Autistic Stereotypes You're Sick Of Hearing?

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The only stereotypes about autism in my town is due to ignorance: the only autism that exist is the classic autism (low functioning), and they can't speak.

"It's a made-up diagnosis, an excuse for your unhealthy desire to isolate."

Well what about their unhealthy desire to waste their lives on being social butterflies?

The stereotype that people with AS are all geniuses peeves me a bit.

But, at least it is a stereotype that has something of a positive spin to it.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xax9SMyeoFA[/youtube]

I'm sick of some people at work overestimating me. This was why I only wanted to keep the fact that I have AS confidential in the office, but some fool has gone around telling everybody. Some people just take me for who I am and only become more understanding if I tell them what stresses me, and they know that I won't start going on the floor and rocking backwards and forwards and wailing. That is not my reaction to stress. My reaction to stress is like most NTs do when they get stressed, except I stress about more things and need some guidance or just reassurance or some support. So that's one stereotype; ''all people on the spectrum react in unpredictable ways to stressful situations'', or could be ''all people on the spectrum can't express their thoughts or feelings or make a decision''.

- Not creative
- Doesn't care about others
- Either stupid or extremely intelligent
- Lazy
- Emotional, poor self-control

The stereotype that autistic people lack imagination really ticks me off.

Also, the one about the r-word is a really bad one, no question about it.

yep.

it also bugs me when peoples assume that all people on the spectrum are geniuses.

I'm no genius and it this makes me feel like not only don't i meet the NT standards, I don't meet the spectrum ones either.


It also bugs me when people assume you have no intellect or feelings what so ever.

That we do not have empathy and emotions - I have empathy and I have the same feelings as NTs
That we cannot have long lasting relationships - I am by far the most successful person in my family with relationships
That all do not have any eye contact - I have eye contact and I have AS
That we do not have more than one interest - I have several interests
That we cannot have jobs - I am the most successful person to come out of my high school and I didn't even do 12th grade

I don't have empathy - Just because I(we) can't express it doesn't mean I(we) don't have it.

I don't have an imagination - I have a very wild imagination and I think a lot of AS folks do as well. It's just hard for me to express and show it for fear of embarrassment because of the strict cultural rule imposed on me(us) by NT society.

You're a genius aren't you. After all, If you can do this then why can't you do that. - Grrrrr!! This is the one that really F***ing pisses me off. Yes, I happen to be a math and science genius but my genius ends there and even then, I don't know everything there is about math and science. Just because I can fix your computer doesn't mean I can fix your leaky faucet.

That we have maturity that is 2/3 or 3 years behind our age - I get told I was the most mature girlfriend by far my husband ever had and they were all much older than me and one was older than husband's mother and she was so much less mature than I was.

That we cannot dream - I couldn't help but dream about my life and how much more successful I am going to be than the other students during the final exam at school - I didn't even study because I was so excited about leaving school after 12 years of turmoil and getting freedom at last and being happy.

Any stereotype that an allistic person or society develops of autistic/Asperger syndrome people is not really stereotypes of autism at all but stereotypes of allistcs/NTs the lack of empathy sort of thing and accusations of being shifty or worse.

No empathy
Potential school/workplace shooter
Genius at math (My strong subject was English. I was only average at math and sometimes it was a struggle.)
Non-athletic (I take tennis lessons.)
Savant (I have no special skills, just a good memory for factual information.)

"Autism is a childhood disorder"

"Aspies lack empathy and are psychopaths"

"Aspies are exceptionally clever particularly at maths" OR "Aspies are stupid and need to be treated like babies"

"All Aspies wear diapers all their lives"

That we are all potential mass murderers and commit every school shooting. Of course, when autistic people are targets of bullying, abuse or even murder that never makes the headlines.

That only males can be autistic.

That it's only children who are autistic. Or children are the only ones worth giving a rat's rear end about, anyway.

That we lack empathy, or have none at all.

That we have no imagination.

That we can't feel emotions or show them.

That we're all geniuses when it comes to math (I had a horrible time with math starting in grade 3)

That it's perfectly okay to talk in front of non-verbal autistic people as if they can't hear or understand what you're saying.

That it's perfectly acceptable to want to murder your autistic child.

That we have no life or future and we're nothing but a burden on our parents and society and better off dead.

Using autism as an insult for anyone perceived as weird, creepy, stupid or cringy.

That we're all furries or love My Little Pony and Sonic the Hedgehog religiously (not that there's anything wrong with that)

That people with Aspergers or high-functioning autism or whatever they call it do not have it as bad as people with "classic" autism.

Hitler supposedly was autistic. That must mean all autistic people are like Hitler. Never mind famous people like Albert Einstein or Jim Henson.

If you use interact using social media like Facebook, you can't be autistic.

People just use autism as an excuse for being rude or cringy.

That all we do is spend the day rocking while staring vacantly into space and drooling on ourselves.

That vaccines cause autism.

That children's shows like Peppa Pig or Barney cause autism. They're incredibly stupid shows, but they don't cause autism any more than a good children's show like Sesame Street or Arthur does.

That eating, sleeping, breathing, perspiring, going to the bathroom, coughing, yawning, using the microwave, using the computer, consumption of non-vegan products, playing video games, lack of religion and poor parenting cause autism.

Autism is a national health crisis and a cure desperately must be found.

I guess you could say I'm sick of *all* the stereotypes.