5 ms·

Is there any condition with as broad a definition as autism? It can cover anywhere from a non-verbal 9 year old with an IQ of 70, to a popular attractive valed

Is there any condition with as broad a definition as autism? It can cover anywhere from a non-verbal 9 year old with an IQ of 70, to a popular attractive valedictorian genius with incredible masking skills. A slow developing 3 year old labelled early and for life, or a perennial loner 80+ year old finally discovering that their traits are shared with many others.

Lord-Jobo 2y ago
I don't think there are any as broad as "autism" in general, but "ADHD" in general is close. That's why both have been divided up in recent years for the sake of precision. Seriously 5/10 people in my friends group have ADHD (some with autism too) and we all have such wildly different symptoms and struggles with it that it took quite some time for us to recognize our shared syndrome lol
harimau777 2y ago
I think that's likely a natural outcome of a diagnosing something that appears to be a spectrum rather than a discrete disorder. Perhaps analogous to how back pain can range from a mild inconvenience to completely debilitating. Or how there's a spectrum between someone who is harmlessly arrogant to a clinical narcissist.
veltas 2y ago
But autism isn't defined by intelligence or age. You might as well say 'isn't alcoholism such a broad definition, when everyone from world leaders to young people to a perennial loner 80+ year old finally discovering that their traits are shared with many others.
- faeriechangling 2y ago
  The two extremes don't have the same traits in common whatsoever. One will clearly be unable to communicate. The other will clearly communicate but allude to an internal torment. One will struggle with the activities of daily living. The other will have a family, a full time job, commitments in the community. The two people supposedly lack the same abilities. In truth, Autism simply got tied up with entitlements and the diagnosis has been grossly abused as a lever to get access to said entitlements.
  - crtified 2y ago
    I'm dismayed at your large-scale, arbitrary diagnosis of fraud. It is not at all the intent of my original comments, in which I only meant to imply that autism is currently a common term for a number of potentially separable conditions. In the sense that a 'spectrum' is quite literally 'a diverse set'.
  - bruce343434 2y ago
    Entitlements? What are you talking about?
    - faeriechangling 2y ago
      Financial entitlements, such as to various medical services, higher welfare rates, reduced tax rates. (I've heard a psychologist flat out admit to giving people a diagnosis based wholly on the medical services they wanted them to receive, not based on if they actually qualified for the diagnosis) Accommodations, such as extra time on tests, a more comfortable working environment, more attention and time having school staff attend to them. Affirmative action schemes. Exclusion from military drafts. Extra leeway in social situations in general - in specific ways. Entitlements. The fact of having a right to something. Privledges. Special treatment. A benefit granted by law or custom. Now I am not suggesting that being diagnosed with a disability in fact makes your life better and easier on merit of having all these wonderful entitlements. If you talk to disabled people a lot you will notice what a lot of them stress how they don't want special treatment and make a point of independence. There's reason for that. Nevertheless, people often THINK these sort of entitlements would be very helpful for a person, since superficially entitlements seem awesome when you aren't yet thinking of second order effects.
      - machinawhite 2y ago
        > Financial entitlements ??? > various medical services I pay hundreds of euros each month for health insurance I expect something in return > higher welfare rates Anecdotally none of my neurodivergent friends are on welfare. But I imagine people with more severe types of autism cannot really function in a work environment. That's why it qualifies as a disability. > Accommodations, such as extra time on tests Never got it > a more comfortable working environment Ahahahahahaha > more attention and time having school staff attend to them You're tripping > Affirmative action schemes. ??? > Exclusion from military drafts. I don't know anything about military > Extra leeway in social situations in general - in specific ways. You spelled extra bullying wrong > second order effects What the fuck are you even yapping about?
weweersdfsd 2y ago
I think it's just the complexity of our brains that's the issue here. Your brains can be different in really many ways, and many of those differences can cause multiple symptoms, which are then used as a basis for diagnosis. That's why autism, adhd and others have such a high rate of comorbid diagnosis.

Lord-Jobo 2y ago

I don't think there are any as broad as "autism" in general, but "ADHD" in general is close. That's why both have been divided up in recent years for the sake of precision. Seriously 5/10 people in my friends group have ADHD (some with autism too) and we all have such wildly different symptoms and struggles with it that it took quite some time for us to recognize our shared syndrome lol

harimau777 2y ago

I think that's likely a natural outcome of a diagnosing something that appears to be a spectrum rather than a discrete disorder. Perhaps analogous to how back pain can range from a mild inconvenience to completely debilitating. Or how there's a spectrum between someone who is harmlessly arrogant to a clinical narcissist.

veltas 2y ago

But autism isn't defined by intelligence or age. You might as well say 'isn't alcoholism such a broad definition, when everyone from world leaders to young people to a perennial loner 80+ year old finally discovering that their traits are shared with many others.

faeriechangling 2y ago
The two extremes don't have the same traits in common whatsoever. One will clearly be unable to communicate. The other will clearly communicate but allude to an internal torment. One will struggle with the activities of daily living. The other will have a family, a full time job, commitments in the community. The two people supposedly lack the same abilities. In truth, Autism simply got tied up with entitlements and the diagnosis has been grossly abused as a lever to get access to said entitlements.
- crtified 2y ago
  I'm dismayed at your large-scale, arbitrary diagnosis of fraud. It is not at all the intent of my original comments, in which I only meant to imply that autism is currently a common term for a number of potentially separable conditions. In the sense that a 'spectrum' is quite literally 'a diverse set'.
- bruce343434 2y ago
  Entitlements? What are you talking about?
  - faeriechangling 2y ago
    Financial entitlements, such as to various medical services, higher welfare rates, reduced tax rates. (I've heard a psychologist flat out admit to giving people a diagnosis based wholly on the medical services they wanted them to receive, not based on if they actually qualified for the diagnosis) Accommodations, such as extra time on tests, a more comfortable working environment, more attention and time having school staff attend to them. Affirmative action schemes. Exclusion from military drafts. Extra leeway in social situations in general - in specific ways. Entitlements. The fact of having a right to something. Privledges. Special treatment. A benefit granted by law or custom. Now I am not suggesting that being diagnosed with a disability in fact makes your life better and easier on merit of having all these wonderful entitlements. If you talk to disabled people a lot you will notice what a lot of them stress how they don't want special treatment and make a point of independence. There's reason for that. Nevertheless, people often THINK these sort of entitlements would be very helpful for a person, since superficially entitlements seem awesome when you aren't yet thinking of second order effects.
    - machinawhite 2y ago
      > Financial entitlements ??? > various medical services I pay hundreds of euros each month for health insurance I expect something in return > higher welfare rates Anecdotally none of my neurodivergent friends are on welfare. But I imagine people with more severe types of autism cannot really function in a work environment. That's why it qualifies as a disability. > Accommodations, such as extra time on tests Never got it > a more comfortable working environment Ahahahahahaha > more attention and time having school staff attend to them You're tripping > Affirmative action schemes. ??? > Exclusion from military drafts. I don't know anything about military > Extra leeway in social situations in general - in specific ways. You spelled extra bullying wrong > second order effects What the fuck are you even yapping about?

weweersdfsd 2y ago

I think it's just the complexity of our brains that's the issue here. Your brains can be different in really many ways, and many of those differences can cause multiple symptoms, which are then used as a basis for diagnosis. That's why autism, adhd and others have such a high rate of comorbid diagnosis.