babybird wrote:
That's interesting. I'm wondering then that if aspergers and autism wasn't considered to be a disability 70 years ago then if we go even further back than that; would it have even been considered as a difference at all and if so then what has happened over the course of time to make it such a difference to the point that there is a clear division between the attitudes, interests and preferences of PW aspergers and none Aspie/autistics.
I think it's more that society is much richer (and better informed) now, so there are far more resources available for people who need help.
My grandmother passed away last January. She was in her 90s. She used to say that if she were a student today, she'd be diagnosed with autism, but back when she was a child, they were in the middle of the Great Depression, they lost the family farm, and then the Dust Bowl hit. They were lucky if they had food on the table; there certainly weren't resources to help this kid who couldn't speak properly. Why bother giving it a name when you can't do anything about it?
When my brother got diagnosed, he was the first one at his school. But by then, a diagnosis meant something: accommodations. And my dad wasn't in the midst of losing the farm, so he had time to do things like get my brother assessed.