94 ms·

Autistic as an identity and autism as a disease are different things that are difficult to uncouple. Similarly to obesity, it's difficult to talk about the heal

by 2four2 2y ago

Autistic as an identity and autism as a disease are different things that are difficult to uncouple. Similarly to obesity, it's difficult to talk about the health aspect without people being sensitive about the identity aspect. I find it's useful when reading about research to empathize with the authors and realize their work is an attempt to be constructive instead of providing social commentary.

mewpmewp2 2y ago
Autism is not a disease. It's a diverging feature.
- anon84873628 2y ago
  Saying this doesn't make you hip, woke, or cool. Autism is clearly a "spectrum" disorder that is not fully understood or categorized yet, which is exactly why we need this type of research to reach a conclusive, testable biological basis. To portray severely afflicted people as simply "neurodiverse" and dismiss treatment options for them, is far more bigoted than the reverse.
  - mewpmewp2 2y ago
    I don't care about being hip, woke or cool. It's just my perspective of the World. Also speaking of experience, I don't see how I have a disease for example. In my view, it's mostly the environment provided that's at fault. E.g. social expectations. I think it's a good thing for there to be variance of the way people perceive the World. I had a rough childhood, but I wouldn't have wanted someone to change who I am. I had a rough childhood because of the expected standards for how a person should behave or be socially. Now as I am older, and more confident, successful and have proven that given good environment I can do amazing, I understand how ridiculous people are being with their social requirements. None of it is needed. Also I find it quite funny how people treat labels in psychiatry as some sort of gospel or an actual thing.
- munchler 2y ago
  Some people are severely disabled by autism. Are you suggesting that we should just let them suffer?
  - mewpmewp2 2y ago
    It's not the autism that does any sort of disabling. If there are some sort of issues that are disabling someone's way to live normally, deal with them, but don't use autism as a label or call it a disease. There's no "autism" as a "disease" that causes those symptoms.
    - az09mugen 2y ago
      Autism is a condition which cause is not exactly clear, but there are clearly identified symptoms "attached" to the "word/label" "autism". Which is how you define/classify/identify a word, and in this case a disease or a disability if you prefer. May no parents with autistic children ever read your comment. I suggest you take a closer to the definition : https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autism_spectrum https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autism_spectrum
    - Perenti 2y ago
      So what's the issue with non-verbal "autistic" people then? All those people with the same symptoms and presentation, if that's not a disease or better, a disorder, then what is it?
- dukeyukey 2y ago
  How do you square that with the severe cases of autism? The people who will never be able to live independently?
  - Tijdreiziger 2y ago
    There are also non-autistic people who aren’t able to live independently.
    - dukeyukey 2y ago
      Absolutely, but nobody tries to dissuade people from finding a cure to most conditions that stop independent living.
  - mewpmewp2 2y ago
    There are specific challenges every person in the World faces. Deal with these specific challenges. But don't group bunch of people as autistic and then go on to call it a disease. Many of the challenges are caused by the environment or flawed social expectations.
ModernMech 2y ago
I'm being productive by pushing back and saying that when people say that autism needs to be cured and prevented, that they shouldn't say that, because autism doesn't need to be cured and prevented. It's not a disease, but in this society it is a disability, and there's a stigma and lack of understanding around autism in general. What we can do today to make life better for autistic people everywhere is to spread awareness and acceptance of autism. Not talk about curing and preventing it. That's stigmatizing.
- anon84873628 2y ago
  Of course society should become more accepting and accommodating of differently-abled people of all types. But can you really look at the extreme end of the Autism spectrum and say that isn't a disease or disorder? One reason we need this fundamental research is to disentangle the different types of afflictions and give them different names.
  - thompsonhh 2y ago
    [dead]
  - MajimasEyepatch 2y ago
    You don’t even have to go to the extreme end. Ask people with milder presentations, and they’ll be able to tell you about all sorts of confusing interactions and frustrating situations they’ve experienced that wouldn’t have happened if they were neurotypical. Hard to say that doesn’t impact their quality of life.
    - pseudalopex 2y ago
      Those experiences wouldn't have happened if the autistic people were medicated to neurotypical or neurotypical people were more accepting of autistic people. And many autistic people would reject being medicated to neurotypical despite those experiences.
    - ModernMech 2y ago

by 2four2 2y ago

mewpmewp2 2y ago

Autism is not a disease. It's a diverging feature.

anon84873628 2y ago
Saying this doesn't make you hip, woke, or cool. Autism is clearly a "spectrum" disorder that is not fully understood or categorized yet, which is exactly why we need this type of research to reach a conclusive, testable biological basis. To portray severely afflicted people as simply "neurodiverse" and dismiss treatment options for them, is far more bigoted than the reverse.
- mewpmewp2 2y ago
  I don't care about being hip, woke or cool. It's just my perspective of the World. Also speaking of experience, I don't see how I have a disease for example. In my view, it's mostly the environment provided that's at fault. E.g. social expectations. I think it's a good thing for there to be variance of the way people perceive the World. I had a rough childhood, but I wouldn't have wanted someone to change who I am. I had a rough childhood because of the expected standards for how a person should behave or be socially. Now as I am older, and more confident, successful and have proven that given good environment I can do amazing, I understand how ridiculous people are being with their social requirements. None of it is needed. Also I find it quite funny how people treat labels in psychiatry as some sort of gospel or an actual thing.
munchler 2y ago
Some people are severely disabled by autism. Are you suggesting that we should just let them suffer?
- mewpmewp2 2y ago
  It's not the autism that does any sort of disabling. If there are some sort of issues that are disabling someone's way to live normally, deal with them, but don't use autism as a label or call it a disease. There's no "autism" as a "disease" that causes those symptoms.
  - az09mugen 2y ago
    Autism is a condition which cause is not exactly clear, but there are clearly identified symptoms "attached" to the "word/label" "autism". Which is how you define/classify/identify a word, and in this case a disease or a disability if you prefer. May no parents with autistic children ever read your comment. I suggest you take a closer to the definition : https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autism_spectrum https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autism_spectrum
  - Perenti 2y ago
    So what's the issue with non-verbal "autistic" people then? All those people with the same symptoms and presentation, if that's not a disease or better, a disorder, then what is it?
dukeyukey 2y ago
How do you square that with the severe cases of autism? The people who will never be able to live independently?
- Tijdreiziger 2y ago
  There are also non-autistic people who aren’t able to live independently.
  - dukeyukey 2y ago
    Absolutely, but nobody tries to dissuade people from finding a cure to most conditions that stop independent living.
- mewpmewp2 2y ago
  There are specific challenges every person in the World faces. Deal with these specific challenges. But don't group bunch of people as autistic and then go on to call it a disease. Many of the challenges are caused by the environment or flawed social expectations.

ModernMech 2y ago

I'm being productive by pushing back and saying that when people say that autism needs to be cured and prevented, that they shouldn't say that, because autism doesn't need to be cured and prevented. It's not a disease, but in this society it is a disability, and there's a stigma and lack of understanding around autism in general. What we can do today to make life better for autistic people everywhere is to spread awareness and acceptance of autism. Not talk about curing and preventing it. That's stigmatizing.

anon84873628 2y ago
Of course society should become more accepting and accommodating of differently-abled people of all types. But can you really look at the extreme end of the Autism spectrum and say that isn't a disease or disorder? One reason we need this fundamental research is to disentangle the different types of afflictions and give them different names.
- thompsonhh 2y ago
  [dead]
- MajimasEyepatch 2y ago
  You don’t even have to go to the extreme end. Ask people with milder presentations, and they’ll be able to tell you about all sorts of confusing interactions and frustrating situations they’ve experienced that wouldn’t have happened if they were neurotypical. Hard to say that doesn’t impact their quality of life.
  - pseudalopex 2y ago
    Those experiences wouldn't have happened if the autistic people were medicated to neurotypical or neurotypical people were more accepting of autistic people. And many autistic people would reject being medicated to neurotypical despite those experiences.
  - ModernMech 2y ago