Neurodiversity Matters!

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I'm new to this forum, but it has not escaped me that there is an awful lot of neurotypical differentiating language (aka bashing) in some postings. In a world geared mostly towards neurotypical needs, I was able to get a data entry job. A job that requires an high degree of accuracy and very little social interaction. Most neurotypicals don't enjoy diligently filling out data forms all day without talking to anyone. I did. On the other hand, there's a lot of things that I really don't like doing that neurotypicals just seem to strive at (e.g. advocating). I really like that arrangement. Nevertheless, I'm engaged in the neurodiversity movement. I don't like the us vs them of identity politics but I'm not naive. I know that politics isn't really like Robert's Rules. In a world populated primarily by neurotypicals, it's the neurodiverse who are at risk. What do I mean? I mean that it's up to the neurodiverse to make the case that their inclusion in all aspects of the legislative process benefits the neurotypicals. The thought of having (a) well meaning person(s) decide, after an in utero inspection, if they do or don't want to have a neurodiverse child concerns me. Babylon 5 (hear me out) has an episode called "Secrets of the Soul", which addresses this very issue. The Hyach wipe out the coexisting Hyach-doh (I know) and, thus, bring about their own extinction. I want in utero corrective procedures to be strictly regulated. The legislative process is the only way to ensure that. Neurodiversity Matters! Have I made my case? How do you feel about the issue?

I think that attempting to completely rid the world of people with neurological disorders and disabilities is a fool's errand....and a dangerous one, too, because of the social/ethical implications and because there's a lot we don't know about our own biology.

Legislation is only good up to a certain point. If the Neurodiverse is not accepted ways workarounds to the law will be found to eliminate the different.

Rather than legislation, which might provoke resentment and backlash, I think it would be better for schools to teach disability studies in a relevant accessible way especially during the formative years. Some books and cartoons already exist that would be ideal for this. If schools are sincere about wanting to create bully-free environments, they have to create that kind of awareness and culture by what they include in the curriculum. Older children could do annual studies, essays and so on; this needs to include the disabled children too, as the ultimate goal is mutual awareness and mutual respect and understanding.

This is certainly something that I didn't consider. Based on the many posts I have read on WP lack of acceptance of ASD (Aspergers/HFA) is a widely felt experience. Generally, I wouldn't want public schools to teach disability studies, since it won't be able to reflect the differing approaches and opinions about in the various disability communities. Alex had a post about autistic actors playing autistic roles and, even though, I thought this myself, many people felt very differently.



I still believe that legislation is the right approach but it seems like awareness must come first before legislation stands a chance.



In my personal life I know people who have both mental and neurological disorders and I'm concerned that in the future my life or theirs will be deemed not worth living. I don't want a future potential me to be "fixed" because I don't hate myself (I may have on occasion said something along those lines but that was in affect. )

Neurodiversity certainly matters!

I'm sick of hearing people say "There is too much pride and arrogance in the autistic community!"

In reality, there is barely any pride in the autistic community altogether ... and "autistic supremacy" doesn't even exist anymore. It was a fad in the late 2000s. It's dead and it will never be back. Nobody needs to worry about it ever again.

Here's the state of the autistic community right now: Some people on the spectrum are living a hellish existence in which they are forced to work constantly by normsplainers who just don't understand. Some other people on the spectrum are living a blissful existence on welfare ... and are doing nothing for their comrades who are forced to work.

The world need autistic socialism more than anything else. We need to destroy ableism and the capitalist system from which it came.

My Plea to Autistics Who Never Plan to Work: Help people like me who are forced to work constantly. Quit wasting your life.

The suicide ideation rate in diagnosed adults is 60 percent and the leading reason autistics without intellectual disability die earlier then NT's is suicide. That is anything but too much pride and arrogence.

Autism supremacy is still around. I see it in posts saying all NT's are dumb or only care on bieng on top of the social heigherarchy or that Autism is the next step in evolution. It mostly comes from overreaction from bieng treated badly or just not fitting in the NT world. The last sentence is an explanation while important is not an excuse as every form of supremacism is wrong.

Be it 2006 or 2016 Autistic and Aspie supremacism has always been a small minority of Aspies/Autistics. But the leaders of and the Neurodiversity movement as a whole has been succesfully slandered with supremacist/elitist/ableist against non HFA/Aspie autistics claims. ND organizations have made mistakes and the movement have gotten things wrong and are not above criticism. But labeling ND movement as a whole as clueless elitists who are against all treatments and just think of Autism as a difference is just plain wrong. Be it ASAN, John Elder Robinson, Steve Silberman the leading ND proponents label Autism as a disability. ND proponents are trying to stop shock treatments at the Judge Rotenburg Center, sheltered workshops and excusing fillicide against Autistics. The victims of these are not the very mild at all.

Neurodiversity will only matter if we accept it for what it is and not reject it based on the current stereotype.

What is ableism? I've read that word so many times in articles in a wide variety of different movements but it seems to me that every movement uses this word in a different way.

This is not an attack on either of your statements. I really would like to understand how this word is used in the context of the ND movement.

I think I understand now that I chose a title that is too loaded for a US based site. In Europe, the ND movement isn't as politicized as in the US, especially, in Germany, where Autism Awareness is in its infancy. There is a vibrant German Twitter community and there have been several books by experts but overall the general public knows very little about the ND movement.

Ableism Wikipedia article
Neurodiversity was started to fight ableism. In an autism context a statement such "autism is an epidemic that needs to be cured" is considered by the neurodiversity movement as an abelist statement. A statement such as "stimming behavoirs need to be eliminated" is considered ableist by the ND movement because it is a value judgement by non autistic people that stimming is maladaptive and not as a natural behavior of autistic people akin to urinating or sex.

Autistic people can be ablelist against other autistic people. An example of this occurred when the DSM was first considering merging Aspergers into the Autism Spectrum Disorder.


Carley did not want to be associated with those "other" autistic people who wear adult diapers because he probably views them as lesser people. Then he has the gall to to say that all "Aspies" are as prejudiced as him.

Neruodiversity matters a great deal. The world needs people with all kinds of minds. People should also feel free to be themselves instead of being forced to be normalised.

Carley did not want to be associated with those "other" autistic people who wear adult diapers because he probably views them as lesser people. Then he has the gall to to say that all "Aspies" are as prejudiced as him.

I'm an Aspie and I wear those garments. Would she see me as a lesser person? I also don't understand how someone who's prejudiced about some people on the spectrum could accuse others on the spectrum as being prejudiced towards those with their challenges. There's a saying about not casting stones at glass houses. I'm not the type to be prejudice about anyone and I like to give everyone a chance no matter what their challenges or disabilities are.

That's probably where Europe and the United States differ, significantly, the notion of having to adopt an identity beyond your country of origin or, in some instances, class affiliation, isn't widely seen as necessary. It's probably these historical differences that make the narrative so very different. In Germany, the Minister of Commerce is in a wheelchair but he never speaks out publicly about disability rights. I actually think that he would be criticized for doing so, since he was able bodied for most of his life (he got shot).


This is probably what I needed to understand about the States in a nutshell. In Germany, the discussion about ND really focuses around not being made disabled by the NT world. Austria has an unofficial unemployment rate of diagnosed people on the spectrum of 80%. This isn't due to ability but simply discrimination. It isn't much different for other people with disabilities in Germany. The fears about in utero corrective procedures are, thus, discussed more openly in the community and addressed in the literature. I find that there is very little talk of autism epidemics or autism as some sort of supernatural ability in either the ND community or media. The narrative is completely different.

Ahhh ... good Ol' CockneyRebel.

Do me a favor: Don't ever change.

PSA: People on this site talk about ableism more often.
http://autismfriendsnetwork.biz/index.php