i did read through this thread but i'm just going to focus on the OP because it's 2am
but @AlexTheRose, ASD people don't generally come across as rude due to inherent selfishness. More like the inability to communicate well or empathize/sympathize with others causes people to interpret them as self-centred. Also, the normal ASD person's way of communicating with others tends to be "hear story; share related story involving myself". That also comes across as self-centred, but what it boils down to is "I want to express and solidify companionship by telling you a relevant personal story."
It appears that everyone on the internet is misusing Autism. Whenever someone either makes a negative opinion, thinks trivial things on something no one cares about, or draws sub-par fanart, that person is accused as being autistic and must be laughed at no matter what, and it's extremely common in a few social sites like 4chan.
js 4chan is really not the pinnacle of the internet and I would completely expect them to be derogatory
Not only that, but like ADHD, it's being used as an excuse for misbehavior, so the parents wouldn't be fully responsible in taking care of their child, which also led some to believe that Autism is just a myth. This is not the true definition of Autism, and it seems to give people who are truly diagnosed by this disorder a bad name.
I've seen that and it makes me pretty angry. Parents really must not brush things off with "oh they're autistic" and not attempt to problem-solve and teach their child appropriate behaviour. Just because the child may have difficulty grasping the idea does not mean it is not worth trying to teach them. Tbh that's borderline child neglect falling under basic emotional/educational needs.
Autism involves someone who is socially awkward, has difficult communication (ex: odd word choices), cannot focus on an eye-to-eye contact when speaking to someone, has above average intelligence, and lives in his/her own fantasy world in order to escape from reality.
No.
"Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and verbal and non-verbal communication, and by restricted, repetitive or stereotyped behavior."
Socially awkward is not the phrase. Naturally socially impaired is more like it. That does come from the lack of typical development involving speech and interpretation of body language. And that in turn leads to difficulty communicating.
Above average intelligence? No. If you're going to bring that up, let's be talking ASD, not straight up Autism. Most ASD people are below average in intelligence levels, being that the core of ASD- the most common variant, Autism proper- is essentially characterized by a reduction of intellectual development. The higher functioning ones are usually Aspies.
Speaking of, living in fantasy world? That's a ton of human beings bro. You don't have to be ASD to do that. But if you are ASD and living in a fantasy world, it's likely because you're being stigmatized and rejected. "Children with high-functioning autism suffer from more intense and frequent loneliness compared to non-autistic peers, despite the common belief that children with autism prefer to be alone." Let's expand that to include ASD adults. Once you're more aware of how the world views you, that's what happens. You build your own little bubble to live in so nothing can hurt you. It's more common in people who do not fit the social norm and can clearly understand that. Again, you don't have to be ASD for that. It's just a sad fact of life.
It's a very serious condition that could potentially harm someone's life if diagnosed by it, and I happen to be one of the victims, even though my rehab department said I only have a small percentage of Autism.
No.
It's not going to harm your life if you're diagnosed. Probably the greater harm is not being diagnosed, because once you're diagnosed you suddenly have a clearer idea of why you are who you are. And you have access to therapy (if young or severe) and resources that will help you (school/uni counsellors, special education classes, adult support groups). Depending on the severity of the neurological disorder, your parents could get state/government funding for therapists and other resources to help you progress and eventually function at your best capacity. Diagnosis is the very best possible thing that could happen to someone with ASD.
Victim? No. ASD is not malicious. Personifying it as such goes the way of enforcing the stigma against this condition. You are non-neurotypical. You are on the Autism Spectrum. This is something you were born with, and it may have hindered your development, but it is not a thing that is targeting you. You may be a victim of social stigma, you may be a victim of rejection and misunderstanding. But those are relevant to people, not to this condition.
Have you ever met someone diagnosed with Autism?
Yeah. My 13yo stepbrother's an Aspie. My 11yo stepbrother's moderately Autistic. My 9yo stepbrother is probably PDD-NOS. And wow, they are doing well.
Max (eldest) puts his inherent observational and focusing skills to use. Four months after being introduced to Pokémon he could name all 649 and their types and evo methods. Before that he was a total science and history nerd and still is. Memorizes everything with like no effort. He's currently putting energy into sports stats so idk but my bio brother and Dad say he knows like everything.
Benny (youngest) is such an energetic lil sweetheart omg. He had difficulty with speech and vocabulary and reading for a few years but he's getting it and he's doing so much better!
Sammy (middle) has progressed so far, oh my god. He was held back a grade initially because of his Autism but he's jumping back up again after years of therapy and focus on expanding his understanding of like everything. He didn't talk for the longest time but now he's such a chatterer with a wonderful vocabulary and he even lost all his tics and I'm really really proud of him because
he's progressed up to his age level. That is
such a big deal.
What do you think of those who abuse the term whenever they disagree with someone's opinion and those who use it as an excuse for misbehaving?
Do you know what? I hate them. The atrocious people who use "retard" or "autistic" as an insult need to absolutely stop. There are such better insults out there. Use 'dick mango' or 'pissweed' if you're so inclined to express your displeasure. And don't insult people for how they were born. Insult who they choose to be.
As an excuse for misbehaviour, it is intolerable. As evidenced above, care and help can improve the quality of life for non-neurotypical parents and their children and help create more typical and socially acceptable behavioural patterns. Hauling a screaming child out of a shop and apologizing to people because the child is not taking the circumstances well is fine. They might be tired, they might want something the parent won't let them have, whatever. That's fine. Just get the kid out of earshot. "Sorry, he/she is Autistic" is not acceptable. There is surely a reason beyond ASD why the child is not behaving. The child not understanding or reacting appropriately is fine. But don't use Autism as the excuse. Teach the child better.
Are you a victim of Autism yourself? If so, then how are you able to live your life with it?
I am not a victim. I am a fully functioning, socially capable adult diagnosed with Asperger's around age fourteen. I am able to live my life with it because it doesn't impact me much.
Storytime!
I always kind of knew I didn't function as well socially as other kids. I was put into the EBD (Emotional/Behavioural Disorder aka We Don't Know What's Up With You) category in school from fifth grade to eighth. They put me in a weekly small group with some other non-neurotypicals and/or kids who were just acting out in fifth and sixth grade, then the general Special Education study hall in seventh and eighth. There I taught math and helped the other kids with homework.
Joined PC in fifth grade too! So re: gimmiepie: "For those of you who have autism or something similar, do you find that "social" interaction is easier when not done so in person?"
Online interactions definitely improved my ability to interpret social things. On forums, you don't have to worry about tone, non-verbal communication, or even getting back to someone quickly. That all gives me time to think and analyse what is being said, and that does help when you tend to misinterpret.
Ninth grade, still in Special Ed study hall teaching math/making teacher's answer keys/teaching cribbage, still EBD, but diagnosis changed to Asperger's midway through the year. So I read stuff on that. Found out my social development was naturally hindered and therefore set out to overcome that. I found out that reading near-constantly since I was four had actually given me a leg up; being exposed to many different styles, characters, narrative, and exchanges prepped me for analysing real-world conversations and interactions. I began consciously noticing people's reactions, tonality, and non-verbal cues. I definitely used mimicry to help myself use the same things. The thing is, it took conscious effort. I had to pay close attention and actually consciously practice to be able to do things that came naturally and much earlier to most people. But I put what natural assets I had to use- the focus and the memorization skills that tend to come with being an Aspie. Totally exploited my own mentality to overcome my own mentality.
So, eleventh grade, out of Special Ed but regularly meeting the guidance counsellor. Only three years to become a fairly natural-functioning social person... aside from the latent social anxiety. That's a thing I have yet to deal with. But now I have lots of friends and a nice number of great friends (one of whom is an ex-bf ahaha) and a stable job where I keep making new friends and everyone likes me! Well, most people like me none of them actively dislike me haha. And that's a lot of people fyi; 40 or so cashiers and six managers. I'd say I'm socially competent by now since that's the case.
Seriously. Autism is a deal. A big deal. An ordeal. So screw all who make it out to be trivial. Screw all who say it can't be helped. Screw all who get distraught about it. Screw all who use it as an excuse. Pound a fencepost up the ass of every person that demonizes ASD in any way. Because we may not be neurotypical, but we're
human.