I'm tired of all awkward people being called autistic.

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There are lots of disorders that result in social deficits but aren't autism. A lot of it can also be due to difficult upbringing or incompetent parents.

There 4 DSM categories that describe autism: social reciprocity deficits, relationship deficits, non-verbal difficulties and restrictive behaviors.

The last two I mentioned are more fundamental, habitual and physical. First two categories can happen to just about anyone who was even mildly neglected or abused.

Well... I get called crazy or insane, a troll or idiot or dumb, unscientific or a nutter, etc., for simply being a Professional Conspiracy Theorist. The word troll is the most excessive-used word in the on-line English-language during this era. Also, most people are hypocrites, and tend to be exactly that of which they say to try and insult others... "Never under-estimate the power of stupid people in large numbers..." -George Carlin

Yeah, that or anyone who hates people is all the sudden autistic, I like a thing; it's an obsession:Im Autistic

I hate it when people shine a flashlight in my f*****g eye:I'm Sensitive to light: I'm autistic,

I have a routine: im Autistic

Autism, before 1994, was very specific. It was Kanner/classic autism.

One could not hide the fact that they were autistic.

There was no such thing as a "spectrum."

One thing the DSM-IV fails to mention is when the symptoms must be present by and what they must not be caused by. But now in the new DSM it is stated that if it must be by environmental factors or not for what type of diagnoses they have like ASD level 1 without language or intellectual impairments or ASD level 2 with intellectual disability or whatever.


It's true that environmental factors can make a kid mimic autism and other disorders like PTSD, social anxiety, ADHD, sensory processing disorder, dyspraxia, OCD.

Well, it would still have to be proven that all awkward people are being called autistic.
If it is increasingly so however, then certainly some of those online tests don't help much. Take some examples from the AQ test:

- I would rather go to the library than to a party
- I would rather go to a museum than to the theatre
- I don't particularly enjoy reading fiction

That's just the normal variety in personal likes and dislikes of human beings.

True. Or it may simply be a person's way of being that he is not so good at socializing,just as others are not good at math or sports and that people need to be more accepting of human variety regarding character strength and weaknesses. Take sentences such as 'I was so glad about my diagnosis of autism, since it meant I wasn't a complete human failure' (as I've read recently somewhere on the internet) and it makes me understand better why maybe some socially awkward people actually rather would like to be considered autistic even when they're most certainly not.

And it also states that the symptoms and traits must have been present since early childhood. So that would mean that people can't just claim Autism if they are a little socially awkward or weird because of a new situation like a new environment when they were not socially awkward before that time.

My point isn't that social awkwardness and autism are mutually exclusive.

But, rather, there are a number of different criteria: not just social skills.

I have been known (and disliked by some) for expressing at times that I think the criteria for what is called autistic, seems too watered down in some cases. But it is hard to convey that without making others, especially self diagnosed, feel like I am passing judgement on them.

I understand what you mean. That is why it is so important that people understand that the key to being labeled Autistic is that those symptoms and traits actually cause you impairment in your daily life. You actually have to be affected by them in a way that the struggle significantly affects and inhibits your ability to function in a way that would be considered within normal parameters.

As a quirky NT occasionally mistaken for autistic, I find it frustrating, too. I feel it's unfair to the truly autistic people I know when they're compared to someone like me, and thus it's assumed that if conditions are right they would be doing just as well and would have nothing to complain about. Chances are that I was a Type 3 hyperlexic or something along those lines, and not a true Aspie, and therefore I was neurologically "destined" to grow out of most of my problems unless I encountered really bad conditions in my life that would bring about a more common mental health issue like anxiety or depression.

Equating all kinds of geeks and dorks with the autism spectrum may be just an excuse for not having to seriously consider how inherently unfair life is, how some people can fight their butts off and still not get what they deserve in life. The "inspirational disabled person" trope, where people hold up these shining examples of people who are blind, deaf, intellectually disabled (Down etc), autistic, or whatever who did something awesome, seems to be a big example of this among able-bodied and NT people. We want to be able to say "if this person did something awesome, (a) so can I and (b) life isn't REALLY that unfair because disabled people DO get the chance to do awesome stuff." But one outstanding person who "beat the odds" does not change the fact that the odds themselves still exist, and we therefore need to be realistic and fair in our expectations of ourselves and others in an unfair world. And see what we can realistically do to try to make the world fairer, at least within our own circle.

I actually agree you you there. I think they have stretched it that now quirky people are on it. I did write a blog post ion my url in my sig about if society has created more disabled people. Just because you are not accepted and get singled out and stuff doesn't mean you have a social impairment. Sometimes it's just the environment so what happens when being a little different is socially unacceptable so it holds you back in life because of bigots and closed minded individuals, you will get labeled because the problems will get blamed on you, oh just change yourself and you will fit in. Plus society has created road blocks for getting jobs and the educational system has changed too so that also attributes to that. You know need social skills now obviously and if you have a different learning style, you have a learning disability. So I can understand where some autistic people are coming from when they say they are not disabled nor do they see their autism as a disability.

I do have to wonder though where does one draw the line for when someone has an impairment or not. Like let's say someone does fine socially but when it comes to a relationship, they have social problems in it. Should they be labeled because their impairment holds them back for relationships? But they need to have a bunch of symptoms too to be diagnosed with it but yet I have heard on here several times that your other so called symptoms that don't cause you an impairment can still count towards the diagnoses if you have at least one impairment but all your symptoms have to run together.

I don't doubt that there are people out there who also struggle socially but it wouldn't mean they are autistic. It could be something else they have and I also read that learning disabilities can cause someone to miss social cues and have a hard time with reading people. If it's obvious that someone has problems with social skills, people might just think that person has a learning disability but with autism on the rise, people now might assume autism now instead of the other. Autism is such a broad term sometimes it's more appropriate to use less extreme labels like anxiety, or learning disability or sensory processing issues, dyspraxia, language impairment, OCD, to describe the person so people have a better picture in their head about the person.

Anything can affect a person's social performance, not just whether you have autism or not. Lots of skills make up for social performance, not just being able reading body language. You can be non-autistic, but not NT, and be socially awkward. I know a girl my age with Down's Syndrome, she doesn't have Asperger's with it, but she does have poor memory, low IQ, and tendancy to "behave like a 5-year-old", so those 3 do affect her social performance.

Borderline Intellectual Functioning can also affect social skills due to below average intelligence. I notice they have a lot of similarities between autism. They are also very concrete, literal, naive, trusting, lack social skills, they may also engage in interests and have lot of knowledge on them. My guess they would do that because they know they are not smart so them knowing a lot about their interests makes them feel better about themselves and so they appear smart. They just have a hard time with abstract reasoning and lack logical skills. I also read they can have anger and have anxiety due to stress factor in their life of trying to make it in the real world and having to work harder than most people and the fact they can't get accommodations so no wonder they would have troubles with anger. They're not considered as having a disability in the US but they are in Sweden and I think in The Netherlands too so schools don't have to accommodate them and they are not protected by the ADA. I have no idea why this isn't a disability where I live but some schools here are willing to give these kids an IEP even though they don't qualify for special education. Classes are taught for students who have an IQ in the 90-114 range. Anyone below 90 is going to have troubles unless they have a learning disability, then they qualify for special education.

Sadly there isn't that many information on BIF, it's all textbook stuff. No personal stories or blogs about it like you would see about autism. I don't see forums for it either like I would on autism.

I also find I have many characteristics of a slow learner but the only thing is my IQ is in the average range so that would mean I am not slow. So just because someone has symptoms of something and can see themselves in something doesn't mean they have it such as for BIF for example. Just because someone can see themselves in autism and can relate to it and identify their symptoms with it doesn't mean they are autistic just like how just because I can identify with a slow learner doesn't mean I am slow. It's IQ that tells me that label doesn't fit. But I have been mistaken as being slow and being told I am not aspie, I am just slow or that I don't have a learning disability, I am just slow. I have often felt that other aspies were less aspie than me when it came to reading between the lines and just knowing things an NT would know. But my husband reassures me I am not slow and he has known a slow learner and I am nothing like him. Then he said it's just my anxiety so I feel that way about myself.

I agree. For myself, I have long wondered if I'm a true autistic or my combination of other issues makes it seem like I'm autistic. My issues: depression, anxiety, PTSD, gay, mixed race, immigrant, high IQ, AvPD (self diagnosed).

Abused? Yes.
Neglected? Yes.
Bullied? Yes.
Can't relate to people/not interested in what people have to say/hates small talk? Yes.
Fixated special interests? Yes.
Light and sound sensitivity? Yes, but no where near the intensity that other people experience.
Rigid thinking? Absolutely. (This is the one thing that gets me in the most trouble).
Can't hold a job to save my life? Yes. (I've had about 30 jobs in my life).
Depression to the point of attempting suicide? Yes.
Low self esteem? Yes. Actually "paid" people to be his friend (bought them alcohol and drugs).
Oddball? Yes.
Rocking back and forth? Yes...as a kid, but this could be due to me being beaten so often.
Make eye contact? No...when I was a kid, but this could also be due to the intense amount of abuse I had.
Collects and categorizes things? Yes.
Logical? Yes, to the point it annoys people.
Loner? Yes.
Bad relationships? Is the sky blue?
Homeless? Yes. (I mention this because it seems like I meet more and more autistic people on the street).
Poor social issues? Yes. Can make friends, just doesn't keep them. Ever.
Repetitive behavior? Well, I do stim with my legs and wear the same exact thing day in, day out, but I don't know if this qualifies as repetitive behavior. My diet is the same every day but this could also be related to me being dirt poor and a Jain.
Intensely curious? Yes. Why play with a toy car when you can take it apart to see what makes it work?
Questions everything? Yes. That's not an autistic trait, I think, but the high number of questions I ask in seeking clarification of something drives people insane.
Unusual speech? Yes. Speaks in 3rd person at times.
Very creative? Yes. Again, not an autistic trait, but worth mentioning that I've written about 10 books, published two on Amazon so far, have written or co-written four albums which are also on Amazon. Also have a blog, wrote more that 40 short stories, five screenplays, and I'm writing a book now which should be out in a few months. Then I'm going to edit a novel I wrote about three years ago and publish it in the spring of next year. As far as music goes, I play many instruments - guitar, bass, keyboards, drums...all of which I taught myself. Also taught myself audio engineering with my main tool being Cubase on PC.

Last edited by redrobin62 on 28 May 2016, 2:06 pm, edited 5 times in total.