Is autism a invisible disability

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http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invisible_disability

So is it

Mine sure isn't. people don't always recognize it as autism, but they can easily tell I have something. Those who know about autism recognize it immediately.

I think it's hidden for the above reason: most people don't know what it is but they know something is "off". Most often, especially on the lighter end of the spectrum, people think it's shyness, rudeness, or mental illness. Often, I think it's one of those things that isn't seen/recognized unless the observer knows what they are looking at. Kind of like how the native peoples in the New World may have seen the sails of the European ships and couldn't describe them with any other words besides "clouds" or how native peoples living in dense jungles their whole lives can't understand or describe distance when they first are exposed to flat plains or grasslands. Sometimes people have to have seen autism before and known it before to see it in another person.

This is how a lot of people "fly under the radar", in my opinion. They are invisible because the people around them don't know what they are seeing.

EzraS, you seem to hit the nail on the head, as usual

Agree with the previous posts: I think it's less invisible than being mistaken for a bunch of other things.

Invisible? Certainly not.
As QuiversWhiskers and EzraS stated some "lighter" cases can be misunderstooded with just shyness, introversion, bein non-social and things like that, but they are only not noticed as Autism for people who don't know how it truly is.
And on other cases it's more clear, specially for those who have physical forms of stimming and/or have some physical impact because of autism.

It is somewhat. you cannot see if someone is autistic from a picture (well, not usually).

things like downs syndrome, for example, have clear facial indicators, and a physical disability is obvious as well.

so, depending on your definition, yes, autism is "invisible", or at least "hard to detect at first glance"

The ironic thing about this question: before 1994, the answer would have been definitely "no." Before 1994, autism was seen as being primarily "classic" autism, which has definitely visible symptomography most of the time.

Now, since autism is now a Spectrum, the answer varies like a Spectrum.

It is for me. I've been crossed off the adult disability support services because I seem to capable. Ok I am capable enough to live a normal life, but at the same time the world is overwhelming for me. I just battle my way through each day somehow, which looks like I'm capable. But inside I am constantly stressing, and it doesn't do me any good.

It really depends on the individual. Sometimes I can pass for shy but when I'm stressed or overloaded, I think it's fairly obvious that I'm quite different. I've met a few aspies and most were fairly obvious. There are people on the spectrum who have never been diagnosed and sometimes they really do have an invisible disability especially from their own perspective. I don't think of myself as disabled but I find some things difficult that other people find easy and some things easy that other people find hard.

It is for me.

If something happens and symptoms start to show, i.e. when I took a strong course of antibiotics in October, then the feedback I get from others amounts to "why are you being such an idiot for someone who is so smart?" vs. anyone recognizing my faults as HFA tendencies.

Autism is the kind of disability where people can almost instantly see you have it, as if they can smell it, but they have absolutely zero sympathy or understanding for it. If anything they will see it as a weakness and use it for their own gain. In many circles it is socially acceptable to call someone with autism a loner, weirdo, loser, etc. Even the media often portrays people with autism as loners or losers as long as it is about adults with autism. It is as if you would laugh at someone in a wheelchair for their inability to walk.

Certainly not invisible but it is often ignored or ridiculed as a disability because many people can only sympathize with visible physical disabilities.

I think it is for the most part. I can't tell someone has it just by looking at them. I think my symptoms get mistaken for other things and it doesn't bother me.

I thought you got a job in a nursing home through them or was it regular employment you got and you got it yourself?

I had a friend of the family who worked at the home and she helped me get a job there. I didn't have help from any disability support services.

Many people express surprise when I tell them I am autistic, so I'm going to go with "yes".

A lot of people I've dealt with who heard of autism or Aspergers thought it was something like a less sever form of mental retardation so they wouldn't be able to really recognize people with it sense they don't understand those disorders.