Aspies For Freedom

I think it seems a bit odd and pointless to call everyone who's not autistic for NT and talking of them like a group, generalizing their way of thinking, acting, etc.

What about all the other mental disorders? I have borderline personality disorder as my main diagnoses, which meens I'm extremly instabile emotionally and some other stuff. Google it if you want to know more.

Then there's all these people with ADD, ADHD, depressions, bipolar, schizophrenia, psychopathy, OCD, all sorts of personality disorders, etc.

These are conditions that affect the individuals way of coping with emotions, reality, other people and pretty much everything. It affects their way of thinking and most things around them.

Are these also classified as NTs? In that case, I don't get it. I often hear people with asperger/autism pointing out that they are all individuals and unique. At the same time I've seen a lot of people assuming all NTs are pretty much the same.

It's so confusing. Please, give me answears.

and what does that meen?

But many of these disorders are not chronical. Therapy and medication has proven great results. And those who get better, do they go back to being NTs?

Maybe not. But can this neurodivergent thing be proven or is it just a theory?

Marla, it may be just a simple misunderstanding with definitions or point of view and semantics here.
I find the term NT simply a useful label for describing those people who are not autistic-who are developmentally typical -what is accepted as the norm in a society or culture.
I don't use the term in an 'us' vs 'them' kind of way.

I am glad that in your life you have had good experiences with people who are curious about 'mental disorders'. I personally don't think of Autistic persons as having a mental disorder.
I go so far as to not use the word disorder, actually

While I know some very nice, curious, non judgemental people who really want to learn, be educated -there are many who are not accepting of those who are different.
People who are different in some way from the norm are often teased, bullied, shunned, and just otherwise made to feel less than or "wrong".
Certainly there are many people on the Autism spectrum who have experienced this judgemental attitude.
Some people see Autism as a tragedy. They feel that all people should think this way about autism. They believe in curing Autism so that the 'real person' hidden behind all that 'horrible' autism can come out. (He- who- keeps- being -named- here comes to mind)

I like to educate anyone who will listen to me go on ( and on) that I don't think that being Autistic is wrong in any way.
In fact, it feels 'right' to me.  So right, in fact, that there ought to be a forum or an Autistic rights movement...all about how being neurodiverse is Ok!   

Marla, no offense, but you are a fool if you are perplexed by us!  Can you even grasp these kind of things?  And if you have an aspie boyfriend and you value your relationship with him, I suggest that you should research and learn before shouting at your mouth!

Remember this, Kosmonaut.  I can be a jerk to anyone.  Do you want me to be a jerk to you?  Forgive me for this, I have a sharp tongue.

LOL!

best come back ever!

There are people on the spectrum and people not on the spectrum and both of us can have different associated conditions, which for some reason people seem to think are part and parcel of autism - not always the case.

But really we are all born as unique individuals on the spectrum or not, and what makes it exceptionally hard is no 2 people are the same. We may have some of the same traits, but we are all individuals in our selves, different personalities, different circumstances and each effected differently.

NT's just mean not on the spectrum, but still can have a number of conditions just like us Aspies. To me being an aspie is just the way I think and see things, which is different from NTs. My associated conditions anyone could have on the spectrum or not!

To other AFF members: I think that we're getting a bit off track here - this was a genuine inquiry from someone unused to autistic culture, and sometimes there is a lot of catching up to do.

To Marla: Firstly, NT is used to describe a particular methodology of thought, just as terms like autistic, bipolar, schizophrenic, etc are used to describe other methodologies of thought. This isn't the same as saying NT's all think the same, as obviously no group of people think exactly the same.

I tend to agree that the term NT is quite often used to unfairly generalise, but this isn't the purpose of the word.

The term NT is useful because it gives a framework from which to discuss autism. For example, if hyperfocus is an autistic trait, then it follows that there is a group that has the inability to hyperfocus. In this way, there are things that you can say about NT's that are entirely correct, and using the word "neurotypical" makes it easy to discuss these differences. The only way that you could argue that the word neurotypical was useless was if you were arguing that all psychiatric labels were useless. I'd be the first to agree that there is some blurriness around the definition of all of these labels (including autism), but this does not make them useless.

Also, the word neurotypical as a group label lets people know to discuss differences on equal terms, as the only other way to put things is on a "problem" vs "no problem" level - which will never lead any sort of deeper understanding.

lol

but maybe the sum would be more like this

louise18 + lobotomy + mass amounts of opium = kosmo

well depends how you use the unloaded shotgun?

I mean you can still beat someone to death with it?

or perhaps....NO! I'M NOT GOING TO GO THERE!*

sorry just had to make a little joke there

genius's think alike!

LOL

very funny! I posted this on my blog!

five foot four, as would be said in the United States.  Pakrat, does every country except the USA and UK use the metric system?
I am only a little bit taller but I am considerably more massive.