Why does everyone want to cure a species issue???

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I have a perspective that may be controversial, which is that you *ARE* normal. Everyone here is. Not "normal" in the conventional way, as we discuss NT's vs ND people, but that being neurodiverse IS normal. Almost everyone has something weird or strange or wonky about their neurological wiring, even people who are so-called NT, the difference is to what degree, what flavor of neurodiversity, etc.

I used to want to be "normal," long long ago. It took me awhile to realize that there isn't really any such thing as being normal, and that being weird and strange and unique was something I could be proud of, because it made me *ME*.

Sadly, I am one of a very small minority of people who think this way, so there are large swathes of people who do not want to be weird or strange or unique. They want to be uniform and consolidated, homogenous and similar. They want to be this mythological normal.

I am not bashing you for having the desire to be "normal" Joe90. I am criticizing people of the NT mentality who think that being normal is the right thing to be, instead of just you.

So to me, I think it is normal to be unique, weird, strange. I think it is abnormal to think that normalcy is "normal." The myth persists (or my view of it being a myth anyway), but that is the state of things. I have to function in this world where people set rules on social norms that are, in my opinion, pretty damned crappy. You should not be barred from having a fulfilling life, experiencing things in the manner you want to, just because of a divergent neurological process.

but that's my POV. That does put me on the opposite side of things: I am more than willing to embrace an ASD diagnosis, if I get it at some unknown date in the future. Sadly, I also have the benefit of having lived as an NT until now...which makes it easy for me to say all this and sound somewhat hypocritical about it.

For that I am sorry. Again, I think the world should be different than it is. I am a bit frustrated and confounded that it isn't this way, TBH...something I have had to contend with my entire life.

If you're "living" as an NT and benefiting from it, what makes you think you're on the spectrum in the first place? And if you are on the spectrum and able to pull off and succeed with the NT masses, a diagnosis won't change things.

There are many undiagnosed who struggle and don't know why. Even if they'd love to "live as" / benefit from being NT, they can't pull it off no matter how hard they try. This goes beyond individual differences, rather a statistical average. "Normal" is that the majority, regardless of how they behave, don't have the sorts of problems an autistic minority does.

Many Aspies would love to "live normally," yes, it's a thing. But they can't. I say: You may be done with the Autism spectrum, but the Autism spectrum isn't done with you.

Good question. Without going into too much lurid detail about my life experiences, I believe that a lack of community resources and supports, as well as a general ignorance of what Autism was, lead to me growing up without being recognized as being Autistic, even if the symptoms were there. It wasn't until very recently (The past 2 years) that I have come face to face with what Autism is and means in a very serious way, and made me reevaluate my entire life experience compared to Autistic experiences. if not for somebody who is knowledgeable having said something along the lines of, "I work with Autistic people, and you do a lot of the same things they do," I would have just gone on without any such personal reflection on the matter, but since that happened, every time I look into it I find more and more confirmation that autism matches my life experiences.

The reason I was able to get through to the age of 38 without a diagnosis is probably the same as how many people got through to 50, 60...whatever adult age without a diagnosis. Lack of information about the matter and the ability to "pass off" as normal to a degree that allowed you to go unrecognized. In my case, I had several of my behaviors actively "beaten out of me," that is I received punishment for behaving in ways that would have been recognized sooner, and I am *likely* high enough on the spectrum to be capable of adapting.

This leads me to quite a bit of anger about the fact that my experiences *should* have been recognized, and supports granted, but I did not receive that recognition when I was young enough to be assessed easily, and there isn't a good tool to recognize adults with Autism (I am discovering).

Hope that answers the question.

Yes, a diagnosis will not really alter the fact I can mask really well. realistically, I can probably get by without getting a diagnosis, and having one won't actually benefit me in any major way now. All it will do is serve as peace of mind that helps explain everything in my life.

I usually define 'monsters' as abnormal, like people who murder. They're the f****d up dregs of society that deserve to be judged and hated, don't care if they're autistic or not.

I would say that the Illuminati made the Big Bang theory.

And it says about how Neanderthals developed tools and Sheldon is clearly Aspergers.

I'm not sure if autism is a species either.

The MAN wants us to learn history out of books but we know that true history comes from sitcom lyrics.

Who else can teach us about the discovery and settlement of Giligan's Island? Who else can tell us how the Clampetts became one of the richest families in America? How else are we to learn about the daily life of the modern stone age family?

That last two points are true. It does mention Neanderthals, and Sheldon seems aspie.

But the song doesnt make any connection between Neanderthals and aspergers.

Autistics are human.

That there are autistic people that think otherwise is sad and frustrating because by definition it is dehumanizing.

Having polled WP membership twice I know this idea is unpopular but the title of this site is part of the problem.

Yes just humans with a disability. Claiming different species or non human or Neanderthal is dehumanizing and dangerous.

So autistic and different is fine but different species isn’t???

correct.

I know people who hate me because I’m autistic…a different species rectifies that?

And I'll post this here too.

Sending us to videos is just lazy. Using videos to explain your point is just offloading the time burden on the viewer rather than taking the time to explain it yourself.

See? I explained my point using my words. Would that have been so difficult to do?

How so? They'd still dislike you. People don't always like each other, get each other or get along but that doesn't make us different species.

Maybe we’re aliens here on wrong planet?