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The nature of autism

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Mysty
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01 Jun 2010, 2:43 pm

While watching a video on autism on YouTube, I noticed in the list of videos on the right (other videos on autism) one with the title "autism took my child".

The wrongness of that title (lets not get into that here... we all know that's wrong) made me think about my own view of autism.

I think autism is a label that describes (comes out of) how those with autism look to others. And, as such, it includes both innate qualities that are part of our essential self, and qualities that are on top of our essential self and which we can change while being true to ourselves.

Those qualities that are on top of our essential selves, they aren't things that come along from the outside, though. Rather, they are things that come out of and relate to those essential qualities.

Those aspects of autism that are on top of (rather than part of) our essential selves aren't qualities that come along and cover up who we really are. Rather, they interconnect with who we really are.

I can see how from the outside, my inability to share personal stuff and my general tendency to not initiate social interactions could seem like things that are hiding the real me. And I guess, in a sense, from the outside perspective, there's truth in that.

But that's not my reality. My perspective, those were traits that were not essential to who I am, that I could and did change while being true to myself, but, yet, they came out of, related to, the very core of who I am.


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CockneyRebel
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01 Jun 2010, 3:35 pm

Autism doesn't take anybody away from anyone.


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conundrum
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01 Jun 2010, 7:57 pm

Mysty wrote:
I think autism is a label that describes (comes out of) how those with autism look to others. And, as such, it includes both innate qualities that are part of our essential self, and qualities that are on top of our essential self and which we can change while being true to ourselves.

Those qualities that are on top of our essential selves, they aren't things that come along from the outside, though. Rather, they are things that come out of and relate to those essential qualities.


To me, that sounds a little bit like adaptation in order to survive while still remaining true to who we are. While adaptation may be driven by outside forces to a certain extent, it definitely comes from within.

I can totally relate to that. :)


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