Autism Stereotypes

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i say this rather often, too.

in general, yeah, i would have to agree. they are rather boring, ontop of that.

- Autistics are guys
Nope.

- Autistics are white
Half white, half mexican.

- Autism/Asperger is known as 'the geek syndrome'
I prefer "Little Professor Syndrom."

- Autistics don't believe in religion
Athiest/Buddhist.

- Autistics like rock and goth
Good God, NO.

- Autistics can't speak or write
Obviously untrue, although I occasionally feel as if I cannot.

- Autistics are math nerds
Guilty as charged, although I blame the fact that both my parents are accountants.

- Autistics are introverted
Mostly, although I can usually hide it well.

Well put.

Where do these stereotypes come from cuz I aint ever heard em before
A

I've never heard these stereotypes, but you can apply a lot of them to groups other than AS. You can apply a few of these to motorcycle gangs.

-Motorcycle gangs are guys
-Motorcycle gangs are white
-Motorcycle gangs don't believe in religion
-Motorcycle gangs like rock and goth
-Motorcycle gangs can't speak or write

As you can see, these stereotypes can apply to other groups. They're very common stereotypes.

- Autistics are guys

I'm a girl!

- Autistics are white

I'm white.

- Autism/Asperger is known as 'the geek syndrome'

I believe myself to be a geek.

- Autistics don't believe in religion

I don't believe in religion. But I am spiritual!

- Autistics like rock and goth

I like classic rock. And while I'm not into goth, I did inherit my mother's morbid sense of humor.

- Autistics can't speak or write

I don't talk much if I don't know much about a subject or if I'm uncomfortable; otherwise, I'm a motormouth! And as for writing-- it happens to be my best talent! HA!

- Autistics are math nerds

I suck at math. It's my worst enemy!

- Autistics are introverted

I'm introverted most of the time, yes. But I can be extroverted... at the wrong time.

So... I'd say I fit this stererotype about... 4.25 out of 8 (based on my own point system). While there is some truth to stereotypes, they aren't 100% fact.

So, basically, what the world is trying to tell is... go buy a Harley?

I'm saying that every group has stereotypes, even similar ones between groups.

-Goths are white
-Goths don't believe in religion
-Goths like Rock and Goth
-Goths are introverted

I prove my point again. You can apply some of these to any taboo or controversial group.

I got your point and agree, I was just joking. I tend to find amusement in odd places.

That's OK, it was meant to be somewhat of a joke. I just thought I could make the same one twice.

- Autistics are guys
I fit the stereotype there.
- Autistics are white
In the last two centuries at the most, my geneology consists of Africans, Native Americans, and Caucasians. I'm mostly of African heritage.
- Autism/Asperger is known as 'the geek syndrome'
Yes, I’m a geek, maybe even a nerd. I have an interest in both physics and anime.
- Autistics don't believe in religion
I’m a Christian who believes that God created all organisms through evolution. I’m also a pseudo-deist as I believe that on rare occasions, God recently affects the world.
- Autistics like rock and goth
I do like some kinds of rock yet at the same time I enjoy classic. As for Goths, no I don’t have any interest in barbaric, heretical northerners.
- Autistics can't speak or write
I can speak though I choose not to do it a lot (“Wise men speak when necessary, fools speak all the time”- Aristotle). I’ve been told by many that my writing looks horrible (which is why I type out my documents) and unless the person is a teacher who’s used to identifying a variety of hand writing types, they usually can’t read my paragraphs.
Autistics are math nerds
I’m horrible at math.
- Autistics are introverted
I think that fits most autistics in the real world. We’re all here aren’t we?

TalidDaRadical, are you really Asian or do you have one Asian parent and one Caucasian parent (white seems a funny word to use here since both Asians and Caucasions are white)? I ask this because in all honesty I have never encountered a non-Caucasian aspie before and I'm just curious if maybe you received AS from a Caucasian parent.
Shame on you, there is often more genetic variation between people of different heights than between races. In most illnesses, the supposed racial immunization to some diseases probably more so has to do with the fact that the genealogy of that individual person had immunity. In other words, the people in that specific area who weren’t immune to that disease either died out or were seen as undesirable, causing their genes not to be passed on. By the way, I say we begin a racial war against the short. <_< >_>

I am a white, female and a self-admitted geek. My husband calls me Rainman a lot, especially when I recall very obscure facts or am winning at Jeopardy. I did not hang out with the 'popular' people as I found their behavior immature and boring at best. I was however, not a loner. I have dated a lot of different types of guys and there was a time when I couldn't keep them all straight in my head.

I like all kinds of music and I was the original kind of goth, back in the 80's, when a lot of people were (it was more mainstream then), but wouldn't be one now, if I were still in school, G-d forbid.

I want to be social, but am getting really bad at it, as I am a stay at home mom and my skills are regressing.

As the OP said, I am fascinated by mathematics, as well as physics, even though I don't know a lot about those subjects.

I don't fit the stereotype outwardly, but if one knew me well enough, they would start to recognize some of the signs.

Tallgirl.

Years and years ago, perhaps 25 or so, I saw a show on educational TV, PBS about "autism".

I was so shocked and upset at seeing little children wearing football helmets so as not to hurt their heads when they banged them against the wall, that just the word "autism" brought back those terrible scenes.

TV can make quite an impression....

Sad, but true, autism in a lower form will
have this tendacy. The highter form is the
scarry look and lack of expression. If you
read "Overextension" in todays forum I
wrote, or "Are you Drunk" in one of my
past forums you will see how this scarry
look when bounderies are crossed can
be just as bad(but not physically bad)
just the scarry look bad, of which is a
by product of this lack of expression
skill that is so typical to autism. I didn't
say Asperger's for the fact that the
intelligence is present, and little professors
not being expressive is the result. You
can say autism wasn't misrepresented,
but instead underrepresented by not
being addressed in it's higher intelligence
form. How archtypical of television to be
one sided.

These forum's I mentioned in present and
past tense will illustrate the underbelly
of the turtle that one doesn't usually air
unless the right conditions are present.

Hopefully this enlightens you!

Sincerely,
Ghosthunter

I live in a little nowhere place in Pennsylvainia and these are some of the reall ringers that I've gotten from telling people "I'm autistic."

"You joined a cult?"

"Is that like being psycic or something?"

"No you're not."

"No you're just weird."

"That isn't contagous, is it?"

"So?"

"I thought that meen you're like dumb or something?"

Ahhh... I get a laugh out of those every time. Now you know why I have just given up on trying to even tell people.

Regular, everyday people can be so ignorant that when I was younger, I heard or made up the saying "a dog will not hurt you the way people will" and I really meant it. People can be so ignorant/uneducated, that one can nearly give up on humanity.....I used to work at a University for quite a few years and it was a pleasure. People who were delightfully articulate and on the ball, when it came time for me to leave and be amongst the maddening crowds, once again, "a dog won't do to you what people will" came to mind.