Autism Speaks - is it good or is it bad?

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You can. And I have no problem with that. Some people on the spectrum don't mind having a limited circle of friends, don't care if people judge them and want to focus on what they're good at rather than balancing out their weaknesses. If it works for you, that's great.

I'm not targeting you, but there are some people on here who go beyond saying that they prefer a more focused social life and they go and bash nuerotypicals and propogate that "us vs. them" mentality, or even bash people on here who want to become more social as fake-NT's. That's my main objection, and I suspect that this kind of ideology that is the underpinning of much of the Autism Speaks hate.

The fact is i'm most useful, display the most talents and knowage when I let my true autistic self do the work/pull the weight. This is becouse that is natural to my neuro framework. If people accpeted my autistic shortcommings for what they are and nothing more I would be better off in life, when I try to play NT I become a scripted robot, I sort of know how to play the game on a achidemic level, in real time I can't do it becouse the brain I have is simply the wrong type and people see it. My fake NT cover is just that, fake, I know now it fails to work and honestly I get better responces from my natural personallity and mannerisms(major mistakes aside) outside of a professional/formal enviroment, the few friends I have made like my autistic quorks, my old NT cover failed to make any friends at all.

Autspeaks, who has by far the mose resources to dispose of, fails to properly represent high fuctioning autistics almost at all and creates a very negitively warped image of all autistics, low and high fuctioning. This is hurting us as a group move forward as the natural autistic, equal people we are in life. They should be advocating our strengths and contributions to the world becouse they are meny and important. That would go along way to the accpetince we need and ultimetly sociaty would benifit equally aswell.

I wanted that too. As example learned lots about human behaviour, social interacting, ... So in opposite to some autistics, that are blaming NTs for being external beings, only wanting to have party and so on, I fully understand the physical and psychical advantages of NT for socializing and so on. Still birthday parties makes me tired, because of sensory issues. I would love to have more fun at parties, so about 2 hours it is ok, as long as I can separate myself in the kitchen or garden with only few persons. But about 23:00 I am normally tired. Not a bit tired, but so tired, that I start to sleep when sitting. I would love to stay there, to comfort my friends, because I have the mental knowledge that I look like a bad friend when I am the first to leave, but I am forced to leave. I also would like to be in the middle of the party, where lots of people are, but I simply cant talk or listen to people there, because I dont understand them anymore, when there are too much noises. What do you want to improve on "...risäpvmk iw+ptio..."? I can wish to improve what I want, but I cant turn noises into words or sentences. I ensure you, I would love to understand other people at big festivities, because at weddings as example I bore myself to death. So I dont want to leave, because I dont wanna be rude against a marrying friend that I like, and in my country you are not supposed to leave a wedding before the official part is done, means the wedding partners do their wedding dance after the cake. I would love to be able to talk to persons sitting around me, to have some entertainment for myself, so my friends normally also have friends with similar interests, so there is really a chance for finding a nice talkpartner. But its useless. So I sit there, do as if I would listen to other peoples discussion, nod from now and then... As you called it yourself, if you would see me I would be an average person at a wedding, who blends in in the crowd. Great...for the others. If you could feel my feelings, I am a lonely, sad and tired person, wishing to be somewhere else.

I also learned much about face reading and body language, because my first job interviews, when I was around 21, where really a catastrophe. It may sound weird, but I seem to be REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY good at it. So I got the test results that are ok for an NT male. Even the autists specialist were amazed in some way, because at other things I was completely deep in the spectrum, lacked intuitive eye contact (So I do try to have "eyecontact" normally, by pointing an imaginary spot above the nose. But the specialists try "tricks" during diagnosis, to proove your intuitive desire for having eye contact with someone. So as example when the main issues is now talking, it is normal for me that talking also means looking into faces. It also helps me in louder surrounding, by focusing on the mouth. But when they focused me on something else, and questioned me something meanwhile I forgot to eyecontact, because I was focusing on something else, not on "talking and related stuff".) The thing is, they were not so amazed because of me being so good at eye contact, but because of me having so good test results by having an huge information pool about face reading. So I studied every photograph about 5-10 minutes, and could tell them afterwards exactly, why I thought that these picture would show these expression. So wrinkles on the forehead, position of the eyebrow ends, position of the eyebrow beginnings... So I start with the details above and work myself down, until there are only a few possible expressions left. They were amazed by it.

Simply helps me absolutely nothing when talking to someone, because I am simply unable to see all these details at once. Expressions change in the parts of seconds while people talk. And instead of looking into pictures and fully concentrating, I am supposed to listen, to talk, to answer, to think about what answer would comfort my opposite now ... If I dont focus on the details and simply look into the face and you ask me afterwards, what I have seen, I can answer you, that I saw a face. If I know before that I should concentrate on the expression, I can tell you if a person is in a positive or negative mood. But as example a "bad grin" would be positive mood for me, if I dont know the person further.

So every autist is different and has different issues. But from my oppinion, I cant do more then learning so much about face expressions, that even specialists are astouned because of me being able to tell them, why a face looks this and that way, while their "intuitive face sensor" simply tells them "sad and angry" within a second, without telling them what expression details led to this knowledge. If I am in a good mood and not tired, I also like to watch people in the train or the sub through the window mirror, because I know and understand that noone likes it, if foreigners stares at you for minutes, analyzing your face. But it doesnt help. It simply doesnt happen to me, that I stare into a face and can tell detailed, what someone is expressing. I would love to, i mean when our senior chef has his bad mood, and only needs one push closer to explode, guess who is the idiot not recognizing it? -.- And when you avoid him generally, when he has some kind of bad mood, you cant specify, you are being told to overreact, so you are only supposed to avoid him when hes really, really, really in a bad mood, but not if he is only in a bad mood.

According to my test results, I improved really great to have been undiagnosed until 31. So I have been known for being a bit weird, or geeky, but nothing horrible. So lots of typical problems for autists, I have solved some way or the other for me. But being able to identify specific sounds in a loud surrounding with similar sounds or reading face expressions in seconds (or part of seconds) simply is an invisible wall for me. I bump on it every day, I found some ways to deal with it like looking at lips or simply asking the senior chiefs secretary if the senior chief is simply angry or angryangryangry... but I simply cant step further. I create little helpers, so that it looks for others, as if everything was ok, but that doesnt change the fact that I only act as if everything is ok, while inside my thoughts are running wild. That I act as everything is normal for people that watch me, doesnt help me anything to solve my problems. They are still there. I would like to improve, but these parts simply dont work.

And there is no improvement for getting tired. ^^ Telling yourself that you dont want to go to sleep, because you are not tired now didnt even work as a child. ^^ If you are tired, you are tired. You can ignore it a bit, but that doesnt mean you need less sleep, it simply means you will sleep longer. ^^

Autism Speaks may have had good intentions - but they perpetuate one of the largest misconceptions that autism is a singular condition rather than a spectrum that encompasses a wide range of people with a wide range of capabilities.

I do not believe that autism is an epidemic at all. Even if the ratio is 1:150 as they say that is still less than 1% of the population.