Do you think Autism is a gift?

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I see mine as a gift, because I've learned not to be hurtful to others the way that others have been hurtful towards me, including my own family members.

Only along the lines of it being an extremely crappy gift.

I agree with Ezra. I've definitely had a lot better gifts.

It would have been nice to be good at something and be respected for it but no. I'm just considered to be weird.

Dylan

Usually I do not feel"proud" of being autistic. Nor do I "love" being autistic

Is autism a "gift"?

Yes. Autism is a gift.

Autism is an unwanted gift . Someone had the nerve to give me a women's backpack, even though I told him I identify as male. (2005 San Diego). Then the next time he saw me, he noticed I was not carrying the backpack and his facial expression appeared disappointed or something



A martial arts instructor had the nerve to give me a suit. But (sensory processing dysfunction) the suit makess me feel like sensory overload. And then it was like, I had to wear the suit



That instructor had a policy that suits are required for class. (Fine)

However, at that time, he only taught once every other Saturday. Sometimes he was scheduled to teach and did not come. Sometimes he was no scheduled to teach and he did come. Other instructors did not have the suit policy.

With several exceptions, I would rather not get any good or unwanted gifts, than to get wanted and unwanted gifts

There are exceptions, but everyone acts like they are an exception. There are not many exceptions. The exception is the situation, not the precious lil "person"

Autism is a gift

Autism is an unwanted gift

If someone gave me a dog, that's an unwanted gift because I am afraid of dogs

But dog food and vet bills and et cetera costs $$. Walking the dog takes time.

I'm unsure, it has given me good traits and made me the person today, but there is the other side consisting of all the stress, anxiety and worrying. I consider it a gift at times, and then not a gift, currently in the mixed section....

A "gift"?

Garbage can

Salvation army

Regifting

Then get a refund

Can I exchange my gift for something else?

I like my brains, got it from my dad. I don't know if I could have inherited it without the autism. My dad is both more autistic than me and more functional than me. He doesn't talk much and doesn't socialize, I talk easily and have friends. He can focus deeply and is very resourceful. If he sets out to do something he'll stop at nothing. For him it's a gift, for me it's just OK. Back in school we are both straight A students, top of the class in everything, but he's successful and I'm not.

Great topic! Thanks for posting this.

I think it can be. I think it can be very good or very bad. To me the critical factor is whether I'm allowed my routine, and whether I'm around people who are kind. If one of those are missing things go downhill quickly.
But I love the way I think. I develop a really thorough understanding of things, and I'm able to use my brain to perform interesting and useful calculations. I'm proud of that. I'm one of those mathy aspies. I do think it's a gift.

The social deficit not so much, but again that has it's pros. People tell me I'm refreshing. People say that they appreciate how open and kind and trusting I am. I never realize until too late that they appreciate that because it's a rarity in their world, because they aren't that way, and aren't to be trusted, but still. I bring gifts.

I think that it's important to be realistic about problems and set backs but it's also important to take inventory of the things that go right and that we do well. Depression can be a slippery slope and look a lot like the status quo. I aim to be upwardly mobile.

If society was mostly autistic and managed to be self sufficient, it would be a blessing but in a NT society it is a curse.

Like a gemstone, only when kept in careful conditions, which is mostly not the case

Autism changes everything about your life. If you ask the average person what is the most important thing in their life, most of them will say friendships followed closely by family. Nobody would say hobbies or career or learning, yet that is my gift. So it is a gift, but it's a gift in an area that the average person cannot appreciate, and if they do understand it, they will certainly see you're being better than them at one of these areas as a threat to their friendships and social stability. So when I'm good, it's the hardest thing for me personally. I'd say it is a gift, but you personally get a ton of issues from it, except the gift of joy in birthing something into the world.

The dictionary defines "gift" as "a thing given willingly to someone without payment"

So

Autism is a thing

And no payment required

And no burglary involved

Yes, autism is a "gift"

The connotation of "gift," is positive

Denotation could be positive or negative

(Although the "without payment" portion sounds like the gift has a positive retail value)

Rape could be a "gift"

Good thread. No, not a gift. We all know how tough life can be with autism. We often know horrible loneliness, self hatred and suicidal yearnings. We are regarded as oddballs and shunned by family. People think we’re odd because we get interested in all manner of interesting stuff. Because we don’t understand indirect language, facial expressions etc. We don’t understand fashion. We might be uncomfortably blunt sometimes. I get very discouraged with my lack of social skills, even though they are much, much better at 61 than they ever were at 17.
I disagree with the people who say we have a disorder. We truly are just different and if we lived on the right planet life would be much better. But here we are, having to be much stronger than some. I believe that I AM autistic because I had it in my mother’s womb and that it is separable to my identity. So I try to accept it and to be honest I often enjoy my quirks and oddities and if only my special interests would last longer than the usual six to eighteen months!