If could go NT would you?

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There's more to AS than not getting people. The focus, interests, independent thoughts, noticing details are things I'd never give up. The peer pressure, fear of loneliness, herd mentality, and barely hidden sociopathy (backstabbing, lying, gossip) are things I'd never want.

No, but if I hadn't had AS several of them wouldn't have happened. And why would I want to change who I am?

Inhibiting if you want to fit in with mainstream society, yes.

It's positive thinking, actually. There is no such NT pill, and making the best out of the situation = being happy with what you have.

Indeed.

AS is a disability. It's also a fundamental part of who I am. There are about a million things more important than not being disabled, and being myself is pretty darn close to the top of the list.

I had a really long post addressing KoS's post to me, but while I was writing it, Bluefins answered it much more succicintly.

I would like to add, though, that the reason I addressed the only ways AS informed and now benefits the person that I am is that this is a thread about AS. It it were a thread about books and reading, I'd have addressed the ways being a bookworm have informed and benefitted the person I am. Since I was only diagnosed a few months ago, and I'm sure I was someone before my diagnosis, I do not think the only thing that makes me the someone I am is AS. I do think it's a significant factor, though.

See, I feel as though KoS is saying those of us who don't want to be turned into NTs have made some sort of mistake, and that bothers me. I don't feel guilty about having AS. I don't think it makes me a bad person, or a less valuable person. In fact, I don't feel disabled by it -- I have a good marriage, a job I love, and a thriving social life I enjoy. I'm aware not everyone with AS is like me, and I would never maintain it makes life easier or better in some way. I don't think that I'm better than NTs, but to be perfectly honest, I do not want to be NT.

I've got nothing against those who do wish they were NT. I can see the other point of view. My own feelings are just about me, and they are valid for me. I'm not just used to being "weird," I actually like it! As my friend Meg put it so eloquently, "Normal is average. Normal is boring. I want to be weird."

NO! If some scumbucket comes to my door and insists I take the "cure" or else, I will pop a cap in their ass.

Nope, I only have symptoms I'd like to manage rather than change myself

I only used examples that were in direct response to post to the post I was originally quoting. Of course there are more but I didn't want to ramble.



This isn't a question of whether you ever had AS or not, it's about if you could take a pill now and rid yourself of all your AS symptoms. So you would not be changing who you are, you're already you. Just any of things you find challenging because of your AS would become easier, though as an NT you would still have the choice not to participate in situations or participate with people you don't feel comfortable with.




Ok sure, but how do you know that if you could fit in you wouldn't want to? I'm not saying you would want to, you might hate it. But you can't say you know.

And like I said up above, as an NT you have the choise to fit in or not, but at least it's a choice and not a lifestyle forced upon you because of a brain disorder (I know that makes it sound negative, but for the sake of making some sort of point I think I need to be blunt...??).



I don't know, I still don't think basing your identity on a label is a good thing. Like pensieve mentioned, if AS is removed from the DSM alot of people may feel they've lost their sense of self. It's a real issue and there's nothing positive about it.

Other than that, to a certain extent, it also means you have no real control over who you are Who you are is being dictated by whatever you believe AS to be.

Also this situation is hypothetical no realistic. A pill to make people NT? Heh, that would be very interesting indeed, I don't even know if I'd be in support of such a thing.


Indeed.[/quote]

MMm maybe but I like being me. I don't feel any struggles or suffering. If I took a pill to be normal maybe I would like that better because I might see what I was missing and how much easier my life is. But that would mean losing my gifts.

Though I was born autistic (or perhaps later in my infant years) it is not who I am. In fact many of the traits I have don't seem very autistic. I used to be a very black and white thinking person and by the pressure of a few family members I managed to become more open minded than them. This is one thing I love about myself.
I seem to be overly empathetic (or is it sympathetic) to people who have been hurt in some way on the news. I don't know these people but how I do care for them.
I think a lot, and I mean A LOT. Is that AS or ADD? Do NT's think like me? I've no idea. But the time I have on my own gets me thinking and creating some great stories. I think maybe because I do have AS that if I was more like an NT that I couldn't be both creative and social. I seem to not do well with doing many things, i.e socializing, working, having hobbies. I can only do one thing at a time. But how do I know that's not true?
We are just assuming that AS makes us who we are. If you were NT you could still have those same special interests and you may be able to better juggle a social life with your solitary interests.
That's why I get pissed off with people that bash NT's or think they are better than them. I know you just want to make yourself feel better but it's not right.

It could be that I have co-morbid disorders that I don't like to identify myself as AS or ADD, they are just symptoms that have made my life a hell of a lot more difficult.
I bet if people didn't post in an online forum about AS that they wouldn't think of AS as who they are. When I first heard of AS it was another disorder. Sure, I probably labelled myself with it in the past but that just further divides you from the NT world.

I would go NT in a heartbeat if I could. I feel like I've missed out on so much in life because of my autism. I know that my basic personality traits and interests would stay the same, because lots of NT girls/women fangirl over Johnny Depp movies.

I beg to differ. There appear to be some pretty fundamental neurological differences involved in autism (e.g. atypical sense of self, atypical processing of emotions, greater compartmentalization). Any "cure" for autism would be invasive surgery essentially equivalent to a brain transplant.

Not me

I love mine, keep me from having to associate with no0bs or be "fake"

You do know that noob means newbie, as in someone just starting out? We were all noobs on this forum at some point. Noobs and fakes are nothing alike.

And whether or not you are one or associate with them has nothing to do with being on the spectrum.

no0b can be used three ways

Explain.