Autism - "different" or "inferior" WRT relationships?
We’re not necessarily stuck in the mud.
It’s not hopeless.
Many times, people with all sorts of disorders get to the point where there is almost no disorder.
I’m under no delusion that I am “superior” in any way, though I’ve been able to do okay in many things despite what I was born with.
Yip. It's just that social skills are not our strong point at all.
It has to be described in some way, shape or form and can't be described in a good way either.
My social skills are not optimal….but I have gotten to the point where they are sufficient in most situations.
It’s only people who are super-conscious of social things who give me problems. I had most of my problems in school. And maybe a little in work and college.
And I’m fortunate I reside in a location which has lots of “odd” people in it.
"with respect to".
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries. ... nglish/wrt (among others)
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It’s only people who are super-conscious of social things who give me problems. I had most of my problems in school. And maybe a little in work and college.
And I’m fortunate I reside in a location which has lots of “odd” people in it.
School was weirdly OK for me. I don't have too many problems but I think it's mainly because I'm an introvert and dont bump into others very often.
But that won’t change the fact the keywords used in official diagnostic criteria, yes… officially we are inferior in social/communication capabilities than the general population. There’s no synonym of variation at all there.
Inferior social skills in comparison to the general public is what autism is. When I done my evaluation for autism, he picked over my social life with a fine comb. Poking and prodding for any info he could on my upbringing and interactions with others.
Categorising it as a difference or variation risks putting more of a distance between autistics and NT's by eroding at the already fragile level of self-awareness that autistics have when it comes to their social limits. I cringe sometimes when I see some of the "divergent" advocacy pushed by a lot autistic groups. Nobody likes a person who's tone deaf to how annoying they are.
I basically agree. Autism diminishes one's ability to have a fulfilling social and romantic life in the same way that deafness diminishes one's ability to pursue a career in music. Although it's a bit more complicated.
Some people with autism can overcome this disability with varying success (depending on other factors such as physical attractiveness) however the possibility of overcoming a disability doesn't make it any less of a disability.
When talking about diversity in society, it's OK to use terms like "differently abled" but let's not fool ourselves.
The_Walrus
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Primitive doesn't mean wrong. It's clear that autism exists and what you described can be applied to any form of disorder or mental illness.
Primitive nearly always does mean wrong. Almost everything is more complicated than the "introduction to" will suggest. Think about the thing you know the most about, and then think about how many things the average person would not know about it that you do.
Yes, there's nothing special about autism - all disorders and mental illnesses are also social constructs.
It isn't actually that clear that "autism exists". The definition of autism gets updated fairly frequently, much more frequently than e.g. the definition of calcium. What we currently call autism is not a "real" thing, it's a shorthand way of grouping people together but it isn't the only way, a perfect way, or the best possible way.
To give a really clear example, being blind is a social construct. That doesn't mean that blind people can see, but how much vision constitutes blindness? Does it always make sense to group the different etiologies of blindness together? What about temporary versus permanent blindness? What about a fully-sighted person in total darkness? There are no right or wrong answers to these questions - ultimately we come to answers somewhat arbitrarily.
Once it's a diversity, people can start denying the basic fundamentals of what autism entails and the challenges people with autism face. This thread got ripped off from the other because it was strongly implied the poor social development that comes with autism was actually a good thing, which for autistics, isn't a helpful stance at all to take and obviously it kicked off an argument.
For me, defects it certainly is.
It's undeniably a form of diversity. To the extent that autism exists, it is a variation, it isn't the same as other things, that's the point.
There's no reason that acknowledging that means that the challenges that autistic people face are being "denied". However, I do think it reflects well on someone's intellectual curiosity to be able to consider what "poor social development" really means, and what those "challenges" really are. The majority of autistics seem to find it helpful to use this sort of approach at least some of the time, and it seems to hold true in real life. There's a reason autistic people tend to socialise with each other, after all.
If you yourself want to take a black-and-white approach to understanding your own autism then great, good for you. Does seem a bit strange to accuse people who suggest a more nuanced, measured approach of not knowing what autism is. Autism is more complicated than any one person's experience.
^ THIS ^
In keeping with calling a duck a duck, as OP desires...
Ok, so we're all inferior. That doesn't mean we're all inferior the same way. That doesn't mean we're all inferior to the same extent. That doesn't mean we all have the same limits imposed by our various inferiorities. That doesn't mean we're all equally inferior. That doesn't mean the source of the inferiority, or the outcome of the inferiority, is utterly immutable in every way, in all cases.
Crazy idea, but maybe...
Don't
Tell
Other
People
What
They
Are
Or
Aren't
Capable
Of
Just a thought.
Even then, nothing says you can't still try.
Ey, and while you're at it, don't forget to remind this guy how "inferior" he is.
Bet he thinks he's Chuck Norris, huh?
What a show-off, right?
Inferior doesn't mean incapable. Sometimes it just means "try harder". Sometimes it just means "keep trying". Sometimes it just means "try anyways".
And a friendly reminder that Beethoven had a hearing disability.
Also, this guy. Stone deaf since birth, still a DJ.
https://www.npr.org/local/305/2019/11/0 ... 20Deaf.%22
I didn’t do as well as those people…..but I did okay.
Given that many of these people aren't just good at what they do "for a disabled person", but are really good at what they do period, I daresay that even a fraction of their achievement would do the average person just fine.
Being able to survive in Queens is is a pretty good indicator that you're doing ok for yourself on some level


In keeping with calling a duck a duck, as OP desires...
Ok, so we're all inferior. That doesn't mean we're all inferior the same way. That doesn't mean we're all inferior to the same extent. That doesn't mean we all have the same limits imposed by our various inferiorities. That doesn't mean we're all equally inferior. That doesn't mean the source of the inferiority, or the outcome of the inferiority, is utterly immutable in every way, in all cases.
Crazy idea, but maybe...
Don't
Tell
Other
People
What
They
Are
Or
Aren't
Capable
Of
Just a thought.
Even then, nothing says you can't still try.
Ey, and while you're at it, don't forget to remind this guy how "inferior" he is.
Bet he thinks he's Chuck Norris, huh?
What a show-off, right?
Inferior doesn't mean incapable. Sometimes it just means "try harder". Sometimes it just means "keep trying". Sometimes it just means "try anyways".
And a friendly reminder that Beethoven had a hearing disability.
Also, this guy. Stone deaf since birth, still a DJ.
https://www.npr.org/local/305/2019/11/0 ... 20Deaf.%22
None of these videos have got anything to do with the notion that an autism diagnosis is predicated on having poor social skills and the fact that autism is a lifelong disorder.
Ahem, don't you mean inferior social skills?
Missing limbs isn't lifelong? Do you, like, think they grow back?
The actual achievements of actual autistic people has nothing to do with what autistic people can actually achieve?
Acting and public speaking don't require social skills?
C'mom now...
Besides, I bet every single one of those people had someone in their lives trying to tell them what they couldn't do.
The_Face_of_Boo
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Joined: 16 Jun 2010
Age: 40
Gender: Non-binary
Posts: 32,182
Location: Beirut, Lebanon.
That’s why doctors call it *spectrum* of autism disorders.
That’s why there are therapies for severe cases.
The thread is explaining official notions, no one said there’s any limitations to achievements.
Sure, some autistic out there may be a great public speaker.
Also, check for survivorship/success bias.
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