I can attribute some positive things to autism perhaps. None of it is worth the misery at all.
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twin size mattress
Member
- Oct 1, 2023
- 20
I also dont see any positives to my autism. The world wasnt built for us, and its painful knowing that i exist in a world that just wasnt made for me. Its done nothing but push me away from other people, i dont see how im supposed to treat it like a gift.
ewlife
:(
- Oct 4, 2023
- 51
It's absolutely not a bullshit concept and that's not what the article you shared is advocating for either. It's limited but empirically testing and validated, as I discussed in my earlier post.
Lookingtoflyfree
Student
- Jan 11, 2024
- 155
There is not a consistent point of view about IQ; there's a lot of valid critiques because of the social construct part of it. I can find plenty to support it (https://www.discovermagazine.com/mind/understanding-the-flaws-behind-the-iq-test) and you can stay on your 'limited and tested' hill. There are many concepts that are established, but the idea that one of the is IQ isn't. You can keep arguing, but I won't participate
ewlife
:(
- Oct 4, 2023
- 51
A magazine article isn't a reputable source. You're clearly not familiar with the research on the topic. EVERY heuristic has limitations, but as I've discussed, that doesn't mean it's a "bullshit" concept.
Edit to add that just because a construct is misunderstood and misinterpreted by the general population, that doesn't make it invalid.
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Lookingtoflyfree
Student
- Jan 11, 2024
- 155
You don't find Discover reputable? Fine, here's your academic journal: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10888691.2014.983635. This one's on IQ at work performance. I can keep going. You come here sounding like you have the definitive answer and you're being disrespectful - there was absolutely no need to use the 'you're clearly not familiar' attitude. I'm done here and won't be responding to anything you write, and have flagged this to the mods for breaking the sub rules around respectful discourse.
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Bannana
caretaker
- Mar 10, 2024
- 76
I believe in the spectrum being a big part of why some people believe it to be a gift
My autism allows me to completely fixate on a task or problem for months that I want to solve or complete
But in the catch is when I am not interested in a task or problem I will procrastinate for days or weeks before touching it
It can be a gift and a curse at the same time
The curse is that we live in a world where we are all expected to work the same and learn the same things at the same speed
Some people lose their motivations and purpose because of this and it is the systems fault
When the same people that run the system say anything on the subject it just makes me mad seeing just how little they know or care to know about us
We aren't all the same and we need care specifically designed for the patient
And if we are given the proper care we need, we can all do great things
ewlife
:(
- Oct 4, 2023
- 51
And yet it's you who's escalated the argument, who is referring to empirically validated measurments as "bullshit" and who got triggered at my initial comment about how I perceive having a high IQ as a strength for myself. Take care
KuriGohan&Kamehameha
想死不能 - 想活不能
- Nov 23, 2020
- 1,502
Might be a hot take but here goes.
One of the most depressing things to me is how we will probably never have any treatment for autism or means of preventing it because anyone who tries to research it gets shut down by so called "advocacy groups" full of high functioning geniuses who don't give a rats ass about autistic people who suffer and could never achieve what the elites have due to multiple levels of disability.
The people pushing that agenda have no idea how awful life is for chronically suicidal seemingly functional autistic people who can't hold a job, those who can work but live miserably because they can't socialise and those who can't speak or communicate, those who bash their head into the wall because their sensory overload is sending their mind and body into overdrive, the people who will never find love, live independently, or follow their dreams.
These elite "advocates" calling the shots and shutting down autism research that could potentially change so many people's lives for the better love to cry about eugenics, and yet it is their selfish actions, this notion that autism is a gift for EVERYONE- that is actually causing so many disabled people to die because there will never be adequate provisions given to the autistic people that struggle.
I hate having autism and I hate that those sorts of people have center stage and get to speak for all of us now. It's grim.
One of the most depressing things to me is how we will probably never have any treatment for autism or means of preventing it because anyone who tries to research it gets shut down by so called "advocacy groups" full of high functioning geniuses who don't give a rats ass about autistic people who suffer and could never achieve what the elites have due to multiple levels of disability.
The people pushing that agenda have no idea how awful life is for chronically suicidal seemingly functional autistic people who can't hold a job, those who can work but live miserably because they can't socialise and those who can't speak or communicate, those who bash their head into the wall because their sensory overload is sending their mind and body into overdrive, the people who will never find love, live independently, or follow their dreams.
These elite "advocates" calling the shots and shutting down autism research that could potentially change so many people's lives for the better love to cry about eugenics, and yet it is their selfish actions, this notion that autism is a gift for EVERYONE- that is actually causing so many disabled people to die because there will never be adequate provisions given to the autistic people that struggle.
I hate having autism and I hate that those sorts of people have center stage and get to speak for all of us now. It's grim.
I have spent the last year trying to convince myself and those around me that my autism is a gift which makes me awesome at so many different things, like hyper focus, attention to detail, pattern spotting, problem solving.
But in reality, people don't like the fact that I can perform better than them, I don't want to feel excluded so I pretend that I'm not as good at stuff as I am, I pretend that I don't know the answers to questions and that I haven't completed tasks in half the time it would take somebody else.
These 'gifts' just serve to isolate and make other people resent you. I have no idea how to socialise and connect with others in a way where I can be my true self. Why would anyone want to live in a world where they cannot fundamentally be accepted?
I think about leaving this world everyday, and I have tried several times. This life is just not built for people like us.
But in reality, people don't like the fact that I can perform better than them, I don't want to feel excluded so I pretend that I'm not as good at stuff as I am, I pretend that I don't know the answers to questions and that I haven't completed tasks in half the time it would take somebody else.
These 'gifts' just serve to isolate and make other people resent you. I have no idea how to socialise and connect with others in a way where I can be my true self. Why would anyone want to live in a world where they cannot fundamentally be accepted?
I think about leaving this world everyday, and I have tried several times. This life is just not built for people like us.
KuriGohan&Kamehameha
想死不能 - 想活不能
- Nov 23, 2020
- 1,502
At present time, yes, but autism is highly heritable and eventually if progress continued there would likely be genetic testing to determine if one is predisposed to neurodevelopmental disorders. Many advocacy groups want this to be blocked completely and families not given a choice to know if a potential child could be autistic or not.
I've done work in genomic testing and it is only a matter of time before this sort of technology exists, but I 100% think once we find a reliable gene panel correlating with autism it would be possible to screen during early pregnancy. To me, this would be a good thing because not only does it give someone the opportunity to abort early on but filters out people who would not be capable of caring for a disabled child.
But like you say, there's nothing now, and it's really of no benefit to those of us who exist and are struggling now. Unfortunately the vast majority of autism research is done in children and no other population.
Countries that have been able to develop prenatal screening programs for conditions like Downs syndrome have gotten close to eradicating it. Now, the biggest problem with autism is that the people who are working on methods to prevent it or screen for it do get harassed and accused of being evil, because to them it is an awesome gift and why should we want to prevent it?
When I started my degree there was loads of generic research about autism coming out frequently, now I think people are becoming scared to do this kind of research anymore because some academics attack them over it or think it's unethical to want to cure autism or prevent it.
sserafim
brighter than the sun, that's just me
- Sep 13, 2023
- 7,374
You can do tasks in half the time? Lucky. It takes me more time to do things than normal people. Maybe that's because I have ADHD as well
My friend has autism and ADHD and she tells me about how hard it is to have the conflict of both. But we're all individual and experience things differently. My experience of autism won't be the same as someone else's
Silent_cries
I wish I could delete my trauma...
- Aug 10, 2021
- 836
I hate it too. I feel like my opinions and needs gets supressed every day causing me more and more misery. It's funny how they keep telling me and ppl around me how important it is for us with autism with routines and things being predictable and stable around us (witch is true), yet they peocceed to neglect those needs. And you know what's the crazy part? They always get upset with me when I choose to skip a routine or something bc I'm too tired, while THEY are allowed to neglect me that stability bc that's apparantly ok. Fuck people man!
Also, idk if it's just me, but I feel like nt's who work with autism seem to think they know more about autism than us who has it ourselves. Like, they always think they're superior or something just bc we have a condition. It's just so ridiculous!
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Lookingtoflyfree
Student
- Jan 11, 2024
- 155
hopeurhappylb
just a bit silly
- Feb 4, 2024
- 28
I try not to think about the deep negative affects autism has on my life tbh, usually I just think of it as a part of me because if I think about how miserable it makes my life I just get even more depressed. Because of my autism I act childish and can't have any sort of job. Society wasn't built for anyone outside the norm so my life will always be a struggle, and I will never feel or act old enough to be accepted.
ijustwishtodie
death will be my ultimate bliss
- Oct 29, 2023
- 2,406
No, I don't see how autism can be a gift at all. Perhaps the ones who say that autism is a gift is referring to the savant trait of autistic people that gets referred to in movies over and over again to where people think that all autistic people have this? Either way, by definition, autism is a disorder and, for some autistic people, it is far worse than just not being able to socialise. In my case, I have to deal with executive dysfunction, doing tasks in twice the time as others, reacting extremely to the smallest amount of stress, struggling doing "trivial" tasks, getting extremely overwhelmed by the hot weather during summer and so forth.
To me, autism is a curse and it cannot be anything more than that
To me, autism is a curse and it cannot be anything more than that
"Autism is a gift" is a nice cloying catchphrase for exhausted parents and social workers to comfort unbearable irritating dysgenics like myself. I think euthanasia should be available for this disease if the person is a consenting adult. I've never once considered this crippling bullshit to be a gift. I am just self aware enough to read the room but usually don't realize I've said or done something wrong until it's far too late. My emotions inevitably come across insincere.
I've shut myself away from the world because social interaction is solely an exercise in humiliation for me and always will be due to this condition. I will always be on the bottom rung of any social hierarchy I join.
Working a regular job is difficult due to the need for constant social interaction.
I don't feel comfortable offering immediate opinions and have to pause and think hard before saying anything, but usually I never think of potential problems in time until it's too late. I have a particularly embarrassing recent example I don't even have the nerve to post anonymously. I probably made my mother suspect something absolutely disgusting and awful solely because I didn't think of the context of who I was talking to. And any insistence against it would look like I'm protesting too much.
All talking out loud does for me is create stabbing anxiety for the next few days which is good because it's proper punishment for not thinking hard enough before speaking
But ummm I am able to focus on hyperfixations and my "stimming" is so awkwaaard but silly and makes me unique tee hee
I envy this short-bus optimism. I really do. There's no cure so it's better not to be aware of how irritating you are to everyone around you. How ashamed your parents have to be no matter how hard they try not to. How exhausting holding a conversation with you is. How ridiculous your entire existence is.
This is probably not how every autist autist feels but it's absolutely what runs through my brain after almost every time I talk to anyone.
I've shut myself away from the world because social interaction is solely an exercise in humiliation for me and always will be due to this condition. I will always be on the bottom rung of any social hierarchy I join.
Working a regular job is difficult due to the need for constant social interaction.
I don't feel comfortable offering immediate opinions and have to pause and think hard before saying anything, but usually I never think of potential problems in time until it's too late. I have a particularly embarrassing recent example I don't even have the nerve to post anonymously. I probably made my mother suspect something absolutely disgusting and awful solely because I didn't think of the context of who I was talking to. And any insistence against it would look like I'm protesting too much.
All talking out loud does for me is create stabbing anxiety for the next few days which is good because it's proper punishment for not thinking hard enough before speaking
But ummm I am able to focus on hyperfixations and my "stimming" is so awkwaaard but silly and makes me unique tee hee
I envy this short-bus optimism. I really do. There's no cure so it's better not to be aware of how irritating you are to everyone around you. How ashamed your parents have to be no matter how hard they try not to. How exhausting holding a conversation with you is. How ridiculous your entire existence is.
This is probably not how every autist autist feels but it's absolutely what runs through my brain after almost every time I talk to anyone.
Throwawayacc3
Freedom
- Mar 4, 2024
- 978
Holy crap. I tried explained this to someone recently. I went off the deep end though. Saw some studies that linked autism and high IQ together. What happens with this combination? High chance of depression. Scored 131 for the Mensa test. Top 2%. Hate this shit. Too self aware and it's not even hell. It's purgatory….
I've had it suggested by many people I am autistic (aspergers) though not formally diagnosed. There's nothing wrong with being autistic. In fact I think the mind of someone who is autistic holds a lot of value. The issue is people who are autistic understand the world better than the world understands people who autistic. And it should be the other way around. I think society uses it as an excuse to treat people with autism poorly.
borderline-feline
Constantly Sleepy Catgirl
- Dec 28, 2022
- 641
I'm autistic, and I don't have any positives. I have only slightly above average intelligence. That's it. I don't even have any special interests that are conducive to a career in any way, and I've never hyperfixated on anything useful. I can't even work because of my sensory sensitivity and my inability to self-regulate. I think it would've been better if my mom had gotten an abortion.
Silent_cries
I wish I could delete my trauma...
- Aug 10, 2021
- 836
