"Low-Functioning" Auties - our duty to help them?

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Well, since I've seen that I can relate to non-aspie auties more easily, and have more patience to them than most NTs - I know that we don't want to speak for other people, as some do for us, but isn't it better if we kind of take charge?

I mean, I see kids in special schools, and "expert" teachers can't understand them as much as the typical 16-year-old aspie. It's absurd. As people who know part of what they feel, and prefer helping rather than "curing" - shouldn't we count their education and help as part of our goals?

I just feel as if we're leaving someone behind when we're differentiating ourselves from them. We shouldn't speak for them, but we should encourage better understanding of them. I couldn't shout, so I suffered. Some of them can't speak at all, now I feel some kind of obligation to encourage them to communicate and express themselves, in some way, whichever possible.

Any thoughts?

Tricky...

I grew up visiting my mum at work, and she worked at a special school. A lot of the kids there had autism, but usually as a side effect as something else...think wheelchairs and brain damage. I always got on with the kids there a lot better than at my regular school. I was very good at looking after them as such...not in a derogatory/pitying way...just I was good at that.
I think despite having this reputation as being bad regarding empathy, we aspies tend to be good at dealing with outcasts, people who are different. But I'm not sure. I don't want to be making bold statements on behalf of aspiekind but I think we're generally good at dealing with autistic people naturally. I mean, I was undiagnosed until I was 15 but I always felt naturally more drawn to autistic people.

Edit: I think this is a very personal experience actually, I don't think I should say generally all aspies are good at dealing with "different" people because that's plain untrue sorry...like I said, it's a tricky thing to think about. I think I ended up confusing myself slightly

Last edited by OliverFrampton on 07 Mar 2010, 5:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I'm not sure what you mean by "take charge". Isn't that what the people who are trying to "cure" them are doing? I think I'd rather help them be in charge of their own lives.

If what you mean is, more aspies should become special ed teachers, I certainly think that would be a good idea.

An aspie community would be able to care for the lower functioning autistics, politically, financially and directly. The community business? To answer you argument from an other thread about bettering society.

http://www.wrongplanet.net/postp2663918.html#2663918

So are you proposing we take these children from their families and do with them as we wish?



Source? Reference to scientific study?



How can you tell that "we" feel the same thing as someone who can't communicate their feelings?



Looks like you want to help. Go volunteer or become a special-ed teacher.

We, those on the spectrum, have to make an effort at empathy where the NT's can do it intuitively with other NT's. When NT's can't do it intuitively they are hopelessly lost, while we can still muddle through by making an effort; so I guess it depends on your definition of "bad". Personally I don't think we're bad at it, in fact because we recognize that we may get it wrong, we might be better at it and more excepting of other's differences because we are also different.

I've often wondered, with the type of curebie who says that we "don't know what it's really like, since we're high functioning," why they think THEY know what it's like to be a low-functioning autistic person. Wouldn't high-functioning autistic people be generally closer to understanding a low-functioning autistic than would be a neurotypical who was fixated on curing that person rather than on their actual personality?

I agree with the OP to the extent that those on the spectrum who can help those who can't help themselves in the way they can, and eventually enable such people to take as much control of their lives as possible. We don't want to come to the point of running their lives, but it would be good if we could act as intermediaries or examples.

Of course, I mean "take charge" as in "take the ignorant people off, let the people control themselves". I hate authority, but as long as there is one, if it tries to deal with people, it should talk to them. If they can't understand LFA's, perhaps we can help. Becoming special ed teachers is a good idea.


HELL NO!
I want people to understand them, not to control them.


Own experience when visiting special ed kindergarten once, and hearing from autistic friends similar stories. I had better communication with them, at that place at least.


Perhaps they can, just not in conventional ways. Some LFA's show love and affection. Plus, some of them talk, and said they liked me better than other volunteers. I think this may has a connection to my autism, as I reacted in a different way to their behaviour/thoughts.


I consider that path of life.

Agree. When visiting that kindergarten, I felt as some bridge between the kids and workers. I don't mean to control them, just to be more patient and understanding, and communicate with them - as I don't think autism is "asocialism", and I felt some of them try to communicate, even without speaking. It's much more difficult for them if the teacher doesn't understand their thoughts, I think. When they came to me I immediately understood what they wanted, and their reaction showed that I was probably right...

Thing is, all the workers had to study, plus my sister, and I just thought it's natural, and helped them with their difficulties, for that number of hours. So did the other workers, they had good intention, but it's much harder when you can't relate to their ideas of obsessions, rituals, etc. My sister said it was weird for her to see someone who's not working in special ed like that with them. It just felt natural for me, and I'm not someone who feels natural with most people...

I once went to a meal with some special needs teachers and their partners. They spent 43 minutes telling those not teachers, how amusing Aspi special interests can be to NT's. They then went on to talk for 3 hours about what they would do if they won the lottery, where they were going on holiday etc. They always have the same conversation but vary the imaginary content.

I think I managed to pass for NT, kept quiet and sat down to eat. It was most interesting observing them.

They did seem basically kind though.

It shouldn't need to be a "duty" the response should come naturally. It's called compassion and love.

I agree. There were some at my old school. I volunteered in the special class and befriended two of them. They made more sense to me than a lot of neurotypicals do. I passed as neurotypical at that school because of extreme prejudice, so people thought of me as charitable or something for hanging out with them, but I always thought I got more out of those relationships than they did. They got a friend, a "normal" kid who stood up for them. I got two people without the confusing mannerisms of neurotypicals and the incredible sense of peace that comes with not having to hide or pretend.

I agree. Although Aspies are less socially impaired that Classical Autistics, we are still socially impaired and as such we are neurologically connected.

I agree with the OP. We "Aspies" (so long as that term is still around) are somewhat of the bridge between "low-functioning" Auties and the NTs. We can often understand other autistics better than NTs can, and we can also aid in relaying their wishes and needs to neurotypical teachers and caregivers, or better yet take up those roles ourselves.

There is a misconception about low functioning autism. I personally feel that low functioning autism is a misnomer. It's been proven that "low functioning autistics" can be very intelligent however they lack communication. Many learn to type and how to communicate through the Internet even though they cannot talk.

I think that it is our duty to help them. I would, if I could.