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Roman
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02 Sep 2011, 1:07 pm

I read a lot of posts here saying that being autistic is not any worse than NT. It is just fine to be autistic and it is only the prejudices that NT have towards aspies is what ruins it.

But I have one question though. Why aspie infants cry a lot more than NT infants do? If the only reason aspies suffer is the discrimination by NT-s, then the logical explanation would be that their NT moms don't like that their kids are aspies, so they mistreat them and this makes them to cry.

However, while the above might be true in some situatioins, it is far from universal. There are some moms who accept and love aspie kids just the way they are; yet aspie kids cry anyway. Now, the logical conclusion from this is that aspie "feel worse" than NT-s, independantly of being judged or not. Aspie adults don't cry because adults don't generally notice the discomforts that kids notice. But the fact that aspie kids cry implise that there is a level of discomfort common to ALL aspies that adults simply don't notice. Now, if that is the case, don't you want to get "cured" so you can "get rid" of this discomfort?



Sweetleaf
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02 Sep 2011, 1:29 pm

Both have their benifits and downsides...But I would say the social difficulties can certianly make someone feel lonely and contribute to mental illnesses or make them more prone to being mistreated...a lot of times if you come off as weird people notice and they will make it obvious to you. Also, depending on the severity also would determine what sorts of things the individual would struggle with.



Stereokid
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02 Sep 2011, 1:31 pm

Roman wrote:
I read a lot of posts here saying that being autistic is not any worse than NT. It is just fine to be autistic and it is only the prejudices that NT have towards aspies is what ruins it.

But I have one question though. Why aspie infants cry a lot more than NT infants do? If the only reason aspies suffer is the discrimination by NT-s, then the logical explanation would be that their NT moms don't like that their kids are aspies, so they mistreat them and this makes them to cry.

However, while the above might be true in some situatioins, it is far from universal. There are some moms who accept and love aspie kids just the way they are; yet aspie kids cry anyway. Now, the logical conclusion from this is that aspie "feel worse" than NT-s, independantly of being judged or not. Aspie adults don't cry because adults don't generally notice the discomforts that kids notice. But the fact that aspie kids cry implise that there is a level of discomfort common to ALL aspies that adults simply don't notice. Now, if that is the case, don't you want to get "cured" so you can "get rid" of this discomfort?


I'm autistic, and when I was an infant, I rarely cried.

My sister is NT, and she cried and even screamed a lot as an infant!



Callista
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02 Sep 2011, 1:52 pm

It's better to be yourself.


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AtticusKane
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02 Sep 2011, 2:00 pm

Callista wrote:
It's better to be yourself.


This ^



Wayne
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02 Sep 2011, 2:03 pm

Being on the spectrum is an incredible pain in the ass. And you don't need to be on the spectrum to be really smart - there's plenty of really smart NTs running around (I'm very jealous of them) so it's not like you get compensating benefits from it.

It's not the end of the world. But NTs can do lots of things I really really wish I could do.



Tuttle
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02 Sep 2011, 2:12 pm

Callista wrote:
It's better to be yourself.


+1

Neither autistic nor NT is innately better than the other. People should be who they are rather than try to be something they're not - this does not mean not to learn coping skills and to try to improve yourself. But being yourself is important.



deadeyexx
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02 Sep 2011, 2:15 pm

Life is certianly easier if you're an NT. Aspies have thier advantages, but it's not anything amazing enough to compensate. We're not the X-men.



Moog
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02 Sep 2011, 2:32 pm

Is it better to be a cow or a cloud


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AtticusKane
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02 Sep 2011, 2:34 pm

deadeyexx wrote:
Life is certianly easier if you're an NT. Aspies have thier advantages, but it's not anything amazing enough to compensate. We're not the X-men.


Dude we're TOTALLY the X-men.

The NT interconnection style breeds superficiality and suppression of human reality. Suppression of human reality leads to misery for all of humanity, hence the piss-poor state of the modern world. Aspie interconnection style focuses on substance and scorns superficiality. This breeds understanding and realization of human reality. JOIN THA rEVOLUTION



aspie48
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02 Sep 2011, 2:45 pm

AtticusKane wrote:
deadeyexx wrote:
Life is certianly easier if you're an NT. Aspies have thier advantages, but it's not anything amazing enough to compensate. We're not the X-men.


Dude we're TOTALLY the X-men.

The NT interconnection style breeds superficiality and suppression of human reality. Suppression of human reality leads to misery for all of humanity, hence the piss-poor state of the modern world. Aspie interconnection style focuses on substance and scorns superficiality. This breeds understanding and realization of human reality. JOIN THA rEVOLUTION

yeah +1



btbnnyr
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02 Sep 2011, 2:48 pm

Just the physical presence of another person can make me feel ill, so I can see how autistic babies might cry a lot. Then, there's the sensory hypersensitivity. Not all autistic babies cry a lot. Some are quite expressionless and cry very little.



OJani
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02 Sep 2011, 3:02 pm

"I'd rather be a hammer than a nail..."



Ettina
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02 Sep 2011, 3:02 pm

Quote:
Why aspie infants cry a lot more than NT infants do? If the only reason aspies suffer is the discrimination by NT-s, then the logical explanation would be that their NT moms don't like that their kids are aspies, so they mistreat them and this makes them to cry.


OK, when I talk about discrimination, I don't mean just people deliberately mistreating someone. I also mean unintentional mistreatment based on the automatic assumption that everyone is NT until proven otherwise.

The latter is probably why some aspie infants cry more. The NT parents assume their child has the sensory tolerance of an NT when they're actually more sensitive. This is not because they love the kids any less, but because they assume their child is NT and don't understand why the child is crying about something an NT infant would be fine with.



Joe90
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02 Sep 2011, 3:10 pm

All infants cry - Aspie infants don't cry no more or no less than NT infants. All infants are different - there is no concrete behaviour with infants, especially under 5. Every shop I go in I hear a wail of a kid at the back of a shop. So crying in infancy must be common.

NTs have problems too. Some Aspies here annoy me when they think that all NTs live a care-free life just because they are that much more socially able than us. My mum and her 3 siblings all have problems, and they're NTs. Her brother is having major problems with his marriage, her sister is having problems with her daughters (who are also NTs), and her other brother, who is a very confident outgoing man, even has problems in his social life.
I just wish I was NT because they seem to share their problems more, whilst I get anxious and irritated about little things that I shouldn't be, and little problems seem really big to me. Most NTs just think I'm a whiny person who would complain about everything and so don't have time for my problems and just think I'm being silly, when actually it's a big ordeal for me. Yes, I know a lot of people fuss over the smallest things, but they seem to deal with it in a different way than what I do. I just overreact then get myself all het up and can sometimes cause a lash-out for me, upsetting others around me. But this is just the way I am. Luckily I come from an understanding family who are used to me, and will do anything to help me, which is lucky for me.
Also, it must be better to have more social knowledge built into you. I'm not saying that by being a social NT you will definately have an excellent fun social life ahead of you where nothing can go wrong. I'm just saying that it still must just be a little bit easier to be able to wade through life socially. It would be better if I could speak to official people on the telephone a little easier. It would be better if I could attend interviews giving off better body language and vibes. It would be better if I could explain things to people clearly. It would be better if I could multi-task. And all, if not, most NTs have a knack with customer service built into them. Much better than me, and I really like retail, but my crap customer service holds me back, even though I've tried retail in many places.
This world is built by NTs and for NTs. Everywhere you go there are noise and people and traffic, and you are expected to be able to have a good filter in your brain and good social skills and good peripheral vision, and most of all, good coping skills. OK, not all NTs have good filtering, good social skills and good peripheral vision, but generally NTs do, and that's how they get in these jobs, whilst the majority of people on the Autistic spectrum and other disabilities too, struggle so bad. David Cameron - the twat with no common sense - is cutting all our services and thinks everyone's just socially able and confident enough to just find another job next week, but not all of us are like that. It's truley unfair. I have pressure from the job centre to get a job, but there are certain jobs that don't coincide with my needs and difficulties. It's so hard. A lot of NTs care more about earning the money, but I care more about my routine and if the job is comfortable for me and how much time off I can have to ''recharge my battery'', moreso than how much I'm going to be earning (as long as I earn something).

So yes, in the long run, it's easier for NTs. I'm not saying their lives are easier, I'm just saying that there are certain things that our Autism stops us from doing, due to lack of social skills. It's hell.
But, I suppose it all depends on the person really. An intellegent Autistic who is happy in his or her life and has a good interest to focus on and is doing OK may not care one way or another if he or she's Autistic or not. But somebody like me, who don't really have any particular interests to focus on, and not very bright, and get picked upon wherever I go, and struggle with leading a mundane life, is more likely to feel more apprehensive.


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Joe90
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02 Sep 2011, 3:24 pm

Wayne wrote:
Being on the spectrum is an incredible pain in the ass. And you don't need to be on the spectrum to be really smart - there's plenty of really smart NTs running around (I'm very jealous of them) so it's not like you get compensating benefits from it.

It's not the end of the world. But NTs can do lots of things I really really wish I could do.


You're right. Being intelligent does not mean you've got Autism. I know a lot of NTs who are smarter than me. I just range somewhere around the average line. OK I may be able to spell Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious without using spellcheck, but generally I'm not intelligent enough to lead a proffessional life.


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