4 ms·

This is the exact feeling I get, for some things I just don't get why most people do that. I realise that for some people it may be hard to cope with or people

This is the exact feeling I get, for some things I just don't get why most people do that. I realise that for some people it may be hard to cope with or people might be intolerant or ignorant, and not to put those on the spectrum down or anything but I kind of think that everyone is on "the spectrum" with "normal" people just on one far side of it, it's just another part of being human. Someone I know very well is definitely Asperger's based on what I know and I have read, yet he was never diagnosed and would be offended if he had some label attached to them, and whilst he is terrible in social situations, he is completely independent and has always managed to hold down a job. I think in a way a diagnosis is a bad thing, if it then means that person is coddled for want of a better word.

mercer 9y ago
While I think you have a point, I really, really dislike the conclusion, as I've seen and experienced the harm it causes. While I'm sure there are cases where the person diagnosed is coddled (and this is something to keep an eye on), there are many more cases where there's a real problem, and the lack of a diagnosis or the lack of accepting that the (un)diagnosed simply has limitations is a big part of the problem. It's a bit like the attitude that welfare is a bad thing because some people are lazy. I'd argue that, provided we can afford it as a society (and we can), if even one out of ten people is helped, the other nine can scam their way into welfare all they want.
- roryrjb 9y ago
  Yeah true. I guess it's a wide spectrum, and it depends on what effect the condition has. I guess I mainly said that with regard to more milder symptoms, where that person would be fine but are in a sense held back by the diagnosis.
  - mercer 9y ago
    That I completely agree with. After being diagnosed, for quite a bit of time I could not think of anything else, felt more anxious and weird, and tried even harder to 'hide' my quirks. Over time I realized a lot of those quirks are not so weird, or at least not weirder than those of 'normal' people. In fact, this is one reason why, as I understand it, adult aspies are sometimes warned that they might not want a proper diagnosis, as it can have a severe negative effect (even if just self-worth), and there's not much that can be done to 'solve' the problem.

mercer 9y ago

While I think you have a point, I really, really dislike the conclusion, as I've seen and experienced the harm it causes. While I'm sure there are cases where the person diagnosed is coddled (and this is something to keep an eye on), there are many more cases where there's a real problem, and the lack of a diagnosis or the lack of accepting that the (un)diagnosed simply has limitations is a big part of the problem. It's a bit like the attitude that welfare is a bad thing because some people are lazy. I'd argue that, provided we can afford it as a society (and we can), if even one out of ten people is helped, the other nine can scam their way into welfare all they want.

roryrjb 9y ago
Yeah true. I guess it's a wide spectrum, and it depends on what effect the condition has. I guess I mainly said that with regard to more milder symptoms, where that person would be fine but are in a sense held back by the diagnosis.
- mercer 9y ago
  That I completely agree with. After being diagnosed, for quite a bit of time I could not think of anything else, felt more anxious and weird, and tried even harder to 'hide' my quirks. Over time I realized a lot of those quirks are not so weird, or at least not weirder than those of 'normal' people. In fact, this is one reason why, as I understand it, adult aspies are sometimes warned that they might not want a proper diagnosis, as it can have a severe negative effect (even if just self-worth), and there's not much that can be done to 'solve' the problem.