My so-called ‘disorder’ made me a better attorney
Page 1 of 1 [ 2 posts ]
ASPartOfMe
Veteran
Joined: 25 Aug 2013
Age: 66
Gender: Male
Posts: 34,548
Location: Long Island, New York
13 May 2023, 9:37 am
Quote:
Last year, at the age of 65, I learned something new about myself: that I’m autistic.
It wasn’t the first time I considered the possibility. Seven or eight years earlier I was streaming the television show “Parenthood” when a new character was introduced — an awkward but accomplished middle-aged man played by Ray Romano. The show didn’t tell us he was autistic — he had not yet been diagnosed — but I recognized something in Romano’s performance. Almost as soon as his character appeared, I paused the show, opened my laptop, and looked up what it means to be autistic.
Everything I read online that day in 2015 was so negative and dour that I ruled out autism as being part of my own spectrum. My quick and dirty research told me autistic people have no sense of humor, no understanding of sarcasm and no empathy. All I found were deficits, deficits and more deficits. Forget it. Not me. I shut my computer and carried on.
Flash forward to early 2022, when I met for the first time with a young psychologist. I had barely begun to speak when she told me she was going to send me home with a book — the start of a journey to an entirely new understanding of my life, good parts and bad.
During the next several months I read everything I could find about what it means to be autistic. Happily, what I found online was very different from what I found seven or eight years prior. Instead of a page full of deficits, I stumbled into a list of autistic strengths.
I am an attorney. I never went to law school. I became an attorney the old-fashioned way, studying on my own with the help of a mentor. I did some of my best legal work before I even thought about becoming a lawyer. I was the go-to guy for facts, and as a paralegal, I quickly became one of the most knowledgeable people in the world about one particularly dangerous pickup.
As I studied what it means to be autistic I began to realize that my persistence, my eye for detail and for patterns, my ability to focus, my visual style of thought, my creativity, my ability to form intense interest in the products that injure my clients and my ability to work alone are common with my so-called disorder.
Unfortunately, I have read again and again that the majority of people like me — even college educated, highly intelligent and capable autistic people — are unemployed or underemployed. It’s a statistic that probably begins with the job interview and then gets worse as autistic people find themselves in jobs shaped by cookie-cutter descriptions and conditions that are difficult for many or most autistic people because of sensory or other issues.
I have been lucky. I had a big, dysfunctional but loving family, and therefore plenty of playmates. I went to a small high school where I was accepted and liked. After some difficult years in college, I spent three years in West Africa where I was perceived as no different from the next foreigner and learned a whole new set of social rules. Then I found a boss who didn’t know I was autistic but knew me, who kept streamlining my position to exploit my strengths and eliminate distractions. I thrived, and helped make him and our clients a lot of money.
Nowadays they’d call that accommodations. I call it sensible and economically sound.
Accommodations are not a charitable gift to autistic people. It’s smart to learn every employee’s strengths and customize every position for the employee.
It wasn’t the first time I considered the possibility. Seven or eight years earlier I was streaming the television show “Parenthood” when a new character was introduced — an awkward but accomplished middle-aged man played by Ray Romano. The show didn’t tell us he was autistic — he had not yet been diagnosed — but I recognized something in Romano’s performance. Almost as soon as his character appeared, I paused the show, opened my laptop, and looked up what it means to be autistic.
Everything I read online that day in 2015 was so negative and dour that I ruled out autism as being part of my own spectrum. My quick and dirty research told me autistic people have no sense of humor, no understanding of sarcasm and no empathy. All I found were deficits, deficits and more deficits. Forget it. Not me. I shut my computer and carried on.
Flash forward to early 2022, when I met for the first time with a young psychologist. I had barely begun to speak when she told me she was going to send me home with a book — the start of a journey to an entirely new understanding of my life, good parts and bad.
During the next several months I read everything I could find about what it means to be autistic. Happily, what I found online was very different from what I found seven or eight years prior. Instead of a page full of deficits, I stumbled into a list of autistic strengths.
I am an attorney. I never went to law school. I became an attorney the old-fashioned way, studying on my own with the help of a mentor. I did some of my best legal work before I even thought about becoming a lawyer. I was the go-to guy for facts, and as a paralegal, I quickly became one of the most knowledgeable people in the world about one particularly dangerous pickup.
As I studied what it means to be autistic I began to realize that my persistence, my eye for detail and for patterns, my ability to focus, my visual style of thought, my creativity, my ability to form intense interest in the products that injure my clients and my ability to work alone are common with my so-called disorder.
Unfortunately, I have read again and again that the majority of people like me — even college educated, highly intelligent and capable autistic people — are unemployed or underemployed. It’s a statistic that probably begins with the job interview and then gets worse as autistic people find themselves in jobs shaped by cookie-cutter descriptions and conditions that are difficult for many or most autistic people because of sensory or other issues.
I have been lucky. I had a big, dysfunctional but loving family, and therefore plenty of playmates. I went to a small high school where I was accepted and liked. After some difficult years in college, I spent three years in West Africa where I was perceived as no different from the next foreigner and learned a whole new set of social rules. Then I found a boss who didn’t know I was autistic but knew me, who kept streamlining my position to exploit my strengths and eliminate distractions. I thrived, and helped make him and our clients a lot of money.
Nowadays they’d call that accommodations. I call it sensible and economically sound.
Accommodations are not a charitable gift to autistic people. It’s smart to learn every employee’s strengths and customize every position for the employee.
As the man explained he has been lucky every step of the way. Good on him that he both recognizes his privileges and has used them to his full advantage. This column is a testament to how important an autistic friendly society can be. An autistic friendly society does not mean that most will end up as successful as him. Many will still struggle mightily with their autism.
What it does mean is that it is likely the horrific mental illness and un and under employment rates would be greatly reduced.
One problem is we still don’t know a lot about autism or autisms so we can’t truly figure out what autistic friendly really is.
The other problem is the polarization and tribelization of American society has influenced the autism debate.
The combination of these two problems has been pretty toxic. Basically zero sum game thinking.
You have one group that believes the publicity surrounding “milder” forms of Autism means “severe” autistics are being othered. You have another group that views advocacy for “profound autism” as the first step towards their eugenics elimination. If you are not totally on one side or have a nuanced view you are viewed as bamboozled sellouts by both sides.
_________________
Professionally Identified and joined WP August 26, 2013
DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity
“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman
14 May 2023, 2:24 pm
ASPartOfMe wrote:
Seattle Times
As the man explained he has been lucky every step of the way. Good on him that he both recognizes his privileges and has used them to his full advantage. This column is a testament to how important an autistic friendly society can be. An autistic friendly society does not mean that most will end up as successful as him. Many will still struggle mightily with their autism.
What it does mean is that it is likely the horrific mental illness and un and under employment rates would be greatly reduced.
One problem is we still don’t know a lot about autism or autisms so we can’t truly figure out what autistic friendly really is.
The other problem is the polarization and tribelization of American society has influenced the autism debate.
The combination of these two problems has been pretty toxic. Basically zero sum game thinking.
You have one group that believes the publicity surrounding “milder” forms of Autism means “severe” autistics are being othered. You have another group that views advocacy for “profound autism” as the first step towards their eugenics elimination. If you are not totally on one side or have a nuanced view you are viewed as bamboozled sellouts by both sides.
Quote:
Last year, at the age of 65, I learned something new about myself: that I’m autistic.
It wasn’t the first time I considered the possibility. Seven or eight years earlier I was streaming the television show “Parenthood” when a new character was introduced — an awkward but accomplished middle-aged man played by Ray Romano. The show didn’t tell us he was autistic — he had not yet been diagnosed — but I recognized something in Romano’s performance. Almost as soon as his character appeared, I paused the show, opened my laptop, and looked up what it means to be autistic.
Everything I read online that day in 2015 was so negative and dour that I ruled out autism as being part of my own spectrum. My quick and dirty research told me autistic people have no sense of humor, no understanding of sarcasm and no empathy. All I found were deficits, deficits and more deficits. Forget it. Not me. I shut my computer and carried on.
Flash forward to early 2022, when I met for the first time with a young psychologist. I had barely begun to speak when she told me she was going to send me home with a book — the start of a journey to an entirely new understanding of my life, good parts and bad.
During the next several months I read everything I could find about what it means to be autistic. Happily, what I found online was very different from what I found seven or eight years prior. Instead of a page full of deficits, I stumbled into a list of autistic strengths.
I am an attorney. I never went to law school. I became an attorney the old-fashioned way, studying on my own with the help of a mentor. I did some of my best legal work before I even thought about becoming a lawyer. I was the go-to guy for facts, and as a paralegal, I quickly became one of the most knowledgeable people in the world about one particularly dangerous pickup.
As I studied what it means to be autistic I began to realize that my persistence, my eye for detail and for patterns, my ability to focus, my visual style of thought, my creativity, my ability to form intense interest in the products that injure my clients and my ability to work alone are common with my so-called disorder.
Unfortunately, I have read again and again that the majority of people like me — even college educated, highly intelligent and capable autistic people — are unemployed or underemployed. It’s a statistic that probably begins with the job interview and then gets worse as autistic people find themselves in jobs shaped by cookie-cutter descriptions and conditions that are difficult for many or most autistic people because of sensory or other issues.
I have been lucky. I had a big, dysfunctional but loving family, and therefore plenty of playmates. I went to a small high school where I was accepted and liked. After some difficult years in college, I spent three years in West Africa where I was perceived as no different from the next foreigner and learned a whole new set of social rules. Then I found a boss who didn’t know I was autistic but knew me, who kept streamlining my position to exploit my strengths and eliminate distractions. I thrived, and helped make him and our clients a lot of money.
Nowadays they’d call that accommodations. I call it sensible and economically sound.
Accommodations are not a charitable gift to autistic people. It’s smart to learn every employee’s strengths and customize every position for the employee.
It wasn’t the first time I considered the possibility. Seven or eight years earlier I was streaming the television show “Parenthood” when a new character was introduced — an awkward but accomplished middle-aged man played by Ray Romano. The show didn’t tell us he was autistic — he had not yet been diagnosed — but I recognized something in Romano’s performance. Almost as soon as his character appeared, I paused the show, opened my laptop, and looked up what it means to be autistic.
Everything I read online that day in 2015 was so negative and dour that I ruled out autism as being part of my own spectrum. My quick and dirty research told me autistic people have no sense of humor, no understanding of sarcasm and no empathy. All I found were deficits, deficits and more deficits. Forget it. Not me. I shut my computer and carried on.
Flash forward to early 2022, when I met for the first time with a young psychologist. I had barely begun to speak when she told me she was going to send me home with a book — the start of a journey to an entirely new understanding of my life, good parts and bad.
During the next several months I read everything I could find about what it means to be autistic. Happily, what I found online was very different from what I found seven or eight years prior. Instead of a page full of deficits, I stumbled into a list of autistic strengths.
I am an attorney. I never went to law school. I became an attorney the old-fashioned way, studying on my own with the help of a mentor. I did some of my best legal work before I even thought about becoming a lawyer. I was the go-to guy for facts, and as a paralegal, I quickly became one of the most knowledgeable people in the world about one particularly dangerous pickup.
As I studied what it means to be autistic I began to realize that my persistence, my eye for detail and for patterns, my ability to focus, my visual style of thought, my creativity, my ability to form intense interest in the products that injure my clients and my ability to work alone are common with my so-called disorder.
Unfortunately, I have read again and again that the majority of people like me — even college educated, highly intelligent and capable autistic people — are unemployed or underemployed. It’s a statistic that probably begins with the job interview and then gets worse as autistic people find themselves in jobs shaped by cookie-cutter descriptions and conditions that are difficult for many or most autistic people because of sensory or other issues.
I have been lucky. I had a big, dysfunctional but loving family, and therefore plenty of playmates. I went to a small high school where I was accepted and liked. After some difficult years in college, I spent three years in West Africa where I was perceived as no different from the next foreigner and learned a whole new set of social rules. Then I found a boss who didn’t know I was autistic but knew me, who kept streamlining my position to exploit my strengths and eliminate distractions. I thrived, and helped make him and our clients a lot of money.
Nowadays they’d call that accommodations. I call it sensible and economically sound.
Accommodations are not a charitable gift to autistic people. It’s smart to learn every employee’s strengths and customize every position for the employee.
As the man explained he has been lucky every step of the way. Good on him that he both recognizes his privileges and has used them to his full advantage. This column is a testament to how important an autistic friendly society can be. An autistic friendly society does not mean that most will end up as successful as him. Many will still struggle mightily with their autism.
What it does mean is that it is likely the horrific mental illness and un and under employment rates would be greatly reduced.
One problem is we still don’t know a lot about autism or autisms so we can’t truly figure out what autistic friendly really is.
The other problem is the polarization and tribelization of American society has influenced the autism debate.
The combination of these two problems has been pretty toxic. Basically zero sum game thinking.
You have one group that believes the publicity surrounding “milder” forms of Autism means “severe” autistics are being othered. You have another group that views advocacy for “profound autism” as the first step towards their eugenics elimination. If you are not totally on one side or have a nuanced view you are viewed as bamboozled sellouts by both sides.
I've said multiple times there`s nothing wrong with people expressing how they feel about their autism, they can tell everyone and the world how they love it for all i care.
The problem is when many ND advocates start advocating and demanding for others over their heads.
Using the word "we" too many times, as in "we" don't want a cure "we" don't want treatment "we" want this stopped etc..
There is no "we" just "i" or at best "a proportion of autistic people who agree with me" and its important for both them and the media to remember that simple fact.
_________________
"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends upon the unreasonable man."
- George Bernie Shaw
Page 1 of 1 [ 2 posts ]
| Similar Topics | |
|---|---|
| Attorney general of AZ refuses to enforce court ruling. |
12 Apr 2024, 4:15 pm |
| There's a store called Target in the US and Australia. |
16 Apr 2024, 9:58 pm |
| Semantic pragmatic disorder |
15 Apr 2024, 3:59 pm |
| Documentary ‘Understanding Autism’ made by Autistic |
09 Mar 2024, 4:13 pm |
