MNHQ please can you clamp down on anti autism threads?

[Notreallyarsed]

For weeks now autism and autistic people have been targeted by thread after thread using inflammatory language, negative stereotypes and connotations and just general ignorance. Why is this allowed to happen? Autism is a recognised disability and as such is covered by discrimination laws. Why is it that people, despite education being widely available and offered on here by parents, are allowed to dismiss/deny/minimise autism in a way that would never be considered acceptable for any other disability? @MNHQ

Well, aren't we? A spectrum is a band from one extreme point to another - so from neurotypical to classic autism?

Sorry to shout but NO! The autistic spectrum is exactly what it says on the tin

The NTs can find some other club to belong to.

i actually had a so called professional involved with my kids tell me how "we are all on the spectrum really..."

I have to say I’ve had that one too and it irritated me, it minimises every struggle, every challenge, every fish-out-of-water moment, the anxiety, the fear of getting it wrong, the sensory overloads, all of it. These things should never be minimised, because they’re very real, and very hard.

It wasn't her, it was a girl in year 8 who stood for the student council, talked about bullying (which school later sent out their propaganda machine to explain to students that there was no bullying in their school), dd watched several teachers sniggering at her

There was a thread a week or so again that had me unlurking and posting a link to a blog about autistic family experiences as our son is pre-verbal, on the spectrum and I am fed up of being judged constantly. He is only 3.5yrs but has already been permanently excluded from a nursery who hadn't put anything in place to support him. I have not been posting on here for a while due to exactly this issue, I unfortunately do get annoyed with people's ignorance and am likely to react (I am going through diagnosis too myself - this is probably outing, I may change name again!)

I have no idea what the answer is though, people need more education around invisible disabilities!

Cloud sorry, I misread. How awful that it was teachers sniggering! How the hell are kids supposed to know not to do it if the teachers are?

I have no idea what the answer is though, people need more education around invisible disabilities!

That’s exactly the answer. I’m sorry your boy didn’t get the right support, that’s horrid.

Temple Grandin has some rather elitist and disablist views about autism, so I'm not sure she's the best person to quote. She's alienated a lot of fellow autists.

The spectrum as a linear concept was, I think, the brainchild of Simon Baron-Cohen, who also believed in the extreme male brain theory, which he's now backing away from.

There's a far better explanation of the spectrum, which I'll try to find.

the extreme male brain theory, which he's now backing away from.

Is he? Thank fuck for that.

The Autism Spectrum

Only autistic people can be on an autism spectrum.

It's a nice idea Not, but nothing will change. Just report and hide. Don't engage. People who are genuinely interested will read a book or use google.

Polter I fear you’re right.

I don't see why we should've call it out, though, futile or not.

Someone might learn something.

SHOULDN'T^

" A spectrum is a band from one extreme point to another - so from neurotypical to classic autism? "

Ermm, no. absolutely not, never and just no. Its' far more intricate than that.

the-art-of-autism.com/understanding-the-spectrum-a-comic-strip-explanation/

It's

I think I’m at the “always challenge” stage, because it’s coming from all directions in RL (kids all at different stages, facing different challenges) and I’m almost permanently in fight or flight mode.

Of course someone might learn something terf, but it just results in more goady fuckery from the same people again and again, and it's bloody upsetting for people to keep seeing it and it feeds the GFs.

All humans are on the human spectrum.
Not all humans are on the autistic spectrum.

A bit like all thumbs are fingers, not all fingers are thumbs.

And it would be far better if instead of getting into arguments and trying to put the world to rights about autism on AIBU if those knowledgeable posters put the same effort into helping and supporting posters in real need on the SN boards. Properly vulnerable posters with autism questions and worries aren't going to post on AIBU.

Yes I do know what you're saying, but I don't see how lapsing into silence is ever the "right" approach in the face of bigotry and discrimination.

If nobody contradicts or challenged a lot of this stuff will stand and what's dangerous is, people do believe it.

"Well, aren't we? A spectrum is a band from one extreme point to another - so from neurotypical to classic autism?"

No.

It's a spectrum of autism/s, if someone doesn't have autism, they're not on it.

Oops, the lovely Cloudperson beat me to it, never mind, it's info that's better posted twice than not at all

From my own very recent experience, the vile discrimination against autism and other invisible disabilities also applies to very highly qualified medics.

A lot of people never even see the SN boards. The bigotry and misinformation is going on on the main boards daily in plain sight of everyone.

My DP has quite severe Aspergers (I know that Aspergers isn't in the DSM anymore but I think it is a useful label) and I have to intervene a couple of times a year to prevent others becoming abusive toward him. Older people especially assume that he is being rude. Fortunately if they do insult him, he just looks at them completely blankly and backs away as he has no idea what is going on.

And we need to let MN deal with it. Feeding the GFs doesn't help. Been there done that. Makes no difference.