Comments on: Giving Autism an Equal Place at the Table

By: Rachel

Rachel — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 22:42:07 +0000

Gavin: It’s so interesting that the roles are reversed in your family. I get along great with our neighbors, until there’s a problem. Then, I try and keep my mouth shut long enough for my husband to finesse the situation.

Kate: Reading your thoughts is one of my Aspie super-powers!

LizzieK8: Thanks for reminding me not to expect the rest of the world to transform itself at my pace.

John: I just got an email from another reader, expressing similar kinds of thoughts about how our modern world makes life difficult for people on the spectrum. I mean, are human beings really made to live in loud, crowded, smog-filled, urban areas? I guess some are, but I’m not.

Stat Mama: Back atcha. I have the same feeling when I read your posts.

By: Stat Mama

Stat Mama — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 21:11:27 +0000

I just love your posts. I always come away from your blog feeling somehow validated.

The viewpoint of autism IS just as valid as any other. The only time it becomes a problem is when people expect everyone to fit into neat little packaged personalities. I like different people, personally. They’re much more accepting of me!

By: Rachel

Rachel — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 18:09:23 +0000

John, I don’t think you’re wrong. There are people on the spectrum who are so highly sensitive as to be disabled by it, although even kids who begin with low-functioning autism can be moderate- to high-functioning as they get older. Temple Grandin is one example. Her father was ready to put her into an institution when she was young. Her mother saw that there was hope.

My issue is that so many people talk about autism as though everyone is at the severe end when there is so much variation on the spectrum. More than half of autistics are Aspies, and even those who have more challenges than Aspies can live independently.

By: John Dale Lyons

John Dale Lyons — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 17:49:52 +0000

I think in preindustrial times there was more tolerance for neurological diversity. Traditional villages had shamans, inventors, priests, “idiots”, elders, warriors, nurterers, etc. In our highly regulated, instrumentalist, post-industrial society, it’s one size fits all. I don;t want to overly romanticize the past, but we can learn from some aspects of it.

Also, I dichotomize between highly functional autism and people who are truly disabled by severe autism. The former is a legitimate difference; the latter is debilitating. Am I wrong?

By: LizzieK8

LizzieK8 — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:11:29 +0000

“My autistic perspective is just as valid as any other. ”
Just remember that even thouugh you’ve discovered this is true, others may still react to you the same way they have before, or perhaps worse because you’re no longer trying to pass for “normal.”

I go through the same thing when alone and my family comes back. They know now that I’ll come join them when I’m ready and not to take it personally.

By: Kate

Kate — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 07:07:18 +0000

Rachel, how do you do it? How do you so consistently get into my head and crawl around in there?

I had to laugh at this:

“I’m just a little intense, you know? I don’t do the social dance that comes before the content. I just start with the content, keep going with the content, and finish with the content. People seem to take it personally. Who knows why?”

That describes me TO A TEE.

I have learned to do some subtext but not nearly as much as your husband lol

I never can figure why people take it personally either:)

Kate

By: Gavin Bollard

Gavin Bollard — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 03:40:26 +0000

Funnily enough, I’ve had to ask my wife to stop approaching our neighbours – and it’s not a new thing either because I had to ask her not to do it with our last set of neighbours.

Since we’ve moved back into our house, she’s managed to upset the neighbours on two sides because she comes across a bit strong. Of course, she doesn’t start out strong but responds to criticism or louder tones from the neighbours.

On the other hand, because I pay much less attention to tone and because I’ve always tended to have a more placating tone, I usually don’t aggravate situations.

It’s funny because in this case, my aspergers works for me because I tend to miss all the subtext and tone in these sorts of conversations and take things at face value. They’d probably have to hit me before I acted annoyed at them.