Aspies For Freedom

Newbie here.

Erm...There is a large movement AGAINST neurodiversity? I'm stunned. Please explain; maybe I'm just being confused.

Alli

Not to derail your thread on positive experiences...

but Allivymar,

Would you consider AutismSpeaks to be neurodiverse friendly?  i would not.

In fact it really bothers me that a site that proclaims to speak for the interests of autistic spectrum individuals offers no real avenue for that speech on their site.

Its far more of a "fix it"... or even an "anihilate" it mentality. Hard to swallow when your ASD is AS.

*duh* I am such a dork sometimes!

I was so busy assuming you meant NTs Soup, it didn't even occur to me to think of a situation like AS's focus. You're absolutely correct Momo;  an unwillingness to accept someone they way they are, if they're not "perfect" according to someone else's standards, is not neuro (or anything else for that matter) diverse.

I am an NT with an Aspie daughter and I recently started mentioning the concept of neurodiversity, acceptance, society accommodating Aspies instead of the other way around, etc. to friends and family.

I recently said in one post that I feel autistics are the next large group to lobby for acceptance and wider accommodations. The way I see it in the 20th Century it was women, Jews, blacks, gays, in that order who finally rose up and said "we are worthwhile! we are equal to anyone!" Now it is autistics, but you wouldn't know it just yet because it (this movement) is in its infancy. But word of mouth can move mountains.

I think I also suggested that groups like Gareth's and Amy's consider hiring a public relations firm to help with the thornier aspects of the movement- how best to get the word out without shooting ourselves in the foot by alienating certain groups. I mean, it is at least worth a discussion. Gays could have certainly used a pr firm about 20-30 years ago when they really riled people up here in the states, esp. conservative folks with some pretty "out there" gay pride parades.....

The ASD movement will also shed new light on the growing "designer genes" movement, cloning, etc. and perhaps be the brake that stops that runaway train imo. I mean what better way to re-examine that scary issue than to take a cold, hard look - for the first time really- at the enormous contributions the autistic have made to society.  One way is to keep blowing the horn so to speak on all the current successful Aspies, famous or not. Keep it out there in the public's consciousness.

Now I've got to go- the UK parliament, in an email,  says they lost part of my email objecting to clause 16..........

It is where you live, DW. Much of the world is not like this.

I had the fried chicken something,

Fried chicken, potato salad $22
Diet Coke                        $ 3
Not sure                         $35
Apple wine/champange      $12
Strawberry shortcake        $ 9
                             ----------
Food                            $80.00
DC restaurant tax 10%    $ 8.00
                                -------------
                                  $88.00
Tip (20%)                    $16.00
                               ------------
                                $104.00

Welcome to Washington DC, Pakrat.

I am diagnosed Aspergers and to be honest I dislike the ND movement.  They seem to display this attitude that being NT is a disease and people on the spectrum are superior.

Not really, when I read a lot of there information it almost makes me puke.  They should just call themself nazis because there attitude is people with AS are supperior.

From wikipedia: Neurodiversity is an idea that asserts that atypical (neurodivergent) neurological development is a normal human difference that is to be tolerated and respected as any other human difference.

In other words, real neurodiversity is about equality, not superiority.

What you're talking about is autistic elitist. Sometimes these people will call themselves neurodiversity advocates, but they don't fit the definition.

Sort of reminds me of Magneto in X Men 3,, during the coming war of humans who hate mutants and mutants who hate humans.

I'm sure the dinner ticket in Oslo, Sydney, or Melbourne could shock me too.  Now the sales tax on the dinner, D.C.'s sad infrastructure (like lead in the water supply, imagine a cartoon, two water taps, leaded vs. unleaded) has been in the media for years, and/or there are those who would allege that a lot of it disappears in corruption too.

Try and look for the Please Tip 20% Web site.  We-Have-To-Share-It-With-The-Bus-Staff and all that.

I think this is a good start

http://www.fairtip.org/

You should read Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich.  The miserable living conditions of maid workers, Wal Mart employees, waitresses....    she went undercover and worked each of those jobs.  Her conclusion: their poverty makes prices lower for everybody else and therefore makes them richer.

You only have to pay somebody the minimum wage which doesn't have to be corrected for inflation.  

A great cartoon.....  two kids get a raise "Wow, a raise, let's get a burger!"  The burger meister is busy raising the price of the combo meal while they are crossing the street.

MW ought to be indexed for inflation, or the Earned Income Tax Credit should be multiplied as a backdoor increase in the MW.  I'm sure the Repubs would call it the Robin Hood bill, though.

Ever wonder the harder they work the less they are paid?
Think migrant workers.    (Very unpopular in America I might add right now).
I am reading HisPANIC by Geraldo Rivera.

This is exactly it. Start talking about successful aspies, and curebie parents will jump up and start talking about how it does not apply to their child.

The curebie movement is overwhelming parent-led- indeed, Autism Speaks often has quite a 'parents club' atmosphere. Most of these parents care very deeply about their kids and want the best for them, yet they seem to think that autistics (not aspergers, because curebies often make a big point of the gap between autie and aspie) need NT adults to speak for them, and that only NT adults can help. I don't know if this is borne out of logic, a form of subconcious elitism against the 'disabled', or simply down to the fact that they feel a cure must be found soon and they cannot wait for their kids to be able to speak for themselves.

Here is what I know about each side, and I'll play neutral here to get it fair.

Curebie:
- Active support consists of mostly NT parents of autistic kids.
- Most are not Alison Teppr-Singer types and do love their kids, but several can't see how things that get seen as offensive get seen as offensive.
- These parents often unintentionally (I hope) imply that parents and carers are more significant than autistics in the autism debate.
- These parents' children are mostly LFA.
- These parents often hold the belief that vaccinations or some other external occurences cause autism, so they believe that this is not what their children were meant to be like and that there is an NT child they can go back to.
- A few look at what their child can't do rather than what they can.
- Many seem to put the feelings of the NT parent before the feelings of the autie child, but they don't usually realise they do this.
- Curebie parents are usually very vocal and very determined to get a cure. They try everything.
- The other large curebie support group is LFA autistics, but these are few compareed to the parents.
- These autistics often feel that autism has ruined their life.
- Normality is often debated. For a few curebie supporters it is the goal, but most don't agree with that.

ND:
- Support mostly Mid-to high functioning autistics and aspies.
- There is no common quality of life for these people.
- Also smaller but significant support from LFA autistics and NTs.
- Fewer NT parents support ND than a cure, but HFAs work the other way round. I am not sure for LFAs.
- However they often don't address LFAs in their campaigns as it can be hard to get the positives across. As a result NT parents of LFA kids don't take the ND movement seriously.
- They are still quite small.
- A small minority wrongly belittle NTs and treat parents as les significant.
- They believe that autism is built in, so it can't be reversed as there is nothing to go back to.    
- Likewise, they believe that to cure an autistic child is to change them.
- They often put the feelings of the autistic child before those of the parents.
- Many ND supporters are quite liberal and do not see normality as a goal in any way, shape or form.

Draw your own conclusions!