Special Treatment

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Do you like it when you are given special treatment for your autism? How do you feel about it? It's something that I've gone over in my head when thinking about my past and present. Personally I don't really like to receive special, the two main reason being I don't like to be seen as someone who cannot cope in life or someone who is an underachiever compared to someone who doesn't have autism. Second reason is that I feel that if I go through my entire adult life given special treatment, extra help etc then I'll never be able to cope with the real world. I like to be treated like everyone else so I know I can develop the skills needed to cope. It's why I tend to keep quite about my Aspergers.

It depends on how the treatment is handled. If you're given it by a bunch of people who resent doing this for you, it's awful. Having it stand out at all that you're getting the treatment is embarrassing. However, if it can be done in a way that doesn't draw attention to you or by a friend you trust, it can be very nice.

Depends on the circumstances. I don't tell the general public about all of my problems, but where I do need help for something, then I do what I have to do to get the needed help. I have bad knees and am short. My tub is high, and I don't have a step in shower. Several years ago, my father and younger brother came over and put together a wooden step running alongside the tub, so I could get in it easier. I still have problems, but it is a definite improvement. Fortunately, my one and only bathroom happens to be wide enough to accommodate the step. They also cut off one corner of the step at an angle, as that side is over by the toilet, and I might have been tripping over it every time I headed for the sink from the toilet.

I only want what help I need, not more than I need, so I don't go all needy on people.

The conclusion that I came up with upon reading the questions:

for me, special treatment is perfectly normal and a part of my "real world". As my perception and abilities are more different than alike compared to that of most other people, That's the life that I live and I can't do it another way but mine unless I want to be constantly failing at most things every day, possibly getting physically ill and later on mentally ill from trying so hard and wearing myself down to a level so low that it cannot be regularly recovered from.

Also, doing things differently and refraining from trying my best to create the illusions of many skills that I don't have enable me to actually access my skills and (autistic) abilities that otherwise I'd be ignoring in order to try at learning something that I seem to be unable to succeed in (to a noticeable or useful degree) even after years of daily or weekly training.

For example, I can't write the way many other people can.

I practised hand-writing all throughout my 14 years of schooling as well as in my free-time (creative writing) when computers were still somewhat rare for kids to use some 10 to 15 years ago. I can write by hand and make it look very neat for a line or two but my ASD interferes somehow with the ability to remember the forms of letters without having to think about them one after the other, then producing them which leads to the process of writing being excruciatingly slow for me and painful (because half a page takes me roughly 30 (to 40) minutes of writing without the luxury of pauses, meaning my joints will tire when writing short texts even).

So between pain and knowing I never finish texts in a tolerable amount of time (nevermind the disaster faced at timed tests!) including the issue of having to focus on the individual letters so much that I struggle to also take spelling, grammar and the text's content into account while writing, I know the only way for me is either refraining from ever doing anything that requires writing beyond a line or two (including going to university as well as many jobs) or insisting on special treatment for my autistic deficit to be able to use my high IQ when writing something, anything really, just like many other people without my disability can when writing texts.

Unless this special treatment is somehow making you uncomfortable, or isn't really helping you function any better, there's no good reason to refuse it IMO. I can't see where it would keep you from interacting with others or functioning in society as best you can.

Not special treatment - but treated in a way in which is supporting to put me on par with NT's, sure.

The only 'special treatment' I have seen come my way is in college when it was insisted I have in-class support who treat me like a five-year-old.

I do not expect special treatment for my autism. However, I do not mind people knowing I am autistic. I encourage people to see that autism has given me gifts and talents that I can use to reach out to others. While I acknowledge my challenges, I prefer to focus on the positives of my autism---and that is what I want others to see in me.