kraftiekortie wrote:
It's not "race" that could make the difference, it's "culture."
There is much "social expectation" within African-American and Caribbean cultures.....but being "black," in and of itself, has nothing to do with it.
A white person growing up in the above-mentioned cultures would possess the same characteristics. They would grow up with the same social expectations.
That actually makes a lot of sense. I've noticed huge cultural differences when it comes to how social skills are taught. I've seen parents from various Eastern European countries teach social skills to their kids in a way that would be much more understandable to an autistic child than the learning by copying style that is more usual in my country. My husband insists that my entire country is autistic, and that I shouldn't worry about my lack of social skills, because nobody else has got them, according to him. Which is slightly funny and slightly offensive, but I see why he thinks that. There is a general inability to communicate coupled with blaming everyone else for one's inability to connect and communicate - it's always someone else's fault.
That's why I think the fuzzy end of the spectrum is very dependent on environment, culture and life experiences. I realize that this is anathema to autistics who would like it to be black and white - I don't even know if that is a pun.
@SaveFerris: BAP is not a diagnosis because the logical conclusion to it would be to turn everything into pathology - every character trait as a medical diagnosis.
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I sometimes leave conversations and return after a long time. I am sorry about it, but I need a lot of time to think about it when I am not sure how I feel.