Autism is not a superpower

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I don't understand how a condition that impairs communication and behavior could be a superpower. It seems like if an autistic person accomplishes something, it's a superpower. But if a non-autistic person accomplishes the same thing, it's an accomplishment.

I see what you’re saying.

Autism is not a superpower, it ruins lives. It is hard to find jobs and hard to make friends because people do not like people with Aspergers. Learning social skills or going to college is a complete waste of time because people still do not like Aspergers/Autism. There needs to be a cure to Autism found now to stop the misery that makes our lives sad, lonely and miserable.

I think that you may have misinterpreted it. At least, the way that I understood it was that autism is a superpower if it is a certain case where it allows an autistic person to accomplish things that even neurotypicals cannot usually accomplish. So that in that particular case, there were certain factors in that autistic person that gave them better-suited skills than most neurotypicals even.

Of course a level 3 where specialised care is needed, that is different though. But I have a feeling that you are referring to Greta Thunberg, who is leader of a climate movement, something that insofar no neurotypical has managed to lead.

I agree that it isn't one, but if someone likes to think that their autism is the reason they've gotten really good at something (like some special interest), I don't see why others should work to deny it. Autism usually affects one's life negatively, so if one can find something positive about it too, it'll help them cope with it.

Superpowers doesn't truly exist. It is but an idea of sorts.

Uncommon human phenomenons do exists however.
Many of which that benefitted or taken an awe from others are dubbed as 'superpowers'. While the opposites are 'deficits'. Some are cut and dry, some are vague and mixed. And some of these phenomenons are 'conditions'.
The more common it is, the more overlooked. As it is more common, it is also what sets the bar as 'typical' for certain sets of conditions.


Autism is a condition. An identity to some, a form of trait to a few, an expression to another; whether positive or negative.

Those who bravely grit the whole idea of autism is a superpower had yet to digest certain facts of the condition.
Those who only thinks otherwise had yet to discovered other ways of one's life past their own sets of conditions.



And I will say it again; my superpower is my damn beating heart.
Not my 'traits', not my 'tools', not my 'talents', not my 'expressions', not my 'aptitudes', and not my 'conditions'.

My damn beating heart is not an 'identity' nor an 'expression'; but a very, very common, very overlooked, highly taken for granted and an apparently very neglected phenomenon.

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What sort of things can't a neurotypical accomplish?

I think saying that autism is a superpower is just a way to make autistics feel better about themselves or something. Well I am not a genius and I never will be.

Autism is in the diagnostic statistical manual

Autism is called a disability officially for a reason

Otherwise autism would be called a superpower

"You have a hard time dealing with reality" mister redelings had the nerve to tell me

"Reality" is easier for a skinny smart handsome cisgender extrovert neurotypical white man to deal with.

But his statement was correct

Depression and anxiety are diagnoses, not choices or moral flaws

Some people are naturally not survival of the fittest

Some five year old children drop dead cancer

Their reality is much harder to deal with than mine

They didn't do anything wrong and cancer is the punishment

I didn't do anything correctly and 36 is the reward

Consolation prize

They just happen to get cancer

I think of it more as being min/maxxed in some ways, where we have the potential to seem superheroic at times if circumstances align in just the right ways, but overall we struggle with being rather gimped if we can't find a well-balanced team to work with that can compensate for our weaknesses to allow us to better use our strengths.

Unfortunately having low social skills as one of those weaknesses, finding and working with a team can be an epicly difficult task in itself, leaving the mins to often outweigh the maxxes. Some people can do it, but that doesn't mean the challenge isn't real.

I think that when something can’t be changed it’s worthwhile to make the best of things - to focus on the positives rather than the negatives.

We can focus on the “poor me’s” but what good would it do?

I don’t like it when people think that their autism makes them superior to NTs but I see nothing wrong with focusing on one’s strengths and talents that may have been furthered by his or her autistic traits.

Temple Grandin was able to use her unique, autistic perspective (to some, a “superpower”) to invent multiple machines for use on farms, and which result in the more humane treatment of farm animals.

She was smart enough to befriend NTs, so that they can be proliferated for the profit of all

In truth, her “unique perspective” was primarily of a visual nature.

Somehow, she was able to see things from a cow’s, rather than a human’s, perspective.

Thus, she was able to invent a vaccination “restraint,” which made vaccinations far less painful for them.

She received a patent for the invention, and made money off of it.

Most people on here (if not all) do not believe that autism is a “superpower” in the literal sense.

They are using the term to describe positive traits they associate with autism or that they themselves possess which may have been furthered due to their autism.

There’s nothing wrong with expressing such positivity as long as it doesn’t extend to the point that one believes he or she is superior to NTs.

Temple Grandin has certainly accomplished a lot in diverse ways.