My “Views” on Autism

April 26, 2010 in Myself, Neurodiversity | 4 comments

I like reading comments posted where people state that they don’t agree with my “views” on autism.

Quite frankly, no one really knows what my “views” on autism truly are so I’m not sure how they can know that they agree or disagree with me…unless, of course, they get their information from someone else, someone that that has never actually had a real conversation with me.  And as far as I know, NO ONE on the internet has ever had a real conversation with me so I don’t know how anyone can possibly know this.

I’ll write about my “views” in a longer post when I have time to think about them.

But, know this much:  I have been harassed by ASAN and other “Neurodiverse” advocates because I am high-functioning and have some obvious “talents,” therefore, I should automatically be a hardcore “Neurodiverse” activist.

At the beginning of my internet career I was but I was quickly turned off.  Many different things about “Neurodiversity” turned me off but one of the main things was the blatant disregard for those more severely affected that the “Shiny Aspies” that make up the majority of “Neurodiversity:”  the other 95+% of the “autism spectrum,” which includes me.

I felt I was one of the few that actually had experience with profound autism since I have a family member with profound LFA and have also experienced other severe disabilities while living in institutions.

Disability is NEVER all “good” and no “bad:”  but this is the message I seemed to be getting from “Neurodiversity,” which just turned me off.

Some “Neurodiverse” may think differently know because of constant criticism but I know they didn’t think this originally and may have only changed to please the public.

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  1. Stephanie’s avatar

    Stephanie on April 26, 2010 at 1:59 AM

    Stephanie, those who read your posts and your comments do have some knowledge of at least some of your “views” on autism. Of course that doesn’t include all your views on autism, especially those you haven’t shared; nor does it mean their interpretation of your views are always accurate. But it is enough to base disagreement or agreement on.

    The harassment you’ve experienced from “neurodiversity” advocates and the exclusionism they practice is very unfortunate. And it’s not true to the original conception of neurodiversity, nor of how I define it and try to practice it. You’re right to demand something better and to advocate for your own interests regardless of what these advocates say or do.

    You say: “Disability is NEVER all “good” and no “bad:” ”

    That is certainly true of autism specifically and disability in general. It is also true of any other state of being. “Normal” could replace disability; so could “exceptional.” There is always (or almost always) bad with the good and good with the bad.

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  2. Catatab_Tabimount’s avatar

    Catatab_Tabimount on May 2, 2010 at 4:05 PM

    I have a feeling that this is in response to my comment about your art? Look, I have seen your comments and have read your blog. I have “painted a picture” of your general view on autism and neurodiversity, and I am just stating that I am not fully in agreement with what I have seen you post, if that is a better way to say it. But that is okay; I do not hate you for it, since there is a lot more to you than just that.

    “You say: “Disability is NEVER all “good” and no “bad:” ”

    This is definitely not what I would intend to imply, EVER. My correction: Disability is never all good NOR all bad. Nature is not black and white. Yet we autistics are known to view things that way, and that is why we have incredibly passionate views on things and vigorous disagreements with people. I bet that is why ASAN has been getting so angry with some autistics that disagree with them. I try not to be like that myself, because I do not want to say “autistic inclusion” when I really only mean “include autistics like myself.”

    I am hardly what you will call a “shiny aspie.” I have been diagnosed with classical autism at around 5, and it was too late to give me early intervention. I was not speaking until age 4, and did not construct sentences until kindergarden. If my mom were to ever approach an anti-cure advocate at the time, you bet she would have been absolutely furious, having to deal with all my tantrums, messes, constant supervision, routines, you name it. Needed respite. Was placed into special ed for a few years, and I have surely seen what severe autism looks like. I still have major difficulties to this day, and since I am only 18, I have no idea how well I will do in the workplace, having so many issues trying to get decent grades at school. Yet I still would not choose to change my life, because in spite of all my difficulties, both autism and teenager-related, I still have a lot to contribute to this world that I may not have been able to do if I were just “normal.”

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  3. admin’s avatar

    admin on May 3, 2010 at 4:31 AM

    @Catatab: When I first came to the internet, over a year ago, things were much more different than they are now.

    Nothing that I say is directed at you.

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  4. Catatab_Tabimount’s avatar

    Catatab_Tabimount on May 4, 2010 at 1:27 AM

    Thanks. Yeah, my views have changed a lot too even in just the past 6 months, though I’ve been into this movement for five years.

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