Why does autism have such a stigma to it?

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figures as much I was so hopeful we were getting through

Well they will listen to us one ofe these days likly right when it is to late

Autism Speaks is the worse thing that's ever happened.

Autism Speaks... For itself. So why don't they listen?

Isn't it obvious? The answer is money. They're all quite pleased with their quarter million dollar salaries, but they forget they're meant to be running a non-profit charity, not a massive corporation. Actually, hate group would be a better word for describing them.

But, again, they don't care. They profit off our misery because they can and no one is stopping them, and if someone tries? Lawsuit for them! Scare them into silence!

Maybe they're more of a cult than anything else?

I once got angry at my cousin for calling me that, so I hit him. I think it is totally uncool that people call us ret*ds, even though some of us have gone to college and to better things and beyond. The next time someone calls me a ret*d, I'll be tempted to smack them silly.

I think most downs syndrome people have mental retardation that seems MILD compared to what many groups(like "autism speaks") portray autistics like. Still, that is unfair. People that had THAT little ability wouldn't even be able to type a few keys here, let alone follow enough instructions to be able to navigate and post.

But some people here DO sound sweet and, believe it or not, I can be sweet also.

Simple: you can physically see Down's. The facial features, short stature, heart problems, and the chromosome abnormalty. You typically cannot see Autism, just the behaviors.

Where I live, there's a negative stigma attached to both.

I typed a really long response but it disappeared before I could post it. Maybe it was more meant for me than for everyone but the jist of it was to say.

Autism for what ever reason is on the rise. whether it is actually on the rise or if it is just the buzz in diagnosis right now is speculated. There are those out there that put in the media that our perfectly normal children go to the doctor and get a simple shot and they are irreparably changed(thanks Jenny) this sounds like an epidemic and has actually been said to steal our children. If that were true how terrifying, but this is what makes the news. Bad or shocking stories make the news. If autism is a big monster that is taking over how scary! but that is not true and we know it but we are the minority.

I am not saying my child needs fixing but if there is something I can do to lessen the full blown panic attacks and the sensory system overload to make the world easier for him I am up for it.

Not a lot is out there on adults with autism especially productive, thriving, or even content and self supporting ones. Stand up people and be heard! Trust me I do know what I am asking! Let us parents know that it all works out. That you do make it past the bullies and are often the owners of the companies that they work at or at least make the computers they use or build the houses that they live in. Let us know that the stares bother us more than they bothered you and that you like being unique.

If we can get rid of the fear maybe we can improve the stigma
Help us when the panic we feel sending our brilliant kind hearted kids off to school sets in to know that they will not only survive but thrive.

I don't remember them wanting to kill us all. Wouldn't put it by some of the eugenist wankers though.

YAH!

To answer the thread question;

I thought mental illnesses carry a bigger 'stigma' than Autism?

consider this, folks:

a few people I have on Facebook sent me this offer to join some Autism Groups that they were encouraging others check out.

I advised them to check them very carefully, and make sure they weren't just going with some group who looked good on a face level.

Regrettably, that's all that the people I have on Facebook seem to care about: looking good on a face level.

the whole Autism awareness thing is little more than flavor of the month; it's really a superficial thing. Half of 'em probably wouldn't know an Autistic guy if they met one; they probably expect to run into Raymond Babbitt everywhere they go....

I'd like to qualify this by saying that I don't think any mental illness (or PDD) should carry a stigma.

There is the myth of the autistic child locked in their world who would be normal if released from their autistic prison.

When I discovered my AS it was as though I had discovered my Autistic matrix

I also think there is a negative stigma for both, although I agree with there being this difference. Perhaps also people expect people on the autism spectrum to be badly behaved and throwing tantrums but expect people with down's to just be quiet and smiley.

I also agree with the fear of the unknown theory.

it's funny because when I learned I had Autism, the world opened up for me in ways it never had before; things made sense that never made sense before.