Autism a disease?

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Since I got diagnosed my parents have been wanting to read every book on AS they can get. The lastest one I read contained a part on diet and nutrition and had the 'B6 deficiency is the cause of Autism/Asperger's' in it. I told them that there is no hard core evidence to back this up and no credible sources that have the necessary data to back this up. But my dad went on to say that of course there's no evidence because no one ever does studies in nutrition and how it can relieve symptoms. He went on about how diet can help relieve arthritis and gout and I told him that Autism is not physical it is mental and it is not a disease. I just stood there in shock when he said (paraphrase) 'any deviation from the norm is a disease'.
My way of thinking and acting is not a disease you.......
So much for my hope of understanding parents. I thought I was doing some good by telling them and getting diagnosed.

Hm...
I am normal. Given my particular genetic make-up and the environment that I've been subjected to, I, as I am now, am an expectable result.
What I'm not is usual. I'm not abnormal, I'm unusual. What about you?


Also, please scroll down to the bottom of the page and read.

You are 18? Get a job, find a roommate, and move out.

Seriously. Autism is genetic. It is not a disease. We aren't defective. We are just different. Our differences make the neurotypicals uncomfortable, so they are trying to "fix" us. Vitamin B? Are they KIDDING????! (Careful... it is actually possible to overdose on vitamins.)

Our only issue in adulthood, when it comes down to it, is interacting with NTs. Some of us have found ways to cope with it, others are friendless, unhappy and miserable. We are simply different so it is hard to make friends and keep relationships, because the public isn't aware of our existence, let alone how to interact with us. This, in turn, impacts our quality of life because our relationships and our careers will suffer as a result. Is that our fault?

Yeah, vitamin overdoses will screw you up. Though there's no harm in taking normal doses, like the multivitamin you probably already take.

If you're eighteen, you can move out, yeah; your dilemma now is--do you put up with their attempts to biomedicalize you half to death, or do you deal with all the hassle of moving out?

Although, I think I'd just recommend getting yourself into college--January, it's probably too late for September--instead of just moving into an apartment. You'll be able to pay for dorms by either spending your college fund (if you have one), taking out loans, or (if your parents are too poor to co-sign) taking advantage of any number of grants that you'll get just for your parents' income level.

This is assuming you've graduated high school. If you haven't, and you're desperate, you can get your GED and skip your last semester of high school; but that necessitates going to a community college to establish a good GPA before you transfer to a four-year and get the rest of your degree there, which means living in an apartment (you should be able to finance a very cheap apartment on loans).

Also assuming you're ready to live on your own. Many people who are mostly ready will manage to fumble the rest of what they need into place; but some on the spectrum won't be ready 'til mid-twenties...

Yeeeah... uh, beg to differ... this is only true for people with AS whose main issue is socializing... not so much for people whose autism comes bundled with things like executive dysfunction, sensory craziness, transition issues... you get enough of that, and not having any friends kind of fades into the background. I know maybe some people with Asperger's have only issues with socializing; but autism's a bigger picture and it's not just being a nerd. Just wanted to point that out, for correctness's sake...

Problem is I have no money or job. Or at least not enough money to rent or buy. There's no way I'm going to college, I barely survived high school and even then it really screwed me up. And I don't think I could handle moving out, I'm so attached to my room, my house, and my cat.

^^ Yes I know. Which is why I said "when it comes down to it".

A lot of our problems aren't genetic; aren't original symptoms of autism. Instead they are caused by a lifetime of bullying, of being taken advantage of, being hurt, shunned, and treated like a pariah. So we end up miserable and depressed.

Sensory issues? Neighbors are being too loud and they are leaving the porch light turned on overnight, which makes it difficult to sleep. So you talk to them, and they just about laugh in your face and call you a complaining loser. The noise and the light do not bother them, ergo it shouldn't bother you either.

Etc...

Really, interacting with the rest of society is our biggest issue, by far. That's the reason why so many of us want to live in underground bunkers.

I'm a firm believer in good nutrition and eating foods for their nutritional content, first and foremost. I eat whole grains as much as possible and stick to raw foods or something I've prepared from them. Before, I was eating fast food, sugary snacks and processed, frozen convenience foods as meals. Now, I eat a salad with Romaine Lettuce or Spinach, with some vinegar and olive oil on it. I eat like this every day except for Sundays and it has benefitted me.
I don't eat any red meat, no more hamburgers, now I eat a roast or grilled chicken breast sandwich or a salmon filet. When at home I eat sandwiches on whole wheat bread. I eat potatoes with the skin on, cooked with Smart Balance butter and garlic, brown rice and navy beans, Romaine and Spinach salads, beets with vinegar and avocados. I drink more juice than I used to, in addition to water.
I have more energy and better concentration.

Word choice/semantics are based on a person's view of the subject, its subjective. I don't think there will be a consensus on terminology because there will always be a difference in view between those who are and those who aren't (and indeed even among the members of the two groups). Your parents view it negatively and thus reasonably want to do anything necessary to try and make it positive. The only solution I can see is to try and help them understand your view...its part of who you are.

By that defintion, I would say that intelligence is a disease. Because the norm appears to be a combination of dumb and ignorant.

Professionals have declared Autism a brain-damage that can be visible if you scan the brain, but if you mean HFA, PDD or Asperger's it's a Disease/Syndrome.

It has been classified a disease by professionals.

That's kind of broad. Professionals in what? As far as I know, they could be professional carpenters!

Oh, and screw any professionals who make a classification so that they can be recognized as having made it.

Furthermore, dis- indicates something negative - in this case, it means lesser, inferior, etc..

Plus, the idea of a disease that makes one good at math is rather silly.

Additionally, it's a mutation. Mutation is one of the driving forces of evolution! By that logic, every creature on Earth is diseased!

Aren't NT's the superior race?

If you mean diabetes or allergy, it's physical diseases, not mental diseases.

Some NT's do have mental problems, but aspies can have it as well.

It's not even mental. It's neurological, different things.

So in his logic, red hair is a disease. Being gay is a disease. Being a transvestite is a disease. Someone who speaks English is a disease, as the norm is Chinese, with 1/6 of the world speaking it.

You may be right, it's like slapping a guy in the face and saying he has some random b***s***, maybe Aspergers isn't a disease in any way, maybe just an introverted personality, take a look at famous aspies, they are well respected among their co-workers etc.

We may just be introverted, but I hop ethey don't delete Aspergers as a disorder, because then I would get no excuses to be introverted, especially since I go to school.