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Is early diagnosis a self-fulfilling prophesy?

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kraftiekortie
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03 Sep 2015, 9:47 am

The part about the fact that autism should not be seen as a "tragedy" rings true to me.

It doesn't have to be a tragedy. A person who is not independent at 26 could very well become independent at 36.

I didn't graduate college until I was 45. I didn't get my drivers' license until I was 37.

Sometimes, things come late--but if one works at it, they do come.



androbot01
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03 Sep 2015, 9:54 am

kraftiekortie wrote:
The part about the fact that autism should not be seen as a "tragedy" rings true to me.

It doesn't have to be a tragedy. A person who is not independent at 26 could very well become independent at 36.

I didn't graduate college until I was 45. I didn't get my drivers' license until I was 37.

Sometimes, things come late--but if one works at it, they do come.

QFT



Adamantium
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03 Sep 2015, 10:03 am

Ettina wrote:
Adamantium wrote:
Temple Grandin has good things to say about that.


I read what Temple Grandin had to say about that, and quite frankly, I found it offensive and damaging. It's basically just another 'kids these days' grump, with no serious consideration of what it's actually like to grow up in a different generation.


I can see how it could come across that way, but I don't think that's what she meant. I think there are limits and you can only do what you can do--but it's good to push those limits and, if possible, find a way around them. Too much protection can be a bad thing, but not enough is a terrible thing. There has to be some balance and above all a recognition that individuals have individual needs.

I also think what Kortie says is important: development and growth don't stop at 18 or 21 and the things a person could not do as a teenager may become possible as an adult.



glebel
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03 Sep 2015, 10:10 am

I was a 'proto-aspie'. I was diagnosed with mild epilepsy and also had problems with my G.I. tract and with coordination. My parents tried to treat me the same as my siblings and I think I'm the better for it. I think what it comes down to is ASD a burden to be borne or is it a challenge to overcome?


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kraftiekortie
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03 Sep 2015, 10:14 am

It's a challenge to overcome because it might be a burden to bear.

Inevitably, one wants to get rid of any burden, so one would take steps to overcome, no matter how much it is a challenge.



btbnnyr
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03 Sep 2015, 10:38 am

I think it's pointless to argue about which generation has it harder growing up or surviving on one's own in the adult world. This is not going to be settled, as each generation doesn't have the experiences of another generation, they can only imagine what it is like to grow up as a kid in the 1960s or what it is like to be in your 20s in the 2010s.


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btbnnyr
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03 Sep 2015, 10:49 am

Adamantium wrote:
btbnnyr wrote:
Some people's parents make too big a deal out of childhood autism diagnosis.
If a kid is somewhat intelligent and ok-functioning, I think it is worse to make a big deal of autism and grow up infused with autism-related stuff like social therapies, autism management techniques, special programs, constantly hearing about "your autism", etc.


I think that is correct. A person needs all the help that they require to struggle as normally as possible, not so much help that they don't struggle with any challenge at all, or shy away from any obstacles in life when things get tough.
Some parents seem more focused on the "tragedy" of their kid's autism than in just helping the kid deal with life in the most effective way possible.

Temple Grandin has good things to say about that.


I am glad my parents weren't overprotective, I am sure that I learned many skills to be an independent adult out of high school for the single reason that my parents weren't overprotective in my childhood.

I talked to one mother who allows her autistic teenager to ride the bus to and from school and pick up his little brother. She said that most parents she knows wouldn't allow their autistic teenager to ride the bus at all.


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