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ScarletIbis
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14 Aug 2017, 5:22 pm

Before reading further please understand that I have absolutely no problem with anyone with nonverbal autism and I, myself, have verbal autism. For the cynics on here, yes, I received a non-prompted official diagnosis.
What I have noticed, and am increasingly annoyed with, is the double standard that is placed on verbal Autistics. I am just speaking for myself here but feel free to post any of your own experiences with this.
One of the almost unavoidable accessories of an ASD is the autism meltdowns. I have a cousin who has nonverbal autism and when he has any kind of problem people are more than sympathetic enough to understand he can't control it. However when I have meltdowns (infrequent) it is deemed completely unacceptable and I get called names(ret*d and crazy for acting like that over something that 'simple'),people talk about me behind my back (I heard them myself), I get punished (because of course that will deter me from having more meltdowns in the future :roll: ), people treat me as an inferior for awhile, and they claim I am being childish and that people who are almost 17 don't act like that. Be aware that this isn't classmates and strangers, this is all my FAMILY'S behavior. My parents, my younger siblings, my Aunt/babysitter and her husband and kids, my aunt's mother-in-law, and my grandma. This is not the same aunt that is the mother of my nonverbal autistic cousin. My mother, who almost always advocates for my minor autistic behavior (picky eater, etc.) to my dad who believes everything is solved with punishment, even resorts to some name calling and lecturing me on being childish once the more difficult autistic behavior show up. I know that if I had never learned to speak then I would not be treated like this after a meltdown. If anyone else relates to this feel free to share your thoughts.
I apologize for my negativity


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Diagnosed: High Functioning ASD 2013
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Please understand that everything I write should be read with a grain of salt because I frequently adjust my views based on new information (just read a description of INTP that should explain better than I)


kraftiekortie
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14 Aug 2017, 5:26 pm

I want to ask you about your music LOL

I know what you mean about the "double-standard." It is assumed that non-verbal people don't have the cognition that verbal people have. That's not always the case.

There's a person on this Site who is virtually nonverbal. His name is Ezra. Trust me: he's not given a "free ride" here LOL



StampySquiddyFan
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14 Aug 2017, 5:29 pm

It's okay- I get what you mean. I don't think all nonverbal autistics are given a free ride, but whenever I have a meltdown or do something "weird", then everyone just assumes I'm being a brat. The same is true for my OCD as well.


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ScarletIbis
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14 Aug 2017, 8:41 pm

kraftiekortie wrote:
I want to ask you about your music LOL

I know what you mean about the "double-standard." It is assumed that non-verbal people don't have the cognition that verbal people have. That's not always the case.

There's a person on this Site who is virtually nonverbal. His name is Ezra. Trust me: he's not given a "free ride" here LOL

I know what you mean. My cousin with nonverbal autism can definitely understand. He is smarter then everyone else thinks. I rarely see him but when I do I get along with him on a different level then everyone else because I know there is a human being listening to me and processing what I say in his own way just like I process things my own way. Another problem with the whole expectations thing is that often times in public, if a nonverbal autistic person of any age has a problem, people usually just look to the NT or even verbally autistic person accompanying them to 'handle it' as if they were an unruly child. I've seen this happen to an elementary age child and someone who looked to be in their 20-30s.


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Diagnosed: High Functioning ASD 2013
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Please understand that everything I write should be read with a grain of salt because I frequently adjust my views based on new information (just read a description of INTP that should explain better than I)


ScarletIbis
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14 Aug 2017, 8:49 pm

kraftiekortie wrote:
I want to ask you about your music LOL

The reason I have that as my signature, is because music is one of my MAIN 'special interests' I literally could not tell you about it without telling you EVERYTHING. That is why I have (if you dare) on there. If you 'still' want to know, just understand it may take awhile to read the novel I come up with. To cut it short though you can look at my 'collection' on Spotify where my screen name is felinepearls.



sunshinescj
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14 Aug 2017, 9:00 pm

Yes, it's frustrating. It makes me wish sometimes that I were nonverbal because I feel like everyone would be "easier" on me. I just turned 17 a couple of weeks ago and my dad does the same thing but I think it's because he can't handle the idea of me having certain issues. he'll say things like "well you're not a moron so you can't really have xyz problem" and I try explain that my issues have nothing to do with my intelligence but oh well. I don't think it's always a double standard though, it depends on the nonverbal person's abilities.



kraftiekortie
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14 Aug 2017, 9:10 pm

It's just our luck that we are "smart" in some things and "stupid" in others.

I wouldn't be able to listen to the music here at my job. But I'll listen when I get home.



ScarletIbis
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14 Aug 2017, 9:29 pm

sunshinescj wrote:
Yes, it's frustrating. It makes me wish sometimes that I were nonverbal because I feel like everyone would be "easier" on me. I just turned 17 a couple of weeks ago and my dad does the same thing but I think it's because he can't handle the idea of me having certain issues. he'll say things like "well you're not a moron so you can't really have xyz problem" and I try explain that my issues have nothing to do with my intelligence but oh well. I don't think it's always a double standard though, it depends on the nonverbal person's abilities.

I also think about that sometimes, that if I had nonverbal Autism then life would be so much easier. But usually I keep that to myself because I feel guilty thinking "well, I don't know if they wish the reverse on themselves." Sometimes I forget how good I have it being able to communicate verbally. Sure it makes life hard, being frustrated when you can't find the specific word you are looking for or having strange period pauses in your sentences while you sort out you thoughts.
I also understand the whole Dad thing "you're not ret*d so stop acting like that" "get up and stop acting ret*d" etc...
I hate it when he just throws words like that around.


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Diagnosed: High Functioning ASD 2013
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Feel free to message me if you want

Please understand that everything I write should be read with a grain of salt because I frequently adjust my views based on new information (just read a description of INTP that should explain better than I)


League_Girl
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15 Aug 2017, 12:34 pm

kraftiekortie wrote:
I want to ask you about your music LOL

I know what you mean about the "double-standard." It is assumed that non-verbal people don't have the cognition that verbal people have. That's not always the case.

There's a person on this Site who is virtually nonverbal. His name is Ezra. Trust me: he's not given a "free ride" here LOL



If he is capable of posting controversial things, getting into debates/arguements, then I think he is capable of handling these things and the consequences of his behavior. I think if someone can't handle it, they should not post in mature topics.Online, pretty much everyone is normal if you know what I mean. I see very few people who are so dysfunctional they can't even function on forums and you can definitely tell they have something. They are either a professor troll or have a mental issue.


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League_Girl
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15 Aug 2017, 12:44 pm

I totally understand and feel the same way. While there are benefits of being high functioning, we get to make our own choices and have our freedom and the LFA don't have that privladges. They need caregivers or guardians and won't ever have freedom of an adult but yet if you are too high functioning, you are expected to figure it out and expected to control your behavior and to stop it. My mom called me crazy last week because my son was whining and I was getting overwhelmed and my mom was blaming my feelings on me and then was cursing at me and yelling and that made it worse for me. I felt like banging my head and screaming but instead I covered my ears and did something else and my mom showed disgust but yet I bet if I had grabbed her or shoved her or tossed something, she still would have been mad. I just can't win and then I hear her tell my son he made me go crazy with his whining and to apologize. My mom used to get mad at me for my anxiety all the time as a teen and it always made it worse and then I would have behavior. She was under the impression I can stop it. I can only stop it when I am calm and not anxious. I hope that us what she meant by I can stop it. Like a fire can stop burning if you add water to it and quit adding wood or paper but you can't expect it to stop if you keep adding fuel or wood or anything burnable to it. Same with my anxiety.


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shortfatbalduglyman
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15 Aug 2017, 2:38 pm

kraftiekortie wrote:
It's just our luck that we are "smart" in some things and "stupid" in others.

I wouldn't be able to listen to the music here at my job. But I'll listen when I get home.

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Everyone, NT and AS is "smart" at some times in some ways. And "stupid"at others

Maybe part of the challenges of being AS is being "stupid" at things that are functionally more important, in the situation.

Besides you can't measure intelligence objectively.

IQ tests are allegedly culturally biased

And there are plenty of IQ tests

And IQ tests only measure certain types of intelligence



EyeDash
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15 Aug 2017, 2:50 pm

Being judged as not needing some accommodation because I'm verbal does really irritate me. I was in a hospital program for kids with developmental challenges up until the age of four when I started speaking and was pulled from the very helpful program. Then instead of the help I had been receiving I was rigidly controlled and shut down. I was sent to public school in kindergarten and beyond and never much connected with the other children. I learned I needed to isolate to protect myself and to pretend I was NT and had no special needs or sensitivities. I still do this a lot. I bitterly regretted ever speaking because that's when I was withdrawn from the special program and it seemed that it was the beginning of a big false act. I speak relatively normally, but it's hard to think of myself as 'verbal' because I'm mostly verbal on the outside - on the inside my mental processes proceed with patterns and images rather than words. It's often a relief to just let the words stop in my head and find I can still think just fine.



ScarletIbis
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15 Aug 2017, 4:25 pm

League_Girl wrote:
I totally understand and feel the same way. While there are benefits of being high functioning, we get to make our own choices and have our freedom and the LFA don't have that privladges. They need caregivers or guardians and won't ever have freedom of an adult but yet if you are too high functioning, you are expected to figure it out and expected to control your behavior and to stop it. My mom called me crazy last week because my son was whining and I was getting overwhelmed and my mom was blaming my feelings on me and then was cursing at me and yelling and that made it worse for me. I felt like banging my head and screaming but instead I covered my ears and did something else and my mom showed disgust but yet I bet if I had grabbed her or shoved her or tossed something, she still would have been mad. I just can't win and then I hear her tell my son he made me go crazy with his whining and to apologize. My mom used to get mad at me for my anxiety all the time as a teen and it always made it worse and then I would have behavior. She was under the impression I can stop it. I can only stop it when I am calm and not anxious. I hope that us what she meant by I can stop it. Like a fire can stop burning if you add water to it and quit adding wood or paper but you can't expect it to stop if you keep adding fuel or wood or anything burnable to it. Same with my anxiety.

My dad seems to be just like your mom.


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Diagnosed: High Functioning ASD 2013
Misdiagnosed (extremely likely): Bipolar II 2012

Feel free to message me if you want

Please understand that everything I write should be read with a grain of salt because I frequently adjust my views based on new information (just read a description of INTP that should explain better than I)


Joe90
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15 Aug 2017, 5:42 pm

Most people are like that with me about my anxieties. I don't think I think differently from others in every way, but I know that I do find some things really daunting what most other people may not. And just because I am verbal, high-functioning and openly expressive, people think that I can control my anxieties. But a more severe person on the spectrum, like someone who stims a lot and can't openly express themselves, will get given more leeway and expected to be really anxious.


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Voxish
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15 Aug 2017, 5:53 pm

i am not sure what to make of this. I have often wished I could not speak, I have got myself into trouble so many times annoyed so many people and spent so many years hating myself because I have been blunt or rude. That said I present as NT unless you know me (I have had 54 years to practice) but feel I have quite enough problems and difficulties with people and events to be going on with without adding any more. I am very uncomfortable around people, even at the astronomy club (which I don't go to anymore, I was like a fish out of water)


If you mean that because do you find it frustrating sometimes thats you are not taken seriously and are compared to people with classic autism or very obviously aspie then yes, its annoying. But I don't want to have a learning disability as a co-occuring condition.


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ScarletIbis
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15 Aug 2017, 9:53 pm

Voxish wrote:
If you mean that because do you find it frustrating sometimes thats you are not taken seriously and are compared to people with classic autism or very obviously aspie then yes, its annoying. But I don't want to have a learning disability as a co-occuring condition.

Just an off the wall thought. While I do have some troubles, I don't constantly go around loathing that I ever ended up verbal. I do sometimes contemplate how small changes in my past would have impacted my future differently, which is why that came up when it did. If I could push a button that would allow me to have been born a nonverbal autistic, thinking rationally, I would not press it. However, occasionally it helps to wonder about the other side to understand how fortunate one really is.


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Diagnosed: High Functioning ASD 2013
Misdiagnosed (extremely likely): Bipolar II 2012

Feel free to message me if you want

Please understand that everything I write should be read with a grain of salt because I frequently adjust my views based on new information (just read a description of INTP that should explain better than I)