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Opinions on autism?

Discussion in 'Chit Chat' started by BrokenRecord, Aug 13, 2015.

  1. BrokenRecord

    BrokenRecord Guest

    As a lot of people here know, I'm autistic, and I tend to be very open about it. I was just wanting to know where everyone else here stands on the subject. Do you know anyone who's autistic? Are you autistic yourself? What do you usually think of when you hear about autism? I'd appreciate it if this thread wouldn't devolve into a debate thread, I just want to read people's answers to these questions, thank you.
     
  2. Jinkies

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    I used to hang at a table with a group of kids who were autistic. Best part was I got to go with them to one of those jumping gym places.

    About autism itself? I simply know it's just like any other mental disorder: Everybody with it experiences it differently. I think it's more pronounced in autism than, say, depression or anxiety. But I think we'll end up getting that far in understanding it all, not too long.
     
  3. MetalRice

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    I have mild autism and am classified as a highly functioning autistic, I am glad to be as healthy as I am, and I hope that we can find ways to combat this disease and help those that are worse off.
     
  4. Blue787Bunny

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    I have a nephew by my cousin who's about 12yrs old right now. He's one of those autistic with severe impairments. Sadly it was late for him to be put into a special education school. It was largely because my cousin was in denial that her son was autistic. She somehow convinced herself that he just found it hard to learn how to speak because we speak different dialects--- Chinese, Filipino, English. A doctor who once saw my nephew commented that he was autistic but still she put herself in this sphere of denial.

    Ultimately when ALL doctors advised her that her son was autistic, she went into this depression. She became distant with her son, well she still cared for him but not as much as when she thought he was "normal". I can't explain it but you can feel and see the difference on how she treats my nephew.

    She then refused sex with her husband and refused to have another child because she was afraid that she would have another autistic child. They eventually divorced.

    My nephew has started acting out. He has said some things about and to his mother. Even with his impairments, he knows that his mother isn't treating him right.

    I love that kid. With his severe impairment I wonder how he will make it in life when her mom and dad are gone. Who would take care of him. :icon_sad:
     
  5. rudysteiner

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    My little brother (13) has severe autism.
     
  6. BrokenRecord

    BrokenRecord Guest

    Wow, that's...that's one of the more heartbreaking stories I've heard here on EC. It reminds me a lot of the story of a character of one of my books I'm developing at the moment. The character is an autistic boy who loses his mother to a terminal illness, and since the rest of his family can't stand him (the only one who actually cared for him was his late mother), they just send him to a psychiatric institution, with no caring of whether he'll ever leave it. I never would've thought I'd hear of a similar story happening in real life, and I feel very sorry for your nephew. I pray no harm comes to him. :eusa_pray
     
  7. RainbowGreen

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    I don't really know how I can have an opinion on autism, seeing as I can't be for or against it. I just think people are not informed enough about the subject, like those who use it as an insult, for example.

    I have absolutely no problem with people who are autistic and I'm great friends with some of them :slight_smile:

    That's so sad :frowning2: I wish parents would all show inconditional love... It's no his fault that he his autistic and I'm sure he's still capable of doing great things.
     
    #7 RainbowGreen, Aug 13, 2015
    Last edited: Aug 13, 2015
  8. sporn

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    I was misdiagnosed with it. People act as if it's not possible to have false positives. That kind of annoys me because it makes me feel invisible.
     
  9. Wallace N

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    Am I supposed to have formed an opinion on it? I've been called "autistic" because of some of my traits and mannerisms, though it was really more of an insult than anything. I've never been interested in being tested for it.
     
  10. Bolt35

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    I grew up with autistic people. I had a cousin who i used to play around with and he was autistic. his parents didn't know too much about autism, so they just begun to find out. when his parents also found out that i was hard of hearing, they kept me away from him because they thought i "infected" him with autism. now that they're a bit more "educated" about it. i also had a friend that i grew up with who was autistic. he was the nicest kid you would ever see, and had the nicest tutor that stuck with him through thick and thin. it was really heart warming to see it, especially at a young age. being hard of hearing kid, you also needed a tutor though it was optional.
    from the years I've known him, he got beat up by some brat that wasn't educated enough about autism and took offense on what he did. i actually witnessed it and it was really horrifying. needless to say, she didn't have a bright future, since it was on her permanent record that she beat up an autistic kid.
    after all that, i don't think i have an opinion about autism. people are people after all.
     
  11. kageshiro

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    Well, I have a few friends who suffer from autism and they're some of the most creative and wonderful people I know. Autism effects people in different ways to varying degrees so it's really a misinformed blanket statement to say "I think X about autism or autistic people." Most people with the disability that I've met, I would of never known they had it if they hadn't told me.
     
  12. QueerTransEnby

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    Children and adults with autism have incredible talents and abilities that are very focused. They may not be able to keep up as easily socially, but they always have areas of interest that they are extremely knowledgeable about than your average person. My brother is an Aspie, so I have an idea of how it is. Many people with autism are just more sensitive to stimuli and changes in their environment. I truly hope society can learn more to help them adjust. I am not sure whether it is a direct impact of autism or not, but I find that the majority of those with it or on the spectrum tend to be much more apt to severe anxiety and depression.
     
  13. Lawrence

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    I think it's interesting and every person with Autism has their own unique challenge.

    At least one of my friends has some form of Autism. I was pretty confused that he missed my emotional cues and he didn't laugh at my joking around. However, I can tell him almost anything and he doesn't really get shocked.
     
  14. Steele

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    I have several friends who are autistic. They're all awesome people (obviously, otherwise I wouldn't be friends with them) and some of the bullshit they've had to deal with from assholes who just didn't understand or want to understand their differences is pretty disgusting.

    I myself do not have autism, but I do have NLD, or nonverbal learning disorder, which means that it can be hard for me to process or interpret nonverbal cues and signals (facial expressions, hand gestures, etc). Some say that NLD should just be classified as mild autism, but to be honest, I disagree. There are similarities, but NLD doesn't come with the focused, repetitive behavior that comes with autism, and the underlying causes of the difficulties that people with NLD face are different from those of autism, even if the difficulties can appear similar.

    But either way, NLD is much milder and easier to manage than autism, and even as far as cases of NLD go, my case is extremely mild, so I've never really had to deal with bullshit for it.
     
  15. Ryu

    Ryu
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    I don't have an opinion. I'm have high functioning autism and it's never been someting that bothered me. I also have a freind who said he had mild autism.
    Only thing I hate about it is whenever I hear somebody talking about it 'professionally', I always find really patronising.
     
  16. Gen

    Gen
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    I agree with the sentiment that there isn't much of a reason to have an opinion on a disability alone. I certainly don't think less of the people who deal with it. Having an opinion might make more sense if they were addressing specific questions, such as "Would you date people with varying degrees of autism? Etc."
     
  17. happydavid

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    My nephew and niece have autism and I have special needs.
     
  18. QueerTransEnby

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    I know technically autism is labelled as a disability for people to get help, but I think those on the spectrum truly do have abilities that others do not on certain topics.

    My brother, who is an Aspie like I said before, played legos all day as a child and computer games. He was dang good. At one point, he was third in the world playing Age of Empires. Before his depression hit, his knowledge on history was uncanny. He knows plenty on LGBT issues despite him being straight, sometimes more than I do. He is the biggest ally I know. He studies cases of justice and fairness a lot, and he gets very upset when people are mistreated. Because of the sensitivity he has to his environment, he knows so much about chemicals etc. I love my little brother, and I hurt when he hurts. I'd take a bullet for him before any other person in the world.
     
  19. Foz

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    While I am aware it is a spectrum disorder and I have been around autistic kids a lot as my mum used to childmind several after school, I've noticed (in the UK at least) that it seems to be hugely over diagnosed. As a Scout leader I've worked with literally 1000's of kids and you get to know many quite well and there have been several occasions when I've been quite shocked to see autism or aspergers written down on their camp form, even after having known them for many months and having seen them in multiple dynamic environments with no sign whatsoever of any social or learning impairments.

    As a kid I had several issues in school and was given no official diagnosis as I didn't quite fit into any of the boxes as there was always one detail that said no I've not got ADHD and so on. Of course because I didn't have a label meant I was treated as the naughty kid and got no support, I think kids who've had experiences like me (not quite fitting a diagnosis, but still needing a bit of help) are now known and there seems to be this fear that if a kid isn't diagnosed they won't get anything; so they are diagnosed just to be on the safe side. Ultimately it's just a side affect of the healthcare system in our country where they treat the diagnosis and not the symptoms.
     
  20. Libra Neko

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    I don't know nearly as much about autism as I do about schizophrenia and other mental illnesses. I don't agree when people clump autism with mental illness because they aren't on the same spectrum: they are separated. I'm pretty sure the big book of mental disorders doesn't include autism.
    That being said, I've only met one person who had Asberger's and she was cool.