Some info from the autistic me!

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Here is some information i found from the programme called the autistic me which aired on UK televeison back in 2009

"Most young adults take their freedoms for granted - they can choose their friends, stay out late, learn to drive and decide what they want to do as a career. But for people growing up on the autistic spectrum, life is very different. Stuck in a strange limbo between childhood and adulthood, they are unable to make these choices.

This documentary follows three people with autism at pivotal moments on the rocky road to being accepted as an adult. They are all fighting for independence and responsibility, but being frustrated by the shackles imposed on them by their disability, their families and the preconceived ideas of mainstream society."





Do you agree that there are some misconceptions in this discription above about people growing up on the spectrum and some of it is just so ignorant and stupid? I have aspergers i have been allowed by my parents too learn too drive, stay out late and chose my own apartment too live.

Some things do apply too me like being stuck in a limbo between childhood/adult, not being well accepted as an adult, warped view of society, and can't chose my friends because i have poor communication skills but still.... need your thoughts on this.

I believe that it personally depends on the particular person. Some persons on the autistic spectrum will have struggles with living independently and making critical decisions, while others will have no issue surviving in the "adult" world. It all depends on which specific regions of development are affected. Some will have enough cognitive ability to figure out what constitutes "common sense" and be able to manage a budget, maintain a career and education, drive, shop, and manage their time while not necessarily being able to maintain relationships. Other may have little issue surviving in the interpersonal realm but, due to a lapse in executive function, will have great difficulties arriving at such a level of "common sense" that would allow them to be independent.

I agree with this; all of the Aspies that I know are often seen more as children than adults and are often treated as such. I often say that I have the intellect of an adult and the mild of a child while being trapped in the body of a teenager.

On a different tangent: I find the title of this show to be somewhat humorous. "The Autistic Me" is implying is that there is a non-autistic side to autistics.

Although i can live by myself in an apartment without any issues there are others things which i find hard as well such as going shopping becuase of me disliking large crowds and my sensory issues. that and i have really bad anger management problems, OCD, and strong dislike of change which also comes along with the package of having AS.

I can go with my friends too the pub but of course there will be times when i do go into overload when i am out clubbing with some of my so called mates.

"Stuck in a strange limbo between childhood and adulthood" describes me very well, and I do feel like I'm fighting for independence and responsibility.

Fighting for independence isn't just fighting your parents for independence, its also trying to work around you disability, its also trying to find a way you can function. It's also dealing with society who's saying that you're wrong and lesser because of your disability. My parents haven't really put metaphorical shackles on me, yet I'm still stuck in this limbo and still having to fight for independence in ways that most people around me don't have to.

Those things that they're saying NT young adults take for granted, I completely agree that they take them for granted and that I can't. Friendships are complicated. Staying out late isn't a question of my parents forcing me home, but if I'm out late somewhere, then how do I get home? Walking home in the dark is incredibly overwhelming. I can't drive. Public transit doesn't run late enough often. Staying out late usually involves actively scheduling everything around other people's schedules, not my own. Driving is something I'll never be able to do; my disability prevents me from safely driving. Yet society and my parents try to force driving on me. If I can't transport myself I can't be independent. I'd absolutely love to be able to choose what I want for a career. If I could just do that I'd be in a far better shape than I am.

It's not all about common sense or the ability to make decisions. There's so much going on that people overlook in pretty much every thing. People tend to just find a shower as something you just do, its not for me, its so many things. People find finding a job just finding a job, not working around all these obstacles. There's so much more than people look at.

I really like that description as to where I am in life - stuck in that limbo, with people moving on without me not realizing that I'm not able to pass through this border to being an independent adult as simply as they do.