Autism Spectrum Disorder

[Edwardo Piet]

Anyway, Hammy.  As far as I'm concerned you're fine.

Yes I'm fine. But my autism is very, very real. They fact I just say I'm fine because I just assume I'm fine by default but I don't know what it even means and I wouldn't know the difference between fine or not fine unless I was in immediate physical danger or afraid of upcoming physical danger... that in itself is one of the many examples of my autism in practice in itself.

Autism hasn't increased in diagnosis because the diagnosis has become so broad that they diagnose just about anybody nowadays. Autism has increased in diagnosis because as technology and expertise and education increases, autism becomes more and more easy to recognize.

About 1 in 100 people are autistic. That isn't exactly just about anybody. But in the past many many people would have been autistic, but it wasn't so easy to spot or be recognized. Especially higher functioning stuff. Otherwise intelligent people who nevertheless have many other symptoms of autism are much harder to spot. What was once considered badly behaved or lazy was often indeed badly behaved or lazy, but there have been many cases in the past where people were seen that way but their behavior and struggles could be explained more easily by their autism. It's the same with mental illness.... what we now recognize as depression would be someone who got told to cheer up and if they couldn't and they didn't get a job they'd get thrown in a mental asylum.

Diagnosis is only increasing because information and technology is, and the experts are getting better at recognizing a condition that was barely even understood in the past. It's just as legitimate as mental illness.

As for the Ritalin comment, you're thinking of ADHD.

And yes, once again. I am fine. I assume I'm fine because I'm not not fine as in I'm not in danger. And I get absorbed in what I'm doing and have fun. But many people wouldn't feel fine in my situation because they'd worry about the rest of their life being a total mess and not developing properly. At least now I know that I'm developing at the normal speed for someone with a developmental disorder.

I am fine, but you only see me posting on AF or have perhaps heard that I chat to people on Skype, make electronic music at home, etc. I basically spend my entire life in my bedroom, I never use my living room, I don't have a TV, I don't have carpets. I don't have a job. I've never had a job. I don't go anywhere besides shopping for food and then going home back to my bedroom. I have no desire for much else. I would be happy with a fully online cybersexual relationship and staying in my bedroom all my life. I'm going to get support to expand further anyways, because it's healthy, and because despite the fact I'll always want to spend 99% of my time in my bedroom.... if I can slowly develop a little bit of confidence and very slowly develop out of my comfort zone at my own pace... I would ideally one day prefer a real life sexual relationship and real life friends. They'd just have to be exactly the right people otherwise I'd disappear back to my bedroom again. And just, like, one or two arguments could make me panic and want to give up on RL again. And it's back to my bedroom because I had an argument with someone.

It would be easier if I forever remained living alone at least. I guess the ideal situation for me would be to meet up with friends and visit friends in RL (when I one day make some) and visit a girlfriend or fuckbuddy, but never let anyone visit me ever. Or even telephone call me when I hadn't pre-arranged it.

I will develop, slowly. At my own pace. If I want to. But there's no denying that my disorder and my autism is very very real.

In the past it would have just been considered "different" and it would have been wrong. Or so incorrect it's what's often deemed not even wrong. EVERYBODY is different. The point is in which ways are people different. Autism is a key difference in some people. And it isn't just a quirk.... yes it can have good points.... because autistic brains tend to be specialized, which is why you get many autistic savants or highly talented autistic people. But overall the disorder is a developmental disorder, that has to impact negatively on their life otherwise it wouldn't be diagnosed as a disorder. One of the key diagnostic requirements is that it has to impact negatively on a person's life.

It's as real as depression or an anxiety disorder.

I think if you were more educated about autism and what it actually is, and knew that it wasn't just a matter of being different or quirky, you'd realize that.

---

Sometimes I wonder if we aren't doing more harm than good by categorizing people like this.  People used to simply be "different."  Was that such a bad thing?  The word wasn't even coined until 1911 and then only to refer to schizophrenics.  Now it has exploded to the point where the scale is so vast that it seems to be everywhere.  They pump kids full of ritalin or other drugs at the drop of a hat these days because they can't sit still in class and the schools hate that so they are willing co-conspirators with the drug industry because they want obedience.  I don't know.  It seems to me that someone is making a whole lot of money off of this.

I'm probably just being a cranky old fart, again. 

Anyway, Hammy.  As far as I'm concerned you're fine.

This has crossed my mind as well, but upon further research and watching my nephew, I've come to believe it really is a disorder in brain function rather than just a personality trait. I'd love to think you were right though.

People only get diagnosed with disorders if they affect someone's ability to function or cope in some way. That's why we have depression and anxiety disorders seen as mental illness, but we have no "Feeling alright" mental illness. Autism can have its good points, but if it didn't significantly impact someone's life negatively, it wouldn't be a problem and wouldn't need a diagnosis.

Even personality disorder diagnoses are of course not the same thing as personality tests. Autism is not a personality disorder, but even if it was, that's very different to a personality trait. Everyone has personality traits but not everyone has a personality disorder.

Seeing autism as nothing more than being "different" or a trait, and not at all a disorder, is rather dismissive of someone's condition. You wouldn't say someone with depression or anxiety was fine or just "different".

Now indeed, autism is not an illness, and there's nothing wrong with being autistic. But it is a disorder. It does cause people difficulties, or it would be an element of a personality test rather than a diagnosis.

I'm glad you have changed your mind. I wouldn't wish away autism though and I certainly am not glad it isn't merely a personality trait. Regardless of the fact that autism is a disorder that causes me problems.... I do like it's good points and I do embrace who I am. That isn't going to stop me struggling without help though. But yes. It does have its good points. Read this if you're interested on that more:

https://www.newstatesman.com/society/201...m-autistic

I am not against parents choosing the color of someone's eyes if they can, as that isn't important. Blue eyes are just as good as green and brown just as good as both. Etc. I'm not against parents not wanting their children to be born with a gene that gave their children great deal of pain as well. But if one day all parents chose for all their children to be born without any autistic genes? To be full neurotypicals? I would be against that for the reason argued for in the above article I just linked. The world is better off overall with at least some autism.

But no, that doesn't mean that the struggles of autism are not real. They are very real.