism diagnosis - everyone IS on the spectrum that makes up each of the diagnostic criteria. Even the idea that it causes significant functional impairment is subjective, vague and moveable.

No I absolutely do not. The diagnosis process is robust and lengthy and most people do not meet the threshold or have the combination of traits needed for a diagnosis.