Autistic Culture Movement / Neurodiversity

[Dr.Research]

I think my main issue with people who try to deny autism can be an issue and don't want to treat it as a problem is that it's all (or primarily) high functioning folks. Yea, for Asperger's Johnny who had help to understand what autism is and could adjust to societal norms, he may be perfectly ok with the 'tism. But maybe Low Spectrum Sal who is nonverbal and has constant behavioral problems would prefer not to have autism if given the choice.

I'm not autistic nor do I have kids, autistic or otherwise, so I can't say how genuine parents are when some say they wouldn't change their kids autism, but I think if something could be done it would be worth to look into and give parents the choice. I don't know the statistics, but with every Asperger's Johnny you can have a Low Spectrum Sal.

Typical of damn near every big advocacy campaign, they speak for a per cent (he Johnnys) and tend to ignore others (the Sals).

 

[Idling]

So... by the logic of this forum, we should just utilize eugenics and pharmaceuticals to rid people of eccentricity, physical/mental failings, or anything that society would deem unacceptable or undesirable in the name of security and prosperity. The last time that happened, six million were slaughtered to fulfill the fantasy of a mustached madman.

Spoiler: First they came for the Otherkin, and I did not speak out...

 

[Cucky]

So what did we agree upon? Are we gonna gas the autists in this thread first or last, i forget.

 

[Son of Big Boss]

This whole reasoning is borderline retarded.
What is a genius anyway? A miserable pile of autism Just someone that is called like that because of his actions. What if Einstein got obsessed over Sonic the Hedgehog instead of Science? Would he still be called a genius? Yeah right...

So the whole "Neurodiversity" argument already falls apart.

Also, i'm still skeptic of Einstein having the 'tism.
Autistic people have trouble feeling empathy, or trying to imagine what will happen in the future after their actions, right?

Well, Einstein knew very well what Nuclear would have done to the world.
He also knew that progress couldn't be stopped.

To me, he is more eccentric (like the majority of scientists. what a revelation) rather than exceptional individual.

 

[guau]

This thread made me both autistic and blind, thanks op.

 

[The Lizard Queen]

This thread made me both autistic and blind, thanks op.

You're welcome.

But, at least we now have groups for both conditions, you can join the Autistic Culture Movement, as well as the Blind Culture movement!
Feel proud about how special and different you are! Everyone else on Tumblr will surely be jealous.
They'll have to make up at least a dozen new conditions just to even try topping you.

 

[Scratch This Nut]

This thread made me both autistic and blind, thanks op.

Congrats, you lucky bastard! You are now the trans queen of tumblr!

 

[*Asterisk*]

Also, i'm still skeptic of Einstein having the 'tism.
Autistic people have trouble feeling empathy, or trying to imagine what will happen in the future after their actions, right?

Well, Einstein knew very well what Nuclear would have done to the world.
He also knew that progress couldn't be stopped.

To me, he is more eccentric (like the majority of scientists. what a revelation) rather than exceptional individual.

Despite what Connor would lead you to believe, autistic people are more than capable of imagining future actions and feeling empathy. Just because something comes neither naturally nor easily doesn't mean it can't come at all.

I'll agree that people nowadays speculate way too much on the mental states of historical figures without actually knowing what they're talking about, but sometimes it's still really easy to spot. Guys like Glenn Gould and Kanye West are as obviously autistic as Eleanor Roosevelt and J. Edgar Hoover were obviously gay.

*****

Edit: Another good example related to autism is sarcasm. It also comes neither intuitively nor easily, but it can still come, and those with autism can even be very good at it.

One of my favorite things to do on the net is listen to the Wrestling Observer Radio shows. Founder and frequent host Dave Meltzer is so obviously autistic he makes Kanye West look neurotypical. But while people's sarcasm and non literal stories do often fly over his head, Meltzer himself is actually very good at telling non literal stories and being sarcastic.*

It's not that it can't come, it just comes neither intuitively nor easily. And when it does come, it doesn't quite come in the same way it ordinarily comes to others.

*For example, any time the topics of the Miz or Tito Ortiz come up.

 

[Lefty's Revenge]

This is pretty fascinating to me actually.

Its been some time since I've read up on it but this kind of reminds me of the "gay cure" discussion that pops up on occassion. If there was a cure for being gay would people take it? Should they take it? Should science look into making a cure one day? Etc.

I will say as someone who's worked with kids in the past I think the disease is a bit over diagnosed. Some people are just weird and we shouldn't turn their eccentricities into a handicap.

I have a friend who's somewhere on the spectrum, I'm unsure how severe because I don't think it's terribly noticeable at all however he had to get significant therapy as a child because he couldn't understand looking at people while talking to them.

He essentially used his autism to his benefit. Hes honed in on asian studies and now speaks chinese fluently along with a functonal command of japanese and whatever the hell they speak in myanmar. He did this over the span of about two years. Sure, he may have once tried to convince me he was trans racial with zero sense of irony. But considering all of this and the fact that he has a social life most neurotypical people would die for I'd day it's not a bad trade off. So I understand some of this sentiment.

All that being said, my friend is pretty rare and lucky that he honed in on asian cultures and had the common sense/people around him to direct thay energy to something positive instead of say legos.

There's a chance an autistic child will become the next einstein. Theres a chance your child could become Chris Chan. There's a more sobering chance that your child may be severely autistic and do little else beside scream and destroy things. It's too much of a crap shoot to wish to sustain.

 

[*Asterisk*]

Spoiler: A Cracked article written by members in the movement.

http://www.cracked.com/personal-experiences-1516-6-strange-truths-about-life-with-autism.html
A highlight:
Chris:"According to their own internal audit, the organization only uses four percent or so of its money to actually help people who have autism live better lives, and over 30 percent of it researching the causes of autism so they can 'cure' it. This includes researching what causes autism in the womb. Meaning they are researching eugenics so that we can stop existing."

I finally went and read this whole thing.

Motherfuck Cracked. This shit warrants a(n Off-Topic) thread.

 

[Without A Gout]

This whole reasoning is borderline retarded.
What is a genius anyway? A miserable pile of autism Just someone that is called like that because of his actions. What if Einstein got obsessed over Sonic the Hedgehog instead of Science? Would he still be called a genius? Yeah right...

So the whole "Neurodiversity" argument already falls apart.

Also, i'm still skeptic of Einstein having the 'tism.
Autistic people have trouble feeling empathy, or trying to imagine what will happen in the future after their actions, right?

Well, Einstein knew very well what Nuclear would have done to the world.
He also knew that progress couldn't be stopped.

To me, he is more eccentric (like the majority of scientists. what a revelation) rather than exceptional individual.

I don't believe Einstein had 'tism. Apparently Einstein was a real ladies man as well, very suave. I don't think he could've done that with 'tism.

I never got the whole "identify past people with autism" either. If you're going to cherry pick people for autism, then you can do it negatively as well. Heinrich Himmler was absolutely anal retentive with numbers and statistics. That obviously means he was autistic. (/sarcasm). School shooters Seung-Hui Cho, Adam Lanza and countless others? Autism.

I don't have a problem with autistics in general, but the people in support of this "neurodiversity" movement are being very selfish. True, you can get somebody on the spectrum like Temple Grandin or Satoshi Tajiri, but there are thousands upon thousands of examples where people with autism amounted to nothing more than burdens on their family and society, be it due to social, physical or mental deficiencies. It sounds incredibly cruel, but more than likely, a parent with an autistic child isn't going to be raising the next Einstein or Beethoven. They'll be raising the next 03bgood or Len Shaner.

TL;DR Autistics are mostly fat and I would not flap around in circles with them.

 

[TowinKarz]

It's like using that one example of the kid who went right from high school to the NBA and made millions as an example of why school isn't important. The 1 in 10,000 case is held up as typical, while the other 9,999 dropouts living in their parent's basement on a cheeto-residue-stained couch are ignored.

 

[*Asterisk*]

It's like using that one example of the kid who went right from high school to the NBA and made millions as an example of why school isn't important. The 1 in 10,000 case is held up as typical, while the other 9,999 dropouts living in their parent's basement on a cheeto-residue-stained couch are ignored.

Hell, go watch the video of that Sheffield kid. A mere parent's basement is the better scenario for a lot of parents.

That's why people wanna search for a cure, or at the very least treatments with tangible results.

 

[The Lizard Queen]

I think there are too many people assuming that all obsessions are autism related, and that all smart people who are obsessed with something are on the spectrum. Everyday normal people can develop obsessions, be it mathematics, or video games. The difference is these same normal people have fewer difficulties understanding and interacting with others, developing friends and family ties, and knowing when they are taking their obsession too far.

The human brain is a very complex thing, and is capable of some amazing feats. A mental disorder is not required to "unlock" any aspect of the mind. All of that stuff is there to begin with, and is available to any person who is willing to train their mind to use that information. However, the amount of time required to develop such skills to a professional level can lead to a certain degree of social isolation. A person who is socially awkward and good at things is usually not an aspie, it just means he's prioritized one aspect of his life ahead of others.

There is also the concept of addiction. Some people can get addicted to things like knowledge, but it does not mean they have a spectrum disorder.

 

[Holdek]

My only complaint about Autism Speaks is its slogan

. A more accurate one would be:

"AUTISM

. It's time to listen before you get pepper sprayed in the face over Sonic the Hedgehog."

 

[AnOminous]

I created this for another thread, but it seems to fit here, too.

 

[RepQuest]

I think there are too many people assuming that all obsessions are autism related, and that all smart people who are obsessed with something are on the spectrum.

Because it seems like anyone who is even remotely socially awkward or takes a slight interest in something "nerdy" carries an autism/Asperger's diagnosis nowadays?

 

[AnOminous]

Because it seems like anyone who is even remotely socially awkward or takes a slight interest in something "nerdy" carries an autism/Asperger's diagnosis nowadays?

Yes, but they get the cool autism where you get to hang around with Einstein and stuff, not that unhip yesterday autism where you do nothing but sit in an asylum banging your head against the wall. Not the kind you'd want to cure or anything.

 

[RepQuest]

Yes, but they get the cool autism where you get to hang around with Einstein and stuff, not that unhip yesterday autism where you do nothing but sit in an asylum banging your head against the wall. Not the kind you'd want to cure or anything.

That's the thing: Are most current autism diagnoses even warranted? You know, with this epidemic of autism, is it just among people who are only a bit shy or like video games a tad too much?

 

[Scratch This Nut]

That's the thing: Are most current autism diagnoses even warranted? You know, with this epidemic of autism, is it just among people who are only a bit shy or like video games a tad too much?

I'm sure a lot of those are self-diagnosed. Most autistics diagnosed by doctors were diagnosed when they were toddlers.