4 ms·

Autism is called a disorder, but I think that that's a pretty negative term for it. People with autism may be a minority, and that makes the condition abnormal,

Autism is called a disorder, but I think that that's a pretty negative term for it. People with autism may be a minority, and that makes the condition abnormal, but in itself autism isn't a bad thing; it's how they relate to the world that make autism "bad." Instead autism is merely different. I think we can treat autism like any other subject. For example, some children start reading earlier than others, and other than extreme cases we don't say that they have a reading disorder. We simply recognize that some people have more difficulty than others learning to read. Can we do the same with social skills? Simply have a dedicated class with structured learning, and recognize that not everyone learns social cues at the same rate?

swiley 7y ago
If they’re a minority it can’t be a particularly extreme one. (Or maybe it’s just because most of the people I spend time around are technically inclined and for some reason that attracts people who are on the spectrum.) I don’t think I’m autistic but personally I know I would have benefited from a course on social cues.
SolaceQuantum 7y ago
This is a philosphy generally known as neurodivergence, from my understanding.
bena 7y ago
Your comment is kind of self-contradictory in a way. Or at least, contains its own answer within itself. You admit that we call extreme cases of slowed reading development a reading disorder. People with autism do represent extreme cases. I understand the logic behind not wanting to call it a disorder due to the negative connotation the word carries. And I appreciate the sympathy. But recognition of the condition is far more valuable. Even if a less-desired word has to be used, I'm just glad it's being recognized.
cr0sh 7y ago
I'm worried that the (fairly) recent change to the DSM to lump the various forms of autism under the terminology of "autism spectrum disorder" will ultimately lead to more confusion by people as to what autism can be about. Which is why in the article it was mentioned that many who are "high functioning individuals with autism" hang on to the term "Asperger's" (despite some trolls re-renderings of it) - as it was and is a label that, perhaps incorrectly, has been applied to that particular subset of autism spectrum disorders. At the same time, we don't want to say that those in that sub-group only have issues with social skills and cues; the issues that such people face are much broader than just that particular area. Also, we don't want the term "autism" applied only to those who are in that set either. That is perhaps what the terminology change was about - the idea that by inserting the word "spectrum" into the diagnosis, and removing the individual terms, that people would see it more as a continuum diagnosis, much like Asperger saw it. However, people will likely tend to focus on the first word "Autism" and come to a different conclusion - maybe. Which is again why, I suspect, people have hung on to the "Asperger's" label for their particular subset. Maybe there's not a good answer or solution for the definition(s)...
- bena 7y ago
  We're also refining our understanding of autism as well. When we refer to the "autism spectrum", most people think of it like two points on a scale. From 0 to 100. You are 30% autistic. Or you're 75% autistic. That is not the case. It's why we say "If you've met one person with autism, you've met one person with autism". Autism more refers to a certain group of developmental delays and processing issues. Being "on the spectrum" means you exhibit one or more of these traits. You can be a high-functioning person with autism who has sensory processing issues. But you can be completely verbal, pick up on social cues, etc. Or you can miss social cues, have no problem with sensory processing. Or you can miss cues and have sensory issues. Autism is complicated. And we're just now really digging into it and discovering what it means.
0xffff2 7y ago
I'd say it's a bad thing. There may be a handful of areas where it's actually a positive for me (certain programming activities), but those are more than balanced out by the activities it makes hard (maintaining friendships) or outright impossible (maintaining romantic relationships) for me. I've learned to fake it pretty well in most situations. I like to think that it never even occurs to most of my coworkers that I might be on the spectrum. That said, I am absolutely unambiguously faking it. There is a very thin veneer of learned social behavior, and I'm very careful to not put myself in situations where that veneer is likely to be pierced because when it happens I have absolutely no idea what to do.
- AIX2ESXI 7y ago
  Your behaviors sound very similar to my one. Sounds like you developed very good masking skills. After a QEEG brain scan, was diagnosed with PTSD and ASD. Starting to make sense of how and why brain works the way it does.

swiley 7y ago

If they’re a minority it can’t be a particularly extreme one. (Or maybe it’s just because most of the people I spend time around are technically inclined and for some reason that attracts people who are on the spectrum.) I don’t think I’m autistic but personally I know I would have benefited from a course on social cues.

SolaceQuantum 7y ago

This is a philosphy generally known as neurodivergence, from my understanding.

bena 7y ago

Your comment is kind of self-contradictory in a way. Or at least, contains its own answer within itself. You admit that we call extreme cases of slowed reading development a reading disorder. People with autism do represent extreme cases. I understand the logic behind not wanting to call it a disorder due to the negative connotation the word carries. And I appreciate the sympathy. But recognition of the condition is far more valuable. Even if a less-desired word has to be used, I'm just glad it's being recognized.

cr0sh 7y ago

I'm worried that the (fairly) recent change to the DSM to lump the various forms of autism under the terminology of "autism spectrum disorder" will ultimately lead to more confusion by people as to what autism can be about. Which is why in the article it was mentioned that many who are "high functioning individuals with autism" hang on to the term "Asperger's" (despite some trolls re-renderings of it) - as it was and is a label that, perhaps incorrectly, has been applied to that particular subset of autism spectrum disorders. At the same time, we don't want to say that those in that sub-group only have issues with social skills and cues; the issues that such people face are much broader than just that particular area. Also, we don't want the term "autism" applied only to those who are in that set either. That is perhaps what the terminology change was about - the idea that by inserting the word "spectrum" into the diagnosis, and removing the individual terms, that people would see it more as a continuum diagnosis, much like Asperger saw it. However, people will likely tend to focus on the first word "Autism" and come to a different conclusion - maybe. Which is again why, I suspect, people have hung on to the "Asperger's" label for their particular subset. Maybe there's not a good answer or solution for the definition(s)...

bena 7y ago
We're also refining our understanding of autism as well. When we refer to the "autism spectrum", most people think of it like two points on a scale. From 0 to 100. You are 30% autistic. Or you're 75% autistic. That is not the case. It's why we say "If you've met one person with autism, you've met one person with autism". Autism more refers to a certain group of developmental delays and processing issues. Being "on the spectrum" means you exhibit one or more of these traits. You can be a high-functioning person with autism who has sensory processing issues. But you can be completely verbal, pick up on social cues, etc. Or you can miss social cues, have no problem with sensory processing. Or you can miss cues and have sensory issues. Autism is complicated. And we're just now really digging into it and discovering what it means.

0xffff2 7y ago

I'd say it's a bad thing. There may be a handful of areas where it's actually a positive for me (certain programming activities), but those are more than balanced out by the activities it makes hard (maintaining friendships) or outright impossible (maintaining romantic relationships) for me. I've learned to fake it pretty well in most situations. I like to think that it never even occurs to most of my coworkers that I might be on the spectrum. That said, I am absolutely unambiguously faking it. There is a very thin veneer of learned social behavior, and I'm very careful to not put myself in situations where that veneer is likely to be pierced because when it happens I have absolutely no idea what to do.

AIX2ESXI 7y ago
Your behaviors sound very similar to my one. Sounds like you developed very good masking skills. After a QEEG brain scan, was diagnosed with PTSD and ASD. Starting to make sense of how and why brain works the way it does.