Discussion Do you think that autism is a super power?

[ijustwishtodie]

Anybody can feel free to answer this question no matter whether you're autistic or neurotypical though I'd be more interested to hear answers from the former group

I've seen many neurotypicals and even a few autistic people claim that autism is a super power. I'm not sure why they believe this but I assume it's because of stereotypes portrayed in media where the autistic character has a hyperfixation on something that can be easily comodified (like maths or physics for example). Then the autistic person is portrayed as this awkward super genius.

I personally think that autism is far from being a super power and I say this as an autistic person. If anything, it's more like a super villain than a super power as it took everything away from me before my life even started. When I look around me at society, I notice that the majority of people are who I could have been instead of being in suffering at even the slightest thing gone wrong. Autism is incredibly debilitating for me and there's no way to cure it. It makes me incompatible with life and I'll always be incompatible with life due to this

I struggle due to it on many aspects of life. I can't socialise (never made an irl friend or acquaintance during my entire life), I never really had any interests (yes, that means no special interests too), I collapse at even the slightest bit of pressure and I get easily irritated at my general surroundings for always being too loud. There are more things that make me feel like I'm living life on hard mode due to my autism but I'm honestly just in too much pain to remember any more and list them.

I'll never understand those who say it's a super power when, for me, it's one of the worst disabilities that I can get that makes me so disconnected from the human experience

 

[Dliena]

Hells bells no not me. I don't know if you would call a middle school dropout with net negative IQ a Superhuman. No potential zero life skills I still have to use Google at times just to make sure everything is spelled correctly and my Grammer is still shotty af for a 22yo, can't tie my shoes can't tie a single THING like hell I couldn't even tie a noose
if I wanted too. Yeah man some "superpower" alright.

 

[ceilng_tile]

This right here. I didn't get super senses, savant-like abilities, extremely high pain tolerance, or any of the other "superpowers" that other people describe. I got social awkwardness, executive dysfunction, and bad emotional dysregulation. Even my relatively high IQ is pretty useless when I have trouble finding and keeping a job.

 

[FuneralCry]

No of course not, are people even being serious when they say that, like if someone feels that way about themselves then fair enough but to act like autism is something so positive for everyone is just insensitive and wrong. I cannot stand many people's delusional toxic positivity, they are just invalidating the suffering that others go through.

 

[ijustwishtodie]

Hells bells no not me. I don't know if you would call a middle school dropout with net negative IQ a Superhuman. No potential zero life skills I still have to use Google at times just to make sure everything is spelled correctly and my Grammer is still shotty af for a 22yo, can't tie my shoes can't tie a single THING like hell I couldn't even tie a noose
if I wanted too. Yeah man some "superpower" alright.

Oh yeah, I completely forgot that I can't tie shoe laces too. I've tried over and over again but I just can't understand it in the slightest. Not to mention that I'm extremely slow at almost everything. I'm not a school dropout but I have basically no skills for life and work. All I can do is academia but even that is declining rapidly as I have no interest to study as I never wanted to live to begin with and, as already mentioned, I'm slow at everything which includes academics too. Life isn't meant for me

This right here. I didn't get super senses, savant-like abilities, extremely high pain tolerance, or any of the other "superpowers" that other people describe. I got social awkwardness, executive dysfunction, and bad emotional dysregulation. Even my relatively high IQ is pretty useless when I have trouble finding and keeping a job.

I relate to everything you said here word for word. I tried to get employed at basic entry level jobs but I can't even get into those due to my autism. Having IQ on its own is useless if you have no social skills and/or EQ along with the IQ

No of course not, are people even being serious when they say that, like if someone feels that way about themselves then fair enough but to act like autism is something so positive for everyone is just insensitive and wrong. I cannot stand many people's delusional toxic positivity, they are just invalidating the suffering that others go through.

Unfortunately people are serious when they say this. From what I've seen, the autistic people who are saying that autism is a super power is describing their own autism only. It tends to be the pro lifers who act like autism is a super power for everybody. Autism has caused me so much pain. For example, summer is coming up and I'm going to have trouble sleeping as the heat isn't something that I can handle

 

[sserafim]

Whoever says that is lying. It's only a superpower in the case of savants because they're especially talented at one particular skill. Autism is basically a curse that makes communication and social interaction difficult for you, it impedes the one thing that is inescapable: socializing. We weren't born with the unwritten rules of social interaction so we have to mimic people and pretend to be like them. It's honestly really draining. It all takes conscious thought on my part, it's not second nature like in neurotypicals. It kind of feels like I'm an actor playing a part. Most of the time it's fine but when my mask slips and I do something wrong by accident people start to think that I'm weird and start to get the uncanny valley effect. Sometimes neurotypicals even take what I say the wrong way because there's kind of like a communication barrier? They don't really understand me and what I'm trying to say. I have a high IQ (superior/gifted range) but very low EQ (like maybe even negative) and EQ is essential for success in this world so…most of the time I don't even talk so people at school would just say that I was "nice and quiet".

I have terrible executive function due to having a combination of Asperger's and ADHD. I don't even have any executive function, only dysfunction. I also have really bad hand-eye coordination and terrible fine motor skills. I even had to go to a physical therapist for hand-eye coordination. I've always been really clumsy, I have really bad bodily coordination. I still have scars on my knees from when I fell on the blacktop. Once I fell on the playground and almost broke my nose (there's still a scar on it). I remember I didn't learn how to tie a shoelace until like middle school? I can type perfectly fine because I was trained to do so in elementary school, and my handwriting is pretty if I write slowly, but I'm terrible at other fine motor tasks. People like me could never be dentists or surgeons lol.

 

[ijustwishtodie]

Whoever says that is lying. It's only a superpower in the case of savants because they're especially talented at one particular skill. Autism is basically a curse that makes communication and social interaction difficult for you, it impedes the one thing that is inescapable: socializing. We weren't born with the unwritten rules of social interaction so we have to mimic people and pretend to be like them. It's honestly really draining. It all takes conscious thought on my part, it's not second nature like in neurotypicals. It kind of feels like I'm an actor playing a part. Most of the time it's fine but when my mask slips and I do something wrong by accident people start to think that I'm weird and start to get the uncanny valley effect. Sometimes neurotypicals even take what I say the wrong way because there's kind of like a communication barrier? They don't really understand me and what I'm trying to say. I have a high IQ (superior/gifted range) but very low EQ (like maybe even negative) and EQ is essential for success in this world so…most of the time I don't even talk so people at school would just say that I was "nice and quiet".

You're on point with the social interaction part. It makes social interactions extremely hell. It also makes life harder in other ways due to being more sensitive to noise and texture and senses in general. From what I've seen of you, you do seem like a high IQ individual or at least you seem like you possess more critical thinking skills than the population. Most people don't seem to have critical thinking at all. Though, as I already mentioned to another user on this thread, IQ is useless without EQ backing it up

I have terrible executive function due to having a combination of Asperger's and ADHD. I don't even have any executive function, only dysfunction. I also have really bad hand-eye coordination (I suck at sports) and terrible fine motor skills. I've always been really clumsy, I have really bad bodily coordination. I still have scars on my knees from when I fell on the blacktop. Once I fell on the playground and almost broke my nose (there's still a scar on it). I remember I didn't learn how to tie a shoelace until like middle school? I can type perfectly fine because I was trained to do so in elementary school, and my handwriting is pretty if I write slowly, but I'm terrible at other fine motor tasks. People like me could never be dentists or surgeons lol.

I relate so much to all of this. My motor skills suck too and I got bad coordination as well. I tend to accidentally bump into objects that I know are around me. Life overall is just bad for me due to my autism

 

[ResilientAF]

Don't see it as a super power. Everytime you burn out from masking so fucking hard every day, which isn't a clinically recognized issue so you're just seen as having "challenging behaviour" and spoken to like a fucking toddler. Try as you might to get the medical professionals to understand, it just doesn't go in and you're told, "you're fine as you are" and "there is nothing wrong with you" it just makes me so fucking frustrated. I'm totally spent on a daily basis just existing. CPN just makes me want to spontaneously combust with rage as telling her how I feel is a total fucking waste of time.

 

[Dead Ghost]

If I could freely choose when to be, that would obviously be a superpower (I have Asperger's), but since I can't do it and it affects me in such a negative way, I can only describe it as a serious illness.

//

Si pugues escollir lliurement quan ser-ho evidentment que sería un superpoder (jo tinc Asperger), pero al no poder fer-ho i afectar-me de forma tan negativa només ho puc qualificar com una greu malaltía.

 

[Pluto]

This is the classic dilemma of propagating positive interpretations of life.

By cherry-picking extreme examples like Elon Musk to portray autism as highly desirable, the goal is to encourage a positive self-image despite the very obvious disadvantages. There's also endless debate over the use of the word 'disorder'.

The more stark reality seems to be that a lot of the results pivot on things like good support networks and perhaps some luck. When all is said and done, the end result can be anything from a horrible disaster to an epic success story.

 

[boddibo]

Not autistic myself, or at least not diagnosed (suspected by my autistic friends but don't feel legitimate to be diagnosed).

But I have a few autistic friends of mine that described their experiences to me (or I just have been able to see it for myself) and hell no it's not a super power. As you stated, it's because of the stereotypes portrayed in the media — and also the fact that people only want to see the 'positive sides' of autism.

They (neurotypicals) don't want to hear about meltdowns, they don't want to acknowledge that autistic people miss social cues and are not just being 'rude' or 'dumb' on purpose. They tend to minimize the impact of the numerous difficulties encountered by autistic people or not take them seriously (e.g. everything that is about texture/noise sensitivity and all, or having to mimick behaviors that you don't fully understand just because apparently it's socially acceptable or normal — not even talking about the fact that they (autistic people) are also being infantilized) just because they are mesmerized by the fact that some autistic people have hyperfixations on specific topics, and some of them can be geniuses.

But as I said, I am not autistic myself, but by what I have been told and what I have seen... not a superpower.

 

[MindFrog]

Oh hell no.. I 'd trade any "superpower" i have to being neurotypical.

I swear this came from that "superman is autistic" narrative. Now everyone thinks you're either hiding something extraordinary or a just dumb fuk hobo. There's no inbetween.

 

[Dr Iron Arc]

I don't know if I'm autistic but I've been told I have some traits that resemble it plus my sister has a very severe form of it so it's very likely I may have some higher functioning form of it too. My dad has also been unofficially diagnosed with Asperger's as well though he denies it.

From what I've heard, autism keeps getting passed down genetically because some people are inexplicably attracted to it or maybe for some of our ancestors it helped them succeed in ways that ensured they'd get to pass down their autism genes. I wouldn't call it a superpower though, at best it can be just a small advantage like height or being able to curve your tongue into a U shape.

 

[ijustwishtodie]

Not autistic myself, or at least not diagnosed (suspected by my autistic friends but don't feel legitimate to be diagnosed).

But I have a few autistic friends of mine that described their experiences to me (or I just have been able to see it for myself) and hell no it's not a super power. As you stated, it's because of the stereotypes portrayed in the media — and also the fact that people only want to see the 'positive sides' of autism.

They (neurotypicals) don't want to hear about meltdowns, they don't want to acknowledge that autistic people miss social cues and are not just being 'rude' or 'dumb' on purpose. They tend to minimize the impact of the numerous difficulties encountered by autistic people or not take them seriously (e.g. everything that is about texture/noise sensitivity and all, or having to mimick behaviors that you don't fully understand just because apparently it's socially acceptable or normal — not even talking about the fact that they (autistic people) are also being infantilized) just because they are mesmerized by the fact that some autistic people have hyperfixations on specific topics, and some of them can be geniuses.

But as I said, I am not autistic myself, but by what I have been told and what I have seen... not a superpower.

Well said. Autism isn't a super power at all. It's just a change in neurotype which makes one act differently. In a world where everybody is autistic, autism wouldn't be disabling at all as the entire social structure would be made to cater for autistic people. However, in the case of the real world, the majority of people are neurotypical hence the world is designed for neurotypicals hence autistics are disabled by definition (and massively so)

Oh hell no.. I 'd trade any "superpower" i have to being neurotypical.

Same here. Being neurotypical sounds far better to me. Because I'm not neurotypical and I struggle with mostly everything related to life, I've come to the conclusion that I'm better off dead or else I'll be suffering extremely for no benefit

I wouldn't call it a superpower though, at best it can be just a small advantage like height or being able to curve your tongue into a U shape.

Is autism known for making one's height good? I thought that autism didn't affect such a thing. My height is okay though I don't really pay any attention to it

 

[boddibo]

Well said. Autism isn't a super power at all. It's just a change in neurotype which makes one act differently. In a world where everybody is autistic, autism wouldn't be disabling at all as the entire social structure would be made to cater for autistic people. However, in the case of the real world, the majority of people are neurotypical hence the world is designed for neurotypicals hence autistics are disabled by definition (and massively so)

That is actually the conclusion I was trying to get at but couldn't bring myself to correctly formulate it. And that's always what's difficult (and cruel) when one is outside the 'norm', nothing is designed for them and they have to be the one to adapt to a world they cannot comprehend fully or simply live in it as the way they are.

 

[Dr Iron Arc]

Is autism known for making one's height good? I thought that autism didn't affect such a thing. My height is okay though I don't really pay any attention to it

I don't think there's been much correlation between the two. I was just stating examples of things that may seem like a small advantage to those who don't have those traits.

 

[sserafim]

I don't know if I'm autistic but I've been told I have some traits that resemble it plus my sister has a very severe form of it so it's very likely I may have some higher functioning form of it too. My dad has also been unofficially diagnosed with Asperger's as well though he denies it.

From what I've heard, autism keeps getting passed down genetically because some people are inexplicably attracted to it or maybe for some of our ancestors it helped them succeed in ways that ensured they'd get to pass down their autism genes. I wouldn't call it a superpower though, at best it can be just a small advantage like height or being able to curve your tongue into a U shape.

How would it be an advantage? It's definitely a disadvantage. Autism is literally the opposite of an advantage except in the case of savants, and even still, they're only good at one thing. It literally makes me feel subhuman because I'm not great at talking to or interacting with others in person. Why would some people be inexplicably attracted to it? I don't understand. Having Asperger's/autism literally sucks. The right thing for society to do would be to find a cure so that no one has to go through this.

 

[Dr Iron Arc]

How would it be an advantage? It's definitely a disadvantage. It literally makes me feel subhuman because I'm not great at talking to or interacting with others in person. Why would some people be inexplicably attracted to people with this condition? I don't understand…this condition literally sucks. The right thing for society to do would be to find a cure so that no one has to go through this

I think to non-autistic people they see the kind of autism that makes people good at something technical like in Rain Man or some other media and point to that as a superpower. A lot of crime shows tend to use it as a way of explaining why their main characters are better at solving cases than the average person.



In the past, autism also probably helped a lot of the most famous people invent things or discover new ideas but nowadays what's even left to discover? Modern society has far too many traps for autistic people to fall into that society itself normally sees as unproductive and thus could also be seen as a "waste" of the autistic person's talents.

And then there's some people out there who are seemingly just jealous of autistic people because to them it's nothing more than a quirk that just makes one seem a little more special:


No idea why some people might find it attractive either. Maybe some get turned on seeing other people show hyper fixation and interest in something because they want to be hyper fixated on one day. Who knows.

 

[ijustwishtodie]

I think to non-autistic people they see the kind of autism that makes people good at something technical like in Rain Man or some other media and point to that as a superpower. A lot of crime shows tend to use it as a way of explaining why their main characters are better at solving cases than the average person.



In the past, autism also probably helped a lot of the most famous people invent things or discover new ideas but nowadays what's even left to discover? Modern society has far too many traps for autistic people to fall into that society itself normally sees as unproductive and thus could also be seen as a "waste" of the autistic person's talents.

And then there's some people out there who are seemingly just jealous of autistic people because to them it's nothing more than a quirk that just makes one seem a little more special:
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No idea why some people might find it attractive either. Maybe some get turned on seeing other people show hyper fixation and interest in something because they want to be hyper fixated on one day. Who knows.

Oh my gosh. I'm cringing at seeing these people say things like this. I know that the moment these people meet an autistic person in real life, they'll immediately go back to invalidating and leaving them

 

[Meteora]

It's hard to say. I think it doesn't matter what it is, the important is that people with autism get help or find a way to live with their "limitations". What I always wonder, why don't autists have friends who are autistic, too? Guess there would be a great understandig for the other.

 

[sserafim]

It's hard to say. I think it doesn't matter what it is, the important is that people with autism get help or find a way to live with their "limitations". What I always wonder, why don't autists have friends who are autistic, too? Guess there would be a great understandig for the other.

If you're neurodivergent then most of your friends are neurodivergent as well, you tend to be subconsciously (or maybe consciously?) drawn to each other. My friends all have autism, ADHD or some other kind of neurodivergence. I don't think anyone is neurotypical.

 

[Final_Choice]

It's not, I wish I was normal and functional. Anyone saying that likely just wants pity and attention and probably doesn't even have/know about autism.

 

[Meteora]

If you're neurodivergent then most of your friends are neurodivergent as well, you tend to be subconsciously (or maybe consciously?) drawn to each other. My friends all have autism, ADHD or some other kind of neurodivergence. I don't think anyone is neurotypical.

Oh ok, that's nice.
I also don't have friends without major mental health issues.
With my disorder I m still considered neurotypical but I m sure this will change in the next couple of year. I m neurodivergent, too.

 

[LaVieEnRose]

Unless misery can defeat evil and save the world, then I'd say no.

 

[MindFrog]

From what I've heard, autism keeps getting passed down genetically because some people are inexplicably attracted to it or maybe for some of our ancestors it helped them succeed in ways that ensured they'd get to pass down their autism genes.

You know this reminds me of that study where autistic women are more susceptible to getting abusive partners.

It's just kinda bleak to think about.

 

[hematomatema]

Noooo. Absolutely not. Well, it does kind of depend I guess on the severity. People don't really like to think of it that way but it does kind of differ in severity. It's like comparing someone with a broken toe to someone missing a whole leg sometimes. Those hardly affected by it at all usually excel, or are at the very least incredibly capable and talented individuals, but as you go up the rung and get more symptoms, it tends to really become more disabling. I was incredibly lucky to get subclinical/very mild symptoms and I can function in daily life, but I have quite a few friends both IRL and online who tend to struggle when it comes to socialising or getting jobs. Unfortunately, those two things are vital in society. (Although the importance is starting to die down a little bit thanks to disability benefits slowly but surely becoming more accessible to those who need it, but that aside...)

I guess one positive of it being seen as a superpower is that people are a lot more accepting though if you tell them; I have a mate in class at college here in England who (very evidently, talking probably moderate support needs) has it and whilst we joke with him a bit about it due to it making him incredibly gullible and quite awkward, I don't think anybody hates him for it, he's just seen as a bit odd.

Good thing about it is is that we're entering an era of unparalleled medical advances, especially when it comes to the brain. Hopefully some new drugs get through clinical trials at some point that better the lives of those with it, because it really isn't fair to have.

 

[spinningship]

I'm probably one of the rare few autists who would agree with that sentiment at least partially. I mean I don't like the tone it's said in because it's super infantilising usually.

But the idea that it's not all bad and it's probably better viewed as a difference I personally can get on board with. But that's just because i'm lucky to be able to live independently, am surrounded by similarly nerdy people, and have skills that make me economically productive. In that context, sure it's a ''superpower' because I get to work on incredibly interesting abstract problems that others don't have the pleasure of interacting with.

But that would be neglecting that it's something like 70% of autistic people in the UK are unemployed, even including college degrees. Most people with autism don't have special interests that are valued by society. People with autism are many more times likely to be traumatized and depressed.

 

[Silent_cries]

Autism is anything but a superpower I'd say it's the very fewest of autistic ppl who are super geniouses tbh. I have autism myself and I have average iq, no special talents and had medieocre grades in school. Nope, no superpower here!

Autism is anything but a superpower I'd say it's the very fewest of autistic ppl who are super geniouses tbh. I have autism myself and I have average iq, no special talents and had medieocre grades in school. Nope, no superpower here!

I rememember thinking it was so unfair that I didn't get any "autistic supertalents" like those portrayed in media when I was younger, and thinking that there was something wrong with me for not having any despite having autism. Yeah, fuck media honestly!

 

[deathslament]

No, it's not something I'm proud of.

 

[Malaria]

No, having autism has not been a superpower for me. Pic very much related.